Joshua 4

1 And when the people had completely passed over Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,

2 Take men from the people, one of each tribe,

“Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,

3 and charge them; and you shall take out of the midst of Jordan twelve fit stones, and having carried them across together with yourselves, place them in your camp, where you shall encamp for the night.

and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’”

4 And Joshua having called twelve men of distinction amongst the children of Israel, one of each tribe,

So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,

5 said to them, Advance before me in the presence of the Lord into the midst of Jordan, and each having taken up a stone from thence, let him carry it on his shoulders, according to the number of the twelve tribes of Israel:

and said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel,

6 that these may be to you continually for an appointed sign, that when your son asks you in future, saying, What are these stones to us?

to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’

7 then you may explain to your son, saying, The river Jordan was dried up from before the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth, when it passed it: and these stones shall be for a memorial for you for the children of Israel for ever.

you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.”

8 And the children of Israel did so, as the Lord commanded Joshua; and they took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, (as the Lord commanded Joshua, when the children of Israel had completely passed over, ) and carried these stones with them into the camp, and laid them down there.

Thus the Israelites did as Joshua had commanded them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each tribe of Israel, just as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them to the camp, where they set them down.

9 And Joshua set also other twelve stones in Jordan itself, in the place that was under the feet of the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord; and there they are to this day.

Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. And the stones are there to this day.

10 And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant stood in Jordan, until Joshua [had] finished all that the Lord commanded him to report to the people; and the people hasted and passed over.

Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until the people had completed everything the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell them, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried across,

11 And it came to pass when all the people had passed over, that the ark of the covenant of the Lord passed over, and the stones before them.

and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people.

12 And the sons of Ruben, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasse passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses commanded them.

The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them.

13 Forty thousand armed for battle went over before the Lord to war, to the city of Jericho.

About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.

14 In that day the Lord magnified Joshua before all the people of Israel; and they feared him, as [they did] Moses, as long as he lived.

On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.

15 And the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,

Then the LORD said to Joshua,

16 Charge the priests that bear the ark of the covenant of the testimony of the Lord, to go up out of Jordan.

“Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

17 And Joshua charged the priests, saying, Go up out of Jordan.

So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”

18 And it came to pass when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord were gone up out of Jordan, and set their feet upon the land, [that] the water of Jordan returned impetuously to its place, and went as before over all its banks.

When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their course and overflowed all the banks as before.

19 And the people went up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month; and the children of Israel encamped in Galgala in the region eastward from Jericho.

On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.

20 And Joshua set these twelve stones which he took out of Jordan, in Galgala,

And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.

21 saying, When your sons ask you, saying, What are these stones?

Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’

22 Tell your sons, that Israel went over this Jordan on dry land,

you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’

23 when the Lord our God had dried up the water of Jordan from before them, until they had passed over; as the Lord our God did to the Red Sea, which the Lord our God dried up from before us, until we passed over.

For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over.

24 That all the nations of the earth might know, that the power of the Lord is mighty, and that you might worship the Lord our God in every work.

He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”