< Joshua 4 >

1 And when they were passed over, the Lord said to Josue:
And it came to pass, when all the people had quite passed over Jordan, that the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,
2 Choose twelve men, one of every tribe:
Take you twelve men from the people, from every tribe a man,
3 And command them to take out of the midst of the Jordan, where the feet of the priests stood, twelve very hard stones, which you shall set in the place of the camp, where you shall pitch your tents this night.
And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging-place where ye shall lodge this night.
4 And Josue called twelve men, whom he had chosen out of the children of Israel, one out of every tribe,
Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, of every tribe a man:
5 And he said to them: Go before the ark of the Lord your God to the midst of the Jordan, and carry from thence every man a stone on your shoulders, according to the number of the children of Israel,
And Joshua said to them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:
6 That it may be a sign among you and when your children shall ask you tomorrow, saying: What mean these stones?
That this may be a sign among you, [that] when your children ask [their fathers] in time to come, saying, What [mean] ye by these stones?
7 You shall answer them: The waters of the Jordan ran off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, when it passed over the same: therefore were these atones set for a monument of the children of Israel for ever.
Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel for ever.
8 The children of Israel therefore did as Josue commanded them, carrying out of the channel of the Jordan twelve stones, as the Lord had commanded him, according to the number of the children of Israel, unto the place wherein they camped, and there they set them.
And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of Jordan, as the the LORD commanded Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
9 And Josue put other twelve stones in the midst of the channel of the Jordan, where the priests stood that carried the ark of the covenant: and they are there until this present day.
And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there to this day.
10 Now the priests that carried the ark, stood in the midst of the Jordan till all things were accomplished which the Lord had commanded Josue to speak to the people, and Moses had said to him. And the people made haste and passed over.
For the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.
11 And when they had all passed over, the ark also of the Lord passed over, and the priests went before the people.
And it came to pass, when all the people had quite passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests in the presence of the people.
12 The children of Ruben also and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasses, went armed before the children of Israel as Moses had commanded them.
And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses directed them:
13 And forty thousand fighting men by their troops, and bands, marched through the plains and fields of the city of Jericho.
About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD to battle, to the plains of Jericho.
14 In that day the Lord magnified Josue in the sight of all Israel, that they should fear him, as they had feared Moses, while he lived.
On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.
15 And he said to him:
And the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,
16 Command the priests, that carry the ark of the covenant, to come up out of the Jordan.
Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.
17 And he commanded them, saying: Come ye up out of the Jordan.
Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.
18 And when they that carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, were come up, and began to tread on the dry ground, the waters returned into the channel, and ran as they were wont before.
And it came to pass, when the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD had come up out of the midst of Jordan, [and] the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up upon the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned to their place, and flowed over all its banks, as [they did] before.
19 And the people came up out of the Jordan, the tenth day of the first month, and camped in Galgal, over against the east side of the city of Jericho.
And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth [day] of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
20 And the twelve stones which they had taken out of the channel of the Jordan, Josue pitched in Galgal,
And those twelve stones which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal.
21 And said to the children of Israel: When your children shall ask their fathers, tomorrow, and shall say to them: What mean these stones?
And he spoke to the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What [mean] these stones?
22 You shall teach them and say: Israel passed over this Jordan through the dry channel.
Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.
23 The Lord your God drying up the waters thereof in your sight, until you passed over: As he had done before in the Red Sea, which he dried up till we passed through:
For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye had passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we had gone over:
24 That all the people of the earth may learn the most mighty hand of the Lord, that you also may fear the Lord your God for ever.
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD that it [is] mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.

< Joshua 4 >