Joshua 4

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

When all the people crossed over the Jordan, Yahweh said to Joshua,

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

“Choose twelve men for yourselves from among the people, one man 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.

Give them this command: 'Take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing on the dry ground, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you will spend the night tonight.'”

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

Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had chosen from the tribes of Israel, 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:

Joshua said to them, “Go over before the ark of Yahweh your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people 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?

This will be a sign in your midst for you when your children ask in days to come, '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.

Then you will say to them, 'The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones will be a memorial to the people of Israel 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.

The people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded, and they picked up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, as Yahweh said to Joshua. They set the stones up according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel. They carried the stones with them, over to the place where they camped and they set them down there.

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.

Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River, in the place where the feet of the priests that carried the ark of the covenant stood. The memorial is 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.

The priests that carried the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything that Yahweh commanded Joshua to tell the people was completed, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried and they crossed over.

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.

When all the people had finished crossing over, the ark of Yahweh and the priests crossed over before 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 tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh passed before the people of Israel formed up as an army, just as Moses said to them.

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

About forty thousand men equipped for war passed before Yahweh, for battle on 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 Yahweh made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel. They honored him—just as they honored Moses— all his days.

15 And the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,

Then Yahweh spoke 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 out of the Jordan.”

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

So, Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of 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 Yahweh came up out of the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of their feet were lifted up out on dry ground, then the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed its banks, just as they were four days 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.

The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. They stayed in Gilgal, east of Jericho.

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

The twelve stones that they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.

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

He said to the people of Israel, “When your descendants ask their fathers in times to come, 'What are these stones?'

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

Tell your children, 'This is where Israel crossed over 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.

Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you, until you had crossed over, just as Yahweh your God did to the Sea of Reeds, which he dried up for us until we passed 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.

so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of Yahweh is mighty, and that you will honor Yahweh your God forever.”