Joshua 4

1 And it came to pass, when all the people had finished crossing the Jordan, that the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,

And it comes to pass, when all the nation has completed to pass over the Jordan, that YHWH speaks to Joshua, saying,

2 Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, from every tribe a man,

“Take for yourselves twelve men out of the people, one man—one man out of a tribe;

3 And command ye them, saying, Take for yourselves from here 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.

and command them, saying, Take up for yourselves from this [place], from the midst of the Jordan, from the established standing-place of the feet of the priests, twelve stones, and you have removed them over with you, and placed them in the lodging-place in which you lodge tonight.”

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, of every tribe a man:

And Joshua calls to the twelve men whom he prepared out of the sons of Israel, one man—one man out of a tribe;

5 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:

and Joshua says to them, “Pass over before the Ark of your God YHWH into the midst of the Jordan, and each of you lift up one stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel,

6 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?

so that this is a sign in your midst when your children ask hereafter, saying, What [are] these stones to you?

7 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.

That you have said to them, Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off, at the presence of the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH; in its passing over into the Jordan the waters of the Jordan were cut off; and these stones have been for a memorial to the sons of Israel for all time.”

8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spoke 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.

And the sons of Israel do so as Joshua commanded, and take up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as YHWH has spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, and remove them over with them to the lodging-place, and place them there,

9 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.

even the twelve stones Joshua has raised up out of the midst of the Jordan, the place of the standing of the feet of the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, and they are there to this day.

10 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.

And the priests carrying the Ark are standing in the midst of the Jordan until the completion of the whole thing which YHWH commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua, and the people hurry and pass over.

11 And it came to pass, when all the people had finished crossing, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.

And it comes to pass, when all the people have completed to pass over, that the Ark of YHWH passes over, and the priests, in the presence of the people;

12 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:

and the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, pass over, by fifties, before the sons of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them;

13 About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD to battle, to the plains of Jericho.

about forty thousand, armed ones of the host, passed over before YHWH for battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14 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.

On that day YHWH has made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel, and they fear him, as they feared Moses, all [the] days of his life.

15 And the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,

And YHWH speaks to Joshua, saying,

16 Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.

“Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Testimony, and they come up out of the Jordan.”

17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.

And Joshua commands the priests, saying, “Come up out of the Jordan.”

18 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.

And it comes to pass, in the coming up of the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH out of the midst of the Jordan—the soles of the feet of the priests have been drawn up into the dry ground—and the waters of the Jordan return to their place, and go over all its banks as before.

19 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.

And the people have come up out of the Jordan on the tenth of the first month, and encamp in Gilgal, in the extremity east of Jericho;

20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal.

and these twelve stones, which they have taken out of the Jordan, Joshua has raised up in Gilgal.

21 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?

And he speaks to the sons of Israel, saying, “When your sons ask their fathers hereafter, saying, What [are] these stones?

22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

Then you have caused your sons to know, saying, Israel passed over this Jordan on dry land;

23 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:

because your God YHWH dried up the waters of the Jordan at your presence, until your passing over, as your God YHWH did to the Red Sea which He dried up at our presence until our passing over;

24 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.

so that all the people of the land know the hand of YHWH—that it [is] strong, so that you have feared your God YHWH [for] all the days.”