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And when the sons of Israel were passed over (the) Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, (And when all the Israelites had crossed over the Jordan River, the Lord said to Joshua,)

Choose thou twelve men, by each lineage one man, (Choose thou twelve men, one man out of each tribe,)

and command thou to them, that they take from the midst of the trough of (the) Jordan, where the feet of [the] priests stood, twelve hardest stones; the which thou shalt set in [the] place of the tents, where ye shall set (the) tents in this night. (and command thou to them, that they take out of the middle of the trough, or the river bed, of the Jordan River, twelve stones, from where the feet of the priests had firmly stood; which thou shalt put in the place of the camp, where ye shall pitch the tents tonight.)

And Joshua called (the) twelve men, which he had chosen of the sons of Israel, of each lineage one man; (And Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had chosen out of the Israelites, one man out of each tribe;)

and he said to them, Go ye before the ark of your Lord God to the midst of (the) Jordan, and bear ye from thence in your shoulders each man one stone, by the number of the sons of Israel, (and he said to them, Go ye before the Ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan River, and each man carry ye out from there a stone on his shoulders, one for each of the tribes of Israel,)

that it be a sign betwixt you. And when your sons shall ask you tomorrow, that is, in time to coming, and shall say, What will these stones be mean(ing)? (that shall become a sign for all of you. And so when your sons and daughters shall ask you tomorrow, that is, in the time to come, and shall say, What mean ye by these stones?)

ye shall answer to them, The waters of (the) Jordan failed before the ark of [the] bond of peace of the Lord, when the ark passed over (the) Jordan; therefore these stones be set into mind of the sons of Israel, till into without end. (ye shall answer to them, The waters of the Jordan River stopped flowing before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, when the Ark crossed over the Jordan River; and so these stones be here to help the Israelites to remember this forevermore.)

Therefore the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded to them, and bare from the midst of the trough of (the) Jordan twelve stones, as the Lord commanded to him, by the number of the sons of Israel, unto the place in which they setted tents (one for each of the tribes of Israel, unto the place where they pitched their tents); and there they putted those stones.

Also Joshua putted (an)other twelve stones in the midst of the trough of (the) Jordan, where the priests (had) stood, that bare the ark of [the] bond of peace of the Lord (who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord); and those stones be there unto this present day.

10 Forsooth the priests, that bare the ark, stood in the midst of (the) Jordan, till all things were [ful]filled, which the Lord commanded, that Joshua should speak to the people (that Joshua should tell the people to do), as Moses had said to him. And the people hasted, and passed over (the) Jordan.

11 And when all men had passed [over], also the ark of the Lord passed [over], and (then) the priests went before the people (again).

12 Also the sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and half the lineage of Manasseh, went armed before the sons of Israel, as Moses commanded to them. (And the sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and of the eastern half of the tribe of Manasseh, went armed before the Israelites, as Moses had commanded them to do.)

13 And forty thousand of fighters went by their companies, and by their gatherings, on the plain and field places of the city of Jericho. (And forty thousand fighting men went by their companies, over the plains and fields, near the city of Jericho.)

14 In that day the Lord magnified Joshua before all Israel, that they should dread him, as they dreaded Moses, while he lived yet. (On that day the Lord magnified Joshua before all Israel, so that they would fear him, like they had feared Moses/so that they would revere him, like they had revered Moses, while he was yet alive.)

15 And the Lord said to Joshua,

16 Command thou to the priests that bear the ark of [the] bond of peace, that they go up from (the) Jordan. (Command thou to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant, that they come up from the Jordan River.)

17 And Joshua commanded to them, and said, Go ye up from (the) Jordan. (And Joshua commanded to them, and said, Come ye up from the Jordan River.)

18 And when they had gone up, bearing the ark of [the] bond of peace of the Lord, and had begun to tread on the dry earth, the waters turned again into their trough, and flowed again, as they were wont (to) before. (And when they had come up, carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and had begun to tread on the dry earth, the waters returned to their place, and flowed again, as they were wont to before.)

19 And the people went up from (the) Jordan in the tenth day of the first month, and they setted tents in Gilgal, against the east coast of the city of Jericho. (And the people went up from the Jordan River on the tenth day of the first month, and they pitched their tents in Gilgal, east of the city of Jericho.)

20 Also Joshua putted in Gilgal the twelve stones, which they had taken from the trough of (the) Jordan.

21 And he said to the sons of Israel, When your sons shall ask tomorrow their fathers, and shall say to them, What will these stones be mean(ing)? (And he said to the Israelites, When your sons and daughters shall ask their fathers tomorrow, and shall say to them, What mean ye by these stones?)

22 ye shall teach them, and say, We passed this Jordan by the dry bottom, (ye shall teach them, and say, We crossed over the Jordan River on dry land,)

23 for our Lord God dried the waters thereof in our sight, till that we over-passed it, as he did before in the Red Sea, which he dried while we passed [over], (for the Lord our God dried up its waters before us, until we had crossed over it, like he did before at the Sea of Reeds, which he dried up so we could cross over it,)

24 that all the peoples of (the) earth learn, or know, (of) the full strong might of the Lord, and that ye dread your Lord God in all time. (so that all the peoples of the earth can learn, or come to know, of the strong might, or the powerful hand, of the Lord, and so that ye shall fear the Lord your God forevermore/and so that ye shall revere the Lord your God forevermore.)

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan,(A) the Lord said to Joshua, “Choose twelve men(B) from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones(C) from the middle of the Jordan,(D) from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.(E)

So Joshua called together the twelve men(F) he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan.(G) Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign(H) among you. In the future, when your children(I) ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’(J) tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off(K) before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial(L) to the people of Israel forever.”

So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones(M) from the middle of the Jordan,(N) according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua;(O) and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. Joshua set up the twelve stones(P) that had been[a] in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.(Q)

10 Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, 11 and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. 12 The men of Reuben,(R) Gad(S) and the half-tribe of Manasseh(T) crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites,(U) as Moses had directed them.(V) 13 About forty thousand armed for battle(W) crossed over(X) before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.

14 That day the Lord exalted(Y) Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.

15 Then the Lord said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law(Z) to come up out of the Jordan.”

17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”

18 And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place(AA) and ran at flood stage(AB) as before.

19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal(AC) on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones(AD) they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’(AE) 22 tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’(AF) 23 For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea[b] when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over.(AG) 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know(AH) that the hand of the Lord is powerful(AI) and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.(AJ)

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 4:9 Or Joshua also set up twelve stones
  2. Joshua 4:23 Or the Sea of Reeds

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying,

Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of 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.

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

And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:

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?

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 unto the children of Israel for ever.

And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.

10 For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.

11 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the Lord passed 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 spake unto them:

13 About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the Lord unto 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.

15 And the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying,

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

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

18 And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did 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.

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

21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?

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

23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone 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.