Joshua 4

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

1All the people finished crossing the Jordan River. Then the LORD spoke to Joshua.

2Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

2God said, "Choose twelve men from the people. Take one man from each of the twelve family groups."

3And 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.

3"Tell them to go to the middle of the river. Have them pick up twelve stones from there. Take the stones from the spot where the priests stood still. Priests were the men who led Israel in worshiping God. Carry the stones with you. Set them down where you sleep tonight."

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

4So Joshua called the twelve men he had chosen. There was one man from each family group.

5And 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:

5Joshua said to them, "Go ahead of the ark of the LORD your God. The ark was a special golden chest that showed God was with them. Walk out to the middle of the river. Each of you lift one stone onto your shoulder. That makes one stone for each of Israel's twelve family groups."

6That 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?

6"These stones will be a sign for you. Someday your children will ask, 'What do these stones mean?'"

7Then 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.

7"Then tell them the water of the Jordan stopped flowing. It stopped in front of the ark of God's covenant. A covenant is a promise between God and his people. When the ark crossed the river, the water stopped. These stones will help Israel remember this forever."

8And 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.

8The people of Israel did just what Joshua said. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each family group. That is what the LORD had told Joshua to do. They carried the stones to their camp and set them down there.

9And 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.

9Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan. He put them where the priests with the ark had stood. Those stones are still there today.

Note"To this day" means the day the writer wrote this book, long ago. It does not mean today.

10For 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.

10The priests holding the ark stood in the middle of the river the whole time. They waited until everything the LORD told Joshua was finished. It was just what Moses had told Joshua to do. The people hurried across.

11And 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.

11When every person was across, the ark of the LORD crossed too. The priests carried it over while all the people watched.

12And 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:

12The men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and half the family of Manasseh went across in front. They were ready for battle, just as Moses had told them.

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

13About forty thousand soldiers crossed over, ready to fight. They marched before the LORD to the flat land near the city of Jericho.

14On 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.

14That day the LORD made Joshua great in front of all Israel. The people looked up to Joshua for the rest of his life. They honored him the same way they had honored Moses.

NoteThe old word here is "feared." It does not mean they were scared of Joshua. It means they treated him with great respect, the way they had treated Moses.

15And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,

15Then the LORD spoke to Joshua.

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

16God said, "Tell the priests to bring the ark up out of the Jordan."

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

17So Joshua told the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan."

18And 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.

18The priests carried the ark up out of the middle of the river. As soon as their feet touched dry ground, the water came back. The Jordan filled up and spilled over its banks, just like before.

19And 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.

19The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. They set up camp at Gilgal, east of the city of Jericho.

NoteThe first month of Israel's year came in the spring, around March or April on our calendar.

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

20There at Gilgal, Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.

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

21He said to the people of Israel, "Someday your children will ask their fathers about these stones. They will say, 'What do these stones mean?'"

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

22"Then tell your children, 'Israel walked across this Jordan River on dry ground.'"

23For 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:

23"The LORD your God dried up the water of the Jordan until you were all across. He did the same thing at the Red Sea long ago. He dried it up until we had all gone over."

24That 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.

24"He did this so people everywhere would know how strong the LORD is. And he did it so you would always honor and obey the LORD your God."