約書亞記 4
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
堆石為證
4 民眾都過河之後，耶和華對約書亞說： 2 「你去從民眾中選出十二個人，每支派選一人， 3 吩咐他們從約旦河床祭司站立的地方取十二塊石頭，放在你們今天晚上住宿的地方。」 4 約書亞便召來他從以色列人中選的十二個人，對他們說： 5 「你們到約旦河床你們的上帝耶和華的約櫃前面，每人扛一塊石頭回來，每個支派一塊，一共十二塊。 6 這些石頭要在你們中間作記號。以後，倘若你們的子孫問你們，『這些石頭是什麼意思？』 7 你們就告訴他們，『約旦河水在耶和華的約櫃前曾經被截斷，當約櫃過河的時候，河水被截斷了。這些石頭要在以色列人當中作為永久的紀念。』」
8 以色列人就照約書亞的吩咐，也就是照耶和華對約書亞的吩咐，按以色列人支派的數目，從約旦河中取了十二塊石頭，搬來放在住宿的地方。 9 約書亞又在約旦河床抬約櫃的祭司站立的地方立了十二塊石頭。石頭至今還在那裡。 10 抬約櫃的祭司站在約旦河中間，一直站到耶和華吩咐約書亞交待民眾做的每一件事都完成了，正如摩西對約書亞的吩咐。民眾迅速過了河。 11 所有人都過河以後，祭司才抬著耶和華的約櫃在民眾注視之下過了河。 12 呂便支派、迦得支派和瑪拿西半個支派的人照摩西從前的囑咐，帶著兵器走在以色列人的前面。 13 大約有四萬全副武裝的以色列人在耶和華面前過了河，前往耶利哥平原，準備作戰。 14 那一天，耶和華使約書亞在以色列眾人面前受尊重，他像摩西一樣終生受民眾敬畏。
15 耶和華對約書亞說： 16 「你去吩咐抬約櫃的祭司從約旦河裡上來。」 17 約書亞便吩咐他們上來。 18 抬耶和華約櫃的祭司從河床上來，腳剛一踏上岸，約旦河的水立刻恢復了原狀，像以往一樣漲過兩岸。
19 那天是一月十日。以色列人從約旦河上來之後，就在耶利哥東邊的吉甲紮營。 20 約書亞把從約旦河取來的十二塊石頭立在吉甲， 21 並對以色列人說：「以後，你們的子孫問你們這堆石頭是什麼意思， 22 你們就告訴他們，『這是代表以色列人曾在乾地上走過約旦河。』 23 因為你們的上帝耶和華為了讓你們過河而使約旦河成為乾地，就像祂從前為了讓我們過紅海而使海成為乾地一樣。 24 這是要讓天下萬民都知道耶和華有無比的能力，要讓你們永遠敬畏你們的上帝耶和華。」
Joshua 4
English Standard Version
Twelve Memorial Stones from the Jordan
4 When all the nation had finished passing (A)over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 (B)“Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take (C)twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place (D)where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in (E)the place where you lodge tonight.’” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. (F)When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that (G)the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel (H)a memorial forever.”
8 And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down[a] there. 9 And Joshua set up[b] twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, (I)in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day. 10 For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua.
The people passed over in haste. 11 And when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the Lord and the priests passed over before the people. 12 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh (J)passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. 13 About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho. 14 On that day the Lord (K)exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.
15 And the Lord said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests bearing (L)the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18 And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, (M)as before.
19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at (N)Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. 20 And (O)those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. 21 And he said to the people of Israel, (P)“When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, (Q)‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, (R)which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 (S)so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is (T)mighty, that you may (U)fear the Lord your God forever.”[c]
Footnotes
- Joshua 4:8 Or to rest
- Joshua 4:9 Or Joshua had set up
- Joshua 4:24 Or all the days
Joshua 4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 4
Memorial Stones. 1 After the entire nation had completed the crossing of the Jordan, 2 the Lord said to Joshua: Choose twelve men(A) from the people, one from each tribe, 3 and command them, “Take up twelve stones from this spot in the Jordan riverbed where the priests have been standing.(B) Carry them over with you, and place them where you are to stay tonight.”
4 Summoning the twelve men he had selected from among the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 Joshua said to them: “Go to the Jordan riverbed in front of the ark of the Lord, your God; lift to your shoulders one stone apiece, so that they will equal in number the tribes of the Israelites. 6 In the future, these are to be a sign among you. When your children ask you,[a] ‘What do these stones mean to you?’(C) 7 you shall answer them, ‘The waters of the Jordan ceased to flow before the ark of the covenant of the Lord when it crossed the Jordan.’(D) Thus these stones are to serve as a perpetual memorial to the Israelites.” 8 The twelve Israelites did as Joshua had commanded: they took up twelve stones from the Jordan riverbed as the Lord had said to Joshua, one for each of the tribes of the Israelites. They carried them along to the camp site, and there they placed them. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the Jordan riverbed on the spot where the priests stood who were carrying the ark of the covenant. They are there to this day.
10 [b]The priests carrying the ark stood in the Jordan riverbed until everything had been done that the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people, just as Moses had commanded Joshua. The people crossed over quickly, 11 and when all the people had completed the crossing, the ark of the Lord also crossed; and the priests were now in front of them. 12 The Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh, armed, marched in the vanguard of the Israelites, as Moses had ordered. 13 About forty thousand troops, equipped for battle, crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.
14 That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel,(E) and so during his whole life they feared him as they had feared Moses.
15 Then the Lord said to Joshua: 16 Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant to come up from the Jordan. 17 Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan,” 18 and when the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the Jordan riverbed, as the soles of their feet regained the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan resumed their course and as before overflowed all its banks.
19 The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and camped in Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho.(F) 20 At Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been taken from the Jordan, 21 saying to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 you shall inform them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan here on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord, your God, dried up the waters of the Jordan in front of you until you crossed over, just as the Lord, your God, had done at the Red Sea, drying it up in front of us until we crossed over,(G) 24 in order that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, and that you may fear the Lord, your God, forever.”(H)
Footnotes
- 4:6 When your children ask you: reminiscent of the question and response at the Passover meal, Ex 12:26–27.
- 4:10–18 After the digression about the memorial stones, the author resumes the narrative by briefly repeating the story of the crossing, which had already been told in 3:14–17.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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