Joshua 4:1-5
New Living Translation
Memorials to the Jordan Crossing
4 When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. 3 Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’”
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. 5 He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 6 We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”
8 So the men did as Joshua had commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped for the night and constructed the memorial there.
9 Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day.
10 The priests who were carrying the Ark stood in the middle of the river until all of the Lord’s commands that Moses had given to Joshua were carried out. Meanwhile, the people hurried across the riverbed. 11 And when everyone was safely on the other side, the priests crossed over with the Ark of the Lord as the people watched.
12 The armed warriors from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh led the Israelites across the Jordan, just as Moses had directed. 13 These armed men—about 40,000 strong—were ready for battle, and the Lord was with them as they crossed over to the plains of Jericho.
14 That day the Lord made Joshua a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites, and for the rest of his life they revered him as much as they had revered Moses.
15 The Lord had said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant[a] to come up out of the riverbed.” 17 So Joshua gave the command. 18 As soon as the priests carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant came up out of the riverbed and their feet were on high ground, the water of the Jordan returned and overflowed its banks as before.
19 The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month.[b] Then they camped at Gilgal, just east of Jericho. 20 It was there at Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan River.
21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea[c] when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. 24 He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.”
5 When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings who lived along the Mediterranean coast[d] heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan River so the people of Israel could cross, they lost heart and were paralyzed with fear because of them.
Joshua 4:1-5
International Standard Version
The Jordan River Memorial
4 As soon as the entire nation had completed its crossing of the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua. He said, 2 “Gather together twelve men from the people—one man from each tribe— 3 and tell them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests’ feet were standing, bring them along with you, and put them down where you camp tonight.’”
4 So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had chosen from the people of Israel, one man from each tribe. 5 Joshua told them, “Cross over again in front of the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan River. Then each of you pick up a stone on his shoulder with which to build a memorial,[a] one for each of the tribes of Israel. 6 Let this serve as[b] a sign among you, so that when your children ask in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean to you,’ 7 then you’ll say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan River were cut off in front of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan River, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones will become a memorial to the Israelis forever.”
8 The Israelis did just as Joshua commanded. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River—just as the Lord had spoken to Joshua—according to the number of the tribes of the Israelis, and they carried them over to where they would be pitching camp, and they put them down there. 9 Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River at the location where the feet of the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant had been standing, and they remain there to this day.
Crossing the Jordan River
10 The priests who were carrying the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan River until everything had been done in accordance with what the Lord had commanded Joshua to speak to the people and with everything that Moses had commanded Joshua. So the people hurried and crossed over. 11 When all of the people had completed their crossing, the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed over in full view of the people. 12 Just as Moses had directed, the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, dressed in battle regalia, in full view of the other[c] Israelis. 13 About 40,000 soldiers equipped to do battle in the Lord’s presence crossed over to the desert plains of Jericho.
14 That day, the Lord exalted Joshua in the presence of all Israel so that they revered him just as they had revered Moses throughout his life.
15 Now the Lord had told Joshua, 16 “Command the priests who carry the Ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan River.”
17 So Joshua ordered the priests, “Come up from the Jordan River.”
18 As soon as the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord had come up from the middle of the Jordan River, and the soles of the priests’ feet came up to dry ground, the water of the Jordan River returned to normal,[d] covering its banks as it had done so before.
Why Joshua Set up the Memorial
19 The people came up from the Jordan River on the tenth day[e] of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern outskirts of Jericho. 20 Joshua set up the twelve stones that they had removed from the Jordan River at Gilgal. 21 Then he told the Israelis, “When your descendants ask their parents in years to come, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ 22 you are to tell your descendants: ‘Israel crossed this Jordan River on dry ground 23 because the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan River right in front of you, until you had crossed over, just as the Lord your God had done to the Reed[f] Sea—which he had dried up in front of us until we had crossed it also.’ 24 Do this[g] so that all of the people of the earth may know how strong the power[h] of the Lord is, and so that you may fear the Lord your God every day.”
Israel’s Enemies Become Discouraged
5 All the Amorite kings who lived across the Jordan River to the west and all the Canaanite kings by the Mediterranean[i] Sea became discouraged as soon as they heard that the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan River for the people of Israel until they had crossed it. They no longer had a will to fight[j] because of the people of Israel.
Footnotes
- Joshua 4:5 The Heb. lacks with which to build a memorial
- Joshua 4:6 Lit. this be
- Joshua 4:12 The Heb. lacks other
- Joshua 4:18 Lit. to its place
- Joshua 4:19 The Heb. lacks day
- Joshua 4:23 So MT; LXX reads Red
- Joshua 4:24 The Heb. lacks Do this
- Joshua 4:24 Lit. hand
- Joshua 5:1 The Heb. lacks Mediterranean
- Joshua 5:1 Lit. a spirit in them
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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