Joshua 4

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

Once everyone had safely crossed the Jordan River, the LORD tenderly spoke to Joshua, saying,

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

Choose twelve men, one from each tribe, with hearts full of faith and eyes set on the divine purpose.

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.

Instruct them, "From the heart of the Jordan, where the priests stood strong, gather twelve stones. Carry these with you and place them at your resting spot for the night."

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

Joshua summoned the twelve men, each representing a tribe of Israel's children, whom he had carefully chosen and prepared.

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:

Joshua urged them, "Cross the Jordan, leading with the Lord's Ark. Each man, carry a stone on your shoulder, representing each tribe of Israel's children."

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?

Let this serve as a symbol for you. When your kids, in the future, ask their dads, "What's the story behind 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.

You'll tell them, "God parted the Jordan River for the Ark of His covenant. When it crossed, the waters stopped flowing. These stones will forever remind the children of Israel of this miracle."

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.

Following Joshua's orders, the Israelites faithfully collected twelve stones from the heart of the Jordan River, as God had instructed. Each stone represented one of Israel's tribes. They then carried these stones to their resting place, laying them down with reverence.

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.

With a heart full of reverence, Joshua placed twelve stones at the heart of Jordan, right where the priests, carrying the sacred ark, had stood. Those stones, a symbol of their faith, remain there even today.

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.

The priests, carrying the sacred ark, stood firm in the heart of the Jordan River. They waited until every instruction that the LORD had given Joshua, following Moses' command, was completed. Meanwhile, the people hurriedly crossed over.

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.

Once everyone had safely crossed, the Lord's ark and the priests followed, under the watchful eyes of the people.

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:

As Moses had instructed, the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh tribe bravely led the way, fully armed, ahead of the rest of the Israelites.

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

Around forty thousand warriors, ready for battle, bravely marched before the Lord towards the fields of Jericho.

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, God made Joshua a great figure before all of Israel. They respected him deeply, just as they had respected Moses, throughout his entire life.

And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,

The Lord gently whispered to Joshua, expressing,

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

Instruct the priests carrying the sacred ark to rise from the Jordan's depths.

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

With a firm voice, Joshua instructed the priests, "Rise from the waters of Jordan."

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.

As the priests carrying the Lord's sacred ark emerged from the heart of the Jordan River, stepping onto dry land, the waters surged back, overflowing its banks just as before.

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.

On the tenth day of the new year, the people emerged from the depths of Jordan, their hearts filled with hope and anticipation. They set up camp in Gilgal, under the shadow of Jericho's eastern border, their spirits touched by the promise of a new beginning.

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

Joshua, filled with determination, carefully placed the twelve stones they had carried from Jordan, in Gilgal.

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?

He told the people of Israel, "In the future, when your kids ask their dads, 'What's the story behind these stones?'

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

Tell your children with passion and awe, "Israel crossed this Jordan, not by boat, but on dry ground."

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:

Just as God made a dry path through the Jordan River for you to cross, He did the same with the Red Sea for us.

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 everyone around the world may recognize how mighty God's hand is, and so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.