Joshua 4
4
Twelve Memorial Stones
1#Dt 27:2; Jos 3:17When the entire people had completed crossing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2#Jos 3:12“Take twelve men from among the people, one man per tribe. 3#Jos 4:19–20; 3:13Command them: ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the feet of the priests are standing; bring them over with you, and set them in the place you will camp tonight.’ ”
4So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from among the children of Israel, one man per tribe. 5Then Joshua said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift up a stone upon your shoulder, one for each of the tribes of the children of Israel, 6#Ex 13:14; Jos 4:21so that this will be a sign among you. When your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7#Ex 12:14; Nu 16:40you will answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones will be a memorial for the children of Israel continually.”
8Then the children of Israel did as Joshua commanded and picked up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each of the tribes of the children of Israel, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua. They crossed over with them to the settlement and set them there. 9Joshua also set twelve stones inthe middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing. The stones are there to this day.
10The priests who were carrying the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the Lord had commanded Joshua to say to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people quickly crossed over. 11When all the people had finished crossing over, the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed over in the presence of the people. 12The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over in battle formation in front of the children of Israel, according to what Moses had said to them. 13About forty thousand battle-ready men crossed over before the Lord for battle on the plains of Jericho.
14#Jos 3:7On that day, the Lord honored Joshua in the sight of all Israel. They feared him as they had feared Moses, all the days of his life.
15The Lord spoke to Joshua, 16“Command the priests carrying the ark of the testimony: ‘Come up out of the Jordan!’ ”
17So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan!”
18#Jos 3:15Then when the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the middle of the Jordan and the soles of the priests’ feet touched the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as before.
19#Jos 5:9Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped at Gilgal, on the eastern border of Jericho. 20#Jos 4:3; 4:8Joshua set up in Gilgal those twelve stones that they took from the Jordan. 21#Jos 4:6He said to the children of Israel, “When your children someday ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22#Jos 3:17then you shall explain to your children, ‘Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground!’ 23#Ex 14:21For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea when He dried it up before us until we crossed over, 24#Ex 14:31; Ps 89:13so that all the peoples of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, and you would fear the Lord your God always.”
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Joshua 4: MEV
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Military Bible Association
Joshua 4
4
Memorials to the Jordan Crossing
1When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2“Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. 3Tell 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.’”
4So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. 5He 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. 6We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7Then 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.”
8So 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.
9Joshua 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.
10The 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. 11And when everyone was safely on the other side, the priests crossed over with the Ark of the Lord as the people watched.
12The 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. 13These 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.
14That 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.
15The Lord had said to Joshua, 16“Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant#4:16 Hebrew Ark of the Testimony. to come up out of the riverbed.” 17So Joshua gave the command. 18As 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.
19The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month.#4:19 This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in late March, April, or early May. Then they camped at Gilgal, just east of Jericho. 20It was there at Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan River.
21Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23For 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#4:23 Hebrew sea of reeds. when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. 24He 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.”
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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