Joshua 4

1 And it comes to pass, when all the nation has completed to pass over the Jordan, that YHWH speaks to Joshua, saying, 2 “Take for yourselves twelve men out of the people, one man—one man out of a tribe; 3 and command them, saying, Take up for yourselves from this place, from the midst of the Jordan, from the established standing-place of the feet of the priests, twelve stones, and you have removed them over with you, and placed them in the lodging-place in which you lodge tonight.” 4 And Joshua calls to the twelve men whom he prepared out of the sons of Israel, one man—one man out of a tribe; 5 and Joshua says to them, “Pass over before the Ark of your God YHWH into the midst of the Jordan, and each of you lift up one stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, 6 so that this is a sign in your midst when your children ask hereafter, saying, What are these stones to you? 7 That you have said to them, Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off, at the presence of the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH; in its passing over into the Jordan the waters of the Jordan were cut off; and these stones have been for a memorial to the sons of Israel to a distant age.” 8 And the sons of Israel do so as Joshua commanded, and take up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as YHWH has spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, and remove them over with them to the lodging-place, and place them there, 9 even the twelve stones Joshua has raised up out of the midst of the Jordan, the place of the standing of the feet of the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, and they are there to this day. 10 And the priests carrying the Ark are standing in the midst of the Jordan until the completion of the whole thing which YHWH commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua, and the people hurry and pass over. 11 And it comes to pass, when all the people have completed to pass over, that the Ark of YHWH passes over, and the priests, in the presence of the people; 12 and the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, pass over, by fifties, before the sons of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them; 13 about forty thousand, armed ones of the host, passed over before YHWH for battle, to the plains of Jericho. 14 On that day YHWH has made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel, and they fear him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. 15 And YHWH speaks to Joshua, saying, 16 “Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Testimony, and they come up out of the Jordan.” 17 And Joshua commands the priests, saying, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18 And it comes to pass, in the coming up of the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH out of the midst of the Jordan—the soles of the feet of the priests have been drawn up into the dry ground—and the waters of the Jordan return to their place, and go over all its banks as before. 19 And the people have come up out of the Jordan on the tenth of the first month, and encamp in Gilgal, in the extremity east of Jericho; 20 and these twelve stones, which they have taken out of the Jordan, Joshua has raised up in Gilgal. 21 And he speaks to the sons of Israel, saying, “When your sons ask their fathers hereafter, saying, What are these stones? 22 Then you have caused your sons to know, saying, Israel passed over this Jordan on dry land; 23 because your God YHWH dried up the waters of the Jordan at your presence, until your passing over, as your God YHWH did to the Red Sea which He dried up at our presence until our passing over; 24 so that all the people of the land know the hand of YHWH—that it is strong, so that you have feared your God YHWH for all the days.”


Next: Chapter 5

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