Josh 4
1
And it came to pass, when all the nation were clean passed over the Jordan, that YHWH
spoke to Joshua, saying,
2
Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,
3
and command you them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, out of
the place where the priests` feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with
you, and lay them down in the lodging-place, where you shall lodge this night.
4
Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel,
out of every tribe a man:
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and Joshua said to them, Pass over before the ark of YHWH your God into the midst
of the Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according
to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel;
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that this may be a sign among you, that, when your children ask in time to come, saying,
What mean you by these stones?
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then you shall say to them, Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the
ark of the covenant of YHWH; when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan
were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel for
ever.
8
And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out
of the midst of the Jordan, as YHWH spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the
tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the place
where they lodged, and laid them down there.
9
And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the
feet of the priests that bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there to
this day.
10
For the priests that bare the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan, until everything
was finished that YHWH commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that
Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.
11
And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of YHWH
passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.
12
And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,
passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spoke to them:
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about forty thousand ready armed for war passed over before YHWH to battle, to the
plains of Jericho.
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On that day YHWH magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him,
as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.
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And YHWH spoke to Joshua, saying,
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Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the
Jordan.
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Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come you up out of the Jordan.
18
And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of YHWH were
come up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests` feet were lifted
up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went
over all its banks, as aforetime.
19
And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and
encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho.
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And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal.
21
And he spoke to the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their
fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?
22
Then you shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry
land.
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For YHWH your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until you were
passed over, as YHWH your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us,
until we were passed over;
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that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of YHWH, that it is mighty; that
you may fear YHWH your God for ever.