Parallel Bible results for "joshua 4"

Joshua 4

English Standard Version ESV

1 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,

2 "Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man,

3 and command them, saying, 'Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.'"

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.

5 And Joshua said to them, "Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel,

6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?'

7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever."

8 And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the LORD told Joshua. 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 bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.

10 For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people passed over in haste.

11 And when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the LORD and the priests passed over before the people.

12 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them.

13 About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the LORD for battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14 On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.

15 And the LORD said to Joshua,

16 "Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan."

17 So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan."

18 And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.

19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.

20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.

21 And he said to the people of Israel, "When your children ask their fathers in times to come, 'What do these stones mean?'

22 then you shall let your children know, 'Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.'

23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over,

24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever."

The Message Bible MSG

1 When the whole nation was finally across, God spoke to Joshua:

2 "Select twelve men from the people, a man from each tribe,

3 and tell them, 'From right here, the middle of the Jordan where the feet of the priests are standing firm, take twelve stones. Carry them across with you and set them down in the place where you camp tonight.'"

4 Joshua called out the twelve men whom he selected from the People of Israel, one man from each tribe.

5 Joshua directed them, "Cross to the middle of the Jordan and take your place in front of the Chest of God, your God. Each of you heft a stone to your shoulder, a stone for each of the tribes of the People of Israel,

6 so you'll have something later to mark the occasion. When your children ask you, 'What are these stones to you?'

7 you'll say, 'The flow of the Jordan was stopped in front of the Chest of the Covenant of God as it crossed the Jordan - stopped in its tracks. These stones are a permanent memorial for the People of Israel.'"

8 The People of Israel did exactly as Joshua commanded: They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan - a stone for each of the twelve tribes, just as God had instructed Joshua - carried them across with them to the camp, and set them down there.

9 Joshua set up the twelve stones taken from the middle of the Jordan that had marked the place where the priests who carried the Chest of the Covenant had stood. They are still there today.

10 The priests carrying the Chest continued standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything God had instructed Joshua to tell the people to do was done (confirming what Moses had instructed Joshua). The people crossed; no one dawdled.

11 When the crossing of all the people was complete, they watched as the Chest of the Covenant and the priests crossed over.

12 The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had crossed over in battle formation in front of the People of Israel, obedient to Moses' instructions.

13 All told, about 40,000 armed soldiers crossed over before God to the plains of Jericho, ready for battle.

14 God made Joshua great that day in the sight of all Israel. They were in awe of him just as they had been in awe of Moses all his life.

15 God told Joshua,

16 "Command the priests carrying the Chest of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan."

17 Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan."

18 They did it. The priests carrying God's Chest of the Covenant came up from the middle of the Jordan. As soon as the soles of the priests' feet touched dry land, the Jordan's waters resumed their flow within the banks, just as before.

19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. They set up camp at The Gilgal (The Circle) to the east of Jericho.

20 Joshua erected a monument at The Gilgal, using the twelve stones that they had taken from the Jordan.

21 And then he told the People of Israel, "In the days to come, when your children ask their fathers, 'What are these stones doing here?'

22 tell your children this: 'Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry ground.'

23 "Yes, God, your God, dried up the Jordan's waters for you until you had crossed, just as God, your God, did at the Red Sea, which had dried up before us until we had crossed.

24 This was so that everybody on earth would recognize how strong God's rescuing hand is and so that you would hold God in solemn reverence always."