Parallel Bible results for "joshua 4"

Joshua 4

New Living Translation NLT

1 When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,

2 “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe.

3 Tell 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.’”

4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel.

5 He 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.

6 We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’

7 Then 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.”

8 So 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.

9 Joshua 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.

10 The 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.

11 And when everyone was safely on the other side, the priests crossed over with the Ark of the LORD as the people watched.

12 The 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.

13 These 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.

14 That 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.

15 The LORD had said to Joshua,

16 “Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant to come up out of the riverbed.”

17 So Joshua gave the command.

18 As 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.

19 The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. Then they camped at Gilgal, just east of Jericho.

20 It was there at Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan River.

21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’

22 Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’

23 For 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 when he dried it up until we had all crossed over.

24 He 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.”

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."