| Berean Study Bible | New International Version |
| 1When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, | 1When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, |
| 2“Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, | 2"Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, |
| 3and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’ ” | 3and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight." |
| 4So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, | 4So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, |
| 5and said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, | 5and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, |
| 6to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ | 6to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' |
| 7you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.” | 7tell them that the flow of the Jordan was 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 are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." |
| 8Thus the Israelites did as Joshua had commanded them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each tribe of Israel, just as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them to the camp, where they set them down. | 8So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. |
| 9Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. And the stones are there to this day. | 9Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day. |
| 10Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until the people had completed everything the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell them, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried across, | 10Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the LORD had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, |
| 11and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people. | 11and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the LORD and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. |
| 12The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them. | 12The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. |
| 13About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho. | 13About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the LORD to the plains of Jericho for war. |
| 14On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses. | 14That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses. |
| 15Then the LORD said to Joshua, | 15Then the LORD said to Joshua, |
| 16“Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.” | 16"Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan." |
| 17So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.” | 17So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan." |
| 18When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their course and overflowed all the banks as before. | 18And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before. |
| 19On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. | 19On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. |
| 20And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan. | 20And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. |
| 21Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ | 21He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their parents, 'What do these stones mean?' |
| 22you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ | 22tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' |
| 23For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. | 23For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. |
| 24He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.” | 24He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God." |
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