| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, | 1When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, |
| 2“Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, | 2"Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, |
| 3and 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.’” | 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." |
| 4Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. | 4So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, |
| 5And 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, | 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, |
| 6that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ | 6to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' |
| 7then 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.” | 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." |
| 8And 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. | 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. |
| 9And 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. | 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. |
| 10For 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. | 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 when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the LORD and the priests passed over before 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 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. | 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 ready for war passed over before the LORD for battle, to 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 stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life. | 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. |
| 15And the LORD said to Joshua, | 15Then the LORD said to Joshua, |
| 16“Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of 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 out of the Jordan.” | 17So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan." |
| 18And 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. | 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. |
| 19The 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. | 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 those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. | 20And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. |
| 21And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ | 21He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their parents, 'What do these stones mean?' |
| 22then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this 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 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, | 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. |
| 24so 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.” | 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." |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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