| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1When the entire nation was on the other side, the LORD told Joshua, | 1When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, |
| 2"Select for yourselves twelve men from the people, one per tribe. | 2“Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. |
| 3Instruct them, 'Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests stand firmly, and carry them over with you and put them in the place where you camp tonight.'" | 3Tell 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.’” |
| 4Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one per tribe. | 4So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. |
| 5Joshua told them, "Go in front of the ark of the LORD your God to the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to put a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the Israelite tribes. | 5He 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. |
| 6The stones will be a reminder to you. When your children ask someday, 'Why are these stones important to you?' | 6We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ |
| 7tell them how the water of the Jordan stopped flowing before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the water of the Jordan stopped flowing. These stones will be a lasting memorial for the Israelites." | 7Then 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.” |
| 8The Israelites did just as Joshua commanded. They picked up twelve stones, according to the number of the Israelite tribes, from the middle of the Jordan as the LORD had instructed Joshua. They carried them over with them to the camp and put them there. | 8So 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. |
| 9Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan in the very place where the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stood. They remain there to this very day. | 9Joshua 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. |
| 10Now the priests carrying the ark of the covenant were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people was accomplished, in accordance with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people went across quickly, | 10The 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. |
| 11and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the LORD and the priests crossed as the people looked on. | 11And when everyone was safely on the other side, the priests crossed over with the Ark of the LORD as the people watched. |
| 12The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed for battle ahead of the Israelites, just as Moses had instructed them. | 12The 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. |
| 13About forty thousand battle-ready troops marched past the LORD to fight on the plains of Jericho. | 13These 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. |
| 14That day the LORD brought honor to Joshua before all Israel. They respected him all his life, just as they had respected Moses. | 14That 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. |
| 15The LORD told Joshua, | 15The LORD had said to Joshua, |
| 16"Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenantal laws to come up from the Jordan." | 16“Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant to come up out of the riverbed.” |
| 17So Joshua instructed the priests, "Come up from the Jordan!" | 17So Joshua gave the command. |
| 18The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up from the middle of the Jordan, and as soon as they set foot on dry land, the water of the Jordan flowed again and returned to flood stage. | 18As 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. |
| 19The people went up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camped in Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. | 19The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. Then they camped at Gilgal, just east of Jericho. |
| 20Now Joshua set up in Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan. | 20It was there at Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan River. |
| 21He told the Israelites, "When your children someday ask their fathers, 'What do these stones represent?' | 21Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ |
| 22explain to your children, 'Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground.' | 22Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ |
| 23For the LORD your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you while you crossed over. It was just like when the LORD your God dried up the Red Sea before us while we crossed it. | 23For 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. |
| 24He has done this so all the nations of the earth might recognize the LORD's power and so you might always obey the LORD your God." | 24He 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.” |
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