1 ARST After the people of Israel all crossed over the Jordan River, Yahweh said to Joshua, BSB BSB: When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,
2 ARST “Choose twelve men, one from each tribe, and tell them to pick up twelve large stones from the middle of the Jordan, where the priests are standing in the dry riverbed. BSB BSB: “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,
3 ARST Carry those stones and put them down at the place you will stay tonight.” BSB BSB: and 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.’”
4 ARST So Joshua chose twelve men, one from each tribe. Joshua called them together BSB BSB: So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,
5 ARST and said to them,“Go into the middle of the Jordan riverbed, to the place where the priests are standing and holding the sacred chest that Yahweh, your God, gave you. Each of you must pick up a large stone, one for each tribe, each one carrying a stone on his shoulder— twelve stones for the twelve tribes of the people of Israel. BSB BSB: and 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,
6 ARST These stones will be a monument for you to see. In the future, your children will ask,’ What do these stones mean?’ BSB BSB: to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’
7 ARST Tell them that the water in the Jordan River was blocked off when the priests were carrying the sacred chest that Yahweh gave us. When the chest was carried into the Jordan River, the water was blocked off so that we were able to cross the Jordan on dry ground. Where we leave these stones is the place for the people of Israel to forever remember what Yahweh has done.” BSB BSB: you 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.”
8 ARST So the people of Israel did what Joshua commanded them to do. They went and picked up twelve large stones from the middle of the Jordan riverbed, one stone for each of the tribes of Israel, just as Yahweh had told Joshua, and they carried the stones to where they were staying, and they put the stones down there. BSB BSB: Thus 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.
9 ARST Then Joshua took twelve other stones and stacked them up in the middle of the Jordan River, where the priests who carried the sacred chest of Yahweh were standing. And that monument is still there to this day. BSB BSB: Joshua 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.
10 ARST The priests who carried the chest stood in the middle of the Jordan River until the people had finished crossing the river, as Yahweh had commanded Joshua to tell them to do. This also was as Moses had commanded Joshua to do. The people crossed the river quickly. BSB BSB: Now 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,
11 ARST As soon as all the people had crossed over, then the sacred chest of Yahweh and the priests who carried it, crossed over. All the people were there watching. BSB BSB: and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people.
12 ARST The soldiers of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and of half of the soldiers of the tribe of Manasseh, crossed over ahead of the rest of the Israelite people. As Moses had ordered them to do, they marched in the formation of an army. BSB BSB: The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them.
13 ARST About forty thousand men were marching before Yahweh. These men were armed and prepared for war, and they were heading for the plains of Jericho where they would fight a battle. BSB BSB: About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.
14 ARST On that day, all the people of Israel saw that Yahweh had made Joshua a great leader. And they honored Joshua just as they had honored Moses— all the days of his life. BSB BSB: On 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.
15 ARST Yahweh said to Joshua, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Joshua,
16 ARST “Now order the priests who are carrying the sacred chest of the testimony to come up from the dry Jordan riverbed.” BSB BSB: “Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”
17 ARST So Joshua commanded the priests to come up from the river. BSB BSB: So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”
18 ARST Then the priests, carrying the sacret chest containing the Ten Commandments that Yahweh had given to Moses, came up out of the riverbed. And as soon as they walked up out of the riverbed, the water of the Jordan River flowed again, and the river flooded over again, as it had done four days before. BSB BSB: When 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.
19 ARST It was on the tenth day of the first month of that year that the people crossed over the Jordan River and they camped at a place called Gilgal(which is east of the city of Jericho). BSB BSB: On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.
20 ARST Joshua set up the large stones at Gilgal. BSB BSB: And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.
21 ARST He said to the people of Israel,“In the future, your descendants will ask,’ Why are these stones here?’ BSB BSB: Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’
22 ARST Tell them,’ This is where Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground.’ BSB BSB: you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’
23 ARST Yahweh, your God, dried up the river for you, until you had all crossed over. Yahweh, the God you worship, did to the Jordan River just as he did to the Sea of Reeds, when he caused it to become dry until we had all crossed over it, just as he did here. BSB BSB: For 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.
24 ARST Yahweh did that in order that all the peoples of the earth may know that he is powerful, and so you may forever give him the honor he deserves.” BSB BSB: He 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.”
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