Twelve Stones from the Jordan 1 UST After all the people of Israel had finished crossing the Jordan River, Yahweh said to Joshua, BSB BSB: When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,
2 UST “Choose 12 men, one from each tribe{ of Israel}. BSB BSB: “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,
3 UST Tell them to pick up 12 stones from the middle of the dry Jordan{ riverbed} where the priests are standing. Tell them to 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 UST { So Joshua chose 12 men,} one from each tribe of Israel. Then Joshua called them together BSB BSB: So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,
5 UST and said to them,“Go into the middle of the Jordan{ riverbed}, in front of{ the priests who are standing and holding} the sacred chest of Yahweh your God. Each of you must pick up a{ large} stone, one for each tribe. Each of you is to carry a stone on his shoulder. That will be a total of 12 stones for the 12 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 UST 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 UST Tell them that{ these stones are here} because Yahweh blocked the water in the Jordan River{ so that it stopped flowing} when the priests were carrying the sacred chest of Yahweh. When the chest was carried into the Jordan River, Yahweh blocked the water{ so that we were able to cross the Jordan on dry ground}. These stones will cause our descendants to remember forever 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 UST So those 12 men did exactly what Joshua had told them to do. They went and picked up 12{ large} stones from the middle of the Jordan{ riverbed}, one stone for each of the tribes of Israel. That was what Yahweh had told Joshua. Then they carried the stones to their camp. 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 UST Then Joshua{ took} 12{ other large} stones and stacked them in a pile in the middle of the Jordan{ riverbed} where the priests who carried the sacred chest were standing. And those stones are still there. 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 UST The priests who carried the chest remained standing in the middle of the Jordan{ riverbed} until the Israelites had finished doing everything that Yahweh had commanded Joshua to tell them to do. These were the same instructions that Moses had given to Joshua. The Israelites crossed{ the riverbed} 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 UST As soon as all the people had crossed over, then the priests carried the sacred chest of Yahweh across the river. The people watched them do that. BSB BSB: and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people.
12 UST The soldiers from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half- tribe of Manasseh, crossed over ahead of the rest of the Israelite people. They brought their weapons with them. That was what Moses had ordered them to do. 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 UST As Yahweh was watching, about 40, 000 soldiers crossed the riverbed. These men were ready fight in the Israelite army. 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 UST On that day, Yahweh caused all the people of Israel to honor Joshua greatly as their leader. And they deeply respected Joshua his entire life, just as they had deeply respected Moses. 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 UST Yahweh said to Joshua, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Joshua,
16 UST “Order the priests who are carrying the sacred chest of the testimony to come up from the Jordan{ riverbed}.” BSB BSB: “Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”
17 UST So Joshua commanded the priests to come up from the Jordan{ riverbed}. BSB BSB: So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”
18 UST Then the priests, carrying the sacred chest of Yahweh, came up out of the Jordan{ riverbed}. As soon as the priests walked up out of the riverbed onto the riverbank, the water of the Jordan River started flowing again, and the river overflowed its banks as it had been doing 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.
The Camp at Gilgal 19 UST It was on the tenth day of the first month of their year that the Israelite people crossed over the Jordan{ riverbed} and camped at a place called Gilgal. That is east of the land near 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 UST At Gilgal, Joshua set up the 12{ large} stones that the 12 men had carried from the Jordan{ riverbed}. BSB BSB: And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.
21 UST Then Joshua said to the people of Israel,“In the future, when your descendants 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 UST tell them,‘This is where we Israelites crossed the Jordan River on dry ground.’ BSB BSB: you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’
23 UST While you were watching, Yahweh, the God you worship, dried up the river for you, until we had all crossed it. Yahweh, the God we worship, did{ to the Jordan River} exactly what he did to the Sea of Reeds. He caused that to become dry, as our parents were watching, until they all crossed it. 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 UST { Yahweh did that} in order that all the peoples of the earth would know that he is very powerful. And because you have seen this, as a result, you will always revere Yahweh your God.” 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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