| Christian Standard Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD spoke to Joshua: | 1When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, |
| 2"Choose twelve men from the people, one man for each tribe, | 2“Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. |
| 3and command them: Take twelve stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night." | 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.’” |
| 4So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had selected from the Israelites, one man for each tribe, | 4So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. |
| 5and said to them, "Go across to the ark of the LORD your God in the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each 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. |
| 6so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean to you?' | 6We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ |
| 7you should tell them, 'The water of the Jordan was cut off in front of the ark of the LORD's covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan's water was cut off.' Therefore these stones will always be a 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 had commanded them. The twelve men took stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each of the Israelite tribes, just as the LORD had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down 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 where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing. The stones are still there today. | 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. |
| 10The priests carrying the ark continued standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell the people, in keeping with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried across, | 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 after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people. | 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 half the tribe of Manasseh went in battle formation in front of the Israelites, 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 equipped for war crossed to the plains of Jericho in the LORD's presence. | 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. |
| 14On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him throughout his life, as they had revered 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"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 to come up out of the riverbed.” |
| 17So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up from the Jordan." | 17So Joshua gave the command. |
| 18When the priests carrying the ark of the LORD's covenant came up from the middle of the Jordan, and their feet stepped out on solid ground, the water of the Jordan resumed its course, flowing over all the banks as before. | 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 came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and camped at Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho. | 19The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. Then they camped at Gilgal, just east of Jericho. |
| 20Then 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. |
| 21and he said to the Israelites, "In the future, when your children ask their fathers, 'What is the meaning of these stones?' | 21Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ |
| 22you should tell your children, 'Israel crossed the Jordan 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 until you had crossed over, just as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed over. | 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. |
| 24This is so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD's hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear 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.” |
| The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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