Joshua 4 - International Children’s Bible (ICB)

Rocks to Remind the People

4 All the people finished crossing the Jordan. Then the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose 12 men from among the people. Choose 1 from each tribe. 3 Tell the men to get 12 large rocks from the middle of the river. Take them from where the priests stood. Carry the rocks and put them down where you stay tonight.”

4 So Joshua chose 1 man from each tribe. Then he called the 12 men together. 5 He said to them, “Go out into the river where the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God is. Each of you should find 1 large rock. There will be 1 rock for each tribe of Israel. Carry the rock on your shoulder. 6 They will be a sign among you. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these rocks mean?’ 7 Tell them the Lord stopped the water from flowing in the Jordan. When the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord crossed the river, the water was stopped. These rocks will help the Israelites remember this forever.”

8 So the Israelites obeyed Joshua. They carried 12 rocks from the middle of the Jordan River. There was 1 rock for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. They did this the way the Lord had commanded Joshua. They carried the rocks with them. And they put them down where they made their camp. 9 Joshua also put 12 rocks in the middle of the Jordan River. He put them where the priests had stood while carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. These rocks are still there today.

10 The Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people what to do. It was what Moses had said Joshua must do. So the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant continued standing in the middle of the river until everything was done. And the people hurried across the river. 11 The people finished crossing the river. Then the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to the other side. As they carried it, the people watched. 12 The men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the eastern half-tribe of Manasseh obeyed what Moses had told them. They were prepared for war. So they crossed the river ahead of the other people. 13 About 40,000 soldiers were prepared for war. They passed before the Lord as they marched across the river. Then they went toward the plains of Jericho to go to war.

14 That day the Lord made Joshua a great man to all the Israelites. They respected Joshua all his life, just as they had respected Moses.

15 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua. 16 He said, “Command the priests to bring the Ark of the Covenant out of the river.”

17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”

18 So the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord out of the river. As soon as their feet touched dry land, the water began flowing again. The river again overflowed its banks. It was just as it had been before they crossed.

19 The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. They camped at Gilgal, east of Jericho. 20 They carried with them the 12 rocks taken from the Jordan. And Joshua set them up at Gilgal. 21 Then he spoke to the Israelites. He said, “In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these rocks mean?’ 22 Tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry land. 23 The Lord your God caused the water to stop flowing. The river was dry until the people finished crossing it. The Lord did the same thing for us at the Jordan that he did for the people at the Red Sea. Remember that he stopped the water at the Red Sea so we could cross. 24 The Lord did this so all people would know he has great power. Then they will always respect the Lord your God.’”

You Might Also Like:

Joshua 4 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

4 And it cometh to pass, when all the nation hath completed to pass over the Jordan, that Jehovah speaketh unto Joshua, saying, 2 `Take for you out of the people twelve men, one man -- one man out of a tribe; 3 and command ye them, saying, Take up for you from this [place], from the midst of the Jor...
Read More

Joshua 4 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

4 And when the sons of Israel were passed over (the) Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, (And when all the Israelites had crossed over the Jordan River, the Lord said to Joshua,) 2 Choose thou twelve men, by each lineage one man, (Choose thou twelve men, one man out of each tribe,) 3 and command thou t...
Read More

Joshua 4 - World English Bible (WEB)

4 When all the nation had completely crossed over the Jordan, Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 “Take twelve men out of the people, a man out of every tribe, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take from out of the middle of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, ...
Read More

Joshua 4 - The Voice (VOICE)

4 When the last one had crossed the Jordan, the Eternal One spoke to Joshua. Eternal One: 2 Summon the twelve men you chose from the people, one representing each tribe, 3 and tell them to take twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan riverbed where the priests stand with the covenant chest. Tel...
Read More

Joshua 4 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Twelve Memorial Stones4 Now when all the nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, Adonai spoke to Joshua saying: 2 “Take for yourself twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, 3 and command them saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the plac...
Read More

Joshua 4 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Twelve Stones Set Up at Gilgal4 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ fee...
Read More

Joshua 4 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Twelve Stones Set Up at Gilgal4 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ fee...
Read More

Joshua 4 - New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

Twelve Stones Set Up at Gilgal4 When the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua: 2 “Select twelve men from the people, one from each tribe, 3 and command them, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ fee...
Read More

Joshua 4 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Twelve Stones Set Up at Gilgal4 When the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua: 2 ‘Select twelve men from the people, one from each tribe, 3 and command them, “Take twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ fee...
Read More

Joshua 4 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Twelve Stones Set Up at Gilgal4 When the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Select twelve men from the people, one from each tribe,(A)3 and command them, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ fee...
Read More

Joshua 4 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Memorials to the Jordan Crossing4 When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. 3 Tell 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 th...
Read More

Joshua 4 - New Life Version (NLV)

4 When all the nation had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from the people, one man from each family. 3 Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan. Take them from the place where the religious leaders’ feet are standing. Carry them over with you, ...
Read More

Joshua 4 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Memorial Stones4 And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed (A)over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying: 2 (B)“Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, ...
Read More

Joshua 4 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

4 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 ‘Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and 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 pu...
Read More

Joshua 4 - New International Version (NIV)

4 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan,(A) the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men(B) from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones(C) from the middle of the Jordan,(D) from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with ...
Read More

Joshua 4 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

4 After the whole nation had gone across the Jordan River, the Lord spoke to Joshua. He said, 2 “Choose 12 men from among the people. Choose one from each tribe. 3 Tell them to get 12 stones from the middle of the river. They must pick them up from right where the priests stood. They must carry th...
Read More

Joshua 4 - New English Translation (NET)

Israel Commemorates the Crossing4 When the entire nation was on the other side,[a] the Lord told Joshua, 2 “Select for yourselves twelve men from the people, one per tribe. 3 Instruct them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests[b] stand firmly,...
Read More