Joshua 4:3-9

4:3 Instruct them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests ¹  stand firmly, and carry them over with you and put them in the place where you camp tonight.’”

4:4 Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one per tribe. 4:5 Joshua 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. 4:6 The stones ²  will be a reminder to you. ³  When your children ask someday, ‘Why are these stones important to you?’ 4:7 tell them how the water of the Jordan stopped flowing ⁴  before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the water of the Jordan stopped flowing. ⁵  These stones will be a lasting memorial for the Israelites.”

4:8 The 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. 4:9 Joshua also set up twelve stones ⁶  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.

Joshua 4:20-24

4:20 Now Joshua set up in Gilgal the ⁷  twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan. 4:21 He told the Israelites, “When your children someday ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones represent?’ ⁸  4:22 explain ⁹  to your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan River ¹⁰  on dry ground.’ 4:23 For 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. ¹¹  4:24 He has done this so ¹²  all the nations ¹³  of the earth might recognize the Lord’s power ¹⁴  and so you might always obey ¹⁵  the Lord your God.”

[4:3]  ¹ tn Heb “the feet of the priests.”

[4:6]  ² tn Heb “that this may be”; the referent of “this” (the twelve stones) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:6]  ³ tn Heb “in order that this might be a sign among you.”

[4:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “were cut off from before.”

[4:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “how the waters descending from above stood still.”

[4:9]  ⁶ tn Here “also” has been supplied in the translation to make it clear (as indicated by v. 20) that these are not the same stones the men took from the river bed.

[4:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “these,” referring specifically to the twelve stones mentioned in vv. 3-7.

[4:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “What are these stones?”

[4:22]  ⁹ tn Heb “make known.”

[4:22]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “crossed this Jordan”; the word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[4:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea when he dried [it] up before us while we crossed over.”

[4:24]  ¹² tn Heb “in order that.”

[4:24]  ¹³ tn Or “peoples.”

[4:24]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “know the hand of the Lord that it is strong.”

[4:24]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “fear.”