Josué 4

Da nu hele Folket havde tilendebragt Overgangen over Jordan, sagde HERREN til Josua:

Så lod Josua de tolv Mænd kalde, som han havde til Rede af Israeliterne, een Mand af hver Stamme;

for at det kan tjene til Tegn iblandt eder. Når eders Børn i Fremtiden spørger: Hvad Betydning har disse Sten for eder?

Da gjorde Israeliterne, som Josua bød, og tog tolv Sten midt i Jordan, som HERREN havde sagt til Josua, svarende til Tallet på Israeliternes Stammer, og de bragte dem med over til det Sted, hvor de holdt Rast, og stillede dem der.

Og tolv Sten rejste Josua midt i Jordan på det Sted, hvor Præsterne, som bar Pagtens Ark, stod stille, og der står de den Dag i Dag.

Men Præsterne, som bar Arken, blev stående midt i Jordan, indtil alt, hvad HERREN havde pålagt Josua at sige til Folket, var udført, i Overensstemmelse med alt, hvad Moses havde pålagt Josua; og Folket gik skyndsomt over.

Da hele Folket så havde tilendebragt Overgangen, gik HERRENs Ark og Præsterne over og stillede sig foran Folket.

Og Rubeniterne, Gaditerne og Manasses halve Stamme drog væbnet over i Spidsen for Israeliterne, som Moses havde sagt til dem;

henved 40000 Mand i Tal, rustede til Strid, drog de foran HERREN over til Jerikos Sletter til Hamp.

På den Dag gjorde HERREN Josua stor i hele Israels Øjne, og de frygtede ham alle hans Livs Dage, som de havde frygtet Moses.

Da sagde HERREN til Josua:

Byd Præsterne, som bærer Vidnesbyrdets Ark, at stige op fra Jordan!

Så steg Præsterne, som bar HERRENs Pagts Ark, op fra Jordan, og næppe havde deres Fødder betrådt det tørre Land, før Jordans Vand vendte tilbage til sit Leje og overalt gik over sine Bredder som før.

Og Folket steg op fra Jordan den tiende Dag i den første Måned og slog Lejr i Gilgal ved Østenden af Jerikolandet.

Men de tolv Sten, som de havde taget op fra Jordan, rejste Josua i Gilgal,

så skal I fortælle eders Børn det og sige: På tør Bund gik Israel over Jordan derhenne;

thi HERREN eders Gud lod Jordans Vand tørre bort foran eder, indtil I var kommet over, ligesom HERREN eders Gud gjorde med det røde Hav, som han lod tørre bort foran os, indtil vi var kommet over,

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,

Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:

That this may be a sign among you, {that} when your children ask {their fathers} in time to come, saying, What {mean} ye by these stones? {in time...: Heb. to morrow}

Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.

For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.

And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them:

About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. {prepared: or, ready armed}

On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.

And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,

Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.

Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.

And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, {and} the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as {they did} before. {lifted...: Heb. plucked up} {flowed: Heb. went}

And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth {day} of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.

And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.

And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What {mean} these stones? {in time...: Heb. to morrow}

Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:

That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it {is} mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever. {for ever: Heb. all days}