Joshua 4 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

When the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, Yahweh said to Joshua,

"Pick twelve men from the people, one from each tribe,

and tell them: 'Pick up twelve stones from right here in the middle of the Jordan, from the exact spot where the priests are standing. Carry them over with you and set them down at the place where you camp tonight.'"

So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,

and Joshua told them, "Walk out ahead of the ark of Yahweh your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you pick up one stone on your shoulder -- one for each of Israel's tribes --

so that this will be a marker among you. In the future, when your children ask, 'What do these stones mean to you?'

you will tell them, 'Because the water of the Jordan was cut off right in front of the ark of Yahweh's covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan's water was cut off.' These stones will be a permanent reminder for the Israelites."

The Israelites did exactly what Joshua ordered. They picked up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as Yahweh had told Joshua -- one for each of Israel's tribes. They carried them over to the camp and set them down there.

Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the exact spot where the priests carrying the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are still there today.

The priests carrying the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything was done that Yahweh had commanded Joshua to tell the people -- exactly as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried across.

Once all the people had finished crossing, the ark of Yahweh and the priests crossed over while the people watched.

The men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over in battle formation ahead of the other Israelites, just as Moses had told them.

About forty thousand armed and ready for war crossed over before Yahweh to the plains of Jericho.

That day Yahweh made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses for his entire life.

Then Yahweh said to Joshua,

"Command the priests carrying the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan."

So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan."

And when the priests carrying the ark of Yahweh's covenant came up out of the middle of the Jordan, the moment their feet touched dry ground, the Jordan's waters returned to their place and flooded over all its banks just like before.

The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho.

And Joshua set up at Gilgal those twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.

He said to the Israelites, "When your children ask their fathers someday, 'What are these stones?'

you will explain to your children: 'Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.'

Because Yahweh your God dried up the Jordan's waters right in front of you until you had crossed -- just like Yahweh your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up right in front of us until we had crossed.

He did this so that all the peoples of the earth would know that Yahweh's hand is powerful -- and so that you would stand in awe of Yahweh your God forever."