fra Biblica1Efter at folket var kommet godt over på den anden side, sagde Herren til Josva:2-3„Sig til de 12 mænd, der blev udpeget af Israels 12 stammer, at de hver skal tage en sten fra det sted i flodlejet, hvor præsterne står, og tage stenene med sig til det sted, hvor I slår lejr i aften.”4Så kaldte Josva de 12 mænd sammen5og sagde til dem: „Nu kan I gå over, men stands midt ude i flodlejet, hvor pagtens ark er. Der skal hver af jer samle en sten op og bære den på skulderen over på den anden side, så der er en sten for hver af Israels 12 stammer.6De sten skal være et minde, og når jeres børn i fremtiden spørger: ‚Hvad betyder de mindesten?’7skal I svare: ‚De minder os om dengang, Jordanflodens vand standsede for at lade Herrens Ark og folket passere.’ De sten skal altid minde Israels folk om det under, som skete, da vi krydsede Jordanfloden.”8Mændene gjorde, som Josva havde sagt. De samlede 12 sten op fra flodlejet, én sten for hver stamme, sådan som Herren havde befalet Josva, og tog dem med sig til det sted, hvor de slog lejr for natten.9Josva anbragte desuden 12 sten midt i floden på det sted, hvor præsterne stod med pagtens ark, og de sten er der den dag i dag.10De præster, som bar arken, blev altså stående ude i flodlejet, indtil alt, hvad Herren havde befalet Josva, var udført. På den måde førte Josva folket over floden, sådan som Moses havde givet instrukser om. Folket skyndte sig over floden, mens præsterne stod i midten,11og da de alle var kommet over, fulgte præsterne efter med arken, mens folket stod og så til.12Som Moses havde befalet, gik de våbenføre mænd fra Rubens, Gads og Manasses halve stamme også med over floden.13De udgjorde 40.000 bevæbnede krigere, som var klar til at kæmpe for Herren på Jerikos sletter.14Herren gjorde det sådan, at Josva den dag vandt stor respekt i folkets øjne. Fremover viste de ham samme ærefrygt, som de havde vist Moses.15-18Efter at Josva på Herrens befaling havde sagt til de præster, der stod med pagtens ark, at de skulle komme op af flodlejet, steg de op på bredden, og i samme øjeblik de satte foden på landjorden, strømmede vandet tilbage, og floden gik over sine bredder som før.19Det var den tiende dag i årets første måned,[1] at folket krydsede Jordanfloden og slog lejr ved Gilgal øst for Jeriko. (2.Mos 12,1)20Det var også der, Josva anbragte de 12 mindesten, de havde taget med fra midten af floden.21Så gentog han over for hele Israels folk, hvad han allerede tidligere havde sagt: „I fremtiden, når jeres børn spørger: ‚Hvad betyder de mindesten?’22skal I sige: ‚De er til minde om, at Israels folk gik tørskoet over Jordanfloden.’23Fortæl dem, hvordan Herren holdt vandet tilbage for øjnene af jer, indtil alle var kommet over, ligesom han gjorde med Det Røde Hav, dengang Israels folk skulle krydse det.24For alle jordens folk skal det være et tegn på Herrens vældige magt, og det skal hjælpe jer til altid at have respekt og ærefrygt for Herren, jeres Gud.”
1When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, (Josva 3,17)2“Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, (Josva 3,12)3and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” (5.Mos 27,2; Josva 3,13; Josva 3,15; Josva 4,8; Josva 4,19; 1.Kong 18,31)4Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.5And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel,6that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ (2.Mos 12,26; 2.Mos 13,14; 5.Mos 6,20; Josva 4,21)7then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” (2.Mos 12,14; 4.Mos 16,40; Josva 3,16)8And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down[1] there.9And Joshua set up[2] twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day. (Josva 4,3)10For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people passed over in haste.11And when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the Lord and the priests passed over before the people.12The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. (4.Mos 32,20; 4.Mos 32,27; Josva 6,7; Josva 6,9; Josva 6,13)13About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho.14On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life. (Josva 3,7)15And the Lord said to Joshua,16“Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” (2.Mos 25,16; 2.Mos 25,21)17So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”18And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before. (Josva 3,15)19The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. (Josva 5,9)20And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. (Josva 4,3; Josva 4,9)21And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ (Josva 4,6)22then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ (Josva 3,17)23For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, (2.Mos 14,21; Josva 2,10)24so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”[3] (2.Mos 14,31; 5.Mos 3,24; 5.Mos 6,2; 1.Kong 8,42; Salm 89,13)