God, we have heard about you.\par Our fathers told us what you did\par in their lifetime.\par They told us what you did long ago.\par
Joshua 4:6 - Easy To Read Version These rocks will be a sign for you. In the future, your children will ask you, ‘What do these rocks mean?’ More versionsKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 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? Amplified Bible - Classic Edition That this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, What do these stones mean to you? American Standard Version (1901) that this may be a sign among you, that, when your children ask in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Common English Bible This will be a symbol among you. In the future your children may ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Catholic Public Domain Version so that it may be a sign among you. And when your sons will ask you, tomorrow, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you?' Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version That it may be a sign among you: and when your children shall ask you to-morrow, saying: What mean these stones? |
God, we have heard about you.\par Our fathers told us what you did\par in their lifetime.\par They told us what you did long ago.\par
Now I am old and my hair is gray.But I know that you won’t leave me, God.I will tell each new generationabout your power and greatness.
“So you will always remember tonight—it will be a special holiday for you. Your descendants [67] will honor the Lord with this holiday forever.
“In the future, your children will ask why you do this. They will say, ‘What does all this mean?’ And you will answer, ‘The Lord used his great power to save us from Egypt. We were slaves in that place. But the Lord led us out and brought us here.
“This holiday will help you remember—it will be like a string tied on your hand. It will be like a sign before your eyes. [83] This holiday will help you remember the Lord’s teachings. It will help you remember that the Lord used his great power to take you out of Egypt.
“Tell the people of Israel this: ‘You must follow the rules about my special days of rest. You must do this because they will be a sign between you and me for all generations. This will show you that I, the Lord, have made you my special people.
People that are alive—\par like me today—\par are the people that praise you.\par A father should tell his children\par that you can be trusted.\par
Large cypress trees will grow\par where there were bushes.\par Myrtle trees will grow\par where there were weeds.\par These things will make the Lord famous.\par These things will be proof\par \{that the Lord is powerful\}.\par This proof will never be destroyed.”\par
I also told them about all the special days of rest. Those holidays were a special sign between me and them. They showed that I am the Lord and that I was making them special to me.
Show that my days of rest are important to you. Remember, they are a special sign between me and you. I am the Lord. And those holidays show you that I am your God.”
This promise is for you. It is also for your children and for the people that are far away. It is for every person that the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Teach these laws to your children. Talk about these things when you sit in your houses, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.
The real reason we wanted our altar was to show our people that we worship the same God as you. This altar will be the proof to you and to us and to all our future children that we worship the Lord. We give our sacrifices, grain offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. We wanted your children to grow up and know that we are also people of Israel like yourselves.
Joshua said to the men, “Go out into the river where the Holy Box [14] of the Lord your God is. Each of you must find one rock. There will be one rock for each of the twelve family groups of Israel. Carry that rock on your shoulder.