Twelve Stones Wey Go Make Us Remember Our Papa
For our Papa word, twelve men carry twelve stones comot from the riverbed to build one marker for Gilgal. The reason na all about future: one day children go ask wetin the stones mean, and their papa and mama go get something wey dem fit point hand to.
4 1When di whole nation don finish cross di Jordan, our Papa tell Joshua sey,
2"Pick twelve men from di people, one man from every tribe. 3Command dem sey: 'Carry twelve stones from here, di middle of di Jordan, from di place wey di priests dem feet stand firm; carry dem cross with una and drop dem for di camp wey una go sleep tonight.'"
4So Joshua call di twelve men wey dem pick from di sons of Israel, one for every tribe. 5E tell dem sey, "Cross go before di ark of your Papa enter di middle of Jordan, make each of una carry one stone put for im shoulder—one for every tribe of di sons of Israel, 6so dat dis go be sign for una middle: when una pikin dem come ask later sey, 'Wetin dis stones dem mean to una?' 7Make una tell dem sey: di water of di Jordan cut before di ark of di Covenant of our Papa. When e cross di Jordan, di water of di Jordan cut. Dis stones dem go be memorial to di people of Israel forever."
8Di people of Israel do as Joshua command dem: dem carry twelve stones from di middle of di Jordan, one for every tribe of Israel, as our Papa tell Joshua, dem carry dem go dia camp, and drop dem for dia. 9Joshua also set up twelve stones for di middle of di Jordan, for di place wey di priests dem feet bin stand as dem dey carry di ark of di Covenant; dem still dey dia till today. 10Di priests wey dey carry di ark stand for di middle of di Jordan till everytin wey our Papa command Joshua make e tell di people finish—just as Moses bin command Joshua. And di people cross quick-quick. 11When all di people don finish cross, di ark of our Papa and di priests dem cross go before di people. 12Di sons of Reuben, di sons of Gad, and di half-tribe of Manasseh cross go with dia weapon before di people of Israel, as Moses bin tell dem. 13About 40,000 men wey ready for battle cross before our Papa go war, go di plains of Jericho. 14Dat day, our Papa make Joshua big for di eyes of all Israel; dem respect am di way dem bin respect Moses, all im life.
15Then our Papa tell Joshua sey,
16"Command di priests wey dey carry di ark of di testimony make dem comot from di Jordan."
17So Joshua command di priests sey, "Comot from di Jordan." 18When di priests wey dey carry di ark of di Covenant of our Papa comot from di middle of di Jordan and dia feet touch dry ground, di water of di Jordan return go im place, dey overflow all im banks as e bin dey before.
19Di people comot from di Jordan for di tenth day of di first month, and dem camp for Gilgal, for di east side of Jericho. 20Joshua set up dat twelve stones for Gilgal—di ones wey dem bin carry from di Jordan. 21E tell di people of Israel sey, "For di days wey dey come, when una pikin dem ask dia fathers sey, 'Wetin dis stones dem mean?' 22make una tell una pikin dem sey: 'Israel cross dis Jordan for dry ground.' 23Because your Papa dry di water of di Jordan before una till una cross, just as your Papa dry di Red Sea before us till we cross, 24so dat all di people of di earth go sabi sey di hand of our Papa strong well-well, and so dat una go dey respect your Papa always."
