Joshua 4

Memorial Stones from Jordan

1Now when all the nation had finished crossing the 1Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, 2“2Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, 3and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in 3the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’” 4So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; 5and Joshua said to them, “4Cross again to the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel. 65Let this be a sign among you, so that 6when your children ask 7later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7then you shall say to them, ‘Because the 8waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a 9memorial to the sons of Israel forever.”

8Thus the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as the Lord spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel; and they carried them over with them to 10the lodging place and put them down there. 9Then Joshua set up twelve 11stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day. 10For the priests who carried the ark were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the Lord had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people hurried and crossed; 11and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed before the people. 1212The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over in battle array before the sons of Israel, just as Moses had spoken to them; 13about 40,000 equipped for war, crossed for battle before the Lord to the desert plains of Jericho.

1413On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; so that they 14revered him, just as they had 15revered Moses all the days of his life.

15Now the Lord said to 16Joshua, 16“Command the priests who carry 17the ark of the testimony that they come up from the Jordan.” 17So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.” 18It came about when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were 18lifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks as before.

19Now the people came up from the Jordan on the 19tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho. 202021Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up 22at Gilgal. 21He said to the sons of 23Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ 22then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on 24dry ground.’ 23For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the 25Red Sea, 26which He dried up before us until we had crossed; 24that 27all the peoples of the earth may know that the 28hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may 2930fear the Lord your God 31forever.”