Yehoshua - Chapter 4

1. And it was when all the nation had completely passed over the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,

2. Take to yourselves twelve men from the people, a man from every tribe.

3. And command them saying, Take to yourselves from here out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and you shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where you shall lodge this night.

4. And Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, a man from every tribe.

5. And Joshua said to them, Pass before the Ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and lift up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel.

6. That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in time to come, saying, What are these stones for you?

7. Then you shall say to 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; and these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.

8. And the children of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them there.

9. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the Ark of the covenant stood; and they have been there to this day.

10. And the priests that bore the Ark stood in the midst of the Jordan, until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua; and the people hastened and passed over.

11. And it was, when all the people had completely passed over, that the Ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.

12. And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them.

13. About forty thousand armed for war passed over before the Lord to battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14. On that day the Lord made Joshua great in the sight of all Israel, and they feared him, as they had feared Moses, all the days of his life.

15. And the Lord said to Joshua, saying,

16. Command the priests that bear the Ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan.

17. And Joshua commanded the priests, saying, Come up out of the Jordan.

18. And it was, when the priests that bore the Ark of the covenant of the Lord came up out of the midst of the Jordan, that as soon as the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up to the dry land, the waters of Jordan returned to their place, and flowed over all its banks, as before.

19. And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.

20. And these twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.

21. And he spoke to the children of Israel, saying, When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What are these stones?

22. Then, you shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

23. For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up from before us, until we passed over.

24. That all the people of the earth might know the power of the Lord, that it is mighty; that you might fear the Lord your God forever.