[1] When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said
to Joshua, [2] "Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, [3]
and command them, `Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the
Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood, and carry them
over with you, and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.'"
[4] Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he
had appointed, a man from each tribe; [5] and 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, [6] that this may be a sign among you, when
your children ask in time to come, `What do those stones mean to you?' [7]
Then 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 for ever." [8] And the men of Israel did 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, as the LORD
told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to the place where they
lodged, and laid them down there. [9] And Joshua set up 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. [10] For
the priests who bore 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; [11] and when all the people had finished passing over, the ark
of the LORD and the priests passed over before the people. [12] The sons of
Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manas'seh passed over
armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had bidden them; [13] about
forty thousand ready armed for war passed over before the LORD for battle,
to the plains of Jericho. [14] On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the
sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him, as they had stood in awe
of Moses, all the days of his life. [15] And the LORD said to Joshua, [16]
"Command the priests who bear the ark of the testimony to come up out of
the Jordan." [17] Joshua therefore commanded the priests, "Come up out of
the Jordan." [18] And 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. [19] The
people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and
they encamped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. [20] And those
twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.
[21] And he said to the people of Israel, "When your children ask their
fathers in time to come, `What do these stones mean?' [22] then you shall
let your children know, `Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.'
[23] For 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, [24] so 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 for ever."
