Joshua 4

1And it came to pass when the whole nation had completely gone over the Jordan, that Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying,

2Take you twelve men out of the people, one man out of every tribe,

3and command them, saying, Take up hence out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place where ye shall lodge this night.

4And Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had appointed of the children of Israel, a man out of every tribe;

5and Joshua said to them, Pass before the ark of Jehovah your God into the midst of the Jordan, and lift up each of you a stone [and put it] upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel,

6that this may be a sign in your midst. When your children ask hereafter, saying, What mean ye by these stones?

7then ye shall say to them, That the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; when it went through the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

8And the children of Israel did so, as Joshua had commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as Jehovah had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the lodging-place, and laid them down there.

9And twelve stones did Joshua set up in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant had stood firm; and they are there to this day.

10And the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan, until everything was finished that Jehovah had commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people hasted and passed over.

11And it came to pass, when all the people had completely gone over, that the ark of Jehovah went over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.

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

13About forty thousand armed for military service passed over before Jehovah to the war, unto the plains of Jericho.

14On that day Jehovah magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they had feared Moses, all the days of his life.

15And Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying,

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

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

18And it came to pass when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of Jehovah had come up out of the midst of the Jordan, [when] the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up on to the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and they flowed as previously, over all its banks.

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

20And those twelve stones which they had taken out of the Jordan did Joshua set up in Gilgal.

21And he spoke to the children of Israel, saying, When your children hereafter ask their fathers, saying, What [mean] these stones?

22then ye shall let your children know, saying, On dry land did Israel come over this Jordan;

23because Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until ye had passed over, as Jehovah your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we had passed over;

24that all peoples of the earth might know the hand of Jehovah, that it is mighty; that ye might fear Jehovah your God continually.