Joshua 4

Twelve Stones from the Jordan

1When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, 2“Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, 3and command them, saying, ‘Take from here, from the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones. Carry them over with you and lay them down in the place where you spend the night.’” 4So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from each tribe. 5Joshua said to them, “Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you lift up one stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, 6so that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7then you shall say to them, ‘The waters 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.’ These stones shall be a memorial for the children of Israel forever.”

Stones in the Middle of the Jordan

8The children of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, as the LORD had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel. They carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there. 9Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the covenant had stood. They are there to this day. 10The priests carrying the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people hurried and crossed. 11When all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the LORD and the priests crossed before the people. 12The children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them. 13About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho for war.

The LORD Exalts Joshua

14On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the eyes of all Israel, and they feared him as they had feared Moses all the days of his life. 15Then the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, 16“Command the priests carrying the ark of the testimony to come up from the Jordan.” 17So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.” 18When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted onto dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and flowed over all its banks as before.

The Stones at Gilgal

19The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camped at Gilgal, on the eastern edge of Jericho. 20Those twelve stones that they had taken from the Jordan Joshua set up at Gilgal. 21He said to the children of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ 22then you shall make your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry 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 did to the Sea of Reeds, which he dried up before us until we had crossed, 24so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is strong, and so that you may fear the LORD your God all the days.”