Joshua 4

The Memorial Stones

1When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, Yahweh said to Joshua: 2“Choose twelve men from the people, one from each tribe, 3and command them: ‘Take up twelve stones from here, from the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, carry them over with you, and set them down at the place where you camp tonight.’” 4So Joshua called the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5and Joshua said to them, “Cross over ahead of the ark of Yahweh your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each tribe of Israel, 6so that this may be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7you will tell them that the water of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. When it crossed the Jordan, the water of the Jordan was cut off. These stones will be a memorial for the Israelites forever.” 8The Israelites did as Joshua commanded. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, as Yahweh had told Joshua, one for each tribe of Israel, carried them to the camp, and set them down there. 9Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests carrying the ark of the covenant had stood, and they are there to this day. 10The priests carrying the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything Yahweh had commanded Joshua to tell the people was finished, just as Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried across, 11and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of Yahweh and the priests crossed in front of the people. 12The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed, ahead of the Israelites, as Moses had told them. 13About forty thousand equipped for war crossed before Yahweh into the plains of Jericho, ready for battle. 14That day Yahweh exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses. 15Yahweh said to Joshua: 16“Command the priests carrying the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” 17So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18As the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came up from the middle of the Jordan, and their feet touched dry ground, the water of the Jordan returned to its place and flowed over all its banks, as before. 19The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped at Gilgal, on the eastern edge of Jericho. 20And the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. 21He said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22you are to tell them: Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground. 23For Yahweh your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as Yahweh your God did to the Reed Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed — 24so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of Yahweh is mighty, and so that you may fear Yahweh your God forever.”