4 And it came to pass,
when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto
Joshua, saying, 2 Take you twelve men out of the people,
out of every tribe a man, 3 And command ye them, saying, Take you
hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet
stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave
them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom
he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: 5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over
before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you
up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number
of the tribes of the children of Israel: 6 That this may be a sign among you, that
when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean
ye by these stones? 7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters
of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when
it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones
shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. 8 And the children of Israel did so as
Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan,
as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of
the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where
they lodged, and laid them down there. 9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the
midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the
ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day. 10 For the priests which bare the ark stood
in the midst of Jordan, until everything was finished that the LORD commanded
Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua:
and the people hasted and passed over.
11 And it came
to pass, when all the people were clean 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 spake unto them: 13 About forty thousand prepared for war
passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. 14 On that day the LORD magnified Joshua
in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all
the days of his life. 15 And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, 16 Command the priests that bear the ark
of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. 17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests,
saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. 18 And it came to pass, when the priests
that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst
of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry
land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over
all his banks, as they did before. 19 And the people came up out of Jordan
on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east
border of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones, which they
took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. 21 And he spake unto the children of Israel,
saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying,
What mean these stones? 22 Then ye 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 Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God
did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone
over: 24 That all the people of the earth might
know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD
your God for ever.