Joshua 4
1 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 ye
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 every
thing 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.