THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

 

Joshua Chapter 4

1 ¶ When all the people had finished crossing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,

2 Take twelve men from among the people, one man from every tribe,

3 And command them, saying, Take twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood still, and carry them over with you, and leave them at the place where you will camp tonight.

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, out of each tribe a man:

5 And Joshua said to them, Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each one of you take one stone on his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:

6 That this may be a sign among you, when your children ask their fathers in time to come, What do these stones mean to you?

7 Then you shall tell them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel for ever.

8 And the children of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as the LORD told Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they camped, and laid them down there.

9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there to this day.

10 ¶ For the priests who carried the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan, until every thing that the LORD had ordered Joshua to tell the people was done, just as Moses had ordered Joshua: and the people hurried to get across.

11 And it came to pass, as soon as all the people had finished crossing over, that the ark of the LORD and the priests, crossed over in the sight of the people.

12 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, crossed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses had instructed them:

13 About forty thousand men prepared for war crossed over before the LORD to the plains of Jericho, for battle.

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 spoke to Joshua, saying,

16 Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony, to come up out of the Jordan.

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

18 And it came to pass, when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD had come up out of the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted onto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan again filled its bed, and overflowed its 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, on the eastern boundary of Jericho.

20 ¶ And Joshua set up the twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, in Gilgal.

21 And he spoke to the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What do these stones mean?

22 Then you shall tell your children, Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.

23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan for you, until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up before us, until we passed over:

24 That all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is mighty: that you might fear the LORD your God for ever.