Twelve Stones from the Jordan

1And so when the people were al gone ouer Iordane (after ye Lord had spoken vnto Iosuah, saying: 2Take you twelue men out of the people, out of euery tribe a man, 3And commaunde you them, saying: Take you hence out of the middes of Iordane euen out of the place where the priestes stoode in a redinesse, twelue stones, which ye shall take away with you, and leaue them in the lodgyng where you shall lodge this nyght) 4Then Iosuah called the twelue men, which he had prepared of the chyldren of Israel, out of euery tribe a man. 5And Iosuah sayde vnto them: Get you before the arke of the Lorde your God, euen through the middes of Iordane, and take vp euery man of you a stone vpon his shoulder, accordyng vnto the number of the tribes of the chyldren of Israel, 6That this may be a signe among you: That when your chyldren aske their fathers in tyme to come, saying, What meane these stones with you? 7Ye maye aunswere them: howe that the waters of Iordane deuided at the presence of the arke of the couenaunt of the Lorde, (For when it went ouer Iordane, the waters of Iordane deuided) And these stones are become a memoriall vnto the chyldren of Israel for euer.

8And the chyldren of Israel dyd euen so as Iosuah commaunded, and toke vp twelue stones out of the middes of Iordane as the Lorde sayde vnto Iosuah, accordyng to the number of the tribes of the chyldren of Israel, and caryed them away with them vnto the place where they lodged, & layde them downe there. 9And Iosuah set vp twelue stones in the middes of Iordane, in the place where the feete of the priestes whiche bare the arke of the testament stoode: and there haue they continued vnto this day. 10For the priestes whiche bare the arke stoode in the middes of Iordane, vntyll all was finished that the Lorde commaunded Iosuah to saye vnto the people, accordyng to all that Moyses charged Iosuah: And the people hasted, & went ouer. 11And when all the people were cleane passed ouer, the arke of the Lord went ouer also, and the priestes before the people. 12And the chyldren of Ruben, and the chyldren of Gad, and halfe the tribe of Manasse, went before the chyldren of Israel armed, as Moyses charged the. 13Euen fourtie thousande prepared for warre, went before the Lorde vnto battayl, through the plaine of Iericho.

14That day the Lorde magnified Iosuah in the syght of all Israel: and they feared hym, as they feared Moyses all dayes of his lyfe.

15And the Lorde spake vnto Iosuah, saying: 16Commaunde the priestes that beare the arke of the testimonie to come vp out of Iordane. 17Iosuah therefore commaunded the priestes, saying: Come ye vp out of Iordane. 18And when the priestes that bare the arke of the couenaunt of the Lorde, were come vp out of the middes of Iordane, and assoone as the soles of the priestes feete were set on ye drie land, the waters of Iordane returned vnto their place, and went ouer all their bankes as they dyd before.

The Camp at Gilgal

19And the people came vp out of Iordane the tenth day of the first moneth, and pitched in Gilgal, euen in the east border of the citie Iericho. 20And the twelue stones whiche they toke out of Iordane, dyd Iosuah pitch in Gilgal. 21And he spake vnto the chyldren of Israel, saying: If your chyldren aske their fathers in tyme to come, and saye: What meane these stones? 22Ye shall shewe your chyldren, and say: Israel came ouer this Iordane on drye lande. 23For the Lorde your God dried vp the water of Iordane before you, vntill ye were gone ouer, as ye Lorde your God dyd the red sea, which he dried vp before vs, tyll we were gone ouer. 24That all the people of ye world may knowe the hande of the Lorde howe mightie it is, and that ye might feare the Lorde your God for euer.