Memorial Stones from the Jordan

1Now it happened when all the nation had completed crossing the Jordan, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, 2“Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, 3and command them, saying, ‘Carry for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’” 4So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; 5and Joshua said to them, “[†]Cross again before the ark of Yahweh your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you carry a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, 6in order that this would be a sign among you, so that when your children ask [†]later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.”

8Thus the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded and carried twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as Yahweh spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the lodging place and laid them down there. 9But Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day. 10Now the priests who carried the ark were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that Yahweh had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people hurried and crossed. 11And it happened when all the people had completed crossing, that the ark of Yahweh and the priests crossed before the people. 12And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over in battle array before the sons of Israel, just as Moses had spoken to them; 13about 40,000 equipped for war crossed for battle before Yahweh to the desert plains of Jericho.

14On that day, Yahweh magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel, so that they [†]feared him, just as they had [†]feared Moses all the days of his life.

15Then Yahweh said to [†]Joshua, 16“Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony that they come up from the Jordan.” 17So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.” 18So it happened when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh had come up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were [†]lifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and went over all its banks as before.

19Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho. 20[†]And those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. 21Then he said to the sons of [†]Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22then you shall make your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry land.’ 23For Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as Yahweh your God had done to the [†]Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed, 24that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of Yahweh is strong, so that you may [†]fear Yahweh your God [†]forever.”