1After the whole nation had gone across the River Jordan, the LORD spoke to Joshua. He said,2‘Choose 12 men from among the people. Choose one from each tribe.3Tell them to get 12 stones from the middle of the river. They must pick them up from right where the priests stood. They must carry the stones over with all of you. And they must put them down at the place where you will stay tonight.’4So Joshua called together the 12 men he had appointed from among the Israelites. There was one man from each tribe.5He said to them, ‘Go back to the middle of the River Jordan. Go to where the ark of the LORD your God is. Each one of you must pick up a stone. You must carry it on your shoulder. There will be as many stones as there are tribes in Israel.6The stones will serve as a reminder to you. In days to come, your children will ask you, “What do these stones mean?”7Tell them that the LORD cut off the flow of water in the River Jordan. Tell them its water stopped flowing when the ark of the covenant of the LORD went across. The stones will always remind the Israelites of what happened there.’8So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took 12 stones from the middle of the River Jordan. There was one stone for each of the tribes of Israel. It was just as the LORD had told Joshua. The people carried the stones with them to their camp. There they put them down.9Joshua also piled up 12 stones in the middle of the river. He piled them up right where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are still there to this very day.10The priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the River Jordan. They stayed there until the people had done everything the LORD had commanded Joshua. It was just as Moses had instructed Joshua. All the people went across quickly.11As soon as they did, the ark of the LORD and the priests also went across to the other side. The people were watching them.12Among the people who went across the river were men from the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. The men were ready for battle. They went across ahead of the rest of the Israelites. It was just as Moses had instructed them.13There were about 40,000 of them. All of them were ready for battle. They went across in front of the ark of the LORD. They marched to the plains around Jericho. They were prepared to go to war.14That day the LORD honoured Joshua in the eyes of all the Israelites. They had respect for Joshua as long as he lived. They respected him just as much as they had respected Moses.15Then the LORD spoke to Joshua. He said,16‘Command the priests to come up out of the River Jordan. They are carrying the ark where the tablets of the covenant law are kept.’17So Joshua gave a command to the priests. He said, ‘Come up out of the River Jordan.’18Then the priests came up out of the river. They were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD. As soon as they stepped out on dry ground, the water of the Jordan began to flow again. It went over its banks, just as it had done before.19On the tenth day of the first month the people went up out of the River Jordan. They camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.20Joshua set up the 12 stones at Gilgal. They were the ones the people had taken out of the Jordan.21Then he spoke to the Israelites. He said, ‘In days to come, your children after you will ask their parents, “What do these stones mean?”22Their parents must tell them, “Israel went across the River Jordan on dry ground.”23The LORD your God dried up the Jordan for you until you had gone across it. He did to the River Jordan the same thing he had done to the Red Sea. He dried up the Red Sea ahead of us until we had gone across it.24He did it so that all the nations on earth would know that he is powerful. He did it so that you would always have respect for the LORD your God.’
Joshua 4
English Standard Version
Twelve Memorial Stones from the Jordan
1When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, (Jos 3:17)2“Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, (Jos 3:12)3and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” (De 27:2; Jos 3:13; Jos 3:15; Jos 4:8; Jos 4:19; 1Ki 18:31)4Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.5And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel,6that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ (Ex 12:26; Ex 13:14; De 6:20; Jos 4:21)7then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” (Ex 12:14; Nu 16:40; Jos 3:16)8And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down[1] there.9And Joshua set up[2] twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day. (Jos 4:3)10For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people passed over in haste.11And when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the Lord and the priests passed over before the people.12The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. (Nu 32:20; Nu 32:27; Jos 6:7; Jos 6:9; Jos 6:13)13About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho.14On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life. (Jos 3:7)15And the Lord said to Joshua,16“Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” (Ex 25:16; Ex 25:21)17So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”18And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before. (Jos 3:15)19The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. (Jos 5:9)20And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. (Jos 4:3; Jos 4:9)21And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ (Jos 4:6)22then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ (Jos 3:17)23For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, (Ex 14:21; Jos 2:10)24so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”[3] (Ex 14:31; De 3:24; De 6:2; 1Ki 8:42; Ps 89:13)