Joshua 4:1–10

Memorial Stones from Jordan

1 Now when all the nation had finished crossing the aJordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,

2 “aTake for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe,

3 and command them, saying, ‘Take up 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 athe lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’ ”

4 So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe;

5 and Joshua said to them, “1Cross again to the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel.

6 “1Let this be a sign among you, so that awhen your children ask 2later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’

7 then you shall say to them, ‘Because the awaters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a bmemorial to the sons of Israel forever.”

8 Thus the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as the Lord spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel; and they carried them over with them to athe lodging place and put them down there.

9 Then Joshua set up twelve astones 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.

10 For the priests who carried the ark were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the Lord had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people hurried and crossed;