Joshua 4:1–8

The Memorial Stones

4After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, ^uthe Lord spoke to Joshua: ²“Choose 12 men from the people, one man for each tribe, ^v3and command them: Take 12 stones ^wfrom this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests ^xare standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.”

⁴So Joshua summoned the 12 men he had selected from the Israelites, one man for each tribe, ⁵and said to them, “Go across to the ark of the Lord your God in the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each ^yof the Israelite tribes, ⁶so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ ^z7you should tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.” ^a

⁸The Israelites did just as Joshua had commanded them. The 12 men took stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each ^bof the Israelite tribes, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there.