Joshua 4:1–8

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan,^k the Lord said to Joshua, ²“Choose twelve men^l from among the people, one from each tribe, ³and tell them to take up twelve stones^m from the middle of the Jordan,ⁿ from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.^o”

⁴So Joshua called together the twelve men^p he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, ⁵and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan.^q Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶to serve as a sign^r among you. In the future, when your children^s ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’^{t 7}tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off^u before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial^v to the people of Israel forever.”

⁸So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones^w from the middle of the Jordan,^x according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua;^y and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down.