14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenantu went aheadv of them. 15 Now the Jordanw is at flood stagex all during harvest.y Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing.z It piled up in a heapa a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan,b while the water flowing downc to the Sea of the Arabahd (that is, the Dead Seae) was completely cut off.f So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.g 17 The priestsh who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground,i while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.j

4 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan,k the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve menl from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stonesm 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”

4 So Joshua called together the twelve menp he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and 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, 6 to serve as a signr among you. In the future, when your childrens ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’t 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut offu 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 memorialv to the people of Israel forever.”