Joshua 4

¹ And it comes to pass, when all the nation has completed to pass over the Jordan, that Yahweh speaks unto Joshua, saying, ² "Take for you out of the people twelve men, one man - one man out of a tribe; ³ and command you them, saying, Take up for you from this [place], from the midst of the Jordan, from the established standing-place of the feet of the priests, twelve stones, and you have removed them over with you, and placed them in the lodging-place in which you lodge to-night." ⁴ And Joshua calls unto the twelve men whom he prepared out of the sons of Israel, one man - one man out of a tribe; ⁵ and Joshua said to them, "Pass over before the ark of Yahweh your Elohim unto the midst of the Jordan and lift up for you each, one stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, ⁶ so that this is a sign in your midst, when your children ask hereafter, saying, What [are] these stones to you? ⁷ that you have said to them, Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off, at the presence of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; in its passing over into the Jordan were the waters of the Jordan cut off; and these stones have been for a memorial to the sons of Israel - to the eon." ⁸ And the sons of Israel do so as Joshua commanded, and take up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as Yahweh has spoken unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, and remove them over with them unto the lodging-place, and place them there, ⁹ even the twelve stones has Joshua raised up out of the midst of the Jordan, the place of the standing of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant, and they are there unto this day. ¹⁰ And the priests bearing the ark are standing in the midst of the Jordan till the completion of the whole thing which Yahweh commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua, and the people haste and pass over. ¹¹ And it comes to pass when all the people have completed to pass over, that the ark of Yahweh passes over, and the priests, in the presence of the people; ¹² and the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, pass over, by fifties, before the sons of Israel, as Moses had spoken unto them; ¹³ about forty thousand, armed ones of the host, passed over before Yahweh for battle, unto the plains of Jericho. ¹⁴ On that day has Yahweh made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel, and they reverence him, as they reverenced Moses, all days of his life. ¹⁵ And Yahweh speaks unto Joshua, saying, ¹⁶ "Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony, and they come up out of the Jordan." ¹⁷ And Joshua commands the priests, saying, "Come you up out of the Jordan." ¹⁸ And it comes to pass, in the coming up of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of Yahweh out of the midst of the Jordan - the soles of the feet of the priests have been drawn up into the dry ground - and the waters of the Jordan turn back to their place, and go as heretofore over all its banks. ¹⁹ And the people have come up out of the Jordan on the tenth of the first month, and encamp in Gilgal, in the extremity east of Jericho; ²⁰ and these twelve stones, which they have taken out of the Jordan, has Joshua raised up in Gilgal. ²¹ And he speaks unto the sons of Israel, saying, "When your sons ask their fathers hereafter, saying, What [are] these stones? ²² then you have caused your sons to know, saying, On dry land Israel passed over this Jordan; ²³ because Yahweh your Elohim dried up the waters of the Jordan at your presence, till your passing over, as Yahweh your Elohim did to the Red Sea which He dried up at our presence till our passing over; ²⁴ so that all the people of the land do know the hand of Yahweh that it [is] strong, so that you have reverenced Yahweh your Elohim all the days."