Joshua - Chapter 4

1Now when all the nation had come to the other side of Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2Take twelve men from the people, a man for every tribe, 3And say to them, Take up from the middle of Jordan, from the place where the feet of the priests were resting, twelve stones, and take them over with you and put them down in the place where you take your rest tonight. 4So Joshua sent for the twelve men, whom he had ready, one man out of every tribe of the children of Israel, 5And he said to them, Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of Jordan, and let every one of you take up a stone on his back, one for every tribe of the children of Israel: 6So that this may be a sign among you; when your children say to you in time to come, What is the reason for these stones? 7Then you will say to them, Because the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the Lord's agreement; when it went over Jordan the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones will be a sign for the children of Israel, keeping it in their memory for ever. 8So the children of Israel did as Joshua gave them orders, and took twelve stones from the middle of Jordan, as the Lord had said to Joshua, one for every tribe of the children of Israel; these they took across with them to their night's resting-place and put them down there. 9And Joshua put up twelve stones in the middle of Jordan, where the feet of the priests who took up the ark of the agreement had been placed: and there they are to this day. 10For the priests who took up the ark kept there in the middle of Jordan till all the orders given to Joshua by Moses from the Lord had been done: then the people went over quickly. 11And when all the people had come to the other side, the ark of the Lord went over, and the priests, before the eyes of the people. 12And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh went over armed before the children of Israel as Moses had said to them: 13About forty thousand armed for war went over before the Lord to the fight, to the lowlands of Jericho. 14That day the Lord made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel; and all the days of his life they went in fear of him, as they had gone in fear of Moses. 15Then the Lord said to Joshua, 16Give orders to the priests who take up the ark of witness, to come up out of Jordan. 17So Joshua gave orders to the priests, saying, Come up now out of Jordan. 18And when the priests who took up the ark of the Lord's agreement came up out of Jordan and their feet came out on to dry land, the waters of Jordan went back to their place, overflowing its edges as before. 19So on the tenth day of the first month the people came up out of Jordan, and put up their tents in Gilgal, on the east side of Jericho. 20And the twelve stones which they took out of Jordan, Joshua put up in Gilgal. 21And he said to the children of Israel, When your children say to their fathers in time to come, What is the reason for these stones? 22Then give your children the story, and say, Israel came over this river Jordan on dry land. 23For the Lord your God made the waters of Jordan dry before you till you had gone across, as he did to the Red Sea, drying it up before us till we had gone across: 24So that all the peoples of the earth may see that the hand of the Lord is strong; and that they may go in fear of the Lord your God for ever.