“1 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over
Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, 2 Take you twelve men
out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 3 And command ye them,
saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place
where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry
them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall
lodge this night. 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had
prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: 5 And
Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God
into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon
his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of
Israel: 6 That this may be a sign among you, [that] when your children
ask [their fathers] in time to come, saying, What [mean] ye by these
stones? 7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut
off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over
Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for
a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. 8 And the children of
Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the
midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number
of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them
unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. 9 And Joshua
set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet
of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are
there unto this day.”
“10 For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan,
until every thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak
unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the
people hasted and passed over. 11 And it came to pass, when all the
people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and
the priests, in the presence of the people. 12 And the children of
Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed
over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: 13
About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto
battle, to the plains of Jericho. 14 On that day the LORD magnified
Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared
Moses, all the days of his life. 15 And the LORD spake unto Joshua,
saying, 16 Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that
they come up out of Jordan. 17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests,
saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. 18 And it came to pass, when the
priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out
of the midst of Jordan, [and] the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted
up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their
place, and flowed over all his banks, as [they did] before. 19 And the
people came up out of Jordan on the tenth [day] of the first month, and
encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.”
“20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua
pitch in Gilgal. 21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying,
When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What
[mean] these stones? 22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying,
Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. 23 For the LORD your God dried
up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as
the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us,
until we were gone over: 24 That all the people of the earth might know
the hand of the LORD, that it [is] mighty: that ye might fear the LORD
your God for ever.” (Joshua 4:1-24 AV)
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