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