1 Now when all the nation had finished crossing the ADeut 27:2; Josh 3:17Jordan, the Loʀᴅ spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 “AJosh 3:12Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in AJosh 4:20the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’ ” 4 So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; 5 and Joshua said to them, “1Lit Cross before the arkCross again to the ark of the Loʀᴅ your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel. 6  “1Lit That this may beLet this be a sign among you, so that AEx 12:26; 13:14; Josh 4:21when your children ask 2Lit tomorrowlater, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall say to them, ‘Because the AJosh 3:13waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Loʀᴅ; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a BEx 12:14; Num 16:40memorial to the sons of Israel forever.”

8 Thus the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as the Loʀᴅ spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel; and they carried them over with them to AJosh 4:20the lodging place and put them down there. 9 Then Joshua set up twelve AGen 28:18; Josh 24:26f; 1 Sam 7:12stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day. 10 For the priests who carried the ark were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the Loʀᴅ had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people hurried and crossed; 11 and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the Loʀᴅ and the priests crossed before the people. 12 ANum 32:17The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over in battle array before the sons of Israel, just as Moses had spoken to them; 13 about 40,000 equipped for war, crossed for battle before the Loʀᴅ to the desert plains of Jericho.

14 AJosh 3:7On that day the Loʀᴅ exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; so that they 1Or fearedrevered him, just as they had 1Or fearedrevered Moses all the days of his life.

15 Now the Loʀᴅ said to 1Lit Joshua, sayingJoshua, 16 “Command the priests who carry AEx 25:16the ark of the testimony that they come up from the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.” 18 It came about when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Loʀᴅ had come up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were 1Lit drawn outlifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks as before.

19 Now the people came up from the Jordan on the ADeut 1:3tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho. 20 1Lit theseAJosh 4:8Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up BJosh 4:3, 8at Gilgal. 21 He said to the sons of 1Lit Israel, saying,Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ 22 then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on AJosh 3:17dry ground.’ 23  “For the Loʀᴅ your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Loʀᴅ your God had done to the 1Lit Sea of ReedsRed Sea, AEx 14:21which He dried up before us until we had crossed; 24 that A1 Kin 8:42; 2 Kin 19:19; Ps 106:8all the peoples of the earth may know that the BEx 15:16; 1 Chr 29:12; Ps 89:13hand of the Loʀᴅ is mighty, so that you may 1Or reverenceCEx 14:31; Ps 76:7f; Jer 10:7fear the Loʀᴅ your God 2Lit all the daysforever.”