1   When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2   ‘Take twelve men from the people, one from each tribe, 3   and order them to lift up twelve stones from this place, out of the middle of the Jordan, where the feet of the priests stood firm. They are to carry them across and set them down in the camp where you spend the night.’ 4   Joshua summoned the twelve men whom he had chosen out of the Israelites, 5   one man from each tribe, and said to them, ‘Cross over in front of the Ark of the Lord your God as far as the middle of the Jordan, and let each of you take a stone and hoist it on his shoulder, one for each of the tribes of Israel. 6   These stones are to stand as a memorial among you; and in days to come, when your children ask you what these stones mean, 7   you shall tell them how the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord when it crossed the Jordan. ^noteThus these stones will always be a reminder to the Israelites.’ 8   The Israelites did as Joshua had commanded: they lifted up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, as the Lord had instructed Joshua, one for each of the tribes of Israel, carried them across to the camp and set them down there.

9   Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the priests stood who carried the Ark of the Covenant, and there they are to this day. 10   The priests carrying the Ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until every command which the Lord had told Joshua to give to the people was fulfilled, ^note and the people had made good speed across. 11   When all the people had finished crossing, then the Ark of the Lord crossed, and the priests with it. ^note 12   At the head of the Israelites, there crossed over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half

Israel's entry into the promised land tribe of Manasseh, as a fighting force, as Moses had told them to do; about forty thousand strong, drafted for active service, 13   they crossed over to the lowlands of Jericho in the presence of the Lord to do battle.

14   That day the Lord made Joshua stand very high in the eyes of all Israel, and the people revered him, as they had revered Moses all his life.

15    16   The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Tokens to come up from the Jordan.’ 17   So Joshua commanded the priests to come up from the Jordan; 18   and when the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came up from the river-bed, they had no sooner set foot on dry land than the waters of the Jordan came back to their place and filled up all its reaches as before. 19   On the tenth day of the first month the people came up out of the Jordan and camped in Gilgal in the district east of Jericho, 20   and there Joshua set up the twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan. 21   He said to the Israelites, ‘In days to come, when your descendants ask their fathers what these stones mean, 22   you shall explain that the Jordan was dry when Israel crossed over, 23   and that the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan in front of you until you had gone across, just as the Lord your God did at the Red Sea when he dried it up for us until we had crossed. 24   Thus all people on earth will know how strong is the hand of the Lord; and thus they will stand in awe of the Lord your God for ever.’

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