Twelve men take stones from the middle of the Jordan to set up a memorial at Gilgal, so that children will ask what they mean. The priests come out of the river, and the waters return.
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 .