Joshua:4

---

Seeker Overlay ON

* All the people finished crossing the Jordan River . Then Jehovah spoke to Joshua : * Take twelve men out of the people . Take a man out of every tribe . * Command them by saying : »Take twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan , out of the place where the priests ’ feet stood firm . Carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you stay tonight .« * Then Joshua called the twelve men , whom he had prepared from the children of Israel , a man from every tribe . * Joshua said to them : »Pass over before the Ark of Jehovah your God to the middle of the Jordan River . Let every man take a stone on his shoulder according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel . * »This may be a sign among you when your children ask their fathers what is the meaning of these stones ? * »You will answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah . When it passed over Jordan , the waters of the Jordan were cut off . These stones will be for a memorial to the children of Israel for as long as they live .« * The children of Israel did as Joshua commanded , and took up twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan . This was just as Jehovah spoke to Joshua , according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel . They carried them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there . * Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River , in the place where the feet of the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant stood , and they are there to this day . * The priests who carried the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan River . They stood there until every thing that Jehovah commanded Joshua to speak to the people was carried out , according to all that Moses commanded Joshua . During this time the people hurried to the other side of the river . * All the people crossed over . Then the priests , in the presence of the people , carried the Ark of Jehovah across . * 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 spoke to them . * About forty thousand , prepared for war , passed over before Jehovah to do battle in the plains of Jericho . * On that day Jehovah exulted Joshua in the sight of all Israel . They feared him , as they feared Moses , all the days of his life . * Jehovah spoke to Joshua , saying : * »Command the priests who carry the Ark of the Testimony that they come up from the Jordan .« * Joshua therefore commanded the priests , saying : »Come up from the Jordan .« * When the priests that carried the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah were up out of the middle of the Jordan , and the soles of the priests ’ feet were lifted up onto the dry land that the waters of Jordan returned to their place , and flowed over all its banks , as they did before . * 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 . * Joshua set up the twelve stones they took out of the Jordan River , in Gilgal . * He spoke to the children of Israel : »When your children will ask their fathers in time to come , what these stones mean ? * »Then you will let your children know , saying : Israel came over this Jordan River on dry land . * »For Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you , until you all crossed over . As Jehovah your God did to the Red sea , which he dried up from before us , until we crossed over . * »That all the people of the earth might know the hand of Jehovah is mighty : that you might reverence Jehovah your God forever .«

---