Joshua Chapter 4

Joshua Chapter 4
1 And when all the people were wholly
gone over Jordan, (after the Lord had
spoken unto Joshua, saying,
2 Take you twelve men out of the
people, out of every tribe a man, 3 And
command you them, saying, Take you
hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of
the place where the priests stood in a
readiness, twelve stones, which ye shall
take away with you, and leave them in
the lodging where you 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, Go over
before the ark of the Lord your God,
even through the midst of Jordan, and
take 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 shall ask their
fathers in time to come, saying, What
mean you by these stones?
7 Then ye may answer them, That the
waters of Jordan were cut off before the
ark of the covenant of the Lord: for when
it passed through Jordan, the waters of
Jordan were cut off: therefore these
stones are a memorial unto the children
of Israel forever.
8 Then the children of Israel did even so
as Joshua had commanded, and took up
twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan
as the Lord had said unto Joshua,
according to the number of the tribes of
the children of Israel, and carried them
away with them unto the lodging, 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 bear the ark of the covenant stood,
and there have they continued unto this
day.
10 So the priests, which bear the ark,
stood in the midst of Jordan, until
everything was finished that the Lord
had commanded Joshua to say unto the
people, according to all that Moses
charged Joshua: then the people hasted
and went over.
11 When all the people were clean
passed over, the ark of the Lord went
over also, and the priests before the
people.
12 And the sons of Reuben, and the sons
of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh
went over before the children of Israel
armed, as Moses had charged them.
13 Even forty thousand prepared for
war, went before the Lord unto battle,
into the plain of Jericho.
14 That day the Lord magnified Joshua
in the sight of all Israel, and they feared
him, as they feared Moses all days of his
life.
15 And the Lord spake unto Joshua,
saying,
16 Command the priests that bear the ark
of the testimony, to come up out of
Jordan.
17 Joshua therefore commanded the
priests, saying, Come ye up out of
Jordan.
18 And when the priests that bear the ark
of the covenant of the Lord were come
up out of the midst of Jordan, and as
soon as the soles of the priest’s feet
were set on the dry land, the waters of
Jordan returned unto their place, and
flowed over all the banks thereof, as
they did before.
19 So the people came up out of Jordan
the tenth day of the first month, and
pitched in Gilgal, in the eastside of
Jericho.
20 Also the 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, and
say, What mean these stones?
22 Then ye shall show your children,
and say, Israel came over this Jordan on
dry land:
23 For the Lord your God dried up the
waters of Jordan before you, until ye
were gone over, as the Lord your God
did the Red Sea, which he dried up
before us, till we were gone over,
24 That all the people of the world may
know that the hand of the Lord is mighty,
that ye might fear the Lord your God
continually.