Joshua 4:1-9

The Twelve Stones Taken from the Jordan

4¹ And it came to pass when the whole nation had completely gone over the Jordan, that Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying, ² Take you twelve men out of the people, one man out of every tribe, ³ and command them, saying, Take up hence out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place where ye shall lodge this night. ⁴ And Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had appointed of the children of Israel, a man out of every tribe; ⁵ and Joshua said to them, Pass before the ark of Jehovah your God into the midst of the Jordan, and lift up each of you a stone [and put it] upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, ⁶ that this may be a sign in your midst. When your children ask hereafter, saying, What mean ye by these stones? ⁷ then ye shall say to them, That the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; when it went through the Jordan, the waters of the 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 had commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as Jehovah had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the lodging-place, and laid them down there. ⁹ And twelve stones did Joshua set up in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant had stood firm; and they are there to this day.