THE BOOK OF
JOSHUA.
Joshua 4 ©
God commands to carry twelve stones out of Jordan, in remembrance that the Israelites had passed through the same on dry foot, v. 1. etc. Joshua orders it to be done so, 4. The children of Israel perform it, 8. Joshua also sets up twelve stones for a memorial in the midst of Jordan, 9. The order which the people and the priests kept in passing through Jordan, 10. The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh march armed before them, 12. God magnifies Joshua in the sight of the Israelites, 14. The priests are commanded to come up out of Jordan with the ark, 15. The waters of Jordan return to their place, 18. The time of this passage, 19. Twelve stones are set up at Gilgal, 20. To what purpose, 21.
AND it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD 1spakea unto Joshua, saying,
Take you twelve men out of the people, 2out of every tribe a man,
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 3in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
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:
That this may be a 4sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers 5in time to come, saying, 6What mean ye by these stones?
Then ye shall answer them, Thatb the waters of Jordan were 7cut 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 8for ever.
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 9the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
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.
¶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, 10according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.
And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, 11in the presence of the people.
Andc the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed 12before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them:
About forty thousand prepared for war passed over 13before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.
¶Ond 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.
And the LORD 14spake unto Joshua, saying,
Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.
Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.
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 15his banks, as they did before.
¶And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in 16Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.
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?
Then ye shall let your children know, saying, 17Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.
For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, ase the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until 18we were gone over:
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, 19that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God 20for ever.