1When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2“Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
4So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
8So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been4:9 Or Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.
10Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, 11and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. 12The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. 13About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.
14That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.
15Then the Lord said to Joshua, 16“Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan.”
17So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”
18And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.
19On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea4:23 Or the Sea of Reeds when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”
堆石為證
1民眾都過河之後，耶和華對約書亞說： 2「你去從民眾中選出十二個人，每支派選一人， 3吩咐他們從約旦河床祭司站立的地方取十二塊石頭，放在你們今天晚上住宿的地方。」 4約書亞便召來他從以色列人中選的十二個人，對他們說： 5「你們到約旦河床你們的上帝耶和華的約櫃前面，每人扛一塊石頭回來，每個支派一塊，一共十二塊。 6這些石頭要在你們中間作記號。以後，倘若你們的子孫問你們，『這些石頭是什麼意思？』 7你們就告訴他們，『約旦河水在耶和華的約櫃前曾經被截斷，當約櫃過河的時候，河水被截斷了。這些石頭要在以色列人當中作為永久的紀念。』」
8以色列人就照約書亞的吩咐，也就是照耶和華對約書亞的吩咐，按以色列人支派的數目，從約旦河中取了十二塊石頭，搬來放在住宿的地方。 9約書亞又在約旦河床抬約櫃的祭司站立的地方立了十二塊石頭。石頭至今還在那裡。 10抬約櫃的祭司站在約旦河中間，一直站到耶和華吩咐約書亞交待民眾做的每一件事都完成了，正如摩西對約書亞的吩咐。民眾迅速過了河。 11所有人都過河以後，祭司才抬著耶和華的約櫃在民眾注視之下過了河。 12呂便支派、迦得支派和瑪拿西半個支派的人照摩西從前的囑咐，帶著兵器走在以色列人的前面。 13大約有四萬全副武裝的以色列人在耶和華面前過了河，前往耶利哥平原，準備作戰。 14那一天，耶和華使約書亞在以色列眾人面前受尊重，他像摩西一樣終生受民眾敬畏。
15耶和華對約書亞說： 16「你去吩咐抬約櫃的祭司從約旦河裡上來。」 17約書亞便吩咐他們上來。 18抬耶和華約櫃的祭司從河床上來，腳剛一踏上岸，約旦河的水立刻恢復了原狀，像以往一樣漲過兩岸。
19那天是一月十日。以色列人從約旦河上來之後，就在耶利哥東邊的吉甲紮營。 20約書亞把從約旦河取來的十二塊石頭立在吉甲， 21並對以色列人說：「以後，你們的子孫問你們這堆石頭是什麼意思， 22你們就告訴他們，『這是代表以色列人曾在乾地上走過約旦河。』 23因為你們的上帝耶和華為了讓你們過河而使約旦河成為乾地，就像祂從前為了讓我們過紅海而使海成為乾地一樣。 24這是要讓天下萬民都知道耶和華有無比的能力，要讓你們永遠敬畏你們的上帝耶和華。」
