1 Tendo toda a nação acabado de passar o Jordão, disse Jeová a Josué:

2 Tomai-vos do povo doze homens, de cada tribo um homem,

3 e ordenai-lhes, dizendo: Tirai daqui do meio do Jordão, do lugar em que os pés dos sacerdotes estiveram parados, doze pedras, e levai-as convosco para outra banda, e depositai-as no alojamento, em que haveis de pousar esta noite.

4 Então chamou Josué os doze homens, que havia preparado dos filhos de Israel, um de cada tribo,

5 e disse-lhes: Passai adiante da arca de Jeová vosso Deus ao meio do Jordão, e levantai para vós, cada um a sua pedra sobre o ombro, segundo o número das tribos dos filhos de Israel;

6 para que isso seja por sinal entre vós, de sorte que, quando vossos filhos no futuro perguntarem: Que vos significam estas pedras?

7 lhes respondereis: É porque as águas do Jordão foram cortadas diante da arca da aliança de Jeová, quando ela o atravessava. Estas pedras serão para sempre como memorial aos filhos de Israel.

8 Fizeram os filhos de Israel assim como Josué ordenou, e segundo o número das tribos dos filhos de Israel, levantaram doze pedras do meio do Jordão, como Jeová falou a Josué. Levaram-nas consigo ao lugar em que pousaram, e ali as depositaram.

9 Josué colocou também doze pedras no Jordão, no lugar em que pararam os pés dos sacerdotes que levavam a arca da aliança; ali se conservam até o dia de hoje.

10 Porque os sacerdotes que levavam a arca pararam no meio do Jordão, até se cumprir tudo o que Jeová, por intermédio de Moisés, ordenou a Josué que falasse ao povo. Apressou-se o povo, e passou.

11 Quando todo o povo acabou de passar, passou a arca, e os sacerdotes, na presença do povo.

12 Os filhos de Rúben, e os filhos de Gade, e a meia tribo de Manassés passaram arregimentados adiante dos filhos de Israel, como Moisés lhes falou.

13 Uns quarenta mil homens armados em guerra passaram adiante de Jeová para a batalha, a Arabá de Jericó.

14 Nesse dia engrandeceu Jeová a Josué à vista de todo o Israel; temiam-no, como temeram a Moisés, todos os dias da sua vida.

15 Falou Jeová a Josué:

16 Ordena aos sacerdotes que levam a arca do testemunho que saiam do Jordão.

17 Então ordenou Josué aos sacerdotes, dizendo: Saí do Jordão.

18 Quando os sacerdotes que levavam a arca da aliança de Jeová saíram do meio do Jordão, e as plantas dos seus pés se puseram na terra seca, voltaram as águas ao seu lugar e trasbordaram todas as margens como dantes.

19 O povo saiu do Jordão aos dez dias do primeiro mês, e acampou-se em Gilgal, da banda oriental de Jericó.

20 As doze pedras, que tiraram do Jordão, colocou-as Josué em Gilgal.

21 Disse aos filhos de Israel: Quando no futuro vossos filhos perguntarem a seus pais: Que significam estas pedras?

22 far-lhes-eis saber, dizendo: Israel passou a pé enxuto este Jordão.

23 Porque Jeová vosso Deus secou as águas do Jordão diante de vós, até que passastes, assim como fez ao mar Vermelho, ao qual secou perante nós, até que passamos;

24 para que todos os povos da terra conheçam que a mão de Jeová é poderosa, a fim de que temais em todo o tempo a Jeová vosso Deus.

1 And it came to pass, when all the nation were clean passed over the Jordan, that Jehovah spake unto Joshua, saying, 2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 3 and command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, out of 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 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, Pass over before the ark of Jehovah your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take you 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 ask in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? 7 then ye shall say unto them, Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; when it passed over 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 commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as Jehovah spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. 9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests that bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day. 10 For the priests that bare the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan, until everything was finished that Jehovah commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over. 11 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of Jehovah passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. 12 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: 13 about forty thousand ready armed for war passed over before Jehovah unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. 14 On that day Jehovah magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.

15 And Jehovah spake unto Joshua, saying, 16 Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan. 17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of the Jordan. 18 And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah were come up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up unto the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned unto their place, and went over all its banks, as aforetime.

19 And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal. 21 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? 22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. 23 For Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as Jehovah your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were passed over; 24 that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of Jehovah, that it is mighty; that ye may fear Jehovah your God for ever.