1It happened, when all the nation were clean passed over the Jordan, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying,
2Take twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,
3and command you them, saying, Take 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 you shall lodge this night.
4Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
5and Joshua said to them, Pass over before the ark of Yahweh your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up every man of you a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel;
6that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in time to come, saying, What do you mean by these stones?
7then you shall tell them, Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.