1 Quando toda a nação terminou de atravessar o Jordão, o Senhor disse a Josué:
2 "Escolha doze homens dentre o povo, um de cada tribo,
3 e mande que apanhem doze pedras do meio do Jordão, do lugar onde os sacerdotes ficaram parados. Levem-nas com vocês para o local onde forem passar a noite".
4 Josué convocou os doze homens que escolhera dentre os israelitas, um de cada tribo,
5 e lhes disse: "Passem adiante da arca do Senhor, o seu Deus, até o meio do Jordão. Ponha cada um de vocês uma pedra nos ombros, conforme o número das tribos dos israelitas.
6 Elas servirão de sinal para vocês. No futuro, quando os seus filhos lhes perguntarem: ‘Que significam essas pedras? ’,
7 respondam que as águas do Jordão foram interrompidas diante da arca da aliança do Senhor. Quando a arca atravessou o Jordão, as águas foram interrompidas. Essas pedras serão um memorial perpétuo para o povo de Israel".
8 Os israelitas fizeram como Josué lhes havia ordenado. Apanharam doze pedras do meio do Jordão, conforme o número das tribos de Israel, como o Senhor tinha ordenado a Josué; e as levaram ao acampamento, onde as deixaram.
9 Josué ergueu também doze pedras no meio do Jordão, no local onde os sacerdotes que carregavam a arca da aliança tinham ficado. E elas estão lá até hoje.
10 Os sacerdotes que carregavam a arca permaneceram de pé no meio do Jordão até que o povo fez tudo o que o Senhor ordenara a Josué, por meio de Moisés. E o povo atravessou apressadamente.
11 Quando todos tinham acabado de atravessar, a arca do Senhor e os sacerdotes passaram para o outro lado, diante do povo.
12 Os homens das tribos de Rúben, de Gade e da metade da tribo de Manassés atravessaram preparados para lutar, à frente dos israelitas, como Moisés os tinha orientado.
13 Cerca de quarenta mil homens preparados para a guerra passaram perante o Senhor, rumo à planície de Jericó.
14 Naquele dia o Senhor exaltou Josué à vista de todo o Israel; e eles o respeitaram enquanto viveu, como tinham respeitado Moisés.
15 Então o Senhor disse a Josué:
16 "Ordene aos sacerdotes que carregam a arca da aliança que saiam do Jordão".
17 E Josué lhes ordenou que saíssem.
18 Quando os sacerdotes que carregavam a arca da aliança do Senhor saíram do Jordão, mal tinham posto os pés em terra seca, as águas do Jordão voltaram ao seu lugar, e cobriram como antes as suas margens.
19 No décimo dia do primeiro mês o povo subiu do Jordão e acampou em Gilgal, na fronteira leste de Jericó.
20 E em Gilgal Josué ergueu as doze pedras tiradas do Jordão.
21 Disse ele aos israelitas: "No futuro, quando os filhos perguntarem aos seus pais: ‘Que significam essas pedras? ’,
22 expliquem a eles: Aqui Israel atravessou o Jordão em terra seca.
23 Pois o Senhor, o seu Deus, secou o Jordão perante vocês até que o tivessem atravessado. O Senhor, o seu Deus, fez com o Jordão como fizera com o mar Vermelho, quando o secou diante de nós até que o tivéssemos atravessado.
24 Ele assim fez para que todos os povos da terra saibam que a mão do Senhor é poderosa e para que vocês sempre temam o Senhor, o seu Deus".
1 And it came to pass, when all the nation had made an end of passing over the Jordan, that Yahweh slake unto Joshua, saying:
2 Take unto you, from among the people, twelve men, one man severally from each tribe;
3 and command ye them, saying, Take you up from hence, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where stood the feet of the priests with firm footing, twelve stones;and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place where ye shall lodge, tonight.
4 So Joshua called unto the twelve men whom he had made ready, from among the sons of Israel,one man severally out of each tribe;
5 and Joshua said unto them: Pass ye over, before the ark of Yahweh your God, into the midst of the Jordan,and lift ye up, each man one stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel:
6 that this may be a sign in your midst,for your sons will ask in time to come, saying, What mean these stones to you?
7 Then shall ye say unto themThat the waters of the Jordan, were cut off, from before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, when it passed into the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan, were cut off. So shall these stones become a memorial unto the sons of Israel, unto times age-abiding.
8 And the sons of Israel did so, as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as spake Yahweh unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel,and carried them with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
9 Twelve stones also, did Joshua set up in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where stood the feet of the priests who were bearing the ark of the covenant,and they have remained there until this day.
10 Now, the priests who were bearing the ark, continued standing in the midst of the Jordan, until everything was finished which Yahweh commanded Joshua, to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua,the people therefore hasted, and passed over.
11 And so it was, as soon as all the people had made an end of passing over,then passed over the ark of Yahweh, and the priests, in presence of the people.
12 Also the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the hall tribe of Manasseh, passed over, armed, before the sons of Israel,as Moses had spoken unto them:
13 about forty thousand, equipped for the war, passed over before Yahweh, to battle, into the waste plains of Jericho.
14 On that day, did Yahweh magnify Joshua in the eyes of all Israel,and they revered him, as they revered Moses, all the days of his life.
15 Then spake Yahweh unto Joshua, saying:
16 Command the priests who are bearing the ark of testimony,that they come up out of the Jordan.
17 So Joshua commanded the priests, saying,Come ye up out of the Jordan.
18 And it came to pass, when the priests who were bearing the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the feet of the priests were withdrawn unto the dry ground, then returned the waters of the Jordan unto their place, and went, as before, over all his banks.
19 So, the people, came up out of the Jordan, on the tenth of the first month,and encamped in Gilgal, at the eastern end of Jericho.
20 And, these twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, did Joshua set up, in Gilgal.
21 Then spake he unto the sons of Israel, saying,When your sons shall ask, in time to come, of their fathers, saying,What mean these stones?
22 then shall ye let your sons know, saying,On dry ground, came Israel over this Jordan;
23 in that Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan, from before you, until ye had passed over,as Yahweh your God had done unto the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we had passed over:
24 that all the peoples of the earth might know the hand of Yahweh, that, firm, it is; that they might revere Yahweh your God, all the days.