1 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,2 "Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man,3 and command them, `Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.'"4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe;5 and Joshua said to them, "Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel,6 that this may be a sign among you, when your children ask in time to come, `What do those stones mean to you?'7 Then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial for ever."8 And the men of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, as the LORD told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to 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 bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.10 For the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan, until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people passed over in haste;11 and when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the LORD and the priests passed over before the people.12 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manas'seh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had bidden them;13 about forty thousand ready armed for war passed over before the LORD for battle, to the plains of Jericho.14 On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him, as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.15 And the LORD said to Joshua,16 "Command the priests who bear the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan."17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan."18 And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.21 And he said to the people of Israel, "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, `What do these stones mean?'22 then you shall let your children know, `Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.'23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over,24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty; that you may fear the LORD your God for ever."

1 Quando todo o povo de Israel acabou de atravessar o rio Jordão, o Senhor disse a Josué:

2 — Escolha doze homens, um de cada tribo, 3 e dê esta ordem: "Peguem doze pedras do meio do rio Jordão, do lugar onde os sacerdotes ficaram parados. Levem essas pedras e coloquem onde acamparem hoje à noite."

4 Então Josué chamou os doze homens que havia escolhido 5 e disse:

— Passem adiante da arca da aliança do Senhor, o Deus de vocês, e sigam até o meio do Jordão. Cada um ponha no ombro uma pedra, uma para cada tribo de Israel. 6 Essas pedras ajudarão o povo a lembrar daquilo que o Senhor tem feito. No futuro, quando os seus filhos perguntarem o que essas pedras querem dizer, 7 vocês contarão que as águas do Jordão pararam de correr no dia em que a arca da aliança atravessou o rio. Essas pedras farão com que o povo de Israel lembre sempre desse dia.

8 Os homens fizeram o que Josué mandou. Como o Senhor Deus tinha dito a Josué, eles pegaram do meio do rio Jordão doze pedras, uma para cada tribo de Israel, e as levaram e colocaram no acampamento.

9 Josué também pôs doze pedras no meio do Jordão, no lugar onde os sacerdotes que carregavam a arca haviam parado. Essas pedras ainda estão lá. 10 Os sacerdotes ficaram parados no meio do Jordão até que foi feito tudo o que o Senhor, por meio de Moisés, havia mandado Josué falar ao povo.

Então o povo se apressou e atravessou o rio. 11 Quando todos já haviam passado, a arca da aliança e os sacerdotes também passaram e ficaram na frente do povo. 12 Os homens das tribos de Rúben, de Gade e de Manassés do Leste atravessaram antes do resto do povo, prontos para a batalha, conforme Moisés tinha dito. 13 Mais ou menos quarenta mil homens preparados para guerrear marcharam diante de Deus, o Senhor, indo para o lado da planície de Jericó. 14 Naquele dia o Senhor fez com que o povo de Israel ficasse sabendo que Josué era um grande homem. E, durante a vida de Josué, eles o respeitaram assim como haviam respeitado a Moisés.

15 E o Senhor Deus disse a Josué:

16 — Mande sair do rio Jordão os sacerdotes que estão carregando a arca da aliança.

17 Josué fez isso. 18 E, depois que os sacerdotes saíram do Jordão e pisaram a terra seca, o rio começou a correr de novo e cobriu as margens como antes.

19 O povo atravessou o Jordão no dia dez do primeiro mês e acampou em Gilgal, a leste de Jericó. 20 Ali Josué fez um monumento com as doze pedras que havia tirado do Jordão. 21 E disse ao povo de Israel:

— Quando no futuro os filhos perguntarem aos pais o que estas pedras querem dizer, 22 vocês explicarão que o povo de Israel atravessou o rio Jordão em terra seca. 23 O Senhor, o Deus de vocês, secou o Jordão para vocês atravessarem, assim como secou o mar Vermelho para nós passarmos. 24 Por causa disso todos os povos da terra vão conhecer o poder do Senhor, o Deus de vocês, e vocês o respeitarão para sempre.