1 And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying:

2 Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe,

3 and command them, saying, Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from each tribe;

5 and Joshua said to them: Cross over before the ark of Jehovah your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel,

6 that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, What are these stones to you?

7 Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel for all time.

8 And the children of Israel did so, as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as Jehovah had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, and 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, at the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day.

10 Thus, the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that Jehovah had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua; and the people hurried and crossed over.

11 And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over, that the ark of Jehovah and the priests crossed over before the people.

12 And the men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them.

13 About forty thousand prepared for war crossed over before Jehovah for battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14 On that day Jehovah magnified Joshua in the eyes of all Israel; and they feared him, as they had feared Moses, all the days of his life.

15 And Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying,

16 Command the priests who bear the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan.

17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come up out of the Jordan.

18 And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of Jehovah had come from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet touched the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as before.

19 Now the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.

20 And the twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.

21 And he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: When your sons ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What are these stones?

22 then you shall let your children know, saying, Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land;

23 for Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as Jehovah your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over,

24 that all the peoples of the earth might know the hand of Jehovah, that it is mighty, that you may fear Jehovah your God all your days.

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".