1 After the entire nation had crossed the Jordan,
2 the LORD said to Joshua, "Choose twelve men from the people, one from each tribe,
3 and instruct them to take up twelve stones from this spot in the bed of the Jordan where the priests have been standing motionless. Carry them over with you, and place them where you are to stay tonight."
4 Summoning the twelve men whom he had selected from among the Israelites, one from each tribe,
5 Joshua said to them: "Go to the bed of the Jordan in front of the ark of the LORD, your God; lift to your shoulders one stone apiece, so that they will equal in number the tribes of the Israelites.
6 In the future, these are to be a sign among you. When your children ask you what these stones mean to you,
7 you shall answer them, 'The waters of the Jordan ceased to flow before the ark of the covenant of the LORD when it crossed the Jordan.' Thus these stones are to serve as a perpetual memorial to the Israelites."
8 The twelve Israelites did as Joshua had commanded: they took up as many stones from the bed of the Jordan as there were tribes of the Israelites, and carried them along to the camp site, where they placed them, according to the LORD'S direction.
9 Joshua also had twelve stones set up in the bed of the Jordan on the spot where the priests stood who were carrying the ark of the covenant. They are there to this day.
10 The priests carrying the ark remained in the bed of the Jordan until everything had been done that the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell the people. The people crossed over quickly,
11 and when all had reached the other side, the ark of the LORD, borne by the priests, also crossed to its place in front of them.
12 The Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh, armed, marched in the vanguard of the Israelites, as Moses had ordered.
13 About forty thousand troops equipped for battle passed over before the LORD to the plains of Jericho.
14 That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and thenceforth during his whole life they respected him as they had respected Moses.
15 Then the LORD said to Joshua,
16 "Command the priests carrying the ark of the commandments to come up from the Jordan."
17 Joshua did so,
18 and when the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD had come up from the bed of the Jordan, as the soles of their feet regained the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan resumed their course and as before overflowed all its banks.
19 The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and camped in Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho.
20 At Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones which had been taken from the Jordan,
21 saying to the Israelites, "In the future, when the children among you ask their fathers what these stones mean,
22 you shall inform them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan here on dry ground.'
23 For the LORD, your God, dried up the waters of the Jordan in front of you until you crossed over, just as the LORD, your God, had done at the Red Sea, which he dried up in front of us until we crossed over;
24 in order that all the peoples of the earth may learn that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and that you may fear the LORD, your God, forever."
Versículos relacionados com Joshua, 4:
Joshua chapter 4 reports the moment when the people of Israel crossed the Jordan River on foot, while the waters were dammed by the power of God. For the memory of this event to be preserved, Joshua ordered twelve men, one of each tribe, to caught a middle stone of the river and put it as a memorial in Gilgal. Below is five verses related to topics covered in Joshua 4, excluding verses from the chapter itself:
Psalm 78:13: "He made the sea from, and made them pass through his midst; and made the waters stop as in a heap." This verse refers to the moment God made the Red Sea open so that the children of Israel would walk a lean foot. As in the case of the Jordan River, this event was an act of divine power to rid the people of the Egyptian captivity.
Psalm 111:4: "He made his wonders to be remembered; godly and merciful is the Lord." This verse highlights the importance of remembering the wonders God performs, such as the opening of the Red Sea and the damage of the Jordan River, so that faith and trust in the Lord are strengthened.
Isaiah 43:16: "Thus saith the Lord, who has prepared a path in the sea, and a path in the impetuous waters;" This verse refers to the opening of the Red Sea, but can also be applied to the Jordan River crossing, showing that God has the power to open paths in impossible situations.
1 Corinthians 10:1-2: "Now, brothers, I do not want you to ignore that our parents were all under the cloud, and all passed by the sea. And they were all baptized in Moses, the cloud and in the sea." This excerpt from the New Testament recalls the episode of the Red Sea crossing, but also applies to the Jordan River crossing, emphasizing that these events were important to the identity and faith of God's people.
Hebrews 11:29: "By faith, the Red Sea passed, as by dry land; which intended the Egyptians drowned." This verse is part of the chapter of faith in Hebrews, which highlights examples of men and women who lived by faith. The reference to the passage through the Red Sea shows that faith was what allowed the children of Israel to cross the waters, not human strength.
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