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."
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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