Quotes About Faith

and command them: ëTake up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.í”

So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,

and said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel,

to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ëWhat do these stones mean to you?í

you are to tell them, ëThe waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.í Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.”

Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. And the stones are there to this day.

Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until the people had completed everything the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell them, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried across,

and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people.

The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them.

About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.

On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.

Then the LORD said to Joshua,

“Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”

When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their course and overflowed all the banks as before.

On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.

And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.

Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ëWhat is the meaning of these stones?í

you are to tell them, ëIsrael crossed the Jordan on dry ground.í

For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over.

He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”

Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.

At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel once again.”

So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.