Joshua 4:3-7  New English Translation

³ Instruct them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests^[a] stand firmly, and carry them over with you and put them in the place where you camp tonight.’”

⁴ Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one per tribe. ⁵ Joshua told them, “Go in front of the ark of the Lord your God to the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to put a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the Israelite tribes. ⁶ The stones^[b] will be a reminder to you.^[c] When your children ask someday, ‘Why are these stones important to you?’ ⁷ tell them how the water of the Jordan stopped flowing^[d] before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the water of the Jordan stopped flowing.^[e] These stones will be a lasting memorial for the Israelites.”