4-7 Joshua called out the twelve men whom he selected from the People of Israel, one man from each tribe. Joshua directed them, “Cross to the middle of the Jordan and take your place in front of the Chest of God, your God. Each of you heft a stone to your shoulder, a stone for each of the tribes of the People of Israel, so you’ll have something later to mark the occasion. When your children ask you, ‘What are these stones to you?’ you’ll say, ‘The flow of the Jordan was stopped in front of the Chest of the Covenant of God as it crossed the Jordan—stopped in its tracks. These stones are a permanent memorial for the People of Israel.’”

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and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan.(A) Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign(B) among you. In the future, when your children(C) ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’(D) tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off(E) before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial(F) to the people of Israel forever.”

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