⁴⁶ He said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and piled them in a heap,^(A) and they ate there by the heap.

¹⁷ They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up^(A) a large heap of rocks^(B) over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.

²⁶ Over Achan they heaped^(A) up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.^(B) Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger.^(C) Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor^[a](D) ever since.

²⁰ And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones^(A) they had taken out of the Jordan. ²¹ He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’^{(B) 22} tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’^{(C) 23} For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea^[a] when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over.^{(D) 24} He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know^(E) that the hand of the Lord is powerful^(F) and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.^(G)”

⁵ 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, ⁶ to serve as a sign^(B) among you. In the future, when your children^(C) ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’^{(D) 7} 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.”

⁸ So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones^(G) from the middle of the Jordan,^(H) according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua;^(I) and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. ⁹ Joshua set up the twelve stones^(J) that had been^[a] in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.^(K)

⁵⁴ He offered a sacrifice^(A) there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal.^(B) After they had eaten, they spent the night there.

³⁷ Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household?^(A) Put it here in front of your relatives^(B) and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.^(C)

³² But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live.^(A) In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.^(B)