²⁶ Then Joshua ^(A)wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took ^(B)a large stone, and ^(C)set it up there ^(D)under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord.

⁶ And all the men of Shechem gathered together, all of Beth Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king beside the terebinth tree at the pillar that was in Shechem.

⁴ So they gave Jacob all the foreign ^[a]gods which were in their hands, and the ^(A)earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under ^(B)the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.

²⁰ And ^(A)those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. ²¹ Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: ^(B)“When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ ²² then you shall let your children know, saying, ^(C)‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on ^(D)dry land’; ²³ for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, ^(E)which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, ^24 (F)that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is ^(G)mighty, that you may ^(H)fear the Lord your God ^[a]forever.”

²⁴ So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, ²⁵ that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: ²⁶ “Take this Book of the Law, ^(A)and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there ^(B)as a witness against you;

⁴ And Moses ^(A)wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve ^(B)pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

⁸ Now ^(A)Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called ^[a]Allon Bachuth.

¹⁸ Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, ^(A)set it up as a pillar, ^(B)and poured oil on top of it. ¹⁹ And he called the name of ^(C)that place ^[a]Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. ^20 (D)Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If ^(E)God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me ^(F)bread to eat and clothing to put on, ²¹ so that ^(G)I come back to my father’s house in peace, ^(H)then the Lord shall be my God. ²² And this stone which I have set as a pillar ^(I)shall be God’s house, ^(J)and of all that You give me I will surely give a ^[b]tenth to You.”

³ and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where ^(A)the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in ^(B)the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’ ”

⁴ Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; ⁵ and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, ⁶ that this may be ^(C)a sign among you ^(D)when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ ⁷ Then you shall answer them that ^(E)the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for ^(F)a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

⁸ And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. ⁹ Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day.