Old/New Testament

Twelve Memorial Stones

4 Now when all the nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, Adonai spoke to Joshua saying: ² “Take for yourself twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, ³ and command them saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the feet of the kohanim are standing firm, and carry them over with you, and deposit them at the place where you will lodge tonight.”

⁴ Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from Bnei-Yisrael, one man from each tribe. ⁵ Joshua said to them, “Cross over before the ark of Adonai your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you, lift up a stone on his shoulder, for the number of the tribes of Bnei-Yisrael. ⁶ Let this be a sign among you. When your children ask later saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ ⁷ then you will say to them: ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Adonai—when it crossed the Jordan—the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones will be a reminder to Bnei-Yisrael forever.”

⁸ So Bnei-Yisrael did so, as Joshua commanded. They lifted twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as Adonai had said to Joshua, for the number of the tribes of Bnei-Yisrael. Then they carried them over with them to the lodging place and put them down there. ⁹ Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the spot where the feet of the kohanim carrying the ark of the covenant were standing—they are there to this day.

¹⁰ The kohanim who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything that Adonai had commanded Joshua to speak to the people was completed, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried across, ¹¹ and when all the people had finished crossing over, the ark of Adonai and the kohanim crossed over in the presence of the people. ¹² Also the children of Reuben, the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed ahead of Bnei-Yisrael, just as Moses had said to them— ¹³ about 40,000 equipped for war crossed over before Adonai for battle to the plains of Jericho.

¹⁴ On that day Adonai exalted Joshua in the eyes of all Israel. So they revered him, just as they had revered Moses all the days of his life.

¹⁵ Then Adonai spoke to Joshua saying: ¹⁶ “Command the kohanim who are carrying the ark of the testimony to come up from the Jordan.” ¹⁷ Joshua therefore commanded the kohanim saying, “Come up from the Jordan!” ¹⁸ As soon as the kohanim who were carrying the ark of the covenant of Adonai came up from the middle of the Jordan and the soles of the feet of the kohanim were drawn up to the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as before.

¹⁹ Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. ²⁰ Those twelve stones, which they had taken out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. ²¹ Then he said to Bnei-Yisrael saying, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come saying: ‘What are these stones?’ ²² then you will inform your children saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’ ²³ For Adonai your God dried up the waters of Jordan before you until you crossed—just as Adonai your God did to the Sea of Reeds, which He dried up before us until we crossed over— ²⁴ so that all the peoples of the earth may know Adonai’s hand is mighty, and so that you may fear Adonai your God forever.”

Circumcision at Gilgal

5 Now it came about when all the Amorite kings beyond the Jordan westward and all the Canaanite kings by the sea heard how Adonai had dried up the waters of the Jordan before Bnei-Yisrael until they had crossed, their heart melted, nor was there any spirit in them anymore, because of Bnei-Yisrael.

² At that time Adonai said to Joshua, “Make yourself flint knives and circumcise again Bnei-Yisrael a second time.” ³ So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised Bnei-Yisrael at Gibeath-ha-araloth. ⁴ Now this is the reason why Joshua circumcised: all the people that came out of Egypt who were males—all the men of war—had died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt. ⁵ Though all the people that came out were circumcised, none of the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had been circumcised. ⁶ For Bnei-Yisrael walked 40 years in the wilderness, until all the nation’s men of war who came out of Egypt died out, because they had not listened to the voice of Adonai. To them Adonai had sworn that He would never let them see the land which Adonai had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁷ But He raised up their children in their place. Joshua circumcised them, for they were uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way. ⁸ Now it came to pass after they had finished circumcising the entire nation, they remained in their places in the camp until they recovered.

⁹ Then Adonai said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore the name of that place has been called Gilgal to this day. ¹⁰ While Bnei-Yisrael camped at Gilgal^[a], they observed Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. ¹¹ On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, matzot and roasted grain.

¹² Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten of the produce of the land. Bnei-Yisrael had manna no longer, but ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan that year.

Commander of Adonai’s Army

¹³ Now it came to pass when Joshua was near Jericho that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man standing in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua approached him and said to him: “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”

¹⁴ “Neither,” he said. “Rather, I have now come as commander of Adonai’s army.”

Then Joshua fell on his face to the ground and worshipped. Then he asked him, “What is my lord saying to his servant?”

¹⁵ Then the commander of Adonai’s army replied to Joshua, “Take your sandal off of your foot, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

6 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of Bnei-Yisrael—no one going out and no one coming in. ² Then Adonai said to Joshua, “Look, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty warriors. ³ Now you are to march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. So you are to do for six days. ⁴ Seven kohanim will carry seven shofarot of rams’ horns before the ark. Then on the seventh day you are to circle the city seven times while the kohanim blow the shofarot. ⁵ It will be when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the shofar, have all the people shout a loud shout—then the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up, everyone straight ahead.”

⁶ So Joshua son of Nun summoned the kohanim and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant. Let seven kohanim carry seven shofarot of rams’ horns before the ark of Adonai.” ⁷ Then he said to the people, “Move forward, march around the city, and let the armed force march ahead of the ark of Adonai.”

⁸ And it was so. After Joshua had spoken to the people, seven kohanim carrying the seven shofarot of rams’ horns before Adonai went forward and blew the shofarot, and the ark of the covenant of Adonai followed them. ⁹ Also the armed force went before the kohanim who blew the shofarot, and the rear guard came behind the ark, while the shofarot continued to blow. ¹⁰ But Joshua ordered the people saying: “You must not shout nor let your voice be heard nor let a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you ‘shout!’ Then you will shout.” ¹¹ So he had the ark of Adonai go around the city, circling it once. Then they came into the camp and spent the night there.

¹² The next day Joshua rose early in the morning. The kohanim took up the ark of Adonai, ¹³ and the seven kohanim carrying the seven shofarot of rams’ horns marched in front of the ark of Adonai and blew the shofarot, with the armed force marching before them and the rear guard marching behind the ark of Adonai, while the shofarot continued to blow. ¹⁴ So the second day they circled the city once and returned to the camp. So they did for six days.

Jericho’s Walls Come Down

¹⁵ Now on the seventh day they rose early, at dawn, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on that day did they march around the city seven times. ¹⁶ Then on the seventh time, when the kohanim blew the shofarot, Joshua ordered the people, “Shout! For Adonai has given you the city! ¹⁷ But the city will be under the ban of destruction—it and all that is in it belong to Adonai. Only Rahab the harlot will live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the scouts that we sent. ¹⁸ But you, just keep yourselves from the things under the ban. Otherwise you would make yourselves accursed by taking of the things under the ban, and so you would make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it. ¹⁹ All the silver and gold and vessels of bronze and iron are holy to Adonai, and must go into the treasury of Adonai.”

²⁰ So when the shofarot blew, the people shouted. When the people heard the sound of the shofar, the people shouted a loud shout—and the wall fell down flat! So the people went up into the city, everyone straight ahead, and they captured the city. ^{[b] 21} They utterly destroyed everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, ox, sheep and donkey—with the edge of the sword.

²² Then Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land: “Go into the harlot’s house and bring the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” ²³ So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her relatives and all who belonged to her. All her relatives they brought out and put them outside the camp of Israel.

²⁴ Then they burned the city with fire and all that was in it. Only the silver, the gold and the vessels of bronze and iron did they put into the treasury of the House of Adonai. ²⁵ But Rahab the harlot, her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua spared. She has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, because she hid the scouts whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

²⁶ At that time Joshua made an oath saying:

²⁷ So Adonai was with Joshua, and his fame was throughout the region.

A Doctor Charts the Facts

1 Now many have undertaken to organize an account of the events fulfilled among us, ² just as they were handed down to us from the start by the eyewitnesses and reporters of the word. ³ Therefore it seemed best to me also, because I have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, to write for you an orderly record, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴ so you may know for sure the truth of the words you have been taught.

Prophecy of Birth to the Barren

⁵ In the days of Herod, King of Judah, there was a kohen named Zechariah from the priestly division of Abijah.^[a] Elizabeth, his wife, was from the daughters of Aaron. ⁶ Together they were righteous before Adonai, walking without fault in all His commandments and instructions. ⁷ But they were childless, because Elizabeth was barren and both of them were elderly.

⁸ Now it happened to be Zechariah’s time to serve as kohen before Adonai in the order of his division. ⁹ According to the custom of the priestly office, it became his lot to enter the Holy Place of Adonai to burn incense. ^{[b] 10} And the whole crowd of people was praying outside at the hour of incense burning. ¹¹ An angel of Adonai appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² Zechariah was in turmoil when he saw the angel, and fear fell upon him. ¹³ But the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to your son, and you will name him John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵ He will be great before Adonai; and he should not drink wine and intoxicating beverage,^[c] but he will be filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh just out of his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ Many of Bnei-Yisrael will turn to Adonai their God. ¹⁷ And he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to the children^[d] and the disobedient ones to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready for Adonai a prepared people.

¹⁸ Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? I’m an old man, and my wife is well-advanced in age.”

¹⁹ And speaking to him, the angel declared, “I am Gabriel, the one standing in God’s presence. I was commissioned to tell you and proclaim to you this good news. ²⁰ So look, you will be silent and powerless to speak until the day these things happen, since you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their time.”