<t /><p class="bodytext">The Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan and built there, near the Jordan, an impressive altar.<n id="1" />

but as a reminder to us and you,<n id="1" /> and to our descendants who follow us, that we will honor the <sc>Lordsc> in his very presence<n id="2" /> with burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace.<n id="3" /> Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, &#8216;You have no right to worship the <sc>Lordsc>.&#8217;<n id="4" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">After Moses the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s servant died, the <sc>Lordsc> said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses&#8217; assistant:

The king of Jericho received this report: &#8220;Note well!<n id="1" /> Israelite men have come here tonight<n id="2" /> to spy on the land.&#8221;

Then the two men returned &#8211; they came down from the hills, crossed the river,<n id="1" /> came to Joshua son of Nun, and reported to him all they had discovered.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Bright and early the next morning Joshua and the Israelites left Shittim and came to the Jordan.<n id="1" /> They camped there before crossing the river.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one per tribe.

The stones<n id="1" /> will be a reminder to you.<n id="2" /> When your children ask someday, &#8216;Why are these stones important to you?&#8217;

<t /><p class="bodytext">At that time the <sc>Lordsc> told Joshua, &#8220;Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites once again.&#8221;<n id="1" />

He replaced them with their sons,<n id="1" /> whom Joshua circumcised. They were uncircumcised; their fathers had not circumcised them along the way.

<p class="bodytext">So the Israelites camped in Gilgal and celebrated the Passover in the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the plains of Jericho.<n id="1" />

The manna stopped appearing the day they ate<n id="1" /> some of the produce of the land; the Israelites never ate manna again.<n id="2" />p>

They took it all from the middle of the tent, brought it to Joshua and all the Israelites, and placed<n id="1" /> it before the <sc>Lordsc>.

There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a duplicate of the law written by Moses.<n id="1" />

So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities &#8211; Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.

The Israelites did not attack them because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them in the name of the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel.<n id="1" /> The whole community criticized<n id="2" /> the leaders,

&#8220;Come to my aid<n id="1" /> so we can attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.&#8221;

Joshua and the Israelites almost totally wiped them out, but some survivors did escape to the fortified cities.<n id="1" />

Then the whole army safely returned to Joshua at the camp in Makkedah.<n id="1" /> No one<n id="2" /> dared threaten the Israelites.<n id="3" />

No city made peace with the Israelites (except the Hivites living in Gibeon);<n id="1" /> they had to conquer all of them,<n id="2" />