Joshua 4
1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,
Kwasekusithi lapho isizwe sonke sesiqede ukuchapha iJordani, iNkosi yakhuluma kuJoshuwa isithi:
2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,
Zithathele amadoda alitshumi lambili ebantwini, indoda ibenye kuleso lalesosizwe,
3 and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’”
uwalaye uthi: Zithatheleni okuvela lapha phakathi kweJordani kuleyondawo, lapho obekumi khona inyawo zabapristi ziqinile, amatshe alitshumi lambili, liwathwale lichaphe lawo, liwabeke endaweni yokulala lapho elizalala khona ebusuku.
4 So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,
UJoshuwa wasebiza amadoda alitshumi lambili ayewalungisile ebantwaneni bakoIsrayeli, indoda yabanye kuleso lalesosizwe.
5 and said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel,
UJoshuwa wasesithi kuwo: Dlulani phambi komtshokotsho weNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, lingene phakathi kweJordani, lizithathele, lowo lalowo, ilitshe elilodwa, aletshate ehlombe, njengokwenani lezizwe zabantwana bakoIsrayeli,
6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’
ukuze lokhu kube yisiboniso phakathi kwenu. Nxa abantwana benu bebuza kusasa besithi: Ayini lamatshe kini?
7 you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.”
Lizabatshela-ke: Ngoba amanzi eJordani aqunywa phambi komtshotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi. Lapho uchapha iJordani, amanzi eJordani aqunywa. Ngakho lamatshe azakuba yisikhumbuzo ebantwaneni bakoIsrayeli kuze kube nininini.
8 Thus the Israelites did as Joshua had commanded them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each tribe of Israel, just as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them to the camp, where they set them down.
Labantwana bakoIsrayeli benza njalo njengokulaya kukaJoshuwa, bathatha amatshe alitshumi lambili phakathi kweJordani, njengokutsho kweNkosi kuJoshuwa, ngokwenani lezizwe zabantwana bakoIsrayeli; bawathwala bachapha lawo, baya endaweni lapho abalala khona, bawabeka khona.
9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. And the stones are there to this day.
UJoshuwa wasemisa amatshe alitshumi lambili phakathi kweJordani endaweni lapho inyawo zabapristi ababethwele umtshokotsho wesivumelwano ezazimi khona. Njalo asekhona lapho kuze kube lamuhla.
10 Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until the people had completed everything the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell them, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried across,
Ngoba abapristi ababethwele umtshokotsho bema phakathi kweJordani kwaze kwaphela yonke into iNkosi eyayimlaye yona uJoshuwa ukuyitshela abantu, njengakho konke uMozisi ayekulaye uJoshuwa. Labantu baphangisa bachapha.
11 and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people.
Kwasekusithi bonke abantu sebeqedile ukuchapha, umtshokotsho weNkosi wachapha, labapristi phambi kwabantu.
12 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them.
Njalo abantwana bakoRubeni labantwana bakoGadi lengxenye yesizwe sakoManase bachapha behlomile phambi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli, njengokubatshela kukaMozisi.
13 About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.
Phose izinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amane behlomele impi, bachapha phambi kweNkosi ukuya empini, emagcekeni eJeriko.
14 On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.
Ngalolosuku iNkosi yamkhulisa uJoshuwa emehlweni kaIsrayeli wonke, njalo bamesaba njengalokhu babemesaba uMozisi insuku zonke zempilo yakhe.
15 Then the LORD said to Joshua,
INkosi yasikhuluma kuJoshuwa isithi:
16 “Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”
Laya abapristi abathwala umtshokotsho wobufakazi ukuthi bakhuphuke eJordani.
17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”
UJoshuwa wasebalaya abapristi esithi: Khuphukani eJordani.
18 When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their course and overflowed all the banks as before.
Kwasekusithi lapho abapristi ababethwele umtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi sebekhuphukile phakathi kweJordani, lengaphansi yenyawo zabapristi isiphakanyiselwe emhlabathini owomileyo, amanzi eJordani abuyela endaweni yawo, ahamba njengamandulo aphuphuma enkunjini zonke zayo.
19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.
Labantu bakhuphuka besuka eJordani ngolwetshumi lwenyanga yokuqala, bamisa inkamba eGiligali ephethelweni lempumalanga yeJeriko.
20 And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.
Lalawomatshe alitshumi lambili abawathatha eJordani uJoshuwa wawamisa eGiligali.
21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’
Wakhuluma kubantwana bakoIsrayeli esithi: Nxa abantwana benu bebuza kusasa kuboyise besithi: Ayini lamatshe?
22 you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’
Lizabazisa-ke abantwana benu lisithi: UIsrayeli wayichapha le iJordani emhlabathini owomileyo.
23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over.
Ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu yenza amanzi eJordani atsha phambi kwenu laze lachapha, njengokwenza kweNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu kuLwandle oluBomvu eyalomisa phambi kwethu saze sachapha,
24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”
ukuze zonke izizwe zomhlaba zazi isandla seNkosi, ukuthi silamandla, ukuze liyesabe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu zonke izinsuku.
