< Joshua 3 >
1 And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and departed from Sattin; and they came as far as Jordan, and lodged there before they crossed over.
若蘇厄清早起來,同所有的以色列子民由史廷出發,來到弓約旦河,住在那裏,等候過河。
2 And it came to pass after three days, [that] the scribes went through the camp;
過了三天,官長走遍全營,
3 and they charged the people, saying, When you shall see the ark of the covenant of the Lord our God, and our priests and the Levites bearing it, you shall depart from your places, and you shall go after it.
吩咐百姓說:「你們一看見上主你們天主的約櫃,和抬約櫃的肋未人,他們便你們所住的地方起身,跟著它走,
4 But let there be a distance between you and it; you shall stand as much as two thousand cubits [from it]. Do not draw near to it, that you may know the way which you are to go; for you have not gone the way before.
好使你們知道你們應走的路,因為這條路你們從來沒有走過。但在你們與約櫃之間,相隔二千肘,不可走近約櫃。」
5 And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders amongst you.
若蘇厄對百姓說:「你們應該自潔,因為上主明天要在你們中間行神蹟。
6 And Joshua said to the priests, Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and go before the people: and the priests took up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and went before the people.
若蘇厄又吩咐司祭說:「你們抬起約櫃,在百姓前過河。」他們遂抬起約櫃,走在百姓前面。
7 And the Lord said to Joshua, This day do I begin to exalt you before all the children of Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so will I also be with you.
上主對若蘇厄說:「今天我要開始在眾以色列眼前顯揚你,使他們知道,我要與你同在,有如過去我與梅瑟同在一樣。
8 And now charge the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, As soon as you shall enter on a part of the water of Jordan, then you shall stand in Jordan.
你吩咐抬約櫃的司祭說:「你們一到約旦河的水邊,就停在約旦河邊。」
9 And Joshua said to the children of Israel, Come hither, and listen to the word of the Lord our God.
若蘇厄又吩咐以色列子民說:「他們前來靜聽上主你們天主的話。」
10 Hereby you shall know that the living God [is] amongst you, and will utterly destroy from before our face the Chananite, and the Chettite and Pherezite, and the Evite, and the Amorite, and the Gergesite, and the Jebusite.
若蘇厄遂說:「你們由此可知道,永生的天主是在你們中間,衪必由你們面前,將客納罕人、赫特人、希威人、培黎齊人、基爾加士人、阿摩黎人和耶步斯人趕走。
11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over Jordan.
看,大地主宰的約櫃要在你們前面渡過約旦河。
12 Choose for yourselves twelve men of the sons of Israel, one of each tribe.
現在,你們應從以色列支派中,挑選十二人,每支派一人。
13 And it shall come to pass, when the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth rest in the water of Jordan, the water of Jordan [below] shall fail, and the water coming down from above shall stop.
當抬大地的主宰上主約櫃的司祭的腳掌,一踏入約旦河的水,約旦河的水就必中斷,由上流下的水要停,像一道堤。
14 And the people removed from their tents to cross over Jordan, and the priests bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord before the people.
當百姓起程離開帳幕要到約旦河時,司祭抬著約櫃,走在百姓的前面。
15 And when the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord entered upon Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord were dipped in part of the water of Jordan; (now Jordan overflowed all its banks about the time of wheat harvest: )
當抬約櫃的司祭到了約旦河,他們的腳一踏入水邊,──原來約旦河在整個收割期間,水常漲至河岸──
16 then the waters that came down from above stopped; there stood one solid heap very far off, as far as the region of Kariathiarim, and the lower part came down to the sea of Araba, the salt sea, till it completely failed; and the people stood opposite Jericho.
水就停住了:由上流下的水像一道堤,停在很遠的地方,遠至匝爾堂附近的阿當城;往下流入的水像一道堤,停在很遠的地方,遠至匝爾堂附近的阿當城;往下流入阿辣巴海,即鹽海的水,已全退去;於是百姓在耶利哥對面過了河。
17 And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry land in the midst of Jordan; and all the children of Israel went through on dry land, until all the people had completely gone over Jordan.
當全以色列人在旱地上渡過時,抬上主約櫃的司祭穩立在約旦河中的旱地上直到全民眾都渡過約旦河。