Joshua 3
1 And so, Joshua arose in the night, and he moved the camp. And they departed from Shittim, and they went to the Jordan: he, and all the sons of Israel, and they remained there for three days.
A la mañana siguiente, Josué y los israelitas salieron de Sitín y llegaron a la orilla del Jordán. Allí pasaron la noche antes de cruzar.
2 After these things unfolded, announcers passed through the midst of the camp,
Tres días después, los líderes del pueblo pasaron por el campamento
3 and they began to proclaim: “When you will see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests of the stock of Levi carrying it, you also shall rise up and follow those who are going before you.
diciéndoles: “Cuando vean el Arca del Pacto del Señor su Dios siendo llevada por los sacerdotes, los levitas, deben salir del lugar donde estén y seguirla.
4 And let there be, between you and the ark, the space of two thousand cubits, so that you may be able to see it from far away, and to know along which way you should advance. For you have not walked this way before. And be careful that you do not approach the ark.”
Así sabrán qué camino tomar, ya que no han estado aquí antes. Mantengan una distancia de 3.000 pies entre ustedes y el Arca. ¡No se acerquen!”
5 And Joshua said to the people: “Be sanctified. For tomorrow the Lord will accomplish miracles among you.”
Entonces Josué le dijo al pueblo: “Asegúrense de estar puros, porque mañana el Señor hará cosas asombrosas entre ustedes”.
6 And he said to the priests: “Take up the ark of the covenant, and go before the people.” And they fulfilled the orders, and they took it and walked before them.
Josuéles habló a los sacerdotes: “Tomen el Arca del Pacto y vayan delante del pueblo”. Entonces ellos levantaron el Arca del Pacto y marcharon delante del pueblo.
7 And the Lord said to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that, just as I was with Moses, so also am I with you.
El Señor le dijo a Josué: “Lo que hago hoy te confirmará como gran líder a la vista de todos los israelitas, para que se den cuenta de que así como estuve con Moisés, estaré contigo.
8 Now instruct the priests, who are carrying the ark of the covenant, and say to them, ‘When you will have entered into a part of the water of the Jordan, stand still in it.’”
Dile a los sacerdotes que llevan el Arca del Pacto: ‘Cuando lleguen a cruce del Jordán, den unos pasos hacia el agua y luego deténganse allí’”.
9 And Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Approach to here, and listen to the word of the Lord your God.”
Entonces Josué les dijo a los israelitas: “Vengan aquí y escuchen lo que el Señor su Dios les quiere decir.
10 And again, he said: “By this shall you know that the Lord, the living God, is in your midst, and that he shall scatter in your sight, the Canaanite and the Hittite, the Hivite and the Perizzite, likewise the Girgashite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite.
Así sabrán que el Dios vivo está aquí con ustedes”, les dijo. “Tengan la seguridad de que Él expulsará delante de ustedes a los cananeos, a los hititas, a los heveos, a los ferezeos, a los guirgaseos, a los amorreos y a los jebuseos.
11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth shall go before you through the Jordan.
Sólo recuerden: el Arca del Pacto del Señor de toda la tierra cruzará el Jordán antes que ustedes.
12 Prepare twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.
Elijan doce hombres de las tribus de Israel, uno por tribu.
13 And when the priests who are carrying the ark of the Lord, the God of the entire earth, will have placed the steps of their feet in the waters of the Jordan, the waters that are lower will run down and pass away, and those that are approaching above will stand together in a mass.”
En el momento en que los sacerdotes que llevan el Arca pisen el agua, el río dejará de fluir y el agua se amontonará”.
14 And the people departed from their tents, so that they might cross the Jordan. And the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant were advancing before them.
Así que el pueblo recogió el campamento y se dispuso a cruzar el Jordán, y los sacerdotes que llevaban el Arca iban adelante.
15 And as soon as they entered into the Jordan, and their feet were dipped in a portion of the water, (now the Jordan, since it was the time of the harvest, had filled the banks of its channel, )
Como era la temporada de la cosecha, el Jordán estaba lleno de agua, y sus orillas se desbordaban. Pero tan pronto como los sacerdotes que llevaban el Arca entraron en el agua, el río dejó de fluir.
16 the descending waters stood still in one place, and, swelling up like a mountain, they were seen from far away, from the city that is called Adam, even as far as the place of Zarethan. But those that were lower ran down into the Sea of the Wilderness, (which is now called the Dead Sea, ) until they entirely passed away.
El agua se amontonó mucho más arriba, en la ciudad de Adán, cerca de Zaretán, mientras que río abajo ya no fluía más agua hacia el Mar Muerto. De este modo el pueblo pudo cruzar el río, frente a Jericó.
17 Then the people advanced opposite Jericho. And the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord were standing, fully-dressed, upon dry soil in the midst of the Jordan, and all the people passed over, through the channel that was dried up.
Los sacerdotes que llevaban el Arca se mantuvieron firmes y en pie en el lecho seco del río Jordán mientras todo el pueblo pasaba. Y se quedaron allí hasta que todos hubieron cruzado y se encontraban en tierra seca.
