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.
Ekuseni kakhulu uJoshuwa labo bonke abako-Israyeli basuka eShithima baqonda eJodani lapho abamisa khona izihonqo zabo bengakachaphi.
2 And it came to pass after three days, [that] the scribes went through the camp;
Ngemva kwensuku ezintathu iziphathamandla zangena phakathi kwezihonqo,
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.
zinika imilayo ebantwini zisithi, “Lapho libona umtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu labaphristi abangabaLevi belithwele kuzamele litshiye izindawo zenu lililandele.
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.
Ngakho lizakwazi ukuthi lilandele yiphi indlela, njengoba lingakaze libe kuwonalo umango. Kodwa kumele ligcine ibanga elingaba yizingalo eziyinkulungwane ezimbili phakathi kwenu lomtshokotsho; lingasondeli phansi kwalo.”
5 And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.
UJoshuwa wathi ebantwini, “Zihlambululeni ngoba kusasa uThixo uzakwenza izimanga phakathi kwenu.”
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.
UJoshuwa wathi kubaphristi, “Thathani umtshokotsho wesivumelwano beselikhokhela phambi kwabantu.” Ngakho bawuthatha basebehamba phambi kwabo.
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.
UThixo wasesithi kuJoshuwa, “Lamhla ngizaqalisa ukukuphakamisa emehlweni abako-Israyeli bonke ukuze babone ukuthi ngilawe njengoba ngangiloMosi.
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.
Tshela abaphristi abathwala umtshokotsho wesivumelwano uthi, ‘Lingafika okhunjini lwamanzi kaJodani, lingene liyekuma phakathi komfula.’”
9 And Joshua said to the children of Israel, Come hither, and listen to the word of the Lord our God.
UJoshuwa wathi kwabako-Israyeli, “Wozani lapha lizolalela amazwi kaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.
10 Hereby you shall know that the living God [is] among 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.
Lokhu yikho okuzakwenza ukuthi lazi ukuthi uNkulunkulu ophilayo uphakathi kwenu njalo ngempela uzaxotsha phambi kwenu amaKhenani, amaHithi, amaHivi, amaPherizi, amaGigashi, ama-Amori lamaJebusi.
11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over Jordan.
Khangelani, umtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi womhlaba wonke lizangena phakathi kweJodani phambi kwenu.
12 Choose for yourselves twelve men of the sons of Israel, one of each tribe.
Ngakho-ke, khethani amadoda alitshumi lambili esuka ezizwaneni zako-Israyeli, oyedwa esizwaneni esisodwa.
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.
Kuzakuthi masinyazana abaphristi abathwele umtshokotsho kaThixo, iNkosi yomhlaba wonke, sebengene eJodani, amanzi omfula ogelezayo azakwehlukaniswa abesesima abe yinqwaba.”
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.
Ngakho kwathi abantu sebesuke ezihonqweni ukuze bayechapha uJodani, abaphristi ababethwele umtshokotsho wesivumelwano bahamba phambili.
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: )
UJodani wayehlala egcwele ngezikhathi zonke zokuvuna. Kukanti kwathi abaphristi ababethwele umtshokotsho befika eJodani inyawo zabo zazithinta amanzi,
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.
amanzi ayevelela ngaphezulu ema ukugeleza. Abuthana aba yinqwaba ema khatshana laphaya, malungana ledolobho elithiwa yi-Adamu duzane leZarethani kukanti amanzi ayegelezela phansi ngekuyeni olwandle lwe-Arabha (okutsho uLwandle Lwetswayi) ahle ehlukaniswa ngokupheleleyo. Ngakho-ke abantu bachaphela ngaphetsheya malungana leJerikho.
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.
Abaphristi ababethwele umtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo bema bathi mpo emhlabathini owomileyo phakathi kweJodani, ngesikhathi abantu bonke bako-Israyeli bechapha isizwe sonke saze saqeda ukuchapha emhlabathini owomileyo.
