Yosua 4
1 Esi ameawo katã tso tɔsisi la dedie la, Yehowa gblɔ na Yosua bena,
Once the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord told Joshua,
2 “Tia ame wuieve tso Israel dukɔ la me, ame ɖeka tso to ɖe sia ɖe me,
“Choose twelve men from the people, one per tribe,
3 eye nàgblɔ na wo be: woatsɔ kpe wuieve tso teƒe si tututu nunɔlaawo tsi tsitre ɖo le Yɔdan tɔsisi la titina; woatsɔ kpe wuieve siawo ayi ɖe teƒe si miaƒu asaɖa anyi ɖo le zã sia me.”
and tell them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing. Then carry them and set them down at the place where you will camp tonight.’”
4 Ale Yosua yɔ ame wuieve siwo wòtia tso Israel ƒe to ɖe sia ɖe me,
So Joshua sent for the twelve men he had chosen, one from each tribe,
5 eye wògblɔ na wo be, “Miyi Yɔdan tɔsisi la titina, afi si nubablaɖaka la le; mia dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe natsɔ kpe ɖeka ɖe abɔta tso afi ma. Kpeawo ƒe xexlẽme nanɔ wuieve, ɖeka ɖe to wuieveawo dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe nu.
and told them, “Go back into the middle of the Jordan, right in front of the Ark of the Agreement of the Lord your God, and each of you pick up a stone and carry it on your shoulder, one for each of the tribes of Israel.
6 Mitsɔ wo tu ŋkuɖodzikpe ale be ne mia viwo abia mi gbe aɖe gbe be, ‘Nu kae ŋkuɖodzikpe sia le fiafiam mahã?’ la,
This will be a memorial among you so when your children one day ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’
7 miagblɔ na wo be, Yɔdan tɔsisi la dzudzɔ sisi le nubablaɖaka la ŋgɔ. Esi wòtso Yɔdan tɔsisia la, tsi la ƒe sisi nu tso. Kpe siawo anye ŋkuɖodzikpe na Israelviwo tegbetegbe.”
you can tell them, ‘It's about the time the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord's Agreement went across. When it crossed over the water stopped. These stones are a memorial to the people of Israel forever.’”
8 Israelviwo wɔ abe ale si Yosua ɖo na wo ene pɛpɛpɛ. Wokɔ kpe wuieveawo tso Yɔdan tɔsisi la titina, kpe ɖeka ɖe to ɖeka ɖe sia ɖe nu, abe ale si Yehowa ɖo na Yosua ene tututu. Wokɔ kpeawo yi afi si woƒu asaɖa anyi ɖo le zã ma me hewɔ ŋkuɖodzikpe aɖe ɖe afi ma.
The people of Israel did as Joshua told them. The men picked up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan as the Lord had instructed Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped overnight and placed the stones there, one for each of the tribes of Israel.
9 Yosua hã kɔ kpe wuieve tu ŋkuɖodzikpe bubu ɖe Yɔdan tɔsisi la titina, le teƒe si nunɔlawo tsi tsitre ɖo. Ŋkuɖodzikpe sia gali egbegbe.
Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan right where the priests carrying the Ark of the Agreement had stood, and they are still there to this very day.
10 Nunɔla siwo kɔ nubablaɖaka la, tsi tsitre ɖe tɔsisi la titina va se ɖe esime wowɔ ɖe ɖoɖo siwo katã Yehowa gblɔ na Yosua to Mose dzi la dzi. Ameawo ɖe abla zɔ tɔʋu ƒuƒui la me.
The priests carrying the Ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was done just as the Lord had told the people to do, all that Moses had told Joshua to do. The people crossed over quickly.
11 Esi ameawo katã tso tɔsisi la la vɔ la, nunɔlawo kɔ nubablaɖaka la tso tɔʋu la me va wo gbɔ le godzi, eye wodze ŋgɔ na wo.
Once all the people had crossed over, they watched as the Ark of the Lord was carried across by the priests.
12 Ŋutsu siwo tso Ruben kple Gad ƒe towo me kple Manase ƒe to afã me la bla akpa na aʋawɔwɔ, eye wodze ŋgɔ na Israelviwo abe ale si Mose ɖo na wo ene.
The armed men from the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh crossed at the head of the people of Israel, as Moses had stipulated.
13 Aʋawɔlawo abe ŋutsu akpe blaene ene tso eme le Yehowa ŋkume yi gbedzi le Yeriko lɔƒo.
They numbered about 40,000 men, armed and ready for battle, crossed in the presence of the Lord to the plains of Jericho.
14 Gbe ma gbe nye ŋkeke gã aɖe na Yosua, elabena Yehowa de bubu gã aɖe eŋu le Israelviwo katã ŋkume. Ale wobui, eye wovɔ̃e abe Mose ene le eƒe agbemeŋkekewo katã me.
On that day the Lord confirmed Joshua as great leader in the sight of all the Israelites, and they were in awe of him just as they had been in awe of Moses.
15 Yehowa gblɔ na Yosua be
The Lord had told Joshua,
16 wòaɖe gbe na nunɔla siwo kɔ nubablaɖaka la be woado go le Yɔdan tɔsisi la me.
“Order the priests carrying the Ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan.”
17 Yosua wɔ ɖe Yehowa ƒe nya sia dzi,
So Joshua told the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”
18 eye esi nunɔlawo ɖo afɔ tɔsisi la ƒe go kemɛ dzi ko la, tɔsisi la gade asi sisi me, eye wògagbagba ɖe eƒe gowo dzi abe tsã ene.
The priests came up out of the Jordan carrying the Ark of the Agreement, and as soon as their feet touched dry ground the waters of the Jordan returned to where they had been, overflowing its banks as before.
19 Nukunu sia va eme le ɣleti gbãtɔ ƒe ŋkeke ewolia dzi. Gbe ma gbe la, Israel dukɔ blibo la tso Yɔdan tɔsisi la, eye woƒu asaɖa anyi ɖe Gilgal le Yeriko ƒe ɣedzeƒe lɔƒo.
The people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal, to the east of Jericho, on the tenth day of the first month.
20 Wokɔ kpe wuieveawo tso Yɔdan tɔsisi la me tu ŋkuɖodzikpe ɖe afi ma.
Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones that had been taken from the Jordan.
21 Yosua gaɖe nu si ŋkuɖodzikpe la le fiafiam la gɔme na Israelviwo hegblɔ be, “Ne mia viwo va bia mi gbe aɖe gbe be nu ka ta kpe siawo le afi sia ɖo, eye nu ka fiam wole hã la,
He told the Israelites, “When some day your children ask you their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’
22 miagblɔ na wo be kpe siawo le ŋku ɖom nukunu gã si dzɔ esime Israel dukɔ la zɔ ƒuƒuiƒe hetso Yɔdan tɔsisi la dzi!
you can explain to them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’
23 Migblɔ ale si Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu la na tɔsisi la mie le mía ŋkume, eye wòna wònɔ miemie nenema va se ɖe esime mí katã míetso tɔsisi la! Nenema tututue Yehowa wɔ na mi esi mieva ɖo Ƒu Dzĩ la to ƒe blaene nye esi va yi!
For the Lord your God made the Jordan River dry up right in front of you so you all could cross, just as the Lord your God did at the Red Sea which he dried up so we could all cross.
24 Ewɔ esia ale be, xexemedukɔwo katã nanya be Yehowae nye Mawu, Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la, ale be mí katã míavɔ̃e tegbee.”
He did this so everyone on earth would know how powerful the Lord is, and so that you might be in awe of the Lord your God forever.”
