Joshua 4
1 Mgbe mba ahụ niile gafesịrị osimiri Jọdan, Onyenwe anyị gwara Joshua okwu sị ya,
After all the people of the Israeli nation had finished crossing the Jordan [River], Yahweh said to Joshua,
2 “Site nʼetiti ndị ụmụ Izrel họpụta ndị ikom iri na abụọ, otu onye site nʼebo ọbụla,
“When you choose the twelve men, one from each tribe, whom I mentioned previously, tell them to pick up [large] stones from the middle of the Jordan riverbed, where the priests are [still] standing.
3 ka onye ọbụla nʼime ha site nʼebe ahụ ndị nchụaja guzoro nʼetiti osimiri Jọdan buputa otu nkume, otu nkume, gwa ha ka ha debe nkume ndị a ha buputara nʼebe unu ga-anọ ọnọdụ abalị taa.”
Tell them to carry the stones with you and put them down at the place where you will stay tonight.”
4 Ya mere, Joshua kpọrọ ndị ikom iri na abụọ ndị ahụ, ndị ọ họpụtara, site nʼetiti ndị Izrel, otu onye site nʼebo ọbụla,
So Joshua chose twelve men, one from each tribe. He called them together, and said to them,
5 Ọ gwara ha sị, “Sitenụ nʼetiti osimiri Jọdan, ebe ndị bu igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị Chineke unu guzoro, buputa nkume. Onye ọbụla nʼime unu ga-ebuputa otu nkume, tụkwasị nʼubu ya, dịka ọnụọgụgụ ebo Izrel niile si dị,
“Go into the middle of the Jordan riverbed, to [where the priests are standing, holding] the chest that Yahweh, your God, gave you. Each of you must pick up a [large] stone, one for each tribe, [and carry it] on your shoulder [to our camp].
6 ka ha bụrụ ihe ịrịbama nʼetiti unu. Nʼoge dị nʼihu, mgbe ụmụ unu ga-ajụ unu ajụjụ sị, ‘Gịnị bụ isi ogidi nkume a dị nʼebe a?’
[Then pile them up] to be a memorial for you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’,
7 Unu ga-asịkwa ha, ‘Ọ bụ ihe na-echetara anyị otu osimiri Jọdan si kwụsị ịsọ, mgbe ndị bụ igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị zọnyere ụkwụ ha nʼosimiri ahụ.’ Nkume a ga-abụkwara ụmụ Izrel niile ihe ncheta ruo mgbe ebighị ebi.”
tell them that the water in the Jordan River was blocked off when the priests were carrying the chest [that contained] the Ten Commandments that Yahweh [gave us]. When the chest was carried into the Jordan [River], the water was blocked off [so that we could cross the riverbed]. These stones will be a memorial for the descendants of us Israeli people forever.”
8 Ụmụ Izrel mere dịka Joshua gwara ha. Ha buputara nkume iri na abụọ site nʼetiti osimiri Jọdan, dịka Onyenwe anyị si nye Joshua nʼiwu sị na otu onye, nʼebo Izrel ọbụla, ga-ebuputa otu nkume. Ha buuru nkume iri na abụọ ndị ahụ gaa nʼebe ha nọrọ ọnọdụ abalị, debe ha nʼebe ahụ.
So those Israeli men did what Joshua told them to do. They went and picked up twelve [large] stones from the middle of the Jordan [riverbed], one stone for each of the tribes, just as Yahweh had told Joshua. They carried the stones to their camp and put them down.
9 Joshua nʼonwe ya kwa ji nkume iri na abụọ ahụ nke si nʼetiti osimiri Jọdan wuo ogidi ịrịbama, nʼebe ahụ ndị nchụaja bu igbe ọgbụgba ndụ ahụ guzoro. Ha dịkwa nʼebe ahụ ruo taa.
Then Joshua set up twelve [other large] stones [in a pile], in the middle of the Jordan [riverbed], where the priests who carried the chest containing the Ten Commandments were standing. And those stones are still there.
10 Ndị nchụaja, ndị bụ igbe ọgbụgba ndụ ahụ, guzoro nʼetiti osimiri Jọdan, tutu ruo mgbe e mezuru iwu ahụ niile Onyenwe anyị nyere Joshua site nʼọnụ Mosis. Mgbe ahụ kwa, ndị Izrel mere ngwangwa gafee osimiri Jọdan.
The priests who carried the chest remained standing in the middle of the Jordan [riverbed] until the people had finished doing everything that Yahweh had commanded Joshua to tell them to do. Those were the same instructions that Moses had given to Joshua. The Israeli people crossed [the riverbed] quickly.
11 Ngwangwa ha niile gafetasịrị, igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị na ndị nchụaja gafetakwara nʼakụkụ nke ọzọ, ka ndị mmadụ na-ele ha anya.
As soon as all of them had crossed, as the people watched, the priests carried the chest [the rest of the way across the river].
12 Ndị agha ụmụ Ruben, na ụmụ Gad, na ọkara ebo Manase, buuru ụmụ Izrel niile ụzọ gafee, idu ha nʼagha, dịka Mosis nyere ha nʼiwu.
The soldiers of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and of half of the soldiers of the tribe of Manasseh, crossed over ahead of the rest of the Israeli people, carrying their weapons, as Moses had commanded.
13 Ndị agha ọnụọgụgụ ha ruru iri puku anọ, ndị jikeere nke ọma ibu agha, duuru ebo ndị ọzọ, gafere nʼihu Onyenwe anyị bata nʼobosara ala Jeriko maka ibu agha.
As Yahweh was watching, there were about 40,000 of those soldiers, carrying weapons ready for battle, who crossed the riverbed to the plains near Jericho, [ready] to fight.
14 Ụbọchị ahụ bụ ụbọchị Onyenwe anyị buliri Joshua elu nke ukwuu nʼihi na o mere Joshua ka ọ dị ukwuu nʼanya ndị Izrel niile, si otu a mee ka ha tụọ ya egwu nke ukwuu dịka ha si tụọ Mosis egwu, ma sọpụkwara ya ụbọchị niile nke ndụ ya.
On that day, all the people of Israel saw that Yahweh had caused Joshua to be a great leader. And they honored Joshua for the rest of his life, just as they had honored Moses.
15 Mgbe ahụ, Onyenwe anyị gwara Joshua okwu sị,
Yahweh said to Joshua,
16 “Nye ndị nchụaja, ndị bu igbe ọgbụgba ndụ ahụ iwu ka ha si nʼosimiri Jọdan pụta.”
“[Now] tell the priests who are carrying the chest containing the Ten Commandments to come up from the Jordan [riverbed].”
17 Ya mere Joshua nyere ndị nchụaja iwu sị ha, “Sitenụ nʼosimiri Jọdan pụta.”
So Joshua commanded the priests to do that.
18 Mgbe ndị nchụaja bu igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị ahụ si nʼosimiri Jọdan rịpụta, dịka ọbụ ụkwụ ha na-emetụ nʼala akọrọ, mmiri osimiri ahụ sọghachiri nʼọnọdụ ya ruchie akụkụ ya niile, ka ọ dị na mbụ.
Then the priests, carrying the chest containing the Ten Commandments that Yahweh [had given to Moses], came up out of the riverbed. And as soon as they walked up out of the riverbed onto the riverbank, the water of the Jordan [River] flowed again, and flooded [over the river banks] as it had done before.
19 Ihe ịrịbama a mere nʼụbọchị nke iri, nʼọnwa nke mbụ. Nʼụbọchị ahụ ka ndị Izrel niile gafere osimiri Jọdan, gaa maa ụlọ ikwu ha na Gilgal, ebe dị nʼọwụwa anyanwụ obodo Jeriko.
It was on the tenth day of the first month [of that year] that the people crossed over the Jordan [River] and camped at [a place called] Gilgal, on the east side of [the land near] Jericho [city].
20 Nkume iri na abụọ ahụ ha si nʼosimiri Jọdan buputa, ka Joshua guzobere na Gilgal.
The men [who were carrying] the twelve [large] stones from the Jordan [riverbed brought them to] Joshua, [and he] set them up at Gilgal
21 Ọ sịrị ndị Izrel, “Nʼoge dị nʼihu, mgbe ụmụ unu ga-ajụ ndị bụ nna ha ajụjụ sị, ‘Gịnị ka nkume ndị a pụtara, Gịnịkwa ka ha na-egosi?’
Joshua said to the Israeli people, “In the future, when your children and grandchildren ask, ‘(What do these stones [mean/Why are these stones here)]?’,
22 Gwa ha, ‘Izrel gafere osimiri Jọdan nʼala akọrọ.’
tell them, ‘We Israeli people crossed the Jordan [River as though we were crossing] on dry ground.
23 Nʼihi na Onyenwe anyị bụ Chineke unu mere ka osimiri Jọdan takpọọ nʼihu unu tutu ruo mgbe unu gafesịrị nʼofe nke ọzọ. Onyenwe anyị Chineke unu mere osimiri Jọdan ihe o mere osimiri Uhie mgbe o mere ka osimiri Uhie takpọọ nʼihu anyị, tutu ruo mgbe anyị gafesịrị nʼofe ya nke ọzọ.
As we were watching, Yahweh, your God, dried up the river until we had all crossed over. Yahweh, the God whom we worship, did to the Jordan [River] just like he did to the Red Sea, when he caused it to become dry as [our parents] were watching, until they all crossed over it.
24 O mere ihe ndị a niile ka ndị niile bi nʼelu ụwa mata na aka Onyenwe anyị dị ike. O mekwara ya ka unu onwe unu tụọ egwu Onyenwe anyị Chineke unu, mgbe niile.”
Yahweh did that in order that all the people-groups of the earth may know that he [MTY] is very powerful, and in order that you may always (be in awe of/revere) Yahweh, your God.’”
