Jozue 4
1 Tango ekolo mobimba esilisaki kokatisa Yordani, Yawe alobaki na Jozue:
After all the people of the Israeli nation had finished crossing the Jordan [River], Yahweh said to Joshua,
2 « Pona mibali zomi na mibale kati na bato, mobali moko mpo na libota moko.
“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 Pesa bango mitindo oyo: ‹ Bozwa kati na mayi ya Yordani, na esika oyo Banganga-Nzambe bapikamaki, mabanga zomi na mibale, bomema yango elongo na bino mpe botia yango na esika oyo bokolekisa butu ya lelo. › »
Tell them to carry the stones with you and put them down at the place where you will stay tonight.”
4 Boye, Jozue abengaki mibali zomi na mibale oyo aponaki kati na bana ya Isalaele, mobali moko mpo na libota moko.
So Joshua chose twelve men, one from each tribe. He called them together, and said to them,
5 Jozue alobaki na bango: « Boleka liboso ya Sanduku ya Yawe, Nzambe na bino, kino na kati-kati ya Yordani. Moko na moko kati na bino amema libanga na lipeka na ye kolanda motango ya mabota ya Isalaele
“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 mpo ete ezala lokola elembo kati na bino. Sima na tango, soki bana na bino batuni bino: ‹ Mabanga oyo elakisi nini? ›
[Then pile them up] to be a memorial for you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’,
7 Bokoyebisa bango ete mayi ya Yordani ekatanaki na biteni mibale liboso ya Sanduku ya Boyokani ya Yawe. Tango ekatisaki Yordani, mayi na yango mpe ekatanaki. Mabanga oyo ezali lokola ekaniseli ya seko na seko mpo na bana ya Isalaele. »
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 Boye, bana ya Isalaele basalaki ndenge Jozue atindaki bango. Bazwaki kati na Yordani, mabanga zomi na mibale kolanda motango ya mabota ya Isalaele, ndenge Yawe alobaki na Jozue. Bamemaki yango kino na molako na bango, epai wapi batiaki yango.
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 Jozue atelemisaki mabanga zomi na mibale mosusu na kati-kati ya Yordani, na esika oyo Banganga-Nzambe oyo bamemaki Sanduku ya Boyokani bapikamaki, mpe etikala wana kino na mokolo ya lelo.
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 Nzokande, Banganga-Nzambe oyo bamemaki Sanduku bawumelaki na kati-kati ya Yordani kino tango bato bakokisaki makambo nyonso oyo Yawe atindaki Jozue, ndenge kaka Moyize ayebisaki ye. Ezalaki na lombangu nde bato bakatisaki Yordani.
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 Tango bango nyonso basilisaki kokatisa, Sanduku ya Yawe elongo na Banganga-Nzambe balekaki lisusu liboso ya bato.
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 Bato ya libota ya Ribeni, ya Gadi, mpe ya ndambo ya libota ya Manase bakatisaki, balataki bibundeli mpe batambolaki liboso ya bana ya Isalaele, ndenge Moyize atindaki bango.
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 Bazalaki bato pene nkoto tuku minei, bato ya bitumba, oyo bakamataki bibundeli mpo na kobunda; balekaki liboso ya Yawe na nzela ya bitando ya Jeriko mpo na kobunda.
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 Na mokolo wana, Yawe atombolaki Jozue na miso ya bana nyonso ya Isalaele; mpe bapesaki ye lokumu mikolo nyonso ya bomoi na ye, ndenge kaka bapesaki Moyize lokumu.
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 Yawe alobaki na Jozue:
Yahweh said to Joshua,
16 « Pesa Banganga-Nzambe oyo bamemi Sanduku ya Litatoli mitindo ete babima wuta na kati-kati ya ebale Yordani. »
“[Now] tell the priests who are carrying the chest containing the Ten Commandments to come up from the Jordan [riverbed].”
17 Jozue apesaki mitindo epai ya Banganga-Nzambe: « Bobima wuta na kati-kati ya ebale Yordani. »
So Joshua commanded the priests to do that.
18 Boye Banganga-Nzambe oyo bamemaki Sanduku ya Boyokani ya Yawe babimaki wuta na ebale. Tango kaka batiaki matambe na bango na mokili, mayi ya Yordani ezongaki na esika na yango, etondaki makasi mpe ekomaki kotiola ndenge ezalaki momesano na yango.
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 Na mokolo ya zomi ya sanza ya liboso, bato bakendeki wuta na Yordani mpe batongaki molako na bango na Giligali, na mondelo ya este ya 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 Jozue atelemisaki, na Giligali, mabanga zomi na mibale oyo babimisaki na Yordani.
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 Alobaki na bana ya Isalaele: « Tango bakitani na bino bakotuna batata na bango: ‹ Mabanga oyo elakisi nini? ›
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 Boyebisa bango: ‹ Bato ya Isalaele bakatisaki Yordani na mabele ya kokawuka. ›
tell them, ‘We Israeli people crossed the Jordan [River as though we were crossing] on dry ground.
23 Pamba te Yawe, Nzambe na bino, akawusaki liboso mayi ya Yordani kino tango bosilisaki kokatisa. Yawe asalaki na Yordani makambo oyo asalaki na ebale monene ya Barozo tango akawusaki yango liboso na biso, kino tango tosilisaki kokatisa yango.
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 Asalaki bongo mpo ete bato nyonso ya mokili bayeba ete loboko ya Yawe ezalaka na nguya, mpe mpo ete bobangaka Yawe, Nzambe na bino, tango nyonso. »
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.’”
