Yosua 4

1 Bere a ɔman no nyinaa twaa Yordan wiei no, Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Yosua se,

After all the people of the Israeli nation had finished crossing the Jordan [River], Yahweh said to Joshua,

2 “Yiyi mmarima dumien fi ɔmanfo no mu a ɔbaako biara fi abusuakuw no bi mu,

“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 na ka kyerɛ wɔn se, wɔmfa abo dumien mfi Yordan mfimfini nifa so wɔ faako a na asɔfo no gyina hɔ, na wɔnsoa mfa ntwa mmra mmegu faako a mobɛtena anadwo yi.”

Tell them to carry the stones with you and put them down at the place where you will stay tonight.”

4 Ɛnna Yosua frɛɛ mmarima dumien a oyii wɔn fii Israelfo no mu no a ɔbaako biara fi abusuakuw bi mu no,

So Joshua chose twelve men, one from each tribe. He called them together, and said to them,

5 na ɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Munkodi Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, adaka no anim mfa nkɔ Yordan mfimfini. Ɔbaako biara mfa ɔbo nto ne bati so sɛnea Israelfo mmusuakuw no dodow te,

“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 na ɛnyɛ nsɛnkyerɛnne wɔ mo mu. Sɛ daakye bi, mo mma bisa mo se, ‘Saa abo yi ase kyerɛ dɛn’ a,

[Then pile them up] to be a memorial for you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’,

7 monka nkyerɛ wɔn se, Yordan gyaee sen, gyinae wɔ Awurade apam adaka no anim, bere a Awurade apam adaka no retwa Yordan asubɔnten no. Saa abo yi bɛyɛ nkae ade ama Israelfo daa nyinaa.”

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 Enti, mmarima no yɛɛ sɛnea Yosua kyerɛɛ wɔn no. Wɔfaa abo dumien fii Asubɔnten Yordan mfimfini a ɔbo baako biara gyina hɔ ma abusuakuw baako, sɛnea Awurade hyɛɛ Yosua no. Wɔsoa de kɔɔ faako a wɔtenaa hɔ anadwo no na wosii nkaedum wɔ hɔ.

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 Yosua nso de abo dumien sii nkaedum wɔ Yordan mfimfini wɔ faako a na asɔfo a wɔso apam Adaka no gyinae no. Ɛwɔ hɔ de besi nnɛ.

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 Asɔfo a na wɔso adaka no gyinaa asu no mfimfini hɔ ara kosii sɛ wɔyɛɛ Awurade ahyɛde a ɔnam Mose so de maa Yosua no nyinaa. Saa bere no, nnipa no yɛɛ ntɛm twaa asu no koduu ne konkɔn so.

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 Na bere a obiara duu asu no fa hɔ no, asɔfo no nso de Awurade adaka no twa kɔɔ hɔ bi.

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 Na akofo a wɔahyɛ wɔn akode a wofi Ruben abusuakuw mu, Gad abusuakuw mu ne Manase abusuakuw fa mu akofo no dii Israelfo no anim twaa Yordan sɛnea Mose kyerɛɛ wɔn no pɛpɛɛpɛ.

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 Saa akofo yi, na wɔn dodow bɛyɛ mpem aduanan a wɔasiesie wɔn ho ama ɔko. Wotwa kɔɔ Yeriko asase so wɔ Awurade anim.

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 Saa da no, Awurade yɛɛ Yosua kɛse wɔ Israelfo no nyinaa anim; na Yosua nna a aka no nyinaa, Israelfo de obu ne nidi maa no sɛnea wɔde obu ne nidi maa Mose no.

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 Na Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Yosua se,

Yahweh said to Joshua,

16 “Hyɛ asɔfo a Awurade apam adaka no so wɔn no sɛ, womfi nsubon no mu hɔ mmra.”

“[Now] tell the priests who are carrying the chest containing the Ten Commandments to come up from the Jordan [riverbed].”

17 Enti, Yosua hyɛɛ wɔn.

So Joshua commanded the priests to do that.

18 Na bere a asɔfo a wɔso Awurade apam adaka no fii nsubon no mu ara pɛ na Asubɔnten Yordan san ka sram so tɛnn te sɛ kan no.

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 Ɔsram a edi kan no da ɛto so du no nnipa no foro fii Yordan kɔbɔɔ atenae wɔ Gilgal, Yeriko apuei fam hye so.

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 Gilgal hɔ na Yosua boaa abo dumien a wɔde fi Asubɔnten Yordan mu bae no ano.

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 Afei, Yosua ka kyerɛɛ Israelfo no se, “Daakye bi mo mma bebisa se, ‘Saa abo yi kyerɛ dɛn?’

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 Na mo nso moaka akyerɛ wɔn se, ‘Ɛha ne beae a Israelfo twaa Yordan wɔ asase wosee so no.’

tell them, ‘We Israeli people crossed the Jordan [River as though we were crossing] on dry ground.

23 Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, maa asu no yowee wɔ mo anim, na ɔkɔɔ so ma ɛyowee ara kosii sɛ mo nyinaa twae, sɛnea ɔyɛɛ Po Kɔkɔɔ no. Ɔmaa no yowee ara kosii sɛ yɛn nyinaa twae.

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 Ɔyɛɛ eyi sɛnea aman a wɔwɔ wiase nyinaa behu Awurade tumi na mo nso moasuro Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, daa nyinaa.”

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.’”