1And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; 3And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. 4Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.3.4 heretofore: Heb. since yesterday, and the third day 5And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. 6And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.
7¶ And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. 8And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.
9¶ And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. 10And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. 12Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. 13And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
14¶ And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; 15And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 16That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. 17And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
Kuvuka Yordani
13:1 Yos 2:1; Mwa 13:10; Ay 40:23; Hes 25:1; 33:49Yoshua na Waisraeli wote wakaondoka asubuhi na mapema kutoka Shitimu, wakaenda mpaka Mto Yordani, ambako walipiga kambi kabla ya kuvuka. 23:2 Mwa 40:13; Yos 2:16; Kum 1:16; Yos 1:11Baada ya siku tatu maafisa wakapita katika kambi yote, 33:3 Hes 10:33; 4:15; Kum 31:9; 1Fal 8:3; 1Sam 6:15wakitoa maagizo kwa watu, wakiwaambia: “Mtakapoona Sanduku la Agano la Bwana Mungu wenu, likichukuliwa na Walawi ambao ndio makuhani, mtaondoka hapo mlipo na kulifuata. 43:4 Hes 35:5; Kut 19:12; Kum 28:58; 1Nya 16:30; Za 2:11; 96:9; Ebr 12:28Ndipo mtakapotambua njia mtakayoiendea, kwa kuwa hamjawahi kuipita kabla. Lakini msisogee karibu, bali kuwe na umbali wa dhiraa 2,0003:4 Dhiraa 2,000 ni sawa na mita 900. kati yenu na Sanduku.”
53:5 Kut 20:1; Law 11:44; Amu 6:13; 1Nya 16:9, 24; Za 26:7; 75:1; Kut 10:10; Hes 11:18; Yos 7:13; 1Sam 16:5; Yos 2:16Ndipo Yoshua akawaambia hao watu, “Jitakaseni, kwa kuwa kesho Bwana atatenda mambo ya kushangaza katikati yenu.”
63:6 Hes 4:15Yoshua akawaambia makuhani, “Liinueni Sanduku la Agano mkatangulie mbele ya watu.” Hivyo wakaliinua na kutangulia mbele yao.
73:7 Yos 4:14; 1Nya 29:25; Yos 1:5Ndipo Bwana akamwambia Yoshua, “Leo nitaanza kukutukuza machoni pa Israeli yote, ili wapate kujua kuwa niko pamoja nawe kama nilivyokuwa pamoja na Mose. 8Uwaambie makuhani wanaochukua Sanduku la Agano, ‘Mnapofika kwenye ukingo wa maji ya Yordani, nendeni mkasimame ndani ya mto.’ ”
9Yoshua akawaambia Waisraeli, “Njooni hapa msikilize maneno ya Bwana Mungu wenu. 103:10 Kum 5:26; 1Sam 17:26, 36; 2Fal 19:4, 16; Za 18:46; 42:2; Isa 37:4, 17; Yer 10:10; 23:36; Dan 6:26; Hos 1:10; Mt 16:16; Kum 7:21; Mwa 26:24; Yos 17:15; 24:11; Amu 1:4; 3:5; Kut 3:8; 23:23; Kum 7:1; 9:1; 11:3; Amu 19:11; 1Nya 11:4Hivi ndivyo mtakavyojua ya kuwa Mungu aliye hai yupo katikati yenu, na kwamba kwa hakika atawafukuza mbele yenu hao Wakanaani, Wahiti, Wahivi, Waperizi, Wagirgashi, Waamori na Wayebusi. 113:11 Kut 19:5; Kum 14:10; Ay 9:10; 28:24; 41:11; Za 50:12; 97:5; Zek 6:5; Kum 9:3Tazameni, Sanduku la Agano la Bwana wa dunia yote litaingia ndani ya Mto Yordani likiwa limewatangulia. 123:12 Yos 4:2-4Sasa basi, chagueni watu kumi na wawili kutoka makabila ya Israeli, mtu mmoja kutoka kila kabila. 133:13 Yos 4:7; Kut 14:22; Isa 11:15; Za 78:13Mara tu nyayo za makuhani walichukualo Sanduku la Bwana, Bwana wa dunia yote, zitakapokanyaga ndani ya Mto Yordani, maji hayo yatiririkayo kutoka juu yatatindika na kusimama kama chuguu.”
143:14 Za 132:8; Mdo 7:44-45; Kut 25:10; 26:30; Hes 10:3; 2Nya 6:41; Ebr 9:4Basi, watu walipovunja kambi ili kuvuka Yordani, makuhani wakiwa wamebeba Sanduku la Agano waliwatangulia. 153:15 2Fal 3:6; Yos 4:18; 1Nya 12:15; Isa 8:7; Mwa 8:22; Yer 12:5; 49:19Wakati huu ulikuwa wakati wa mavuno, nao Mto Yordani ulikuwa umefurika hadi kwenye kingo zake. Ilikuwa kawaida ya Yordani kufurika nyakati zote za mavuno. Mara tu makuhani wale waliokuwa wamebeba Sanduku la Agano walipofika mtoni na nyayo zao kuzama ndani ya yale maji, 163:16 Za 66:6; 74:15; 114:3; Ay 38:37; Za 33:7; 1Fal 4:12; 7:46; Mwa 14:3; 8:1; Kut 14:22; 2Fal 2:4maji hayo yaliyotiririka kutoka upande wa juu yaliacha kutiririka yakasimama kama chuguu mbali kabisa nao, kwenye mji ulioitwa Adamu kwenye eneo la Sarethani, wakati yale maji yaliyokuwa yanatiririka kuingia kwenye Bahari ya Araba (yaani Bahari ya Chumvi), yalitindika kabisa. Hivyo watu wakavuka kukabili Yeriko.
173:17 Yos 4:3-9; Kut 14:22; Yos 2:10Wale makuhani waliobeba Sanduku la Agano la Bwana, wakasimama imara mahali pakavu katikati ya Mto Yordani, wakati Waisraeli wote wakiwa wanapita hadi taifa lote likaisha kuvuka mahali pakavu.
