Memorial Stones Are Set Up
1 When the whole nation had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men, one from each tribe, 3 and command them to take twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests were standing. Tell them to carry these stones with them and to put them down where you camp tonight.”
4 Then Joshua called the twelve men he had chosen, 5 and he told them, “Go into the Jordan ahead of the Covenant Box of the Lord your God. Each one of you take a stone on your shoulder, one for each of the tribes of Israel. 6 These stones will remind the people of what the Lord has done. In the future, when your children ask what these stones mean to you, 7 you will tell them that the water of the Jordan stopped flowing when the Lord's Covenant Box crossed the river. These stones will always remind the people of Israel of what happened here.”
8 The men followed Joshua's orders. As the Lord had commanded Joshua, they took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each of the tribes of Israel, carried them to the camping place, and put them down there. 9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, where the priests carrying the Covenant Box had stood. (Those stones are still there.) 10 The priests stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything had been done that the Lord ordered Joshua to tell the people to do. This is what Moses had commanded.
The people hurried across the river. 11 When they were all on the other side, the priests with the Lord's Covenant Box went on ahead of the people. 12 The men of the tribes of Reuben and Gad and of half the tribe of Manasseh, ready for battle, crossed ahead of the rest of the people, as Moses had told them to do. 13 In the presence of the Lord about forty thousand men ready for war crossed over to the plain near Jericho. 14 What the Lord did that day made the people of Israel consider Joshua a great man. They honored him all his life, just as they had honored Moses.
15 Then the Lord told Joshua 16 to command the priests carrying the Covenant Box to come up out of the Jordan. 17 Joshua did so, 18 and when the priests reached the riverbank, the river began flowing once more and flooded its banks again.
19 The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camped at Gilgal, east of Jericho. 20 There Joshua set up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan. 21 And he said to the people of Israel, “In the future, when your children ask you what these stones mean, 22 you will tell them about the time when Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground. 23 Tell them that the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan for you until you had crossed, just as he dried up the Red Sea for us. 24 Because of this everyone on earth will know how great the Lord's power is, and you will honor the Lord your God forever.”
Bigwa kwe mabgwe e zwikumbuludzo
1 Kwakati itjaba tjose tje Iziraela tjisinotjuluka gwizi gwe Jorodani, Yahwe bakadwa Joshuwa bakati, 2 “Shalula balume bali gumi lina babili mu bathu ibaba, mmwe ne mmwe wabo ali milile ludzi gugwe, 3 ngono ubadwe uti, ‘Mmwe ne mmwe wenyu ngaatole bgwe ling'ompela mu gwizi pabe pali mile bapirisiti, muasenge munoabiga kwamunonolala nasi.’ ”
4 Ipapo Joshuwa kadana balume bali gumi lina babili kudwa mu bathu be Iziraela, baakabe ashalula mmwe ne mmwe edwa mu ludzi gugwe, 5 ngono kabadwa kati, “Pindilani mbeli kwe Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu, mungine pakati kwe gwizi gwe Jorodani, mmwe ne mmwe wenyu kuyenda nge mbalo ye njudzi dze bathu be Iziraela, mmwe ne mmwe aswike apike bgwe ling'ompela aliyise ku bukotokelo, 6 mabgwe iyawa abe ikumbuludzo mu muli. Mangwana ha bana benyu be mubhuzwa beti, ‘Mabgwe iyawa anodwani?’ 7 Mowobabudza kuti, kwakati Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe litjuluka gwizi, vula ikama wunga, ndizo mabgwe iyawa anowobe ikumbuludzo tje tjakashingikala mu bathu be Iziraela nge kusingapele kose.”
8 Ngono balume be Iziraela bakathama sekwakaleba Joshuwa, bakatola mabgwe ali gumi lina mabili pakati kwe Jorodani kuyenda nge mbalo ye njudzi dze bathu be Iziraela koga sekwakadwiwa Joshuwa ndi Yahwe. Bakatola mabgwe bakanoabiga kwabakabe bakakotokela. 9 Joshuwa kabiga mabgwe mamwe ali gumi lina mabili pakati kwe gwizi pakabe pali mile bapirisiti bakabe bakasenga Bhokisi le Tjidumano. Mabgwe iyawo ayapo na nasi. 10 Bapirisiti bakabe bakasenga Bhokisi le Tjidumano bakabe bali mile pakati kwe gwizi kuswikilila kwathamiwa tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakabe tjadwiwa Joshuwa ndi Yahwe kuti atjidwe bathu kuti batjithame kuyendidzana nakose kwakabe kwadwiwa Joshuwa ndi Mushe.
Bathu bakatjuluka gwizi belibilidza, 11 ngono kwakati bathu bose basinobe batjuluka, Bhokisi le Tjidumano la Yahwe likatjuluka lakasengwa nge bapirisiti, itjaba tjakalingilila. 12 Balume be ludzi gwa Rubheni ne gwa Gadi ne gwamu le ludzi gwa Manase, bose bakabe bakashakatila mathumo bakatungamila Baiziraela Mushe sekwa akabadwa. 13 Kwakabe kuli balume bangabhata zwiwulu zwili makumi manna (40 000) bakazwilulwamisila ngwa bakapinda mbeli kwa Yahwe beyenda ku mabala e Jerikho. 14 Mu zhuba ilelo Yahwe bakakudza Joshuwa mbeli kwe Baiziraela bose ngono Baiziraela bakazwiyisa pasi mbeli kwa Joshuwa butjilo gugwe gose koga sekwa bakabe bezwiyisa pasi mbeli kwa Mushe. 15 Ngono Yahwe bakadwa Joshuwa bakati, 16 “Idwa bapirisiti bakasenga bhokisi le butendeki kuti babhude mu gwizi gwe Jorodani.” 17 Ndizo Joshuwa kadwa bapirisiti kati babhude mu gwizi. 18 Kwakati koga bapirisiti bakasenga Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe betshamba pasi pakawoma vula ikatangisa wunga koga se mukutanga.
19 Bathu bakabhuda mu Jorodani mu zhuba le bugumi le mwedzi we kutanga ngono bakanokotokela ku Giligala ku n'gathu uku bhezhuba kwe Jerikho. 20 Ngono Joshuwa katola mabgwe ali gumi lina mabili akabe atogwa mu gwizi gwe Jorodani kaatshila kaamisa mu Giligala. 21 Ngono Joshuwa wakadwa bathu be Iziraela eti, “Mangwana ha bana be bana benyu bebhuzwa botate babo kuti mabgwe iyawa anodwani, 22 mu babudze muti, ‘Baiziraela bakatjuluka gwizi gwe Jorodani gwakawoma.’ 23 Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu bakapkhwisa vula mu Jorodani kuswikila mose matjuluka koga Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu sekwa bakathama ku Gungwa Shaba, bakapkhwisa vula kuswikilila tose tatjuluka, 24 kuti ndizo bathu bose bamu shango bazibe kuti Yahwe bana masimba ne kuti mugale mutja Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu misi yose.”