約書亞記 3
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
走過約旦河
3 約書亞清早起來，率領全體以色列人離開什亭，來到約旦河邊安營，等候過河。 2 過了三天，官長走遍各營，吩咐民眾說： 3 「你們看見做祭司的利未人抬著你們上帝耶和華的約櫃出發時，就要起身跟在後面。 4 這樣，你們就會知道路，因為你們從來沒有走過這條路。但你們要跟約櫃保持九百米的距離，不要走近約櫃。」 5 約書亞又對民眾說：「你們要潔淨自己，因為明天耶和華要在你們當中行奇事。」 6 約書亞又對祭司說：「抬起約櫃，率領民眾過河吧！」他們就抬起約櫃，走在民眾前面。
7 耶和華對約書亞說：「從今天開始，我要使你在以色列人面前得到尊榮，讓他們知道我與你同在，正如從前我跟摩西同在一樣。 8 你要吩咐抬約櫃的祭司走到約旦河邊，站在水中。」 9 約書亞對以色列人說：「你們要來聽你們的上帝耶和華的話。 10 今天你們會明白永活的上帝就在你們當中，祂必在你們面前趕走迦南人、赫人、希未人、比利洗人、革迦撒人、亞摩利人和耶布斯人。 11 看啊，天下之主的約櫃要在你們前面過約旦河。 12 現在，你們要從以色列的十二支派中選出十二個人來，每支派選一人。 13 當祭司抬著天下之主——耶和華的約櫃一踏進約旦河，往下流的河水必會止住，形成一道水堤。」
14-15 那時是收割的季節，河水高漲，淹沒兩岸。民眾拔營準備過河的時候，抬約櫃的祭司走在前頭，當他們的腳剛一踏進河水， 16 往下流的水立即止住了，在很遠的撒拉但附近的亞當城那裡漲成一道水牆。流入亞拉巴海，即鹽海的水被完全截斷了，民眾便走到對面的耶利哥。 17 以色列人過河的時候，抬耶和華約櫃的祭司站立在河中間的乾地上，直到所有人都從乾地上過了約旦河。
Joshua 3
EasyEnglish Bible
The people cross the Jordan
3 Early the next morning, Joshua and all the Israelites left Shittim. They put up their tents beside the Jordan River. They waited to cross the river.
2 Three days later, the Israelite leaders went to every tent. 3 They commanded the people, ‘The Levite priests will carry the Covenant Box of the Lord your God. When you see them, you must leave here and you must follow them. 4 They will show you the way to go because you have never been here before. But do not go too near to the Covenant Box. Stay about 1,000 metres behind it.’
5 Joshua said to the people, ‘Make yourselves ready to serve the Lord as his holy people. Tomorrow, the Lord will do great miracles among you.’
6 He said to the priests, ‘Pick up the Covenant Box, and carry it in front of the people.’ So they picked it up, and they went on in front of the people.
7 Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Today I will begin to make all the Israelite people respect you. They will know that I am with you, in the same way that I was with Moses. 8 The priests that are carrying the Covenant Box must go to the shore of the Jordan River. Tell them to go into the water and to stand there.’
9 Joshua said to the Israelites, ‘Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 The God who lives for ever is with you. He will certainly chase the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites out from this land.[a] Then you will have their land. The Lord will show you that he will certainly do this. 11 Look now! The Covenant Box of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan River in front of you. 12 Now choose 12 men, one from each tribe of Israel's family. 13 Watch the priests who are carrying the Covenant Box. As soon as their feet touch the water of the river, you will see that the water stops running. It will rise up like a wall.’
14 So the Israelite people prepared to leave their tents. The priests carried the Covenant Box towards the Jordan River. The people followed them. 15 It was the time of the harvest and there was a lot of water coming down the river. But when the priests reached the shore of the river with the Covenant Box and their feet touched the water, 16 the water stopped. It stopped a long way up the river, at a town called Adam. That is near Zarethan. The water going down to the Salt Sea stopped completely. So the people crossed the river near Jericho city. 17 The priests stood in the middle of the river on dry ground, with the Lord's Covenant Box. While they stood there, all the Israelite people walked across the river on dry ground. In that way, the whole nation arrived on the other side of the river.
Footnotes
- 3:10 Many different tribes lived in the land of Canaan.
Joshua 3
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Crossing the Jordan
3 Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove[a] with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing. 2 After three days the officers went through the camp(A) 3 and commanded the people, ‘When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests,(B) you are to break camp and follow it. 4 But keep a distance of about a kilometre[b] between yourselves and the ark. Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t travelled this way before.’
5 Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves,(C) because the Lord will do wonders(D) among you tomorrow.’ 6 Then he said to the priests, ‘Carry the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.’ So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.
7 The Lord spoke to Joshua: ‘Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel,(E) so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses.(F) 8 Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water,[c] stand in the Jordan.’
9 Then Joshua told the Israelites, ‘Come closer and listen to the words of the Lord your God.’ 10 He said, ‘You will know that the living God is among you(G) and that he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites(H) 11 when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth(I) goes ahead of you into the Jordan. 12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.(J) 13 When the feet[d] of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a heap.’(K)
14 When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant(L) ahead of the people. 15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season.(M) But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge 16 and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a heap that extended as far as[e] Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah(N) – the Dead Sea – was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carrying the ark of the Lord’s covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan,(O) while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
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