Joshua 3
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 3
Preparations for Crossing the Jordan. 1 Early the next morning, Joshua and all the Israelites moved from Shittim and came to the Jordan, where they stayed before crossing over. 2 (A)Three days later the officers went through the camp 3 (B)and issued these commands to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord, your God, which the levitical priests will carry, you must break camp and follow it, 4 that you may know the way to take, for you have not gone over this road before. But let there be a space of two thousand cubits between you and the ark: do not come nearer to it.” 5 Joshua also said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will perform wonders among you.” 6 And he told the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross ahead of the people”; so they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.
7 (C)Then the Lord said to Joshua: Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.(D) 8 Now command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, “When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, there take your stand.”
9 So Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord, your God.” 10 He continued: “By this you will know that there is a living God in your midst: he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.(E) 11 The ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth will cross the Jordan before you. 12 Now choose twelve men,(F) one from each of the tribes of Israel. 13 When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, touch the waters of the Jordan, it will cease to flow; the water flowing down from upstream will halt in a single heap.”[a]
The Crossing Begun. 14 The people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan, with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant ahead of them. 15 When those bearing the ark came to the Jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were immersed in the waters of the Jordan—which overflows all its banks during the entire season of the harvest—[b] 16 the waters flowing from upstream halted, standing up in a single heap(G) for a very great distance indeed, from Adam, a city in the direction of Zarethan; those flowing downstream toward the Salt Sea of the Arabah disappeared entirely.[c] Thus the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the Jordan riverbed(H) while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until the whole nation had completed the crossing of the Jordan.
Footnotes
- 3:13 Heap: Heb. nēd, the same word found in Ex 15:8; the narrative echoes the ancient Song of Miriam (Ex 15:1–18), which celebrates the crossing of the Red Sea. Thus the language provides another parallel between Joshua and Moses, conquest and exodus.
- 3:15 Season of the harvest: toward the end of March and the beginning of April, when the barley and other crops that grew during the rainy season of winter were reaped. The crossing took place “on the tenth day of the first month” of the Hebrew year, which began with the first new moon after the spring equinox; cf. 4:19. At this time of the year the Jordan would be swollen as a result of the winter rains and the melting snow of Mount Hermon.
- 3:16 Some scholars have suggested that this account may reflect an annual ritual reenactment of the event near the sanctuary of Gilgal.
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。
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.