Joshua 4

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,

وَبَعْدَ أَنْ تَمَّ عُبُورُ جَمِيعِ الشَّعْبِ نَهْرَ الأُرْدُنِّ، قَالَ الرَّبُّ لِيَشُوعَ:

“Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,

«اخْتَارُوا مِنَ الشَّعْبِ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ رَجُلاً، وَاحِداً مِنْ كُلِّ سِبْطٍ.

and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”

وَأْمُرُوهُمْ قَائِلِينَ: لِيَحْمِلْ كُلٌّ مِنْكُمْ حَجَراً مِنْ هُنَا مِنْ وَسَطِ مَجْرَى النَّهْرِ حَيْثُ يَقِفُ الْكَهَنَةُ بِأَقْدَامٍ ثَابِتَةٍ، وَعَبِّرُوهَا مَعَكُمْ، وَأَقِيمُوهَا فِي الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي تَبِيتُونَ فِيهِ اللَّيْلَةَ».

So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,

فَاسْتَدْعَى يَشُوعُ الاثْنَيْ عَشَرَ رَجُلاً الَّذِينَ تَمَّ اخْتِيَارُهُمْ مِنْ بَيْنِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، رَجُلاً مِنْ كُلِّ سِبْطٍ.

and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites,

وَقَالَ لَهُمْ: «تَقَدَّمُوا إِلَى وَسَطِ نَهْرِ الأُرْدُنِّ، حَيْثُ يُوْجَدُ تَابُوتُ الرَّبِّ إِلَهِكُمْ، وَلْيَحْمِلْ كُلُّ رَجُلٍ مِنْكُمْ حَجَراً وَاحِداً عَلَى كَتِفِهِ، بِحَسَبِ عَدَدِ أَسْبَاطِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ،

to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’

فَتَكُونَ هَذِهِ الْحِجَارَةُ، بَعْدَ نَصْبِهَا، عَلامَةً فِي وَسَطِكُمْ، حَتَّى إِذَا سَأَلَكُمْ أَبْنَاؤُكُمْ فِي الأَيَّامِ الْمُقْبِلَةِ: مَاذَا تَعْنِي لَكُمْ هَذِهِ الْحِجَارَةُ؟

tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

تُجِيبُونَهُمْ: إِنَّ مِيَاهَ الأُرْدُنِّ تَوَقَّفَتْ عَنِ الْجَرَيَانِ، وَانْفَلَقَتْ عِنْدَ عُبُورِ تَابُوتِ عَهْدِ الرَّبِّ النَّهْرَ. وَهَكَذَا تُصْبِحُ هَذِهِ الْحِجَارَةُ نَصَباً تَذْكَارِيًّا لِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مَدَى الدَّهْرِ».

So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down.

فَنَفَّذَ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ مَا أَمَرَ بِهِ يَشُوعُ، وَحَمَلُوا اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ حَجَراً مِنْ وَسَطِ نَهْرِ الأُرْدُنِّ بِحَسَبِ عَدَدِ أَسْبَاطِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ كَمَا أَوْصَى الرَّبُّ يَشُوعَ، وَأَجَازُوهَا مَعَهُمْ إِلَى حَيْثُ خَيَّمُوا لِلْمَبِيتِ وَوَضَعُوهَا هُنَاكَ.

Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been^[a] in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

وَأَقَامَ يَشُوعُ أَيْضاً نَصَباً تَذْكَارِيًّا آخَرَ مِنِ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ حَجَراً فِي وَسَطِ نَهْرِ الأُرْدُنِّ حَيْثُ اسْتَقَرَّتْ أَقْدَامُ الْكَهَنَةِ حَامِلِي تَابُوتِ الْعَهْدِ، وَهِيَ مَازَالَتْ هُنَاكَ حَتَّى الآنَ.

Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over,

وَظَلَّ الْكَهَنَةُ حَامِلُو التَّابُوتِ وَاقِفِينَ فِي وَسَطِ نَهْرِ الأُرْدُنِّ حَتَّى أَتَمَّ الشَّعْبُ تَنْفِيذَ كُلِّ مَا أَمَرَ الرَّبُّ بِهِ يَشُوعَ تَمَاماً كَمَا أَصْدَرَ مُوسَى تَعْلِيمَاتِهِ لِيَشُوعَ. فَأَسْرَعَ الشَّعْبُ بِاجْتِيَازِ النَّهْرِ.

and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched.

وَعِنْدَمَا تَمَّ عُبُورُ الشَّعْبِ النَّهْرَ، تَقَدَّمَ تَابُوتُ عَهْدِ الرَّبِّ وَالْكَهَنَةُ مُجْتَازِينَ نَحْوَ الضَّفَّةِ الأُخْرَى فِي حُضُورِ الشَّعْبِ.

The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them.

وَسَارَ جُنُودُ سِبْطَيْ رَأُوبَيْنَ وَجَادٍ وَنِصْفِ سِبْطِ مَنَسَّى فِي طَلِيعَةِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مُدَجَّجِينَ بِالسِّلاحِ، كَمَا أَمَرَهُمْ مُوسَى.

About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.

فَكَانُوا نَحْوَ أَرْبَعِينَ أَلْفَ جُنْدِيٍّ مُتَجَرِّدِينَ لِلْقِتَالِ. عَبَرُوا أَمَامَ الرَّبِّ لِلْحَرْبِ إِلَى سُهُولِ أَرِيحَا.

That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.

فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ عَظَّمَ الرَّبُّ مَقَامَ يَشُوعَ فِي عُيُونِ جَمِيعِ الإِسْرَائِيلِيِّينَ، فَهَابُوهُ كَمَا هَابُوا مُوسَى كُلَّ أَيَّامِ حَيَاتِهِ.

Then the Lord said to Joshua,

وَقَالَ الرَّبُّ لِيَشُوعَ:

“Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan.”

«مُرِ الْكَهَنَةَ حَامِلِي تَابُوتِ الشَّهَادَةِ أَنْ يَصْعَدُوا مِنْ نَهْرِ الأُرْدُنِّ».

So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”

فَأَمَرَ يَشُوعُ الْكَهَنَةَ قَائِلاً: «اصْعَدُوا مِنْ نَهْرِ الأُرْدُنِّ»

And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.

فَمَا إِنْ صَعِدَ الْكَهَنَةُ حَامِلُو تَابُوتِ عَهْدِ الرَّبِّ مِنْ وَسَطِ الأُرْدُنِّ وَوَطِئَتْ بُطُونُ أَقْدَامِهِمِ الْيَابِسَةَ، حَتَّى رَجَعَتْ مِيَاهُ الأُرْدُنِّ تَتَدَفَّقُ ثَانِيَةً وَغَمَرَتْ شُطُوطَهُ كَمَا كَانَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ.

On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.

وَتَمَّ اجْتِيَازُ الشَّعْبِ لِنَهْرِ الأُرْدُنِّ فِي الْيَوْمِ الْعَاشِرِ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ الأَوَّلِ الْعِبْرِيِّ، وَخَيَّمُوا فِي الْجِلْجَالِ شَرْقِيَّ أَرِيحَا.

And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan.

وَنَصَبَ يَشُوعُ الاثْنَيْ عَشَرَ حَجَراً الَّتِي حَمَلُوهَا مِنْ نَهْرِ الأُرْدُنِّ فِي الْجِلْجَالِ.

He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’

وَقَالَ لِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ: «إِذَا سَأَلَ بَنُوكُمْ آبَاءَهُمْ فِي الأَجْيَالِ الْمُقْبِلَةِ: مَا هَذِهِ الْحِجَارَةُ؟

tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’

يُجِيبُونَهُمْ: إِنَّ الإِسْرَائِيلِيِّينَ قَدْ عَبَرُوا نَهْرَ الأُرْدُنِّ فَوْقَ أَرْضٍ يَابِسَةٍ.

For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea^[b] when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over.

لأَنَّ الرَّبَّ إِلَهَكُمْ شَقَّ مِيَاهَ الأُرْدُنِّ أَمَامَكُمْ، فَعَبَرْتُمُ النَّهْرَ فَوْقَ أَرْضٍ يَابِسَةٍ، كَمَا فَعَلَ الرَّبُّ إِلَهُكُمْ بِالْبَحْرِ الأَحْمَرِ الَّذِي شَقَّهُ أَمَامَنَا حَتَّى عَبَرْنَا.

He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

حَتَّى تُدْرِكَ جَمِيعُ الشُّعُوبِ أَنَّ يَدَ الرَّبِّ قَوِيَّةٌ، فَتَتَّقُوا الرَّبَّ إِلَهَكُمْ إِلَى الأَبَدِ».