Josué 3

A passagem do Jordão

1 Levantou-se Josué de madrugada, e, partindo de *Js 2.1Sitim ele e todos os filhos de Israel, vieram ao Jordão e ali pousaram, antes que passassem. 2 *Js 1.11Passados três dias atravessaram os oficiais pelo meio do arraial 3 e ordenaram ao povo, dizendo: Quando virdes *Dt 31.9a arca da Aliança de Jeová, vosso Deus, e os levitas sacerdotes levando-a, partireis do vosso lugar e seguireis após ela. 4 Contudo, haverá um espaço entre vós e ela de cerca de dois mil cúbitos medidos. Não vos aproximeis dela, para que saibais o caminho pelo qual haveis de ir, porque nunca dantes passastes por este caminho. 5 Disse Josué ao povo: *Js 7.13;Êx 19.10-11Santificai-vos, porque amanhã Jeová fará maravilhas entre vós. 6 Falou Josué aos sacerdotes: Levantai a arca da Aliança e passai adiante do povo. Tendo levantado a arca, caminharam adiante do povo.

7 Então, disse Jeová a Josué: Hoje, começarei a *Js 4.14engrandecer-te à vista de todo o Israel, para que saibam que, como fui com Moisés, assim serei contigo. 8 Tu ordenarás aos sacerdotes que levam a arca da Aliança, dizendo: Quando chegardes à beira das águas do Jordão, parai aí. 9 Josué disse aos filhos de Israel: Chegai-vos para cá e ouvi as palavras de Jeová, vosso Deus. 10 Acrescentou Josué: Nisto conhecereis que o Deus vivo está entre vós e que sem falta expulsará de diante de vós os cananeus, os heteus, os heveus, os ferezeus, os girgaseus, os amorreus e os jebuseus. 11 Eis que a arca da Aliança do Senhor de toda a terra está passando adiante de vós para o Jordão. 12 *Js 4.2Tomai-vos, agora, doze homens das tribos de Israel, para cada tribo um homem. 13 Quando as plantas dos pés dos sacerdotes que levam a arca de Jeová, Senhor de toda a terra, descansarem nas águas do Jordão, serão elas cortadas, a saber, as que vêm de cima, e *Êx 15.8pararão feitas num corpo.

14 Quando o povo saiu das suas tendas para passar o Jordão, estando adiante do povo os sacerdotes que levavam a arca da Aliança, 15 e, quando estes chegaram ao Jordão, e os seus pés se molharam na beira da água (porque o Jordão trasborda todas as suas margens durante todo o tempo da ceifa), 16 *Sl 66.6;74.15;114.3,5as águas que vinham de cima pararam e levantaram-se *Js 3.13num montão, mui longe, na altura de Adão, cidade que está junto a Zaretã; e as que desciam para o mar da *Dt 1.1Arabá, isto é, o mar Salgado, foram de todo cortadas. O povo passou bem em frente de Jericó. 17 Os sacerdotes que levavam a arca da Aliança de Jeová conservaram-se firmes *Êx 14.21-22,29sobre a terra seca no meio do Jordão, e todo o Israel ia passando a pé enxuto, até acabar de passar a nação toda.

1 Joshua got up early in the morning; and they moved from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel. They camped there before they crossed over. 2 After three days, the officers went through the middle of the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, "When you see the ark of Yahweh your God’s covenant, and the Levitical priests bearing it, then leave your place and follow it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it of about two thousand cubits*3:4 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters, so 2,000 cubits is about 920 meters. by measure—don’t come closer to it—that you may know the way by which you must go; for you have not passed this way before."

5 Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow Yahweh will do wonders among you."

6 Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and cross over before the people." They took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

7 Yahweh said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’"

9 Joshua said to the children of Israel, "Come here, and hear the words of Yahweh your God." 10 Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite out from before you. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord*3:11 The word translated "Lord" is "Adonai." of all the earth passes over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man. 13 It shall be that when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off. The waters that come down from above shall stand in one heap."

14 When the people moved from their tents to pass over the Jordan, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant being before the people, 15 and when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark had dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the time of harvest), 16 the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people passed over near Jericho. 17 The priests who bore the ark of Yahweh’s covenant stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the nation had passed completely over the Jordan.