Then Yûsh'â, the son of Nûn, himself called out and said : "O assemblies of men! God commands you that there should be between you and the priests who carry the ark an extent of space equal to two thousand yards, so do not approach unto it within this distance, that God may complete His work with you." Then he ordered the twelve chiefs to take from under the feet of the priests, twelve stones, after that the children of Isrâîl had finished the passage over the Urdun, and that each one of them should write his name upon his stone,2 in order that what had happened might be preserved and perpetuated through the eternity of the ages to come, even the miracle which God-may His name be glorious would show on the Urdun. And the Liwânites (Levites) proclaimed with loudest voice: "Praise be to the God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, to Whose commands, animate and inanimate things are obedient, and the heavens and the earth and the seas and the rivers and all that therein is. There is no God but He, and no kingdom lasts but His kingdom, nor any power but His power, nor is there any lord but under His lordship, nor any sovereign except under His sovereignty. Praised be He and exalted and holy be His names. Perish whoever deny Him and believe in another than He, for He is the God.

CHAPTER XV.

THE ACCOUNT OF THE PASSAGE OF THE CHILDREN

OF ISRAIL THROUGH THE URDUN (JORDAN.)

AND the children of Isrâîl did as the king commanded them. And the cloud was lifted up, on the first (day) of the first month, of the first

2 Note 39.

year, of the first period of seven years of the Jûbîl (Jubilee)1 even from the beginning of the entering in of the children of Isrâîl within the boundaries of the assigned lands. And up to this time there had elapsed, of the days of the world as established by the law, two thousand, seven hundred and ninety-four complete years, and this reckoning of time is correct, which the learned know by chronological computations based on the era of the flood. And the priests proceeded forward when the cloud was lifted up, and attained to the distance from the army which he prescribed unto them. And when the priests with the ark approached the water of the Urdun. the Lîwânites shouted aloud, and the congregation of the children of Isrâîl joined in with them, saying with one voice: "There is no power or strength in the presence of Thy power, O Lord of worlds! And the water stood still, and rose up in accumulation, by the power of its Creator; He who is almighty over whatever He wills, the Worker of miracles and wonders. And continued to be heaped up, wave upon wave, until it became like unto huge mountains, while the priests stood praising God, and shouting halleluiahs and saying: "Praise be unto Him, in obedience to whom every thing exists." And they stood, with the ark, on the dry ground in the midst of the Urdun, until all the children of Isrâîl, with their large throng, and their cattle, had passed over on the dry ground through the midst of the Urdun, on its bottom, and it was dry like as in the days of harvest. And the Liwânites were praising and shouting halleluiahs, and saying: “Praise be unto Him in obedience to whom every thing exists. Praise be unto Him by whose will this is come to pass." And when the people came out of the Urdun they ob1 Note 40.

served the commandment, and took the twelve stones from under the feet of the priests, and each man wrote his name upon his stone, and the king also took a similar stone. And when the priests with the ark came up out, the waters rushed down with great tumult, and winds blew violently with the rushing down of the waters. And the nations heard about this great miracle, and their hearts were broken up, and their confederated troops were scattered. And the water of the Urdun destroyed, at that time, many places which were near it, by reason of the great violence of the wind which accompanied it. And God does whatever He wishes-Glorious be His name. And of Him do I ask assistance, and upon Him do I put my trust, and unto, Him be the praise for what He has bestowed.

CHAPTER XVI.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE HYMN OF PRAISE, WHICH YUSHA THE KING OFFERED UP.

THEN Yûsh'â, the son of Nûn, and the children of Isrâîl offered up the hymn of praise, which our master Mûsa the Prophet-peace be upon himoffered up at the sea of el-Qulzum, and they added thereunto praises and halleluiahs, and rendered praise and thanksgiving for what God had generously bestowed upon them. And among the number of the hymns of praise which they offered up, they said: "Who is like unto Thee, O Thou who art perfect in holiness? O Thou who dost inspire terror! O Thou who dost reveal secret things! O Thou who dost perform new things! O Thou worker of miracles! O Thou displayer of wonders! How, O our Lord,

1 Note 41.

shall we address Thee? O Thou revealer of signs! O Thou who makest light the darkness! Who is like unto Thee? There is no likeness like unto thy likeness, for Thou art the origin of actions and likenesses and bodies, and forms, and shapes, and spiritual things, which are endowed with the attributes of Thy nature." On that day Yûsh'â, the son of Nûn, was magnified in honor among the children of Isrâîl, and they feared him as they had feared Mûsa the Prophet-peace be upon him,—and they knew that God was with him. And Yûsh'â, the son of Nûn, set up twelve stones as a monument, rising up in the Urdun. And the chiefs erected the twelve stones in a place called Jalîl (Gilgal), that the generations to come might behold them, and remember the drying up of the Urdun, and so praise the Doer of miracles; and that fathers might tell sons of this deed, and that kings and nations might hear that our God is the one conquering God. And when all the kings of esh-Shâm (Syria) heard of the children of Isrâîl's crossing over into the land appointed unto them, and about the stoppage of the water of the Urdun, and its drying up, they arrayed themselves in funeral robes, and were smitten with fear, and some of them died through fear of the children of Israîl, on account of the greatness of the awe which they inspired, And God made a revelation to Yûsh'â, the son of Nûn, saying: "To-day have I spread awe of you and of your people over these nations, and I have lifted off from thee, and from thy people, every impurity and infirmity." And Yush'â named the place Jalil, and it is its name unto the end of the ages. And praise be unto God, the One who endureth without cessation.

4

CHAPTER XVII.

THE ACCOUNT OF ANCIENT YARIHA (JERICHO), AT THE TIME OF ITS CONQUEST.

Upon the departure of the king from the place which he had named Jalil, they encamped in the districts of Yarîha, on the first day (of the feast of unleavened bread), the fourteenth day (of the first month). And they kept the passover at this time, and ate unleavened bread from the new crops. And the manna ceased with their entrance into the land, and their eating of its crops, and of the fruit of its trees. And when the army had drawn near round about the city. Yûsh'â the son of Nûn, retired apart from the camps, that he might worship his Lord by night, and when he had finished his devotions, he lifted up his eyes, and, behold, the figure of a man standing, with his sword drawn in his hand, and he called out to him: "Yûsh'â!" Thereupon he (Joshua) replied: "Art thou of us, or of our adversaries?" And he answered him, and said: "I am of the messengers of God, who rule over punishments." And he (Joshua) cast himself before him on the ground, because of his majesty. Then he rose up and said to him: "Lay upon thy servant the command which has been brought unto him." And he said unto him: "King, take off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest is a holy place. GodPowerful and Mighty-says unto thee; O Yûsh'â, look before thee, behold I am about to place in thy hand this disobedient city, even Yarîha, with its ling and its people; now therefore 1 See Joshua v. 10. Compare LXX in loco.

2 Note 42.