Joshua 24
24
1Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called the elders, heads of families, judges, and officers of Israel to stand before God.
2Then Joshua said to all the people, “Here’s what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you: ‘A long time ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River. Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, worshiped other gods. 3But I, the Lord, took your ancestor Abraham from the other side of the river and led him through the land of Canaan. And I gave him many children, including his son Isaac. 4I gave Isaac two sons named Jacob and Esau. I gave the land around the mountains of Edom to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 5Then I sent Moses and Aaron to Egypt, where I brought many disasters on the Egyptians. Afterwards I brought you out. 6When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, they came to the Red Sea, and the Egyptians chased them with chariots and men on horses. 7So the people called out to the Lord. And I brought darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea to cover them. You yourselves saw what I did to the army of Egypt. After that, you lived in the desert for a long time.
8“ ‘Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, east of the Jordan River. They fought against you, but I handed them over to you. I destroyed them before you, and you took control of that land. 9But the king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, prepared to fight against the Israelites. The king sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you, 10but I refused to listen to Balaam. So he asked for good things to happen to you! I saved you and brought you out of his power.
11“ ‘Then you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, where the people of Jericho fought against you. Also, the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites fought against you. But I handed them over to you. 12I sent terror ahead of you to force out two Amorite kings. You took the land without using swords and bows. 13I gave you that land where you did not have to work. I gave you cities that you did not have to build. And now you live in that land and in those cities, and you eat from vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant.’ ”
14Then Joshua said to the people, “Now respect the Lord and serve him fully and sincerely. Throw away the gods that your ancestors worshiped on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord. 15But if you don’t want to serve the Lord, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
16Then the people answered, “We will never stop following the Lord to serve other gods! 17It was the Lord our God who brought our ancestors out of Egypt. We were slaves in that land, but the Lord did great things for us there. He brought us out and protected us while we traveled through other lands. 18Then he forced out all the people living in these lands, even the Amorites. So we will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
19Then Joshua said, “You are not able to serve the Lord, because he is a holy God and a jealous God. If you turn against him and sin, he will not forgive you. 20If you leave the Lord and serve other gods, he will send you great trouble. The Lord may have been good to you, but if you turn against him, he will destroy you.”
21But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
22Then Joshua said, “You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
The people said, “Yes, we are.”
23Then Joshua said, “Now throw away the gods that you have. Love the Lord, the God of Israel, with all your heart.”
24Then the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God, and we will obey him.”
25On that day at Shechem Joshua made an agreement for the people. He made rules and laws for them to follow. 26Joshua wrote these things in the Book of the Teachings of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak tree near the Lord’s Holy Tent.
27Joshua said to all the people, “See this stone! It will remind you of what we did today. It was here the Lord spoke to us today. It will remind you of what happened so you will not turn against your God.”
Joshua Dies
28Then Joshua sent the people back to their land.
29After that, Joshua son of Nun died at the age of one hundred ten. 30They buried him in his own land at Timnath Serah, in the mountains of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31The Israelites served the Lord during the lifetime of Joshua and during the lifetimes of the elders who lived after Joshua who had seen what the Lord had done for Israel.
Joseph Comes Home
32When the Israelites left Egypt, they carried the bones of Joseph with them. They buried them at Shechem, in the land Jacob had bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor (Hamor was the father of Shechem). This land now belonged to Joseph’s children.
33And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah in the mountains of Ephraim, which had been given to Eleazar’s son Phinehas.
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Joshua 24: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Joshua 24
24
The Covenant Renewal at Shechem
1Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel #ver. 25, 32 to Shechem and #See ch. 23:2 summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And #1 Sam. 10:19they presented themselves before God. 2And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, #See Gen. 11:27-32 your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates,#24:2 Hebrew the River Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and #[Gen. 31:30; 35:2]they served other gods. 3#See Gen. 12:1-5; Acts 7:2-4 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River#24:3 That is, the Euphrates; also verses 14, 15 and #Gen. 12:6 led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. #Gen. 21:2, 3I gave him Isaac. 4And to Isaac I gave #Gen. 25:24-26 Jacob and Esau. #Gen. 36:8; Deut. 2:5 And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, #Gen. 46:1, 6; Acts 7:15but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5#Ex. 3:10; 4:14 And I sent Moses and Aaron, #See Ex. 7–12 and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and #Ex. 12:37, 51afterward I brought you out.
6“‘Then #[See ver. 5 above] I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and #Ex. 14:2 you came to the sea. #Ex. 14:9And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7#Ex. 14:10 And when they cried to the Lord, #Ex. 14:20 he put darkness between you and the Egyptians #Ex. 14:27, 28 and made the sea come upon them and cover them; #Deut. 4:34; 29:2 and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. #See ch. 5:6And you lived in the wilderness a long time. 8Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. #See Num. 21:21-35They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. 9#[Judg. 11:25] Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. #Num. 22:5; Deut. 23:4And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, 10#Num. 23:11, 20; 24:1, 10but I would not listen to Balaam. #Num. 23:11, 20; 24:1, 10Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11#ch. 3:14, 17; 4:10-13 And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, #ch. 6:1; See ch. 10:1-3; 11:1-3and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also #ch. 6:1; See ch. 10:1-3; 11:1-3the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. 12And I sent #Ex. 23:28; Deut. 7:20 the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was #Ps. 44:3not by your sword or by your bow. 13I gave you a land on which you had not labored #Deut. 6:10, 11; [ch. 11:13]and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’
Choose Whom You Will Serve
14 #
Deut. 10:12; 1 Sam. 12:24 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. #ver. 2, 23Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15#1 Kgs. 18:21; Ezek. 20:39 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, #ver. 22 choose this day whom you will serve, whether #[See ver. 14 above] the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or #Ex. 23:24, 32, 33; 34:15; Deut. 13:7; 29:18; Judg. 6:10 the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. #Gen. 18:19But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
16Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, 17for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
19But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is #Lev. 19:2; 1 Sam. 6:20; Ps. 99:5, 9; Isa. 5:16 a holy God. He is #Ex. 20:5; Nah. 1:2 a jealous God; #Ex. 23:21he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20#[1 Chr. 28:9; 2 Chr. 15:2; Ezra 8:22; Isa. 1:28; 65:11, 12; Jer. 17:13] If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then #ch. 23:15; Isa. 63:10; [Acts 7:42]he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” 21And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” 22Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that #ver. 15you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23He said, “Then #ver. 14; Judg. 10:16; 1 Sam. 7:3put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” 25So Joshua #2 Kgs. 11:17; 2 Chr. 23:16; Neh. 9:38 made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place #Ex. 15:25statutes and rules for them at Shechem. 26And Joshua #Deut. 31:24 wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And #[ch. 4:3; Gen. 28:18] he took a large stone and set it up there #Gen. 35:4; Judg. 9:6under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, #ch. 22:27, 28, 34; Gen. 31:48, 52; Deut. 31:19, 21, 26 this stone shall be a witness against us, for #[Deut. 32:1]it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” 28So Joshua #Judg. 2:6sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.
Joshua’s Death and Burial
29 # For ver. 29-31, see Judg. 2:7-9 After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old. 30And they buried him in his own inheritance at #[ch. 19:50]Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.
31 #
Judg. 2:7 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua #Deut. 11:2; 31:13and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.
32 #
Gen. 50:25; Ex. 13:19 As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land #Gen. 33:19that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money.#24:32 Hebrew for a hundred qesitah; a unit of money of unknown value It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.
33And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of #ch. 22:13 Phinehas his son, which had been given him in #ver. 30; ch. 17:15the hill country of Ephraim.
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