Joshua 24
24
Israel Renews its Commitment to the Lord
1 Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God. 2 Joshua told all the people, “Here is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘In the distant past your ancestors#tn Heb “your fathers.” lived beyond the Euphrates River,#tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity. including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshiped#tn Or “served.” other gods, 3 but I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates#tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity. and brought him into#tn Or “through.” the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous; I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I assigned Mount Seir,#tn Heb “I gave to Esau Mount Seir to possess it.” while Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt down when I intervened in their land.#tn Heb “by that which I did in its midst.” Then I brought you out. 6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you arrived at the sea. The Egyptians chased your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 Your fathers#tn Heb “they”; the referent (the fathers) has been specified in the translation for clarity (see the previous verse). cried out for help to the Lord; he made the area between you and the Egyptians dark,#tn Or “put darkness between you and the Egyptians.” and then drowned them in the sea.#tn Heb “and he brought over them the sea and covered them.” You witnessed with your very own eyes#tn Heb “your eyes saw.” what I did in Egypt. You lived in the wilderness for a long time.#tn Heb “many days.” 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought with you, but I handed them over to you; you conquered#tn Or “took possession of.” their land and I destroyed them from before you. 9 Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attack#tn Heb “arose and fought.” against Israel. He summoned#tn Heb “sent and called.” Balaam son of Beor to call down judgment#tn Or “to curse.” on you. 10 I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept#tn The infinitive absolute follows the finite verb in the Hebrew text and indicates continuation or repetition of the action. Balaam pronounced several oracles of blessing over Israel (see Num 23-24). prophesying good things about#tn Heb “blessing.” Balaam’s “blessings” were actually prophecies of how God would prosper Israel. you, and I rescued you from his power.#tn Heb “hand.” 11 You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho.#map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1. The leaders#tn Or perhaps, “citizens.” of Jericho, as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, fought with you, but I handed them over to you. 12 I sent terror#tn Traditionally, “the hornet” (so KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV) but the precise meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain (cf. NEB “panic”). ahead of you to drive out before you the two#tn The LXX has “twelve,” apparently understanding this as a reference to Amorite kings west of the Jordan (see Josh 5:1, rather than the trans-Jordanian Amorite kings Sihon and Og (see Josh 2:10; 9:10). Amorite kings. I gave you the victory; it was not by your swords or bows.#tn Heb “and it drove them out from before you, the two kings of the Amorites, not by your sword and not by your bow.” The words “I gave you the victory” are supplied for clarification. 13 I gave you a land in#tn Or perhaps, “for.” which you had not worked hard; you took up residence in cities you did not build and you are eating the produce of#tn The words “the produce of” are supplied for clarification. vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’
14 Now#sn Joshua quotes the Lord’s words in vv. 2b-13 (note that the Lord speaks in the first person in these verses); in vv. 14-15 Joshua himself exhorts the people (note the third person references to the Lord). obey#tn Heb “fear.” the Lord and worship#tn Or “and serve.” him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors#tn Heb “your fathers.” worshiped#tn Or “served.” beyond the Euphrates#tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3. and in Egypt and worship#tn Or “and serve.” the Lord. 15 If you have no desire#tn Heb “if it is bad in your eyes.” to worship#tn Or “to serve.” the Lord, choose today whom you will worship,#tn Or “will serve.” whether it be the gods whom your ancestors#tn Heb “your fathers.” worshiped#tn Or “served.” beyond the Euphrates,#tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3. or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family#tn Heb “house.” will worship#tn Or “will serve.” the Lord!”
16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can#tn Heb “to.” worship#tn Or “can serve.” other gods! 17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery#tn Heb “of the house of slavery.” in the land of Egypt#tn Heb “for the Lord our God, he is the one who brought up us and our fathers from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves.” and performed these awesome miracles#tn Or “great signs.” before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations.#tn Heb “and he guarded us in all the way in which we walked and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.” 18 The Lord drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship#tn Or “will serve.” the Lord, for he is our God!”
19 Joshua warned#tn Heb “said to.” the people, “You will not keep worshiping#tn Heb “you are not able to serve.” the Lord, for#sn For an excellent discussion of Joshua’s logical argument here, see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 274-75. he is a holy God.#tn In the Hebrew text both the divine name (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) and the adjective (קְדֹשִׁים, qÿdoshim, “holy”) are plural. Normally the divine name, when referring to the one true God, takes singular modifiers, but this is a rare exception where the adjective agrees grammatically with the honorific plural noun. See GKC §124.i and IBHS 122. He is a jealous God who will not forgive#tn Heb “lift up” or “take away.”sn This assertion obviously needs qualification, for the OT elsewhere affirms that God does forgive. Joshua is referring to the persistent national rebellion against the Mosaic covenant that eventually cause God to decree unconditionally the nation’s exile. your rebellion or your sins. 20 If#tn Or “when.” you abandon the Lord and worship#tn Or “and serve.” foreign gods, he will turn against you;#tn The words “against you” are added for clarification. he will bring disaster on you and destroy you,#tn Heb “bring you to an end.” though he once treated you well.”#tn Heb “after he did good for you.”
21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We really will#tn The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is emphatic. Another option is to take it as explanatory, “No, for we will….” worship#tn Or “will serve.” the Lord!” 22 Joshua said to the people, “Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the Lord?”#tn Heb “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the Lord to serve him.” They replied, “We are witnesses!”#sn Like witnesses in a court of law, Israel’s solemn vow to worship the Lord will testify against them in the divine court if the nation ever violates its commitment. 23 Joshua said,#tn The words “Joshua said” are supplied for clarification. “Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to#tn Heb “bend your heart toward.” The term לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) probably here refers to the people’s volition or will. the Lord God of Israel.”
24 The people said to Joshua, “We will worship#tn Or “will serve.” the Lord our God and obey him.”#tn Heb “and listen to his voice.”
25 That day Joshua drew up an agreement#tn Heb “cut a covenant.” for the people, and he established rules and regulations#tn Heb “a statute and a judgment.” for them in Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the Law Scroll of God. He then took a large stone and set it up there under the oak tree near the Lord’s shrine. 27 Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a witness against you, for it has heard everything the Lord said to us.#tn Heb “all the words of the Lord which he spoke with us.” It will be a witness against you if#tn Or “lest,” “so that you might not.” you deny your God.” 28 When Joshua dismissed the people, they went to their allotted portions of land.#tn Heb “And Joshua sent the people away, each to his inheritance.”
An Era Ends
29 After all this#tn Heb “after these things.” Joshua son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died at the age of one hundred ten. 30 They buried him in his allotted territory#tn Heb “in the territory of his inheritance.” in Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel worshiped#tn Or “served.” the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men who outlived him remained alive.#tn Heb “all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived him.” These men had experienced firsthand everything the Lord had done for Israel.#tn Heb “who knew all the work of the Lord which he had done for Israel.”
32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the part of the field that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money.#tn Heb “one hundred qesitahs.” The Hebrew word קְשִׂיטָה (qesitah) is generally understood to refer to a unit of money, but the value and/or weight is unknown. The word occurs only here and in Gen 33:19 and Job 42:11. So it became the inheritance of the tribe of Joseph.#tn Heb “and they became for the sons of Joseph an inheritance.” One might think “bones” is the subject of the verb “they became,” but the verb is masculine, while “bones” is feminine. The translation follows the emendation suggested in the BHS note, which appeals to the Syriac and Vulgate for support. The emended reading understands “the part (of the field)” as the subject of the verb “became.” The emended verb is feminine singular; this agrees with “the part” (of the field), which is feminine in Hebrew.
33 Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him in Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim, where his son Phinehas had been assigned land.#tn Heb “in Gibeah of Phinehas, his son, which had been given to him in the hill country of Ephraim.”
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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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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.