Joshua 24
24
We Will Worship and Obey the Lord
1Joshua called the tribes of Israel together for a meeting at Shechem. He asked the leaders, including the old men, the judges, and the officials, to come up and stand near the sacred tent.#24.1 near … tent: Or “in front of the sacred chest”; Hebrew “in the presence of God.” 2#Gn 11.26-28. Then Joshua told everyone to listen to this message from the Lord, the God of Israel:
Long ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods. This continued until the time of your ancestor Terah and his two sons, Abraham and Nahor. 3#Gn 12.1-9; Gn 21.1-3. But I brought Abraham across the Euphrates River and led him through the land of Canaan. I blessed him by giving him Isaac, the first in a line of many descendants. 4#Gn 25.24-26; Gn 36.8; Dt 2.5; Gn 46.1-7. Then I gave Isaac two sons, Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Mount Seir, but your ancestor Jacob and his children went to live in Egypt.
5-6 #
Ex 3.1—12.42;
Ex 14.1-31. Later I sent Moses and his brother Aaron to help your people, and I made all those horrible things happen to the Egyptians. I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, but the Egyptians got in their chariots and on their horses and chased your ancestors, catching up with them at the Red Sea.#24.5,6 Red Sea: See the note at 2.10. 7Your people cried to me for help, so I put a dark cloud between them and the Egyptians. Then I opened up the sea and let your people walk across on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, I commanded the sea to swallow them, and they drowned while you watched.
You lived in the desert for a long time, 8#Nu 21.21-35. then I brought you into the land east of the Jordan River. The Amorites were living there, and they fought you. But with my help, you defeated them, wiped them out, and took their land. 9#Nu 22.1—24.25. King Balak decided that his nation Moab would go to war against you, so he asked Balaam#24.9 King Balak … Balaam: The Hebrew text has “King Balak the son of Zippor … Balaam the son of Beor.” to come and put a curse on you. 10But I wouldn't listen to Balaam, and I rescued you by making him bless you instead of curse you.
11 #
Js 3.14-17;
Js 6.1-25. You crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho. The rulers of Jericho fought you, and so did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I helped you defeat them all. 12#Ex 23.28; Dt 7.20. Your enemies ran from you, but not because you had swords and bows and arrows. I made your enemies panic and run away, as I had done with the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River.
13 #
Dt 6.10,11. You didn't have to work for this land—I gave it to you. Now you live in towns you didn't build, and you eat grapes and olives from vineyards and trees you didn't plant.
14Then Joshua told the people:
Worship the Lord, obey him, and always be faithful. Get rid of the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. 15But if you don't want to worship the Lord, then choose here and now! Will you worship the same idols your ancestors did? Or since you're living on land that once belonged to the Amorites, maybe you'll worship their gods. I won't. My family and I are going to worship and obey the Lord!
16The people answered:
We could never worship other gods or stop worshiping the Lord. 17The Lord is our God. We were slaves in Egypt as our ancestors had been, but we saw the Lord work miracles to set our people free and to bring us out of Egypt. Even though other nations were all around us, the Lord protected us wherever we went. 18And when we fought the Amorites and the other nations that lived in this land, the Lord made them run away. Yes, we will worship and obey the Lord, because the Lord is our God.
19Joshua said:
The Lord is fearsome; he is the one true God, and I don't think you are able to worship and obey him in the ways he demands. You would have to be completely faithful, and if you sin or rebel, he won't let you get away with it. 20If you turn your backs on the Lord and worship the gods of other nations, the Lord will turn against you. He will make terrible things happen to you and wipe you out, even though he had been good to you before.
21But the people shouted, “We won't worship any other gods. We will worship and obey only the Lord!”
22Joshua said, “You have heard yourselves say that you will worship and obey the Lord. Isn't that true?”
“Yes, it's true,” they answered.
23Joshua said, “But you still have some idols, like those the other nations worship. Get rid of your idols! You must decide once and for all that you really want to obey the Lord God of Israel.”
24The people said, “The Lord is our God, and we will worship and obey only him.”
25Joshua helped Israel make an agreement with the Lord that day at Shechem. Joshua made laws for Israel 26and wrote them down in The Book of the Law of God.#24.26 Law: See the note at 8.30-32. Then he set up a large stone under the oak tree at the place of worship in Shechem 27and told the people, “Look at this stone. It has heard everything that the Lord has said to us. Our God can call this stone as a witness if we ever reject him.”
28Joshua sent everyone back to their homes.
Joshua, Joseph, and Eleazar Are Buried
29Not long afterwards, the Lord's servant Joshua died at the age of 110. 30#Js 19.49-51. The Israelites buried him in his own land at Timnath-Serah, north of Mount Gaash in the hill country of Ephraim.
31As long as Joshua lived, Israel worshiped and obeyed the Lord. There were other leaders old enough to remember everything that the Lord had done for Israel. And for as long as these men lived, Israel continued to worship and obey the Lord.
32 #
Gn 33.19; 50.24,25; Ex 13.19; Jn 4.5; Ac 7.16. When the people of Israel left Egypt, they brought the bones of Joseph along with them. They took the bones to the town of Shechem and buried them in the field that Jacob had bought for 100 pieces of silver#24.32 pieces of silver: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew word. from Hamor, the founder of Shechem. The town and the field both#24.32 town … both: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. became part of the land belonging to the descendants of Joseph.
33When Eleazar the priest#24.33 Eleazar the priest: Hebrew “Eleazar the son of Aaron.” died, he was buried in the hill country of Ephraim on a hill that belonged to his son Phinehas.
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Joshua 24: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Joshua 24
24
Joshua Recounts Their History
1And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem; he summoned the elders of Israel, their heads, their judges, and their officials, and they presented themselves before God. 2And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: ‘Long ago#Literally “from ancient” your ancestors#Or “fathers”—Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor—lived beyond the river,#That is, the Euphrates and they served other gods. 3I took your ancestor#Or “father” Abraham from beyond the river#That is, the Euphrates and led him through all the land of Canaan, and I increased his offspring; I gave him Isaac, 4and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out. 6When I brought out your ancestors#Or “fathers” from Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your ancestors#Or “fathers” with chariots#Hebrew “chariot” and horsemen to the Red Sea.#Literally “sea of reed” 7They cried out to Yahweh, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and he brought the sea over them#That is, the Egyptians and covered them; your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you lived in the wilderness for many days. 8And I brought you to the land of the Amorites#Hebrew “Amorite” who lived beyond the Jordan; they fought you, and I gave them into your hand; you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you.#Literally “in your presence” 9Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, set out and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you, 10but I was not willing to listen to Balaam, and he richly blessed you. So I rescued you from his hand, 11and you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the citizens of Jericho, the Amorites,#Hebrew “Amorite” the Perizzites,#Hebrew “Perizzite” the Canaanites,#Hebrew “Canaanite” the Hittites,#Hebrew “Hittite” the Girgashites,#Hebrew “Girgashite” the Hivites,#Hebrew “Hivite” and the Jebusites,#Hebrew “Jebusite” fought against you, and I gave them into your hand. 12I sent before you the hornet and they drove out before you two kings of the Amorites;#Hebrew “Amorite” but not by your sword or bow. 13I gave to you a land that you have not labored on, and cities that you have not built, and you live#Or “dwell” in them; you eat from vineyards and olive groves that you have not planted.’
The Israelites Promise to Serve Yahweh
14“So now, revere Yahweh and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness; remove the gods that your ancestors#Or “fathers” served beyond the river#That is, the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve Yahweh. 15But if it is bad in your eyes to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you want to serve, whether it is the gods that your ancestors#Or “fathers” served beyond the river,#That is, the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites#Hebrew “Amorite” in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.” 16And the people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we would forsake Yahweh to serve other gods, 17for Yahweh our God brought us and our ancestors#Or “fathers” from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery, and did these great signs before our eyes. He protected us along the entire way that we went, and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. 18And Yahweh drove out all the people before us, the Amorites#“Hebrew “Amorite” who live#Or “dwell” in the land. We will serve Yahweh, for he is our God.”
19But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve Yahweh, for he is a holy and jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20If you forsake Yahweh and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster to you; he will destroy you after he has done good to you.” 21And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve Yahweh.” 22And Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves to serve Yahweh.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23He said, “Remove the foreign gods that are in your midst, and incline your hearts to Yahweh the God of Israel.” 24And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve Yahweh our God, and we will listen to his voice.” 25So Joshua made a covenant#Literally “cut a covenant” with the people on that day, and he established for them a statute and a judgment at Shechem. 26Then Joshua wrote these words in a scroll of the law of God, and he took a large stone and set it up there under a large tree, which is at the shrine of Yahweh. 27And Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of Yahweh that he spoke with us. It will be as a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God.” 28Then Joshua sent the people away to their inheritance.
29After these things Joshua son of Nun servant of Yahweh died; he was one hundred and ten years old.#Literally “a son of one hundred and ten years” 30They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, at Timnath-Serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who lived long after Joshua, and who had known all the work that Yahweh did for Israel.#Joshua 24:28–31 is repeated in Judges 2:6–10 32The bones of Jacob, which the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” had brought out from Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in a piece of land that Jacob had bought from the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money;#Hebrew kesitah it became an inheritance for the descendants#Or “sons” of Joseph. 33And Eleazar son of Aaron died; and they buried him in Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim, which had been given to his son Phinehas.
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