Joshua 24
24
Joshua Speaks to the People at Shechem
1Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the officers of Israel, and they came into the presence of God. 2#Gen 11.27Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, has to say: ‘Long ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the River Euphrates and worshipped other gods. One of those ancestors was Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor. 3#Gen 12.1–9; 21.1–3Then I took Abraham, your ancestor, from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him through the whole land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4#Gen 25.24–26; 36.8; 46.1–7; Deut 2.5and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Edom as his possession, but your ancestor Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5#Ex 3.1—12.42Later I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought great trouble on Egypt. But I led you out; 6#Ex 14.1–31I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and cavalry. But when your ancestors got to the Red Sea 7they cried out to me for help, and I put darkness between them and the Egyptians. I made the sea come rolling over the Egyptians and drown them. You know what I did to Egypt.
“ ‘You lived in the desert a long time. 8#Num 21.21–35Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the east side of the Jordan. They fought you, but I gave you victory over them. You took their land, and I destroyed them as you advanced. 9#Num 22.1—24.25Then the king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, fought against you. He sent word to Balaam son of Beor and asked him to put a curse on you. 10But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you, and in this way I rescued you from Balak. 11#Josh 3.14–17; 6.1–21You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The men of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I gave you victory over them all. 12#Ex 23.28; Deut 7.20As you advanced, I threw them into panic in order to drive out the two Amorite kings. Your swords and bows had nothing to do with it. 13#Deut 6.10–11I gave you a land that you had never cultivated and cities that you had not built. Now you are living there and eating grapes from vines that you did not plant, and olives from trees that you did not plant.’
14“Now then,” Joshua continued, “honour the LORD and serve him sincerely and faithfully. Get rid of the gods which your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only the LORD. 15If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshipped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve the LORD.”
16The people replied, “We would never leave the LORD to serve other gods! 17The LORD our God brought our fathers and us out of slavery in Egypt, and we saw the miracles that he performed. He kept us safe wherever we went among all the nations through which we passed. 18As we advanced into this land, the LORD drove out all the Amorites who lived here. So we also will serve the LORD; he is our God.”
19Joshua said to the people, “But you may not be able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God and will not forgive your sins. He will tolerate no rivals, 20and if you leave him to serve foreign gods, he will turn against you and punish you. He will destroy you, even though he was good to you before.”
21The people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the LORD.”
22Joshua said to them, “You are your own witnesses to the fact that you have chosen to serve the LORD.”
“Yes,” they said, “we are witnesses.”
23“Then get rid of those foreign gods that you have,” he demanded, “and pledge your loyalty to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
24The people then said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God. We will obey his commands.”
25So Joshua made a covenant for#24.25 for; or with. the people that day, and there at Shechem he gave them laws and rules to follow. 26Joshua wrote these commands in the book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak tree in the LORD's sanctuary. 27He said to all the people, “This stone will be our witness. It has heard all the words that the LORD has spoken to us. So it will be a witness against you, to keep you from rebelling against your God.” 28Then Joshua sent the people away, and they all returned to their own part of the land.
Joshua and Eleazar Die
29After that, the LORD's servant Joshua son of Nun died at the age of 110. 30#Josh 19.49–50They buried him on his own land at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.
31As long as Joshua lived, the people of Israel served the LORD, and after his death they continued to do so as long as those leaders were alive who had seen for themselves everything that the LORD had done for Israel.
32 #
Gen 33.19; 50.24–25; Ex 13.19; Jn 4.5; Acts 7.16 The body of Joseph, which the people of Israel had brought from Egypt, was buried at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver. This land was inherited by Joseph's descendants.
33Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, the town in the hill country of Ephraim which had been given to his son Phinehas.
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Joshua 24: GNBDC
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
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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