Joshua 24
24
Covenant Ceremony. 1#Ex 19:17. Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, summoning the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel. When they stood in ranks before God, 2Joshua addressed all the people: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: In times past your ancestors, down to Terah,#Gn 11:26, 31; 31:53. father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River#Beyond the River: east of the Euphrates; cf. Gn 11:28–31. and served other gods. 3But I brought your father Abraham from the region beyond the River and led him through the entire land of Canaan.#Gn 12:1; Acts 7:2–4. I made his descendants numerous, and gave him Isaac. 4To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.#Gn 36:8; 46:1, 6; Acts 7:15. To Esau I assigned the mountain region of Seir to possess, while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.
5“Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and struck Egypt with the plagues and wonders that I wrought in her midst.#Ex 3:10; 7:14; 12:30. Afterward I led you out. 6And when I led your ancestors out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued your ancestors to the Red Sea with chariots and charioteers.#Ex 12:37, 51; 14:9. 7When they cried out to the Lord,#Ex 14:10, 20, 27–28. he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, upon whom he brought the sea so that it covered them. Your eyes saw what I did to Egypt. After you dwelt a long time in the wilderness, 8#Nm 21:21–35. I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your power. You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them at your approach. 9#Nm 22:2–5. Then Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, prepared to war against Israel. He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you, 10#Nm 23:1–24:25. but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his power. 11Once you crossed the Jordan#Jos 3:14; 6:1. and came to Jericho, the citizens of Jericho fought against you, but I delivered them also into your power. 12And I sent the hornets#The hornets: see note on Ex 23:28. ahead of you which drove them—the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites—out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow.#Jos 3:10; 11:20; Ex 23:28; Dt 7:20; Ps 44:3. 13I gave you a land you did not till and cities you did not build, to dwell in; you ate of vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.#Dt 6:10–11.
14#Dt 10:12; 1 Sm 7:3; 12:24; Tb 14:9. “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him completely and sincerely. Cast out the gods your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15#Dt 30:15–19; Jgs 2:11–13. If it is displeasing to you to serve the Lord, choose today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
16But the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods. 17For it was the Lord, our God, who brought us and our ancestors up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. He performed those great signs before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18At our approach the Lord drove out all the peoples, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
19Joshua in turn said to the people, “You may not be able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God; he is a passionate God#Ex 20:5; 23:21; 34:14; Lv 19:2; Dt 5:9. who will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20If you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods, he will then do evil to you and destroy you, after having done you good.”
21But the people answered Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” 22Joshua therefore said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” They replied, “We are witnesses!” 23“Now, therefore, put away the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24Then the people promised Joshua, “We will serve the Lord, our God, and will listen to his voice.”
25So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem. 26Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was in the sanctuary of the Lord.#Gn 28:18; 31:45; Jgs 9:6. 27And Joshua said to all the people, “This stone shall be our witness,#Jos 4:1–9; Gn 31:48, 52; Dt 31:19, 21, 26. for it has heard all the words which the Lord spoke to us. It shall be a witness against you, should you wish to deny your God.” 28Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own heritage.#Jgs 2:6.
Death of Joshua. 29#Jgs 2:7–9. After these events, Joshua, son of Nun, servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten, 30and they buried him within the borders of his heritage at Timnath-serah#Jos 19:50. in the mountain region of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.#Following this verse the Greek translation of the Bible (the Septuagint) adds: “They laid with him there, in the tomb where they buried him, the flint knives with which he had circumcised the Israelites at Gilgal, when he brought them out of Egypt, as Yhwh commanded them. There they are to this very day.” 31Israel served the Lord during the entire lifetime of Joshua, and of those elders who outlived Joshua and who knew all the work the Lord had done for Israel. 32#Gn 33:19; 50:24; Ex 13:19. The bones of Joseph,#Joseph’s bones (Gn 50:24–26) and Jacob’s purchase of the burial ground (Gn 33:18–20) relate Joshua with Genesis. A hundred pieces of money: see note on Gn 33:19. which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried in Shechem in the plot of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of money. This was a heritage of the descendants of Joseph. 33When Eleazar, son of Aaron, also died, he was buried on the hill which had been given to his son Phinehas#Jos 22:13. in the mountain region of Ephraim.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
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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