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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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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