Joshua 23-24
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Joshua’s Farewell Address
23 A long time after the Lord had given Israel rest from all the enemies around them, Joshua was old, getting on in years. 2 So Joshua summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers,(A) and said to them, “I am old, getting on in years, 3 and you have seen for yourselves everything the Lord your God did to all these nations on your account, because it was the Lord your God who was fighting for you.(B) 4 See, I have allotted these remaining nations to you as an inheritance for your tribes, including all the nations I have destroyed, from the Jordan westward to the Mediterranean Sea. 5 The Lord your God will force them back on your account and drive them out before you so that you can take possession of their land,(C) as the Lord your God promised you.
6 “Be very strong(D) and continue obeying all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you do not turn from it to the right or left 7 and so that you do not associate with these nations remaining among you. Do not call on the names of their gods or make an oath to them;(E) do not worship them or bow down to them. 8 Instead, remain faithful to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.(F)
9 “The Lord has driven out great and powerful nations before you,(G) and no one is able to stand against you to this day.(H) 10 One of you routed a thousand(I) because the Lord your God was fighting for you, as He promised.[a](J) 11 So be very diligent to love the Lord your God for your own well-being. 12 For if you turn away and cling to the rest of these nations remaining among you,(K) and if you intermarry or associate with them(L) and they with you, 13 know for certain that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out before you. They will become a snare and a trap for you,(M) a scourge for your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you disappear from this good land the Lord your God has given you.
14 “I am now going the way of all the earth,[b](N) and you know with all your heart and all your soul that none of the good promises the Lord your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed.(O) 15 Since every good thing the Lord your God promised you has come about, so He will bring on you every bad thing until He has annihilated you from this good land the Lord your God has given you.(P) 16 If you break the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and go and worship other gods, and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly disappear from this good land He has given you.”
Review of Israel’s History
24 Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem(Q) and summoned Israel’s elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and they presented themselves before God.(R) 2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah,(S) the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the region beyond the Euphrates River, led him throughout the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants.(T) I gave him Isaac,(U) 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.(V) I gave the hill country of Seir to Esau as a possession,(W) but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.(X)
5 “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron;(Y) I plagued Egypt by what I did there and afterward I brought you out. 6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt and you reached the Red Sea,(Z) the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen as far as the sea. 7 Your fathers cried out to the Lord, so He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea over them, engulfing them. Your own eyes saw what I did to Egypt. After that, you lived in the wilderness a long time.
8 “‘Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan.(AA) They fought against you, but I handed them over to you. You possessed their land, and I annihilated them before you. 9 Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab,(AB) set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he repeatedly blessed you, and I delivered you from his hand.
11 “‘You then crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho.(AC) The people of Jericho—as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites—fought against you, but I handed them over to you. 12 I sent the hornet[c](AD) ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings(AE) before you. It was not by your sword or bow. 13 I gave you a land you did not labor for, and cities you did not build,(AF) though you live in them; you are eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’
The Covenant Renewal
14 “Therefore, fear the Lord and worship Him in sincerity and truth.(AG) Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped(AH) beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship Yahweh. 15 But if it doesn’t please you to worship Yahweh, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living.(AI) As for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh.”
16 The people replied, “We will certainly not abandon the Lord to worship other gods! 17 For the Lord our God brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery,(AJ) and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected us all along the way we went and among all the peoples whose lands we traveled through. 18 The Lord drove out before us all the peoples, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will worship the Lord, because He is our God.”
19 But Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to worship Yahweh, because He is a holy God. He is a jealous God;(AK) He will not remove your transgressions and sins.(AL) 20 If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, He will turn against you, harm you, and completely destroy(AM) you, after He has been good to you.”
21 “No!” the people answered Joshua. “We will worship the Lord.”
22 Joshua then told the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you yourselves have chosen to worship Yahweh.”
“We are witnesses,” they said.
23 “Then get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and offer your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 So the people said to Joshua, “We will worship the Lord our God and obey Him.”
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people at Shechem and established a statute and ordinance for them. 26 Joshua recorded these things in the book of the law of God;(AN) he also took a large stone and set it up there under the oak next to the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone—it will be a witness against us,(AO) for it has heard all the words the Lord said to us, and it will be a witness against you, so that you will not deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.
Burial of Three Leaders
29 After these things, the Lord’s servant, Joshua son of Nun, died at the age of 110. 30 They buried him in his allotted territory at Timnath-serah, in the hill country of Ephraim(AP) north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel worshiped Yahweh throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua(AQ) and who had experienced all the works Yahweh had done for Israel.
32 Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt,(AR) were buried at Shechem in the parcel of land Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for 100 qesitahs.[d](AS) It was an inheritance for Joseph’s descendants.
33 And Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah,[e] which had been given to his son Phinehas(AT) in the hill country of Ephraim.
Footnotes
- Joshua 23:10 Lit promised you
- Joshua 23:14 = I am going to die
- Joshua 24:12 Or sent terror
- Joshua 24:32 The value of this currency is unknown.
- Joshua 24:33 = the Hill
Psalm 115
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 115
Glory to God Alone
1 Not to us, Yahweh, not to us,
but to Your name give glory
because of Your faithful love, because of Your truth.(A)
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”(B)
3 Our God is in heaven
and does whatever He pleases.(C)
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.(D)
5 They have mouths but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.(E)
7 They have hands but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk.(F)
They cannot make a sound with their throats.(G)
8 Those who make them are[a] just like them,
as are all who trust in them.(H)
9 Israel,[b] trust in the Lord!(I)
He is their help and shield.(J)
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord!(K)
He is their help and shield.(L)
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!(M)
He is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us.
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron;(N)
13 He will bless those who fear the Lord—
small and great alike.(O)
14 May the Lord add to your numbers,
both yours and your children’s.(P)
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(Q)
16 The heavens are the Lord’s,[c]
but the earth He has given to the human race.(R)
17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
nor any of those descending into the silence of death.(S)
18 But we will praise the Lord,
both now and forever.(T)
Hallelujah!
Footnotes
- Psalm 115:8 Or May those who make them become
- Psalm 115:9 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read House of Israel
- Psalm 115:16 Lit Lord’s heavens
Proverbs 29
Holman Christian Standard Bible
29 One who becomes stiff-necked,
after many reprimands
will be shattered instantly—
beyond recovery.(A)
2 When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice,
but when the wicked rule, people groan.(B)
3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,(C)
but one who consorts with prostitutes destroys his wealth.(D)
4 By justice a king brings stability to a land,(E)
but a man who demands “contributions”[a]
demolishes it.(F)
7 The righteous person knows the rights[c] of the poor,(J)
but the wicked one does not understand these concerns.
8 Mockers inflame a city,(K)
but the wise turn away anger.
12 If a ruler listens to lies,(P)
all his officials will be wicked.
14 A king who judges the poor with fairness—
his throne will be established forever.(R)
15 A rod of correction imparts wisdom,(S)
but a youth left to himself[h]
is a disgrace to his mother.(T)
16 When the wicked increase, rebellion increases,
but the righteous will see their downfall.(U)
17 Discipline your son, and it will bring you peace of mind(V)
and give you delight.
19 A slave cannot be disciplined by words;
though he understands, he doesn’t respond.(Z)
21 A slave pampered from his youth
will become arrogant[j] later on.
27 An unjust man is detestable to the righteous,
and one whose way is upright
is detestable to the wicked.(AK)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 29:4 The Hb word for “contributions” usually refers to offerings in worship.
- Proverbs 29:5 Lit is smooth on
- Proverbs 29:7 Lit justice
- Proverbs 29:9 Lit rest
- Proverbs 29:10 Or person, and seek the life of the upright
- Proverbs 29:11 Lit spirit
- Proverbs 29:13 Lit oppressor meet
- Proverbs 29:15 Lit youth sent away
- Proverbs 29:18 Lit vision
- Proverbs 29:21 Hb obscure
- Proverbs 29:22 Lit a master of rage
- Proverbs 29:24 When a call for witnesses was made public, anyone with information who did not submit his testimony was under a curse.
- Proverbs 29:25 Lit raised high
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