The Covenant Renewed at Shechem

24 Then Joshua assembled^(A) all the tribes of Israel at Shechem.^(B) He summoned^(C) the elders,^(D) leaders, judges and officials of Israel,^(E) and they presented themselves before God.

² Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor,^(F) lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.^{(G) 3} But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan^(H) and gave him many descendants.^(I) I gave him Isaac,^{(J) 4} and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.^(K) I assigned the hill country of Seir^(L) to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.^(M)

⁵ “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron,^(N) and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.^{(O) 6} When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea,^(P) and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen^[a](Q) as far as the Red Sea.^{[b](R) 7} But they cried^(S) to the Lord for help, and he put darkness^(T) between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them.^(U) You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians.^(V) Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.^(W)

⁸ “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites^(X) who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land.^{(Y) 9} When Balak son of Zippor,^(Z) the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor^(AA) to put a curse on you.^{(AB) 10} But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you^(AC) again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

¹¹ “‘Then you crossed the Jordan^(AD) and came to Jericho.^(AE) The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites,^(AF) Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites,^(AG) but I gave them into your hands.^{(AH) 12} I sent the hornet^(AI) ahead of you, which drove them out^(AJ) before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.^{(AK) 13} So I gave you a land^(AL) on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’^(AM)

¹⁴ “Now fear the Lord^(AN) and serve him with all faithfulness.^(AO) Throw away the gods^(AP) your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt,^(AQ) and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites,^(AR) in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household,^(AS) we will serve the Lord.”^(AT)

¹⁶ Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake^(AU) the Lord to serve other gods! ¹⁷ It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery,^(AV) and performed those great signs^(AW) before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. ¹⁸ And the Lord drove out^(AX) before us all the nations,^(AY) including the Amorites, who lived in the land.^(AZ) We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.^(BA)”

¹⁹ Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God;^(BB) he is a jealous God.^(BC) He will not forgive^(BD) your rebellion^(BE) and your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the Lord^(BF) and serve foreign gods, he will turn^(BG) and bring disaster^(BH) on you and make an end of you,^(BI) after he has been good to you.”

²¹ But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”

²² Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses^(BJ) against yourselves that you have chosen^(BK) to serve the Lord.”

“Yes, we are witnesses,^(BL)” they replied.

²³ “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods^(BM) that are among you and yield your hearts^(BN) to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

²⁴ And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”^(BO)

²⁵ On that day Joshua made a covenant^(BP) for the people, and there at Shechem^(BQ) he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.^{(BR) 26} And Joshua recorded^(BS) these things in the Book of the Law of God.^(BT) Then he took a large stone^(BU) and set it up there under the oak^(BV) near the holy place of the Lord.

²⁷ “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone^(BW) will be a witness^(BX) against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue^(BY) to your God.”^(BZ)

²⁸ Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.^(CA)

Buried in the Promised Land^(CB)

²⁹ After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died^(CC) at the age of a hundred and ten.^{(CD) 30} And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah^[c](CE) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.^(CF)

³¹ Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders^(CG) who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.

³² And Joseph’s bones,^(CH) which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt,^(CI) were buried at Shechem in the tract of land^(CJ) that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver^[d] from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.

³³ And Eleazar son of Aaron^(CK) died and was buried at Gibeah,^(CL) which had been allotted to his son Phinehas^(CM) in the hill country^(CN) of Ephraim.

Rahab and the Spies

2 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies^(A) from Shittim.^(B) “Go, look over^(C) the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.^(D)” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab^(E) and stayed there.

² The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” ³ So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab:^(F) “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”

⁴ But the woman had taken the two men^(G) and hidden them.^(H) She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. ⁵ At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate,^(I) they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.”^{(J) 6} (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax^(K) she had laid out on the roof.)^{(L) 7} So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan,^(M) and as soon as the pursuers^(N) had gone out, the gate was shut.

⁸ Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof^{(O) 9} and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear^(P) of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. ¹⁰ We have heard how the Lord dried up^(Q) the water of the Red Sea^[a] for you when you came out of Egypt,^(R) and what you did to Sihon and Og,^(S) the two kings of the Amorites^(T) east of the Jordan,^(U) whom you completely destroyed.^{[b](V) 11} When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear^(W) and everyone’s courage failed^(X) because of you,^(Y) for the Lord your God^(Z) is God in heaven above and on the earth^(AA) below.

¹² “Now then, please swear to me^(AB) by the Lord that you will show kindness^(AC) to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign^{(AD) 13} that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them^(AE)—and that you will save us from death.”

¹⁴ “Our lives for your lives!”^(AF) the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully^(AG) when the Lord gives us the land.”

¹⁵ So she let them down by a rope^(AH) through the window,^(AI) for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. ¹⁶ She said to them, “Go to the hills^(AJ) so the pursuers^(AK) will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days^(AL) until they return, and then go on your way.”^(AM)

¹⁷ Now the men had said to her, “This oath^(AN) you made us swear will not be binding on us ¹⁸ unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord^(AO) in the window^(AP) through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family^(AQ) into your house. ¹⁹ If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads;^(AR) we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head^(AS) if a hand is laid on them. ²⁰ But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.^(AT)”

²¹ “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”

So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord^(AU) in the window.^(AV)

²² When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days,^(AW) until the pursuers^(AX) had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. ²³ Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. ²⁴ They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands;^(AY) all the people are melting in fear^(AZ) because of us.”

Allotment for Judah^(A)

15 The allotment for the tribe of Judah, according to its clans, extended down to the territory of Edom,^(B) to the Desert of Zin^(C) in the extreme south.^(D)

These are the boundaries around the people of Judah by their clans.

¹³ In accordance with the Lord’s command to him, Joshua gave to Caleb^(AK) son of Jephunneh a portion in Judah—Kiriath Arba^(AL), that is, Hebron.^(AM) (Arba was the forefather of Anak.)^{(AN) 14} From Hebron Caleb drove out the three Anakites^(AO)—Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai,^(AP) the sons of Anak.^{(AQ) 15} From there he marched against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher). ¹⁶ And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah^(AR) in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” ¹⁷ Othniel^(AS) son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage.

¹⁸ One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him^[b] to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?”

¹⁹ She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev,^(AT) give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.^(AU)

²⁰ This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, according to its clans:

²¹ The southernmost towns of the tribe of Judah in the Negev^(AV) toward the boundary of Edom were:

³³ In the western foothills:

⁴⁸ In the hill country:

⁶¹ In the wilderness:^(DQ)

⁶³ Judah could not^(DT) dislodge the Jebusites^(DU), who were living in Jerusalem;^(DV) to this day the Jebusites live there with the people of Judah.^(DW)