Joshua 23
International Children’s Bible
Joshua Says Good-bye
23 The Lord gave Israel peace from their enemies around them. He made Israel safe. Many years passed, and Joshua became very old. 2 So he called a meeting of all the elders, heads of families, judges and officers of the Israelites. He said, “I am now very old. 3 You have seen what the Lord has done to our enemies. He did it to help us. The Lord your God fought for you. 4 Remember that your people have been given their land. It’s the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. It’s the land I promised to give you. But you don’t control that land yet. 5 The Lord your God will make the people living there leave. You will enter the land. And the Lord will force them out ahead of you. He has promised you this.
6 “Be strong. You must be careful to obey everything the Lord has commanded. Obey everything written in the Book of the Teachings of Moses. Do exactly as it says. 7 There are still some people living among us who are not Israelites. They worship their own gods. Don’t become friends with them. Don’t serve or worship their gods. 8 You must continue to follow the Lord your God. You have done this in the past. And you must continue to do it.
9 “The Lord has helped you defeat many great and powerful nations. He has forced them to leave ahead of you. No nation has been able to defeat you. 10 With his help, one Israelite could defeat a thousand enemies. This is because the Lord your God fights for you, as he promised to do. 11 So you must be careful to love the Lord your God.
12 “Don’t turn away from the way of the Lord. Don’t become friends with these people who are not part of Israel. Don’t marry them. If you do become their friends, 13 the Lord your God will not help you defeat your enemies. So they will become like traps for you. They will cause you pain like a whip on your back and thorns in your eyes. And none of you will be left in this good land the Lord your God has given you.
14 “It’s almost time for me to die. You know and fully believe that the Lord has done great things for you. You know that he has not failed in any of his promises. He has kept every promise he has given. 15 Every good promise that the Lord your God made has come true. And in the same way, his other promises will come true. He promised that evil will come to you. He will destroy you from this good land that he gave you. 16 This will happen if you don’t keep your agreement with the Lord your God. You will lose this land if you go and serve other gods. You must not worship them. If you do, the Lord will become very angry with you. Then none of you will be left in this good land he has given you.”
Joshua 23
Expanded Bible
The Last Words of Joshua
23 The Lord gave Israel ·peace [rest] from their enemies around them. Many years passed, and Joshua grew very old. 2 He called a meeting of ·all [L all Israel:] the elders, heads of families, judges, and officers of Israel. He said, “I am now very old. 3 You have seen what the Lord has done to ·our enemies [L these nations] to help us. The Lord your God fought for you. 4 ·Remember that [See; T Behold] ·your people have been given their [L I have alloted to you the] land between the Jordan River and the ·Mediterranean [L Great] Sea in the west, the land I promised to give you. 5 The Lord your God will ·force [drive] out the people living there. The Lord will push them out ahead of you. And you will ·own the [occupy/possess their] land, as he has promised you.
6 “Be strong. You must be careful to obey everything ·commanded [L that is written] in the Book of the ·Teachings [Law] of Moses. Do not ·stray [L turn aside] from it either from the left or the right. 7 Don’t ·become friends [associate; mix] with ·the people living among us who are not Israelites [L these nations remaining among you]. Don’t ·say [mention; or invoke] the names of their gods or make anyone swear by them. Don’t serve or ·worship [bow down before] them. 8 You must ·continue to follow [L hold fast to; cling to] the Lord your God, as you have done ·in the past [L to this day].
9 “The Lord has ·forced to leave [driven out] many great and powerful nations. No nation has been able to ·defeat [resist; stand before] you [L to this day]. 10 With his help, one Israelite ·could defeat [routs] a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, as he promised to do. 11 So you must be careful to love the Lord your God.
12 “[L But] If you turn away from the way of the Lord and ·become friends with [ally yourselves with; cling to] ·these people who are not part of Israel [the remnant of these nations who remain among you] and marry them, 13 the Lord your God will not ·help you defeat [drive out] your enemies. They will be like ·traps [L a snare and a trap] for you, like whips on your back and thorns in your eyes, ·and none of you will be left in [L until you perish from] this good land the Lord your God has given you.
14 “·It’s almost time for me to die [L Look, today I am going the way of all the earth]. You know ·and fully believe [L in your hearts and souls] that the Lord has not failed to keep a single one of the good promises he made. He has fulfilled every one of them. Not one of them has failed. 15 Every good promise that the Lord your God made has come true, and in the same way, his other promises will come true. He promised that evil will come to you and that he will destroy you from this good land that he gave you. 16 This will happen if you don’t keep your ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with the Lord your God. If you go and serve other gods and ·worship [bow down before] them, the ·Lord will become very angry with you [L anger of the Lord will burn against you]. Then ·none of you will be left in [L you will quickly perish from] this good land he has given you.”
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