Add parallel Print Page Options

Lời từ biệt của Giô-suê

23 Chúa ban cho dân Ít-ra-en hòa bình, khỏi bị kẻ thù từ cả bốn phía. Lúc Giô-suê đã già, ông triệu tập các lãnh đạo lớn tuổi, các trưởng gia đình, các quan án và các quan chức trong Ít-ra-en, bảo rằng, “Tôi nay đã già rồi. Các anh em đã thấy điều Chúa từng làm đối với kẻ thù, để giúp chúng ta. Chúa, Thượng Đế anh em, là Đấng đã chiến đấu cho anh em. Nên nhớ rằng Chúa đã hứa cấp cho anh em dải đất nằm giữa sông Giô-đanh và Địa-trung-Hải về phía tây. Đó là đất của những dân tộc mà Ngài đã đuổi đi. Chúa, Thượng Đế của anh em, sẽ đánh đuổi các dân tộc còn lại, đang sống ở trong vùng trước mặt anh em, rồi anh em sẽ thừa hưởng xứ ấy, như Ngài đã hứa.

Hãy mạnh bạo lên. Anh em phải cẩn thận vâng theo mọi điều trong Sách Giáo Huấn của Mô-se. Hãy làm đúng theo lời dạy trong đó. Đừng kết thân với các dân không phải Ít-ra-en đang sống giữa anh em. Đừng nhắc đến tên các thần của họ và cũng chớ bắt ai thề nhân danh các thần đó nữa. Đừng phục vụ hay thờ phụng chúng. Trái lại anh em phải theo Chúa, là Thượng Đế anh em, như đã làm từ trước đến nay.

Chúa đã đánh đuổi nhiều dân tộc lớn và hùng mạnh trước anh em, nên không có một dân tộc nào chống lại anh em được. 10 Nhờ Ngài hỗ trợ, một người Ít-ra-en đánh đuổi một ngàn người vì Chúa là Thượng Đế anh em, chiến đấu cho anh em như Ngài đã hứa. 11 Nên anh em phải cẩn thận yêu mến Chúa là Thượng Đế.

12 Nếu anh em quay khỏi con đường của Chúa mà kết thân với các dân nầy là dân không thuộc về Ít-ra-en và cưới gả với chúng, 13 thì anh em phải biết chắc rằng, Chúa là Thượng Đế anh em, sẽ không còn giúp anh em đánh thắng kẻ thù nữa. Chúng sẽ như cái bẫy, như roi quất vào lưng, như gai đâm vào mắt anh em, và rồi sẽ không có một ai trong anh em còn sống sót trong mảnh đất màu mỡ nầy mà Chúa là Thượng Đế đã ban cho anh em.

14 Giờ qua đời của tôi gần đến. Anh em biết và tin rõ ràng rằng Chúa đã làm những việc lớn cho anh em. Anh em cũng thấy rằng không có một lời nào Ngài hứa mà chẳng thực hiện. 15 Tất cả mọi lời mà Chúa là Thượng Đế đã hứa đều đã thành tựu, do đó các lời hứa khác của Ngài cũng sẽ thành tựu. Ngài nói trước rằng nếu anh em trở nên gian ác thì Ngài sẽ hủy diệt anh em khỏi miếng đất màu mỡ nầy mà Ngài đã ban cho anh em. 16 Những điều đó sẽ xảy đến, nếu anh em không giữ giao ước với Chúa là Thượng Đế của mình. Nếu anh em thờ phụng và phục vụ các thần khác thì Chúa sẽ nổi giận với anh em. Rồi sẽ không một ai trong anh em còn sống sót trên mảnh đất màu mỡ nầy mà Ngài đã ban cho.”

Joshua’s Farewell to the Leaders

23 After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest(A) from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man,(B) summoned all Israel—their elders,(C) leaders, judges and officials(D)—and said to them: “I am very old.(E) You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you.(F) Remember how I have allotted(G) as an inheritance(H) for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea(I) in the west. The Lord your God himself will push them out(J) for your sake. He will drive them out(K) before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.(L)

“Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law(M) of Moses, without turning aside(N) to the right or to the left.(O) Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear(P) by them. You must not serve them or bow down(Q) to them. But you are to hold fast to the Lord(R) your God, as you have until now.

“The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations;(S) to this day no one has been able to withstand you.(T) 10 One of you routs a thousand,(U) because the Lord your God fights for you,(V) just as he promised. 11 So be very careful(W) to love the Lord(X) your God.

12 “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them(Y) and associate with them,(Z) 13 then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out(AA) these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares(AB) and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes,(AC) until you perish from this good land,(AD) which the Lord your God has given you.

14 “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth.(AE) You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise(AF) has been fulfilled; not one has failed.(AG) 15 But just as all the good things(AH) the Lord your God has promised you have come to you, so he will bring on you all the evil things(AI) he has threatened, until the Lord your God has destroyed you(AJ) from this good land he has given you.(AK) 16 If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.(AL)

Joshua’s Farewell Address

23 Now it came to pass, a long time after the Lord (A)had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua (B)was old, advanced in age. And Joshua (C)called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them:

“I am old, advanced in age. You have seen all that the (D)Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the (E)Lord your God is He who has fought for you. See, (F)I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea westward. And the Lord your God (G)will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land, (H)as the Lord your God promised you. (I)Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, (J)lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, and lest you (K)go[a] among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not (L)make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to (M)swear by them; you shall not (N)serve them nor bow down to them, but you shall (O)hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. (P)For the Lord has [b]driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. 10 (Q)One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, (R)as He promised you. 11 (S)Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God. 12 Or else, if indeed you do (T)go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations—these that remain among you—and (U)make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, 13 know for certain that (V)the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. (W)But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

14 “Behold, this day (X)I[c] am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that (Y)not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. 15 (Z)Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the Lord your God promised you, so the Lord will bring upon you (AA)all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the Lord your God has given you. 16 [d]When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the (AB)anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 23:7 associate with
  2. Joshua 23:9 dispossessed
  3. Joshua 23:14 I am going to die.
  4. Joshua 23:16 Or if ever

23 And it came to pass after many days, when Jehovah had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, and Joshua was old and well stricken in years; that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and well stricken in years: and ye have seen all that Jehovah your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for Jehovah your God, he it is that hath fought for you. Behold, I have allotted unto you these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun. And Jehovah your God, he will thrust them out from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as Jehovah your God spake unto you. Therefore be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; that ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow down yourselves unto them; but cleave unto Jehovah your God, as ye have done unto this day. For Jehovah hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath stood before you unto this day. 10 One man of you [a]shall chase a thousand; for Jehovah your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he spake unto you. 11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love Jehovah your God. 12 Else if ye do at all go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you; 13 know for a certainty that Jehovah your God will no more drive these nations from out of your sight; but they shall be a snare and a trap unto you, and a scourge in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which Jehovah your God hath given you.

14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which Jehovah your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, not one thing hath failed thereof. 15 And it shall come to pass, that as all the good things are come upon you of which Jehovah your God spake unto you, so will Jehovah bring upon you all the evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which Jehovah your God hath given you. 16 When ye transgress the covenant of Jehovah your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down yourselves to them; then will the anger of Jehovah be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 23:10 Or, hath chased