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. ² 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. ³ 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. ⁴ 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. ⁵ 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. ^6 (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, ⁷ 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, ⁸ but you shall ^(O)hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.