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Whom Will You Worship?

24 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned Israel’s elders, heads, judges and officials. So they presented themselves before God. Then Joshua said to all the people: “Thus says Adonai, God of Israel: ‘From ancient times your fathers—Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor—lived beyond the River and worshipped other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through the entire land of Canaan and multiplied his offspring. I gave him Isaac, then to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave Mount Seir to possess it as his own, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

“So I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in its midst, and afterward I brought you out. I brought your fathers out of Egypt. When you came to the sea, the Egyptians pursued your fathers to the Sea of Reeds with chariots and horsemen. But when they cried out to Adonai, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, then He brought the sea upon them, and it covered them; and your eyes saw what I did to the Egyptians. Then you stayed in the wilderness for a long time.

“Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites who were living beyond the Jordan. Though they fought against you, I gave them into your hand, and you possessed their land when I destroyed them from before you. Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, rose and fought against Israel. He even sent and called for Balaam son of Beor to curse you. 10 But I refused to listen to Balaam; instead, he had to keep blessing you. Thus I delivered you from his hand.

11 “Then you crossed over the Jordan and came to Jericho, but the men of Jericho fought against you—the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites and the Jebusites—but I delivered them into your hand. 12 Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove them out from before you—the two kings of the Amorites—not by your sword or your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities that you had not built and you have settled in them, vineyards and olive groves that you had not planted, that you are eating.

14 “Now therefore, fear Adonai and worship Him in sincerity and in truth. Get rid of the gods that your fathers had worshipped beyond the River and in Egypt, and worship Adonai. 15 If it seems bad to you to worship Adonai, then choose for yourselves today whom you will serve—whether the gods that your fathers worshipped that were beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will worship Adonai!”

16 Then the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake Adonai to worship other gods! 17 For it was Adonai our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us all along the way that we travelled and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. 18 It was Adonai who drove out from before us all the peoples, the Amorites that lived in the land. Therefore we also will worship Adonai, for He is our God.”

19 But Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to worship Adonai, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He will not pardon your transgression and your sins. 20 If you forsake Adonai and worship foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done good to you.”

21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! For we will worship Adonai.”

22 So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses to yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves Adonai, to worship Him.”

“We are witnesses,” they responded.

23 “Now therefore, get rid of the foreign gods that are in your midst, and incline your hearts to Adonai, God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will worship none but Adonai our God, and we will obey none but His voice.”

25 So Joshua cut a covenant with the people that day, and set for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 26 Then Joshua wrote these words in the scroll of the Torah of God. Also he took a great stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the Sanctuary of Adonai. 27 Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone will be a witness to us. For it has heard all the words of Adonai which He has spoken to us. So it will be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.”

28 Joshua then dismissed the people, each to his own inheritance.

29 Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua son of Nun, the servant of Adonai, died at the age of 110 years. 30 So they buried him in the territory of his own portion in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel worshipped Adonai all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work of Adonai that He had done for Israel.

32 Joseph’s bones, which Bnei-Yisrael had brought up from Egypt, they buried in Shechem, in the parcel of ground that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for 100 pieces of silver.[a] It became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

33 Then Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him in Gibeah, which had been given to Phinehas his son, in the hill country of Ephraim.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 24:32 cf. John 4:5.

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.

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) 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) 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)

“‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron,(N) and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.(O) 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) 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)

“‘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) 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.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 24:6 Or charioteers
  2. Joshua 24:6 Or the Sea of Reeds
  3. Joshua 24:30 Also known as Timnath Heres (see Judges 2:9)
  4. Joshua 24:32 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value.