God Commissions Joshua

1 After the death of Moses the ^(A)servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' ^(B)assistant, ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. ^3 (C)Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. ^4 (D)From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. ^5 (E)No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just ^(F)as I was with Moses, so ^(G)I will be with you. ^(H)I will not leave you or forsake you. ^6 (I)Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. ⁷ Only be strong and ^(J)very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law ^(K)that Moses my servant commanded you. ^(L)Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success^[a] wherever you go. ⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but ^(M)you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? ^(N)Be strong and courageous. ^(O)Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua Assumes Command

¹⁰ And Joshua commanded the ^(P)officers of the people, ¹¹ “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for ^(Q)within three days ^(R)you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”

¹² And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, ¹³ “Remember the word that ^(S)Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ ¹⁴ Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, ^15 (T)until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. ^(U)Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”

¹⁶ And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. ¹⁷ Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God ^(V)be with you, as he was with Moses! ¹⁸ Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. ^(W)Only be strong and courageous.”

Rahab Hides the Spies

2 And Joshua the son of Nun ^(X)sent^[b] two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of ^(Y)a prostitute whose name was ^(Z)Rahab and lodged there. ² And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” ³ Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” ⁴ But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. ⁵ And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” ⁶ But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. ⁷ So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan ^(AA)as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.

⁸ Before the men^[c] lay down, she came up to them on the roof ⁹ and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, ^(AB)and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land ^(AC)melt away before you. ¹⁰ For we have heard how the Lord ^(AD)dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and ^(AE)what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to ^(AF)Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.^{[d] 11} And ^(AG)as soon as we heard it, ^(AH)our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for ^(AI)the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. ¹² Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and ^(AJ)give me a sure sign ¹³ that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” ¹⁴ And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land ^(AK)we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”

¹⁵ Then she ^(AL)let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. ¹⁶ And she said^[e] to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.” ¹⁷ The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. ^18 (AM)Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, ^(AN)and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. ¹⁹ Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, ^(AO)his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. ²⁰ But if you ^(AP)tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” ²¹ And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

²² They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. ²³ Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and ^(AQ)passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. ²⁴ And they said to Joshua, “Truly ^(AR)the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land ^(AS)melt away because of us.”

The Fall of Jericho

6 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. ² And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, ^(A)I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. ³ You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. ⁴ Seven priests shall bear seven ^(B)trumpets of ^(C)rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and ^(D)the priests shall blow the trumpets. ⁵ And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat,^[a] and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” ⁶ So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.” ⁷ And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let ^(E)the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”

⁸ And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. ⁹ The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the ^(F)rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. ¹⁰ But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” ¹¹ So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

¹² Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and ^(G)the priests took up the ark of the Lord. ¹³ And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. ¹⁴ And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.

¹⁵ On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. ¹⁶ And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. ¹⁷ And the city and all that is within it shall be ^(H)devoted to the Lord for destruction.^[b] Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she ^(I)hid the messengers whom we sent. ¹⁸ But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel ^(J)a thing for destruction and ^(K)bring trouble upon it. ¹⁹ But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” ²⁰ So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and ^(L)the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. ²¹ Then they ^(M)devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

²² But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute's house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, ^(N)as you swore to her.” ²³ So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and ^(O)her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. ²⁴ And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. ^(P)Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. ²⁵ But Rahab the prostitute and her father's household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And ^(Q)she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

²⁶ Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, ^(R)“Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho.

^27 (S)So the Lord was with Joshua, and ^(T)his fame was in all the land.

The Fall of Ai

8 And the Lord said to Joshua, ^(A)“Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, ^(B)I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land. ² And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did ^(C)to Jericho and its king. Only ^(D)its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it.”

³ So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night. ⁴ And he commanded them, “Behold, ^(E)you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you remain ready. ⁵ And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out against us ^(F)just as before, we shall flee before them. ⁶ And they will come out after us, until we have ^(G)drawn them away from the city. For they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us, just as before.’ So we will flee before them. ⁷ Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will give it into your hand. ⁸ And as soon as you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire. You shall do according to the word of the Lord. ^(H)See, I have commanded you.” ⁹ So Joshua sent them out. And they went to the place of ambush and lay between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai, but Joshua spent that night among the people.

¹⁰ Joshua arose early in the morning and mustered the people and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. ¹¹ And ^(I)all the fighting men who were with him went up and drew near before the city and encamped on the north side of Ai, with a ravine between them and Ai. ¹² He took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. ¹³ So they stationed the forces, the main encampment that was north of the city and its rear guard west of the city. But Joshua spent that night in the valley. ¹⁴ And as soon as the king of Ai saw this, he and all his people, the men of the city, hurried and went out early to the appointed place^[a] toward ^(J)the Arabah to meet Israel in battle. ^(K)But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. ¹⁵ And Joshua and all Israel ^(L)pretended to be beaten before them and fled in the direction of the wilderness. ¹⁶ So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they ^(M)were drawn away from the city. ¹⁷ Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel.

¹⁸ Then the Lord said to Joshua, ^(N)“Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. ¹⁹ And the men in the ambush rose quickly out of their place, and as soon as he had stretched out his hand, they ran and entered the city and captured it. And they hurried to set the city on fire. ²⁰ So when the men of Ai looked back, behold, the smoke of the city went up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that, for the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against the pursuers. ²¹ And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city, and that the smoke of the city went up, then they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. ²² And the others came out from the city against them, so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side. And Israel struck them down, until there was ^(O)left none that survived or escaped. ²³ But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him near to Joshua.

²⁴ When Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the open wilderness where they pursued them, and all of them to the very last had fallen by the edge of the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with the edge of the sword. ²⁵ And all who fell that day, both men and women, were 12,000, all the people of Ai. ²⁶ But Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he ^(P)stretched out the javelin until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai to destruction.^{[b] 27} Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as their plunder, according to the word of the Lord that he ^(Q)commanded Joshua. ²⁸ So Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a ^(R)heap of ruins, as it is to this day. ^29 (S)And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. ^(T)And at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city and ^(U)raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day.

Joshua Renews the Covenant

³⁰ At that time Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, ^(V)on Mount Ebal, ³¹ just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings. ³² And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on ^(W)the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. ³³ And all Israel, ^(X)sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests ^(Y)who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, ^(Z)just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel. ³⁴ And afterward ^(AA)he read all the words of the law, ^(AB)the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. ³⁵ There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, ^(AC)and the women, and the little ones, and ^(AD)the sojourners who lived^[c] among them.

The Sun Stands Still

10 As soon as Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had captured Ai and had devoted it to destruction,^{[a] (A)}doing to Ai and its king ^(B)as he had done to Jericho and its king, and ^(C)how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, ^2 (D)he^[b] feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were warriors. ³ So Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, ⁴ “Come up to me and help me, and let us strike Gibeon. For ^(E)it has made peace with Joshua and with the people of Israel.” ⁵ Then the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, ^(F)gathered their forces and went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it.

⁶ And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua ^(G)at the camp in Gilgal, saying, “Do not relax your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered against us.” ⁷ So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and ^(H)all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. ⁸ And the Lord said to Joshua, ^(I)“Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. ^(J)Not a man of them shall stand before you.” ⁹ So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. ^10 (K)And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who^[c] struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of ^(L)the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. ¹¹ And as they fled before Israel, while they were ^(M)going down the ascent of Beth-horon, ^(N)the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

¹² At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. ^14 (P)There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for ^(Q)the Lord fought for Israel.

¹⁵ So ^(R)Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

Five Amorite Kings Executed

¹⁶ These five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at ^(S)Makkedah. ¹⁷ And it was told to Joshua, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” ¹⁸ And Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave and set men by it to guard them, ¹⁹ but do not stay there yourselves. Pursue your enemies; ^(T)attack their rear guard. Do not let them enter their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.” ²⁰ When Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished striking them with a great blow ^(U)until they were wiped out, and when the remnant that remained of them had entered into the fortified cities, ²¹ then all the people returned safe to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. ^(V)Not a man moved his tongue against any of the people of Israel.

²² Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me from the cave.” ²³ And they did so, and brought those five kings out to him from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. ²⁴ And when they brought those kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near; put your feet on the necks of these kings.” Then they came near and put their feet on their necks. ²⁵ And Joshua said to them, ^(W)“Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. ^(X)For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” ²⁶ And afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees. And ^(Y)they hung on the trees until evening. ²⁷ But at the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and ^(Z)they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and they set large stones against the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.

²⁸ As for ^(AA)Makkedah, Joshua captured it on that day and struck it, and its king, with the edge of the sword. He devoted to destruction every person in it; he left none remaining. And he did to the king of Makkedah ^(AB)just as he had done to the king of Jericho.

Conquest of Southern Canaan

²⁹ Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Makkedah to ^(AC)Libnah and fought against Libnah. ³⁰ And the Lord gave it also and its king into the hand of Israel. And he struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it; he left none remaining in it. And he did to its king ^(AD)as he had done to the king of Jericho.

³¹ Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Libnah to ^(AE)Lachish and laid siege to it and fought against it. ³² And the Lord gave Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he captured it on the second day and struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it, as he had done to Libnah.

³³ Then Horam king of ^(AF)Gezer came up to help Lachish. And Joshua struck him and his people, until he left none remaining.

³⁴ Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Lachish to ^(AG)Eglon. And they laid siege to it and fought against it. ³⁵ And they captured it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. And he devoted every person in it to destruction that day, as he had done to Lachish.

³⁶ Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to ^(AH)Hebron. And they fought against it ³⁷ and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword, and its king and its towns, and every person in it. He left none remaining, as he had done to Eglon, and devoted it to destruction and every person in it.

³⁸ Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned back to ^(AI)Debir and fought against it ³⁹ and he captured it with its king and all its towns. And they struck them with the edge of the sword and devoted to destruction every person in it; he left none remaining. Just as he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king, so he did to Debir and to its king.

⁴⁰ So Joshua struck the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and the lowland ^(AJ)and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, ^(AK)but devoted to destruction all that breathed, just as the Lord God of Israel commanded. ⁴¹ And Joshua struck them from ^(AL)Kadesh-barnea as far as Gaza, and all the country of ^(AM)Goshen, as far as Gibeon. ⁴² And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, ^(AN)because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. ^43 (AO)Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

Conquests in Northern Canaan

11 When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he ^(AP)sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, ² and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the ^(AQ)Arabah south of ^(AR)Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and ^(AS)in Naphoth-dor on the ^(AT)west, ³ to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the ^(AU)Jebusites in the hill country, and the ^(AV)Hivites under ^(AW)Hermon in the land of ^(AX)Mizpah. ⁴ And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number ^(AY)like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots. ⁵ And all these kings joined their forces and came and encamped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.

⁶ And the Lord said to Joshua, ^(AZ)“Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them, slain, to Israel. You shall ^(BA)hamstring their horses and burn their ^(BB)chariots with fire.” ⁷ So Joshua and all his warriors came ^(BC)suddenly against them by the waters of Merom and fell upon them. ⁸ And the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel, who struck them and chased them as far as ^(BD)Great Sidon and ^(BE)Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of ^(BF)Mizpeh. And they struck them until he left none remaining. ⁹ And Joshua did to them ^(BG)just as the Lord said to him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

¹⁰ And Joshua turned back at that time and captured ^(BH)Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms. ¹¹ And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction;^{[d] (BI)}there was none left that breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire. ¹² And all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua captured, and struck them with the edge of the sword, devoting them to destruction, ^(BJ)just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. ¹³ But none of the cities that stood on mounds did Israel burn, except Hazor alone; that Joshua burned. ¹⁴ And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the people of Israel took for their plunder. But every person they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed. ^15 (BK)Just as the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, ^(BL)so Moses commanded Joshua, ^(BM)and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁶ So Joshua took all that land, ^(BN)the hill country and all the Negeb and ^(BO)all the land of Goshen ^(BP)and the lowland ^(BQ)and the Arabah ^(BR)and the hill country of Israel and its lowland ^17 (BS)from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as ^(BT)Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon below ^(BU)Mount Hermon. And he captured ^(BV)all their kings and struck them and put them to death. ¹⁸ Joshua made war ^(BW)a long time with all those kings. ¹⁹ There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except ^(BX)the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. ²⁰ For it was the Lord's doing ^(BY)to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, ^(BZ)just as the Lord commanded Moses.

²¹ And Joshua came at that time and cut off ^(CA)the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction with their cities. ²² There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, ^(CB)in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain. ²³ So Joshua took the whole land, ^(CC)according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. ^(CD)And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel ^(CE)according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.

Joshua's Charge to Israel's Leaders

23 A long time afterward, when the Lord had given ^(A)rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua ^(B)was old and well advanced in years, ² Joshua ^(C)summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, “I am now old and well advanced in years. ³ And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, ^(D)for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. ⁴ Behold, ^(E)I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. ⁵ The Lord your God ^(F)will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, ^(G)just as the Lord your God promised you. ⁶ Therefore, ^(H)be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, ^(I)turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, ^7 (J)that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you ^(K)or make mention of the names of their gods ^(L)or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, ^8 (M)but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. ^9 (N)For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, ^(O)no man has been able to stand before you to this day. ^10 (P)One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God ^(Q)who fights for you, just as he promised you. ^11 (R)Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. ¹² For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you ^(S)and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, ¹³ know for certain that ^(T)the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, ^(U)but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.

¹⁴ “And now ^(V)I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that ^(W)not one word has failed of all the good things^[a] that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. ¹⁵ But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you ^(X)all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, ¹⁶ if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”

The Covenant Renewal at Shechem

24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel ^(Y)to Shechem and ^(Z)summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And ^(AA)they presented themselves before God. ² And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, ^(AB)your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates,^[b] Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and ^(AC)they served other gods. ^3 (AD)Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River^[c] and ^(AE)led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. ^(AF)I gave him Isaac. ⁴ And to Isaac I gave ^(AG)Jacob and Esau. ^(AH)And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, ^(AI)but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. ^5 (AJ)And I sent Moses and Aaron, ^(AK)and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and ^(AL)afterward I brought you out.

⁶ “‘Then ^(AM)I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and ^(AN)you came to the sea. ^(AO)And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. ^7 (AP)And when they cried to the Lord, ^(AQ)he put darkness between you and the Egyptians ^(AR)and made the sea come upon them and cover them; ^(AS)and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. ^(AT)And you lived in the wilderness a long time. ⁸ Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. ^(AU)They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. ^9 (AV)Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. ^(AW)And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, ^10 (AX)but I would not listen to Balaam. ^(AY)Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. ^11 (AZ)And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, ^(BA)and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also ^(BB)the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. ¹² And I sent ^(BC)the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was ^(BD)not by your sword or by your bow. ¹³ I gave you a land on which you had not labored ^(BE)and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’

Choose Whom You Will Serve

^14 (BF)“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. ^(BG)Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ^15 (BH)And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, ^(BI)choose this day whom you will serve, whether ^(BJ)the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or ^(BK)the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. ^(BL)But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶ Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, ¹⁷ for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. ¹⁸ And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

¹⁹ But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is ^(BM)a holy God. He is ^(BN)a jealous God; ^(BO)he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. ^20 (BP)If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then ^(BQ)he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” ²¹ And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” ²² Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that ^(BR)you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” ²³ He said, “Then ^(BS)put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” ²⁴ And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” ²⁵ So Joshua ^(BT)made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place ^(BU)statutes and rules for them at Shechem. ²⁶ And Joshua ^(BV)wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And ^(BW)he took a large stone and set it up there ^(BX)under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. ²⁷ And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, ^(BY)this stone shall be a witness against us, for ^(BZ)it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” ²⁸ So Joshua ^(CA)sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

Joshua's Death and Burial

^29 (CB)After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old. ³⁰ And they buried him in his own inheritance at ^(CC)Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

^31 (CD)Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua ^(CE)and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.

^32 (CF)As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land ^(CG)that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money.^[d] It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.

³³ And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of ^(CH)Phinehas his son, which had been given him in ^(CI)the hill country of Ephraim.