Joshua 23
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 23
Joshua’s Final Plea. 1 Many years later, after the Lord had given the Israelites rest from all their enemies round about them, and when Joshua was old and advanced in years,(A) 2 he summoned all Israel, including their elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and said to them: “I am old and advanced in years.(B) 3 You have seen all that the Lord, your God, has done for you against all these nations; for it has been the Lord, your God, who fought for you. 4 (C)See, I have apportioned among your tribes as their heritage the nations that survive, as well as those I destroyed, between the Jordan and the Great Sea in the west. 5 The Lord, your God, will drive them out and dispossess them at your approach, so that you will take possession of their land as the Lord, your God, promised you. 6 Therefore be strong and be careful to observe all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, never turning from it right or left,(D) 7 or mingling with these nations that survive among you. You must not invoke their gods by name, or swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them,(E) 8 but you must hold fast to the Lord, your God, as you have done up to this day. 9 At your approach the Lord has dispossessed great and strong nations; not one has withstood you up to this day. 10 One of you puts to flight a thousand, because it is the Lord, your God, himself who fights for you,(F) as he promised you. 11 As for you, take great care to love the Lord, your God. 12 For if you ever turn away from him and join with the remnant of these nations that survive among you, by intermarrying and intermingling with them,(G) 13 know for certain that the Lord, your God, will no longer dispossess these nations at your approach. Instead they will be a snare and a trap for you, a scourge for your sides and thorns for your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord, your God, has given you.(H)
14 “Today, as you see, I am going the way of all the earth.[a] So now acknowledge with your whole heart and soul that not one of all the promises the Lord, your God, made concerning you has failed. Every one has come true for you; not one has failed. 15 (I)But just as every promise the Lord, your God, made to you has come true for you, so will he bring upon you every threat,[b] even so far as to exterminate you from this good land which the Lord, your God, has given you. 16 If you transgress the covenant of the Lord, your God, which he enjoined on you, to go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the anger of the Lord will flare up against you and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.”
Footnotes
- 23:14 Going the way of all the earth: drawing near to death, the inevitable end of all; cf. 1 Kgs 2:1–2.
- 23:15 Every threat: mentioned especially in the list of curses in Dt 28:15–68.
Joshua 23
English Standard Version
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.”
Footnotes
- Joshua 23:14 Or words; also twice in verse 15
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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