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, 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. 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. 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. 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. 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, (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, (M)but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. (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.”

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 23:14 Or words; also twice in verse 15

Joshua’s Farewell Address

23 Now it came about after many days, when the Lord had given (A)rest to Israel from all their enemies on every side, and Joshua was old, advanced in years, that (B)Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, their heads, their judges, and their officers, and said to them, “I am old, advanced in years. And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for (C)the Lord your God is He who has been fighting for you. See, (D)I have apportioned to you these nations which remain as an inheritance for your tribes, with all the nations which I have eliminated, from the Jordan even to the Great Sea toward the [a]west. And the Lord your God, He will thrust them away from you and [b](E)drive them from you; and (F)you will take possession of their land, just as the Lord your God [c]promised you. (G)Be very determined, then, to keep and do everything that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, so that you will not turn aside from it to the right or to the left, so that you will not [d]associate with these nations, these which remain with you, or (H)mention the name of their gods, or (I)make anyone swear by them, or (J)serve them, or bow down to them. But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. (K)For the Lord has [e]driven out great and mighty nations from before you; and as for you, (L)no one has stood against you to this day. 10 (M)One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is (N)He who fights for you, just as He [f]promised you. 11 So take great care for yourselves that you love the Lord your God. 12 For if you ever go back and (O)cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain with you, and (P)intermarry with them, so that you [g]associate with them and they with you, 13 know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to [h]drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a (Q)snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

14 “Now behold, today (R)I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that (S)not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; they all have [i]been fulfilled for you, not [j]one of them has failed. 15 But it will come about that just as all the good words which the Lord your God spoke to you have come upon you, so (T)the Lord will bring upon you [k]all the warnings, until He has eliminated you from this good land which the Lord your God has given you. 16 (U)When you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 23:4 Lit sunset
  2. Joshua 23:5 Or dispossess
  3. Joshua 23:5 Lit spoke to
  4. Joshua 23:7 Lit come among
  5. Joshua 23:9 Or dispossessed
  6. Joshua 23:10 Lit spoke to
  7. Joshua 23:12 Lit come among
  8. Joshua 23:13 Or dispossess
  9. Joshua 23:14 Lit come
  10. Joshua 23:14 Lit one word
  11. Joshua 23:15 Lit every bad word