Joshua 24
Expanded Bible
24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called the elders, heads of families, judges, and officers of Israel to ·stand [present themselves] before God.
2 Then Joshua said to all the people, “Here’s what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you: ‘A long time ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River. Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, worshiped other gods. 3 But I, the Lord, took your ancestor Abraham from the other side of the river and led him through the land of Canaan [Gen. 12:1–3; 17:4–8]. And I ·gave him many children, including [or multiplied his descendants, beginning with] his son Isaac [Gen. 21]. 4 I gave Isaac two sons named Jacob and Esau [Gen. 25]. I gave the land around the ·mountains [hill country] of ·Edom [C Hebrew: Seir] to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt [Gen. 46]. 5 Then I sent Moses and Aaron to Egypt, where I ·brought many disasters on the Egyptians [L plagued Egypt by what I did in their midst; Ex. 1–11]. Afterwards I brought you out [Ex. 12]. 6 When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, they came to the ·Red Sea [L Sea], and the Egyptians chased them with chariots and men on horses. 7 So the people called out to the Lord. And ·I [L he] brought darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea to cover them [Ex. 13–15]. ·You yourselves [L Your eyes] saw what I did ·to the army of [L in] Egypt. After that, you lived in the ·desert [wilderness] for a long time.
8 “‘Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, east of the Jordan River. They fought against you, but I handed them over to you. I destroyed them before you, and you took ·control [possession] of that land [Num. 21; Deut. 2–3]. 9 But the king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, ·prepared to fight [L arose and fought] against the Israelites. The king sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you [Num. 22–24], 10 but I refused to listen to Balaam. So he ·asked for good things to happen to you [L kept blessing you]! I ·saved you and brought you out of his power [L delivered you out of his hand].
11 “‘Then you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, where the ·people [or leaders] of Jericho fought against you. Also, the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites fought against you. But I ·handed them over to you [L gave them into your hand]. 12 I sent ·terror [or the hornet; C the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain] ahead of you to ·force [drive] out two Amorite kings [2:10; Num. 21:21–35]. ·You took the land without using swords and bows [L It was not by your sword or by your bow]. 13 I gave you that land where you had not worked. I gave you cities that you did not have to build. And now you live in that land and in those cities, and you eat from vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant.’”
14 Then Joshua said to the people, “Now ·respect [fear; be in awe of] the Lord and serve him ·fully [faithfully; in truth] and sincerely. ·Throw [Put] away the gods that your ancestors worshiped on the other side of the ·Euphrates River [L River] and in Egypt. Serve the Lord. 15 But if ·you don’t want [L it is undesirable/evil in your eyes] to serve the Lord, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the ·Euphrates River [L River], or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my ·family [L house], we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then the people answered, “·We will never stop following [L Far be it from us to forsake] the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God who brought ·our [L us and our] ancestors out of Egypt. ·We were slaves in that land, but […L out of the house of slavery, and] the Lord did great ·things [L signs] for us there. He brought us out and ·protected [preserved] us while we traveled through other lands. 18 Then he ·forced [drove] out all the people living in these lands, even the Amorites. So we will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
19 Then Joshua said, “You are not able to serve the Lord, because he is a holy God [Lev. 19:2] and a jealous God [Ex. 20:5]. If you ·turn against him [rebel] and sin, he will not forgive you. 20 If you ·leave [forsake; abandon] the Lord and serve ·other [foreign] gods, he will ·send you great trouble [bring disaster on you]. The Lord may have been good to you, but if you turn against him, he will ·destroy [consume] you.”
21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
22 Then Joshua said, “You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
The people said, “Yes, we are.”
23 Then Joshua said, “Now throw away the [L foreign] gods that ·you have [are in your midst]. ·Love the Lord, the God of Israel, with all your heart [L Bend your heart toward the Lord, the God of Israel].”
24 Then the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God, and we will obey him.”
25 On that day at Shechem Joshua made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] for the people. He made ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·laws [regulations] for them to follow. 26 Joshua wrote these things in the Book of the ·Teachings [Law] of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak tree near the Lord’s ·Holy Tent [sanctuary; shrine; holy place].
27 Joshua said to all the people, “·See [T Behold] this stone! It will ·remind you of what we did today [L be a witness against you]. ·It was here the Lord spoke to us today [L It has heard all the words the Lord said to us]. It will ·remind you of what happened so you will not [be a witness against you, lest you] ·turn against [are untrue to; deal falsely with] your God.”
Joshua Dies
28 Then Joshua sent the people back ·to their land [L each to their own inheritance].
29 After that, Joshua son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died at the age of one hundred ten. 30 They buried him in ·his own land [L the land of his inheritance] at Timnath Serah, in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31 The Israelites served the Lord during the lifetime of Joshua and during the lifetimes of the elders who lived after Joshua who had ·seen [experienced; known] what the Lord had done for Israel.
Joseph Comes Home
32 When the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] left Egypt, they carried the bones of Joseph with them [Gen. 50:25; Ex. 13:19; Heb. 11:22]. They buried them at Shechem, in the ·land [piece of ground] Jacob had bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor (Hamor was the father of Shechem) [Gen. 33:19]. This land ·now belonged to [became the inheritance of] Joseph’s children.
33 And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, which had been given to Eleazar’s son Phinehas.
Joshua 24
New King James Version
The Covenant at Shechem(A)
24 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to (B)Shechem and (C)called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they (D)presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: (E)‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of [a]the River in old times; and (F)they served other gods. 3 (G)Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of [b]the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his [c]descendants and (H)gave him Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave (I)Jacob and Esau. To (J)Esau I gave the mountains of Seir to possess, (K)but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 (L)Also I sent Moses and Aaron, and (M)I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I brought you out.
6 ‘Then I (N)brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 So they cried out to the Lord; and He put (O)darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon them, and covered them. And (P)your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you dwelt in the wilderness (Q)a long time. 8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, (R)and they fought with you. But I gave them into your hand, that you might possess their land, and I destroyed them from before you. 9 Then (S)Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and (T)sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. 10 (U)But I would not listen to Balaam; (V)therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 Then (W)you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And (X)the men of Jericho fought against you—also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. 12 (Y)I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but (Z)not with your sword or with your bow. 13 I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and (AA)cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’
14 (AB)“Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in (AC)sincerity and in truth, and (AD)put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of [d]the River and (AE)in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, (AF)choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether (AG)the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of [e]the River, or (AH)the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. (AI)But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
16 So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17 for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. (AJ)We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.”
19 But Joshua said to the people, (AK)“You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a (AL)holy God. He is (AM)a jealous God; (AN)He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 20 (AO)If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, (AP)then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.”
21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord!”
22 So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that (AQ)you have chosen the Lord for yourselves, to serve Him.”
And they said, “We are witnesses!”
23 “Now therefore,” he said, (AR)“put away the foreign gods which are among you, and (AS)incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.”
24 And the people (AT)said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!”
25 So Joshua (AU)made[f] a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance (AV)in Shechem.
26 Then Joshua (AW)wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took (AX)a large stone, and (AY)set it up there (AZ)under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be (BA)a witness to us, for (BB)it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.” 28 So (BC)Joshua let the people depart, each to his own inheritance.
Death of Joshua and Eleazar
29 (BD)Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old. 30 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at (BE)Timnath Serah, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.
31 (BF)Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had (BG)known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.
32 (BH)The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground (BI)which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred [g]pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph.
33 And (BJ)Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in a hill belonging to (BK)Phinehas his son, which was given to him in the mountains of Ephraim.
Footnotes
- Joshua 24:2 The Euphrates
- Joshua 24:3 The Euphrates
- Joshua 24:3 Lit. seed
- Joshua 24:14 The Euphrates
- Joshua 24:15 The Euphrates
- Joshua 24:25 Lit. cut a covenant
- Joshua 24:32 Heb. qesitah, an unknown ancient measure of weight
Joshua 24
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 24
Covenant Ceremony. 1 (A)Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, summoning the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel. When they stood in ranks before God, 2 Joshua addressed all the people: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: In times past your ancestors, down to Terah,(B) father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River[a] and served other gods. 3 But I brought your father Abraham from the region beyond the River and led him through the entire land of Canaan.(C) I made his descendants numerous, and gave him Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.(D) To Esau I assigned the mountain region of Seir to possess, while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.
5 “Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and struck Egypt with the plagues and wonders that I wrought in her midst.(E) Afterward I led you out. 6 And when I led your ancestors out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued your ancestors to the Red Sea with chariots and charioteers.(F) 7 When they cried out to the Lord,(G) he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, upon whom he brought the sea so that it covered them. Your eyes saw what I did to Egypt. After you dwelt a long time in the wilderness, 8 (H)I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your power. You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them at your approach. 9 (I)Then Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, prepared to war against Israel. He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you, 10 (J)but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his power. 11 Once you crossed the Jordan(K) and came to Jericho, the citizens of Jericho fought against you, but I delivered them also into your power. 12 And I sent the hornets[b] ahead of you which drove them—the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites—out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow.(L) 13 I gave you a land you did not till and cities you did not build, to dwell in; you ate of vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.(M)
14 (N)“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him completely and sincerely. Cast out the gods your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 (O)If it is displeasing to you to serve the Lord, choose today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
16 But the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods. 17 For it was the Lord, our God, who brought us and our ancestors up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. He performed those great signs before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 At our approach the Lord drove out all the peoples, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
19 Joshua in turn said to the people, “You may not be able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God; he is a passionate God(P) who will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods, he will then do evil to you and destroy you, after having done you good.”
21 But the people answered Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” 22 Joshua therefore said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” They replied, “We are witnesses!” 23 “Now, therefore, put away the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 Then the people promised Joshua, “We will serve the Lord, our God, and will listen to his voice.”
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was in the sanctuary of the Lord.(Q) 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “This stone shall be our witness,(R) for it has heard all the words which the Lord spoke to us. It shall be a witness against you, should you wish to deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own heritage.(S)
Death of Joshua. 29 (T)After these events, Joshua, son of Nun, servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten, 30 and they buried him within the borders of his heritage at Timnath-serah(U) in the mountain region of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.[c] 31 Israel served the Lord during the entire lifetime of Joshua, and of those elders who outlived Joshua and who knew all the work the Lord had done for Israel. 32 (V)The bones of Joseph,[d] which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried in Shechem in the plot of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of money. This was a heritage of the descendants of Joseph. 33 When Eleazar, son of Aaron, also died, he was buried on the hill which had been given to his son Phinehas(W) in the mountain region of Ephraim.
Footnotes
- 24:2 Beyond the River: east of the Euphrates; cf. Gn 11:28–31.
- 24:12 The hornets: see note on Ex 23:28.
- 24:30 Following this verse the Greek translation of the Bible (the Septuagint) adds: “They laid with him there, in the tomb where they buried him, the flint knives with which he had circumcised the Israelites at Gilgal, when he brought them out of Egypt, as Yhwh commanded them. There they are to this very day.”
- 24:32 Joseph’s bones (Gn 50:24–26) and Jacob’s purchase of the burial ground (Gn 33:18–20) relate Joshua with Genesis. A hundred pieces of money: see note on Gn 33:19.
Joshua 24
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 24[a]
Renewing the Covenant. 1 Joshua then gathered all of the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders of Israel along with their leaders, their judges, and their officers, and they presented themselves before God. 2 Joshua said to all of the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the river in times of old, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods. 3 Then I took Abraham from the other side of the river and I led him all through the land of Canaan. I multiplied his descendants, giving him Isaac. 4 I gave Jacob and Esau to Isaac. I gave Mount Seir to Esau to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.
5 “I sent Moses and Aaron and I plagued Egypt with what I did in their midst. Afterward, I brought you out. 6 Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt. You came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen into the Red Sea. 7 They cried to the Lord, and he caused darkness to descend between you and the Egyptians. He brought the sea down upon them, and it covered them. Your own eyes have seen what I did in Egypt. You then dwelt in the wilderness for a long time. 8 I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought against you, and I gave them up into your hands so that you might take possession of the land, and I crushed them before you. 9 Then Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab, rose up and fought against Israel. He sent for and summoned Balaam, the son of Beor, to curse you, 10 but I would not listen to Balaam. He therefore blessed you, and so I delivered you out of his hands. 11 You crossed over the Jordan and arrived at Jericho. The men of Jericho fought against you along with the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I delivered them into your hands. 12 I sent hornets before you to drive them out before you, including the two kings of the Amorites. It was not your sword or your bow that did it. 13 I gave you a land on which you did not labor, I gave you cities which you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant. 14 Therefore, you must fear the Lord and serve him with sincerity and fidelity. Put aside the gods that your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt. Serve the Lord. 15 If it seems wrong to you to serve the Lord, then today you must choose whom you will serve, whether it be the gods that your fathers served on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites who dwell in the land. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
16 [b]The people said, “God forbid that we should abandon the Lord to serve other gods. 17 It was the Lord, our God, who brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, the land of our bondage. He performed great wonders in our sight. He preserved us all along the journey that we made, and among all the people through whom we passed. 18 The Lord drove out all the people before us, even the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God, he will not forgive your sins or your transgressions. 20 If you turn away from the Lord to serve foreign gods, then he will turn away from you. He will punish you and wipe you out, even after the good that he has done for you.”
21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You will serve as your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” They answered, “We are witnesses.” 23 He continued, “Then put away the foreign gods from among you. Bend your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord, our God, and obey his voice.”
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day. He established statutes and ordinances for them in Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God. He took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that is in the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 Joshua said to all the people, “This stone will be a witness for us. It has heard all of the words that the Lord spoke to us. It will therefore be a witness for you, lest you deny your God.” 28 Joshua then sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.
29 The Death of Joshua. After this happened, Joshua, the son of Nun, died. He was one hundred and ten years old. 30 They buried him within his own inheritance in Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel served the Lord during Joshua’s entire lifetime, and during the lifetime of the elders who survived Joshua, for they had known all of the works that the Lord had performed on Israel’s behalf. 32 The bones of Joseph, that the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried in Shechem in the parcel of land that Jacob had bought for one hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, who himself was the father of Shechem. It was an inheritance for the descendants of Joseph. 33 Eleazar, the son of Aaron, then died. They buried him at Gibeah, the place that Phinehas, his son, had been given in the hill country of Ephraim.
Footnotes
- Joshua 24:1 The covenant at Shechem, which is connected with the beginning of the settlement in Palestine is a decisive moment for the political and religious destiny of the people. The plenary assembly of tribes chooses the covenant contracted at Sinai and the law of God that flows from it as its definitive constitution. The dramatic account of this choice of God is one of the greatest of religious texts.
- Joshua 24:16 Fervent words of fidelity are spoken by the people in defense of their covenant with the Lord. Soon, however, they will be charged with breaking their contract with him (Jdg 2:2-3).
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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