Joshua 24
International Standard Version
Joshua’s Final Exhortation
24 Then Joshua assembled together all of the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He called for the leaders, officials, judges, and tribal officers of Israel. They assembled in formation before God, 2 and Joshua told all of the people, “This is what the Lord God of Israel has to say:
‘Long ago your ancestors lived beyond the Euphrates[a] River, including Terah, father of both Abraham and Nahor, where they served other gods. 3 Then I took your ancestor Abraham from the other side of the Euphrates[b] River and led him through the entire land of Canaan. I multiplied his descendants, and gave him his son[c] Isaac. 4 I gave Jacob and Esau to Isaac. And I gave Mount Seir[d] to Esau as his possession, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.
5 ‘Later I commissioned Moses and Aaron, and I inflicted plagues on Egypt by what I did among them. Afterwards, I brought all of you[e] out.
6 ‘Then I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and you came to the Sea, and the Egyptians followed your ancestors with chariots and horsemen to the Reed[f] Sea. 7 But when they cried out to the Lord, he placed darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon the Egyptians,[g] and swallowed them up. Your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.
8 ‘I brought you into the territory of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan River. They fought you, but I gave them into your control, and you took possession of their land. I destroyed them from your presence.
9 ‘Then Zippor’s son, King Balak of Moab, showed up and fought against Israel. He sent word[h] to Balaam, summoning Beor’s son to put a curse on you. 10 But I wasn’t willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his control.
11 ‘Next, you crossed the Jordan River and arrived at Jericho. But the citizens of Jericho fought you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and the Jebusites, so I gave them into your control.
12 ‘Then I sent hornets ahead of you to drive out two kings of the Amorites before you without your using either sword or bow. 13 I gave you a land for which you never worked and cities that you didn’t build, but that you have lived in. You’re eating from vineyards and olive groves that you didn’t plant.’
14 “Now you must fear the Lord and serve him in faithfulness and truth. Throw away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates[i] River and in Egypt. Instead, serve the Lord. 15 If you think it’s the wrong thing for you to serve the Lord, then choose for yourselves today whom you will serve—the gods whom your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates[j] River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose territories you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
The Response of the People
16 In response, the people said, “Far be it from us that we should abandon the Lord to serve other gods, 17 since the Lord our God is the one who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, from a life of slavery. He did those great things right in front of us, preserving us along the way that we traveled and among all the peoples through whose territory we passed. 18 The Lord expelled all the people before us, including the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore, we also will serve the Lord, since he is our God.”
19 So Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord, because he is a God of Holiness. He is a jealous God, and he will forgive neither your transgressions nor your sins. 20 If you abandon the Lord and serve foreign deities, then he will turn and do you harm, consuming you after all[k] the good he has done for you.”
21 “No,” the people replied to Joshua. “We will serve the Lord.”
22 Joshua responded, “You are giving testimony against yourselves, that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
They replied, “We are witnesses!”
23 Joshua said,[l] “Therefore abandon the foreign gods that are among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 The people replied,[m] “We will serve the Lord our God and obey his voice.”
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, making statutes and ordinances in Shechem. 26 He[n] wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God, took a large stone, moved it under the shade of[o] the oak tree that was near the sanctuary of the Lord, 27 and then[p] told all of the people, “Look! This stone will testify for us, because it has heard everything that the Lord has spoken to us. So it will stand as a witness against you in the event that you deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, and each man returned[q] to his territorial inheritance.
The Death of Joshua(A)
29 Some time later, Joshua servant of the Lord died at the age of 110 years, and 30 they buried him in his territorial inheritance at Timnath-serah in the mountainous region[r] of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel served the Lord for the entire lifetimes of Joshua and of the officials who outlived Joshua, that is, the ones who had personally known everything that the Lord had done for Israel. 32 They also buried the bones of Joseph, which the Israelis brought up from Egypt, in the parcel of ground at Shechem that Jacob had purchased from the descendants of Shechem’s father Hamor, for 100 pieces of silver. It became part of the inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.
The Death of Eleazar the Priest
33 Later, Aaron’s son Eleazar also died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which belonged to his son Phinehas, and which had been given to him in the mountainous region[s] of Ephraim.
Footnotes
- Joshua 24:2 The Heb. lacks Euphrates
- Joshua 24:3 The Heb. lacks Euphrates
- Joshua 24:3 The Heb. lacks his son
- Joshua 24:4 This mountain, the modern Jebel esh-sherá, is located in the mountain range that extends south of the Dead Sea toward the Gulf of Aqaba, and is bordered by the Arabah Valley to the west.
- Joshua 24:5 Lit. brought you (pl.)
- Joshua 24:6 So MT; LXX reads Red
- Joshua 24:7 Lit. upon them
- Joshua 24:9 The Heb. lacks word
- Joshua 24:14 The Heb. lacks Euphrates
- Joshua 24:15 The Heb. lacks Euphrates
- Joshua 24:20 The Heb. lacks all
- Joshua 24:23 The Heb. lacks Joshua said
- Joshua 24:24 Lit. replied to Josh
- Joshua 24:26 Lit. Josh
- Joshua 24:26 The Heb. lacks the shade of
- Joshua 24:27 Lit. Josh
- Joshua 24:28 The Heb. lacks returned
- Joshua 24:30 Or the hill country
- Joshua 24:33 Or the hill country
Joshua 24
Revised Geneva Translation
24 And Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called the elders of Israel, and their heads, and their judges, and their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
2 Then, Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Your fathers—Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor—dwelt beyond the river in old time and served other gods.
3 ‘And I took your father, Abraham, from beyond the river and brought him through all the land of Canaan and multiplied his seed and gave him Isaac.
4 ‘And I gave Jacob and Esau to Isaac. And I gave Mount Seir to Esau, to possess it. But Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
5 ‘I also sent Moses and Aaron and I plagued Egypt. And when I had done so among them, I brought you out.
6 ‘So I brought your fathers out of Egypt. And you came to the Sea. And the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen, to the Red Sea.’
7 “Then they cried to the LORD, and He put a darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the Sea upon them, and covered them. ‘So, your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt. Also, you dwelt in the wilderness for a long season.
8 ‘Afterward, I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt beyond Jordan. And they fought with you. But I gave them into your hand; and you possessed their country; and I destroyed them out of your sight.
9 ‘Also, Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel and sent to Balaam, the son of Beor, to curse you.
10 ‘But I would not hear Balaam. Therefore, he blessed you; and I delivered you out of his hand.
11 ‘And you went over Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I delivered them into your hand.
12 ‘And I sent hornets before you, which cast them out before you (the two kings of the Amorites, that is) not your sword or your bow.
13 ‘And I have given you a land in which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build. And you dwell in them and eat from the vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant.’
14 “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in uprightness and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the river, and in Egypt. And serve the LORD.
15 “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served (that were beyond the river) or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But I and my House will serve the LORD.”
16 Then the people answered and said, “May it never be that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods!
17 “For the LORD our God, He brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; and he did those great miracles in our sight and preserved us in all the ways that we went and among all the people through whom we came!
18 “And the LORD cast all the people out before us, even the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We, also, will serve the LORD! For He is our God!”
19 And Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the LORD. For He is a Holy God. He is a jealous God. He will not pardon your iniquity or your sins.
20 “If you forsake the LORD and serve strange gods, then He will return and bring misery upon you, and consume you, after He has done you good.”
21 And the people said to Joshua, “No! But we will serve the LORD!”
22 And Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve Him.” And they said, “Witnessed!”
23 “Then put away, now, the strange gods which are among you, and bow your hearts to the LORD 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 made a covenant with the people that same day and gave them an Ordinance and Law in Shechem.
26 And Joshua wrote these Words in the Book of the Law of God and took a great stone and set it up there under an oak that was in the Sanctuary of the LORD.
27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us! For it has heard all the Words of the LORD which He spoke with us! It shall, therefore, be a witness against you, lest you deny your God!”
28 Then Joshua let the people depart, every man to his inheritance.
29 And after these things, Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD died, being a hundred and ten years old.
30 And they buried him on the border of his inheritance, in Timnath Serah, which is on Mount Ephraim, on the North side of Mount Gaash.
31 And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and who had known all the works of the LORD that He had done for Israel.
32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver. And the children of Joseph had them in their inheritance.
33 Also, Eleazar, the son of Aaron, died. And they buried him on the hill of Phinehas, his son, which was given to him on Mount Ephraim.
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
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
