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24 And Joshua gathered all the lineages of Israel into Shechem; and he called the greater men in birth, and the princes, and judges, and masters; and they stood in the sight of the Lord. (And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel into Shechem; and he called the men of great age, that is, the elders, and the leaders, and the judges, and the officers; and they stood before the Lord.)

And Joshua spake thus to the people, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, Your fathers dwelled at the beginning beyond the flood Euphrates, (that is,) Terah, the father of Abraham and Nachor, and they served alien gods. (And Joshua spoke to the people thus, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, Long ago your forefathers lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, that is, Terah, and his sons Abraham and Nachor, and they served foreign, or other, gods.)

Therefore I took your father Abraham from the coasts of Mesopotamia, and I brought him into the land of Canaan; and I multiplied his seed, and I gave Isaac to him;

and again, I gave to Isaac, Jacob, and Esau; of which I gave to Esau the hill of Seir, to have in possession; and Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt. (and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau; and I gave Esau the hill country of Seir, to have for a possession; and Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt.)

And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I smote Egypt with many signs and wonders, and I led you

and your fathers out of Egypt. And ye came to the (Red) Sea, and (the) Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots, and multitude of knights (and many soldiers), (yea,) unto the Red Sea.

And the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, and he put darknesses betwixt you and [the] Egyptians; and he brought the sea (down) on them, and (it altogether) covered them. Your eyes have seen all (the) things, which I did in Egypt. And ye dwelled in wilderness much time (And then ye lived in the wilderness, or in the desert, a long time).

And I brought you into the land of Amorites, that dwelled beyond (the) Jordan; and when they fought against you, I betook them into your hands, and ye had their land in possession, and ye killed them. (And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who lived on the east side of the Jordan River; and when they fought against you, I delivered them into your hands, and ye had their land for a possession, and ye killed them.)

And Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab, rose (up), and fought against Israel; and he sent (for), and called (on) Balaam, the son of Beor, that he should curse you.

10 And I would not hear him, but on the contrary by Balaam I blessed you, and I delivered you from the hands of Balak. (But I would not listen to him, and on the contrary, I blessed you by Balaam, and I rescued you from Balak’s hands.)

11 And ye passed [over] (the) Jordan (And ye crossed over the Jordan River), and came to Jericho; and men of that city fought against you, Amorites, and Perizzites, and Canaanites, Hittites, and Girgashites, and Hivites, and Jebusites; and I betook them (all) into your hands.

12 And I sent flies with venomous tongues before you, and I casted them out of their places; (yea,) I killed [the] two kings of (the) Amorites, not in thy sword, nor in thy bow (but not with thy sword, or with thy bow).

13 And I gave to you the land in which ye travailed not, and cities which ye builded not, (so) that ye should dwell in those, and vineries (and vineyards), and places of olive trees, which ye planted not.

14 Now therefore dread ye the Lord, and serve ye him with perfect heart and most true; and do ye away the gods, to which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. (And so now fear ye the Lord, and serve ye him with a perfect and a most true heart; and do ye away the gods whom your forefathers served in Mesopotamia, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.)

15 But if it seemeth evil to you, that ye serve the Lord, choosing is given to you; choose ye to you today that, that pleaseth, whom ye ought most to serve; whether to gods, which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, whether to the gods of Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; forsooth I, and mine house, shall serve the Lord. (But if it seemeth onerous to you, that ye serve the Lord, choosing is given to you; choose ye today what pleaseth you, whom ye ought most to serve; whether the gods, which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye live; but I, and my house, shall serve the Lord.)

16 And all the people answered, and said, Far be it from us that we forsake the Lord, and serve alien gods (and serve foreign, or other, gods).

17 Our Lord God himself led us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of servage, and did great signs in our sight; and he kept us (safe) in all the way, by which we went, and in all peoples, by which we passed; (The Lord our God himself led us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude, or of slavery, and did great miracles before us; and he kept us safe on all the way, by which we went, and among all the peoples, through whom we passed;)

18 and he casted out all folks, Amorites, the dwellers of the land, into which we entered. Therefore we shall serve the Lord, for he is our Lord God. (and he threw out the Amorites, and all the other people, who lived in the land, into which we entered. And so we shall serve the Lord, for he is the Lord our God.)

19 And Joshua said to the people, Ye may not serve the Lord; for God is holy, and a strong fervent lover, and he forgiveth not your trespasses and sins. (But Joshua said to the people, Ye shall not be able to serve the Lord; for God is holy, and a jealous God, and he will not forgive your trespasses and sins.)

20 If ye forsake the Lord, and serve alien gods (Yea, if ye forsake the Lord, and serve foreign, or other, gods), the Lord shall turn himself (away) from you, and he shall torment (you), and destroy you, (even) after that he hath given good things to you.

21 And the people said to Joshua, It shall not be so, as thou speakest, but we shall serve the Lord.

22 And Joshua said to the people, Ye be witnesses (to yourselves), that ye have chosen the Lord to you, that ye serve him. And they answered, We be witnesses. (And Joshua said to the people, Ye be your own witnesses, that ye have chosen the Lord for yourselves, and that ye shall serve him. And they answered, We be our own witnesses.)

23 Therefore, he said, now do ye away alien gods from the midst of you (And so now, he said, do ye away foreign, or other, gods from your midst), and bow ye your hearts to the Lord God of Israel.

24 And the people said to Joshua, We shall serve the Lord our God, and we shall be obedient to his behests (and we shall obey his commands).

25 Therefore Joshua smote a bond of peace in that day, and setted forth to the people commandments and dooms in Shechem. (And so Joshua struck a covenant that day, and set forth for the people commandments and laws in Shechem.)

26 And he wrote all these words in the book of God’s law. And he took a great stone, and putted it under an oak, that was in the saintuary of the Lord. (And he wrote all these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a great stone, and he set it up under the oak, or by the pole, that was there in the sanctuary of the Lord.)

27 And he said to all the people, Lo! this stone shall be to you into witnessing, that ye [have] heard all the words of the Lord, which he spake to you, lest peradventure ye would deny (it) afterward, and lie to your Lord God. (And he said to all the people, Lo! this stone shall be your witness, that ye have heard all the words of the Lord, which he spoke to you, lest ye would deny it afterward, and lie to the Lord your God.)

28 And Joshua let go the people, each man into his possession. (And then Joshua let the people go, each man back to his possession/each person back to their own place.)

29 And after these things Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, an hundred years eld and ten (and he was a hundred and ten years old).

30 And they buried him in the coasts of his possession, in Timnath of Serah, which is set in the hill of Ephraim, from the north part of the hill (of) Gaash. (And they buried him on his land, in Timnath Serah, which is set in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.)

31 And Israel served the Lord in all the days of Joshua, and of the elder men, that lived (a) long time after Joshua, and which elder men knew all the works of the Lord, which he had done in Israel (which he had done for Israel).

32 Also the bones of Joseph, the which the sons of Israel bare from Egypt, they buried in Shechem, in a part of the field, the which field Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for an hundred young sheep; and that field was into (a) possession of the sons of Joseph. (And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they buried in Shechem, in a part of the field, which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred young sheep; for that field became a possession of Joseph’s sons.)

33 Also Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, died; and Phinehas and his sons buried him in Gibeah, which was given to him in the hill of Ephraim. (And Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, died; and Phinehas and his sons buried him on a hill, which had been given to Phinehas, in the hill country of Ephraim.)

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. 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. (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. 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. (L)Also I sent Moses and Aaron, and (M)I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I brought you out.

‘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. 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. 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. 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

  1. Joshua 24:2 The Euphrates
  2. Joshua 24:3 The Euphrates
  3. Joshua 24:3 Lit. seed
  4. Joshua 24:14 The Euphrates
  5. Joshua 24:15 The Euphrates
  6. Joshua 24:25 Lit. cut a covenant
  7. Joshua 24:32 Heb. qesitah, an unknown ancient measure of weight

The Covenant Renewal at Shechem

24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel (A)to Shechem and (B)summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And (C)they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, (D)your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates,[a] Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and (E)they served other gods. (F)Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River[b] and (G)led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. (H)I gave him Isaac. And to Isaac I gave (I)Jacob and Esau. (J)And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, (K)but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. (L)And I sent Moses and Aaron, (M)and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and (N)afterward I brought you out.

“‘Then (O)I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and (P)you came to the sea. (Q)And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. (R)And when they cried to the Lord, (S)he put darkness between you and the Egyptians (T)and made the sea come upon them and cover them; (U)and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. (V)And you lived in the wilderness a long time. Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. (W)They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. (X)Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. (Y)And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, 10 (Z)but I would not listen to Balaam. (AA)Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 (AB)And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, (AC)and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also (AD)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 (AE)the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was (AF)not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored (AG)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 (AH)“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. (AI)Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 (AJ)And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, (AK)choose this day whom you will serve, whether (AL)the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or (AM)the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. (AN)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 (AO)a holy God. He is (AP)a jealous God; (AQ)he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 (AR)If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then (AS)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 (AT)you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then (AU)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 (AV)made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place (AW)statutes and rules for them at Shechem. 26 And Joshua (AX)wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And (AY)he took a large stone and set it up there (AZ)under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, (BA)this stone shall be a witness against us, for (BB)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 (BC)sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

Joshua's Death and Burial

29 (BD)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 (BE)Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

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

32 (BH)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 (BI)that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money.[c] 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 (BJ)Phinehas his son, which had been given him in (BK)the hill country of Ephraim.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 24:2 Hebrew the River
  2. Joshua 24:3 That is, the Euphrates; also verses 14, 15
  3. Joshua 24:32 Hebrew for a hundred qesitah; a unit of money of uncertain value