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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, 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. 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. 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.

‘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.

‘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. 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.

‘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.

‘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.’

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 24:2 The Heb. lacks Euphrates
  2. Joshua 24:3 The Heb. lacks Euphrates
  3. Joshua 24:3 The Heb. lacks his son
  4. 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.
  5. Joshua 24:5 Lit. brought you (pl.)
  6. Joshua 24:6 So MT; LXX reads Red
  7. Joshua 24:7 Lit. upon them
  8. Joshua 24:9 The Heb. lacks word