Yehoshua 23
Orthodox Jewish Bible
23 And it came to pass yamim rabbim after Hashem had given manoach unto Yisroel from all their surrounding enemies, that Yehoshua was zaken and advanced in days.
2 And Yehoshua called for Kol Yisroel, and for their zekenim, and for their Rashim, and for their Shofetim, and for their Shoterim, and said unto them, I am zaken and advanced in days;
3 And ye have seen all that Hashem Eloheichem hath done unto all these Goyim for your sakes; for Hashem Eloheichem is He that hath fought for you.
4 Remember I have allotted unto you these Goyim that remain, to be a nachalah for your shvatim, from the Yarden, even kol HaGoyim that I have cut off, even unto the Yam HaGadol [Mediterranean Sea] toward the setting of the shemesh.
5 And Hashem Eloheichem, He shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, just as Hashem Eloheichem hath promised unto you.
6 Therefore chazak! Be very courageous to be shomer and to do all that is written in the Sefer Torah Moshe, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right or to the left;
7 That ye come not among these Goyim, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the shem of eloheihem, nor have to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow down unto them;
8 But have deveykus unto Hashem Eloheichem, just as ye have done unto this day.
9 For Hashem hath driven out from before you Goyim Gedolim and atzumim (powerful ones); but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day.
10 Ish echad of you shall chase eleph; for Hashem Eloheichem, He it is that fighteth for you, just as He hath promised you.
11 Be shomer me’od therefore unto yourselves, that ye love Hashem Eloheichem.
12 Else if ye do in anywise turn back, and have deveykus unto the remnant of these Goyim, even these that remain among you, and shall intermarry with them, associate with them, and they with you;
13 Have da’as for a certainty that Hashem Eloheichem will no more drive out any of these Goyim from before you; but they shall be pach (snares) and mokesh (traps) unto you, and shot (scourges) on your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this adamah hatovah which Hashem Eloheichem hath given you.
14 And, hinei, now I am going the derech kol ha’aretz; and ye know in all your hearts and in all your nefashot, that not one thing hath failed of all the devarim hatovim which Hashem Eloheichem promised concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.
15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that just as kol hadavar hatov are come upon you, which Hashem Eloheichem promised you; so shall Hashem bring upon you kol hadavar harah, until He hath destroyed you from off this adamah hatovah which Hashem Eloheichem hath given you.
16 When ye have transgressed the Brit Hashem Eloheichem, which He commanded you, and have gone and served elohim acharim, and bowed down yourselves to them; then shall the Af Hashem be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off HaAretz Hatovah which He hath given unto you.
Joshua 23
International Standard Version
Joshua’s Retirement Address to Israel
23 Many years later, after the Lord had given peace[a] between Israel and all its surrounding enemies, and after Joshua had become very old, 2 Joshua called together all Israel, including their leaders, officials, judges, and tribal officers. He told them, “I am old now after having lived many years. 3 You have seen everything that the Lord your God has done to all of these nations on your behalf, because it has been the Lord your God who has been fighting on your behalf. 4 Now look, I have allocated these nations that remain as an inheritance for your tribes, including all of the nations that I have eliminated, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean[b] Sea to the west.[c] 5 The Lord your God will expel them in front of you, driving them out of your sight. You will take possession of this land, just as the Lord your God promised you. 6 Stand very strong, then, so you can obey and carry out everything written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning neither to the right nor to the left of it. 7 That way, you will not mingle with those nations that remain among you, nor mention the name of their gods, nor make oaths by them,[d] nor serve them, nor worship them. 8 Instead, you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done today, 9 because the Lord has expelled great and strong nations ahead of you. Now as for you, not a single man has been able to oppose you right to this day. 10 A single man makes a thousand flee, because the Lord your God is the one who is fighting for you, just as he promised you.
11 “So be very diligent to love the Lord your God, 12 because if you ever turn back and cling to those who remain of these nations by intermarrying with them and associating one with another, 13 know for certain that the Lord your God will not continue to drive out these nations ahead of you. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap for you, a whip to your backs, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the Lord your God has given you.
14 “Look here: today I’m going down the path that everyone on earth takes, and you know with all your hearts and souls that not a single word of all of the good things that the Lord your God spoke about you has failed to happen. Everything has been fulfilled about you—not one of them has failed. 15 However, just as all of the good things have come about that the Lord your God promised, so also the Lord will bring upon you all of the threats until he has destroyed you from possessing this good land that he[e] has given you. 16 When you break the covenant of the Lord your God that he commanded you to obey by going to serve other gods and worship them, then the anger of the Lord will blaze against you, and you will perish quickly from this good land that he gave you.”
Footnotes
- Joshua 23:1 Lit. rest
- Joshua 23:4 Lit. Great
- Joshua 23:4 Lit. Sea that faces the setting sun
- Joshua 23:7 The Heb. lacks by them
- Joshua 23:15 Lit. the Lord your God
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