The Eastern Tribes Return Home

22 At that time Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and said to them, “You have kept (A)all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you (B)and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you. You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the Lord your God. (C)And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as he promised them. Therefore turn and go to your tents in the land where your possession lies, (D)which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. (E)Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, (F)to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” So Joshua (G)blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, (H)but to the other half Joshua had given a possession beside their brothers in the land west of the Jordan. And when Joshua sent them away to their homes and blessed them, he said to them, “Go back to your tents with much wealth and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and with much clothing. (I)Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.” So the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home, parting from the people of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go (J)to the land of Gilead, their own land of which they had possessed themselves by command of the Lord through Moses.

The Eastern Tribes' Altar of Witness

10 And when they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of imposing size. 11 And the people of Israel (K)heard it said, “Behold, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel.” 12 And when the people of Israel heard of it, (L)the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered at Shiloh to make war against them.

13 Then the people of Israel sent to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, (M)Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, 14 and with him ten chiefs, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, (N)every one of them the head of a family among the clans of Israel. 15 And they came to the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them, 16 “Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, ‘What is this breach of faith that you have committed against the God of Israel in turning away this day from following the Lord by building yourselves an altar this day (O)in rebellion against the Lord? 17 Have we not had enough of (P)the sin at Peor from which even yet we have not cleansed ourselves, and for which there came a plague upon the congregation of the Lord, 18 that you too must turn away this day from following the Lord? And if (Q)you too rebel against the Lord today then tomorrow (R)he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19 But now, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over into the Lord's land (S)where the Lord's tabernacle stands, and take for yourselves a possession among us. (T)Only do not rebel against the Lord or make us as rebels by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20 (U)Did not Achan the son of Zerah break faith in the matter of the devoted things, and (V)wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And he did not perish alone for his iniquity.’”

21 Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of Israel, 22 “The Mighty One, (W)God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! (X)He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the Lord, do not spare us today 23 for building an altar to turn away from following the Lord. Or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings on it, may the Lord himself (Y)take vengeance. 24 No, but we did it from fear that (Z)in time to come your children might say to our children, ‘What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 For the Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the Lord.’ So your children might make our children cease to worship the Lord. 26 Therefore we said, ‘Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, 27 but to be (AA)a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we (AB)do perform the service of the Lord in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings, so your children will not say to our children in time to come, “You have no portion in the Lord.”’ 28 And we thought, ‘If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we should say, “Behold, the copy of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to be (AC)a witness between us and you.”’ 29 Far be it from us that we should (AD)rebel against the Lord and turn away this day from following the Lord (AE)by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle!”

30 When (AF)Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh spoke, (AG)it was good in their eyes. 31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh, “Today we know that (AH)the Lord is in our midst, because you have not committed this breach of faith against the Lord. Now you have delivered the people of Israel from the hand of the Lord.”

32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs, returned from the people of Reuben and the people of Gad (AI)in the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the people of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33 And the report (AJ)was good in the eyes of the people of Israel. And the people of Israel (AK)blessed God and spoke no more of making war against them to destroy the land where the people of Reuben and the people of Gad were settled. 34 The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar Witness, “For,” they said, (AL)“it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”

Joshua's Charge to Israel's Leaders

23 A long time afterward, when the Lord had given (AM)rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua (AN)was old and well advanced in years, Joshua (AO)summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, “I am now old and well advanced in years. And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, (AP)for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. Behold, (AQ)I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. The Lord your God (AR)will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, (AS)just as the Lord your God promised you. Therefore, (AT)be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, (AU)turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, (AV)that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you (AW)or make mention of the names of their gods (AX)or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, (AY)but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. (AZ)For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, (BA)no man has been able to stand before you to this day. 10 (BB)One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God (BC)who fights for you, just as he promised you. 11 (BD)Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. 12 For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you (BE)and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13 know for certain that (BF)the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, (BG)but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.

14 “And now (BH)I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that (BI)not one word has failed of all the good things[a] that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. 15 But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you (BJ)all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, 16 if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”

The Covenant Renewal at Shechem

24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel (BK)to Shechem and (BL)summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And (BM)they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, (BN)your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates,[b] Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and (BO)they served other gods. (BP)Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River[c] and (BQ)led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. (BR)I gave him Isaac. And to Isaac I gave (BS)Jacob and Esau. (BT)And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, (BU)but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. (BV)And I sent Moses and Aaron, (BW)and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and (BX)afterward I brought you out.

“‘Then (BY)I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and (BZ)you came to the sea. (CA)And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. (CB)And when they cried to the Lord, (CC)he put darkness between you and the Egyptians (CD)and made the sea come upon them and cover them; (CE)and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. (CF)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. (CG)They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. (CH)Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. (CI)And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, 10 (CJ)but I would not listen to Balaam. (CK)Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 (CL)And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, (CM)and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also (CN)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 (CO)the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was (CP)not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored (CQ)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 (CR)“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. (CS)Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 (CT)And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, (CU)choose this day whom you will serve, whether (CV)the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or (CW)the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. (CX)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 (CY)a holy God. He is (CZ)a jealous God; (DA)he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 (DB)If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then (DC)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 (DD)you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then (DE)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 (DF)made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place (DG)statutes and rules for them at Shechem. 26 And Joshua (DH)wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And (DI)he took a large stone and set it up there (DJ)under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, (DK)this stone shall be a witness against us, for (DL)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 (DM)sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

Joshua's Death and Burial

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

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

32 (DR)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 (DS)that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money.[d] 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 (DT)Phinehas his son, which had been given him in (DU)the hill country of Ephraim.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 23:14 Or words; also twice in verse 15
  2. Joshua 24:2 Hebrew the River
  3. Joshua 24:3 That is, the Euphrates; also verses 14, 15
  4. Joshua 24:32 Hebrew for a hundred qesitah; a unit of money of unknown value

Eastern Tribes Return Home

22 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh and said to them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded,(A) and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. For a long time now—to this very day—you have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you. Now that the Lord your God has given them rest(B) as he promised, return to your homes(C) in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan.(D) But be very careful to keep the commandment(E) and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord(F) your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands,(G) to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.(H)

Then Joshua blessed(I) them and sent them away, and they went to their homes. (To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan,(J) and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side(K) of the Jordan along with their fellow Israelites.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them,(L) saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth—with large herds of livestock,(M) with silver, gold, bronze and iron,(N) and a great quantity of clothing—and divide(O) the plunder(P) from your enemies with your fellow Israelites.”

So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh(Q) in Canaan to return to Gilead,(R) their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the Lord through Moses.

10 When they came to Geliloth(S) near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar(T) there by the Jordan. 11 And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, 12 the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh(U) to go to war against them.

13 So the Israelites sent Phinehas(V) son of Eleazar,(W) the priest, to the land of Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 14 With him they sent ten of the chief men, one from each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.(X)

15 When they went to Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh—they said to them: 16 “The whole assembly of the Lord says: ‘How could you break faith(Y) with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion(Z) against him now? 17 Was not the sin of Peor(AA) enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the Lord! 18 And are you now turning away from the Lord?

“‘If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community(AB) of Israel. 19 If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the Lord’s land, where the Lord’s tabernacle(AC) stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar(AD) for yourselves, other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20 When Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful in regard to the devoted things,[a](AE) did not wrath(AF) come on the whole community(AG) of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.’”(AH)

21 Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: 22 “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God,(AI) the Lord!(AJ) He knows!(AK) And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day. 23 If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings,(AL) or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord himself call us to account.(AM)

24 “No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you—you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the Lord.’ So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the Lord.

26 “That is why we said, ‘Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’ 27 On the contrary, it is to be a witness(AN) between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings.(AO) Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the Lord.’

28 “And we said, ‘If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the Lord’s altar, which our ancestors built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness(AP) between us and you.’

29 “Far be it from us to rebel(AQ) against the Lord and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle.(AR)

30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of the Israelites—heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. 31 And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is with us,(AS) because you have not been unfaithful to the Lord in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord’s hand.”

32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites.(AT) 33 They were glad to hear the report and praised God.(AU) And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.

34 And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness(AV) Between Us—that the Lord is God.

Joshua’s Farewell to the Leaders

23 After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest(AW) from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man,(AX) summoned all Israel—their elders,(AY) leaders, judges and officials(AZ)—and said to them: “I am very old.(BA) You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you.(BB) Remember how I have allotted(BC) as an inheritance(BD) for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea(BE) in the west. The Lord your God himself will push them out(BF) for your sake. He will drive them out(BG) before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.(BH)

“Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law(BI) of Moses, without turning aside(BJ) to the right or to the left.(BK) Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear(BL) by them. You must not serve them or bow down(BM) to them. But you are to hold fast to the Lord(BN) your God, as you have until now.

“The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations;(BO) to this day no one has been able to withstand you.(BP) 10 One of you routs a thousand,(BQ) because the Lord your God fights for you,(BR) just as he promised. 11 So be very careful(BS) to love the Lord(BT) your God.

12 “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them(BU) and associate with them,(BV) 13 then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out(BW) these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares(BX) and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes,(BY) until you perish from this good land,(BZ) which the Lord your God has given you.

14 “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth.(CA) You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise(CB) has been fulfilled; not one has failed.(CC) 15 But just as all the good things(CD) the Lord your God has promised you have come to you, so he will bring on you all the evil things(CE) he has threatened, until the Lord your God has destroyed you(CF) from this good land he has given you.(CG) 16 If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.(CH)

The Covenant Renewed at Shechem

24 Then Joshua assembled(CI) all the tribes of Israel at Shechem.(CJ) He summoned(CK) the elders,(CL) leaders, judges and officials of Israel,(CM) and they presented themselves before God.

Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor,(CN) lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.(CO) But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan(CP) and gave him many descendants.(CQ) I gave him Isaac,(CR) and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.(CS) I assigned the hill country of Seir(CT) to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.(CU)

“‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron,(CV) and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.(CW) When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea,(CX) and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen[b](CY) as far as the Red Sea.[c](CZ) But they cried(DA) to the Lord for help, and he put darkness(DB) between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them.(DC) You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians.(DD) Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.(DE)

“‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites(DF) who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land.(DG) When Balak son of Zippor,(DH) the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor(DI) to put a curse on you.(DJ) 10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you(DK) again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

11 “‘Then you crossed the Jordan(DL) and came to Jericho.(DM) The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites,(DN) Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites,(DO) but I gave them into your hands.(DP) 12 I sent the hornet(DQ) ahead of you, which drove them out(DR) before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.(DS) 13 So I gave you a land(DT) on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’(DU)

14 “Now fear the Lord(DV) and serve him with all faithfulness.(DW) Throw away the gods(DX) your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt,(DY) and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites,(DZ) in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household,(EA) we will serve the Lord.”(EB)

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake(EC) the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery,(ED) and performed those great signs(EE) before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out(EF) before us all the nations,(EG) including the Amorites, who lived in the land.(EH) We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.(EI)

19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God;(EJ) he is a jealous God.(EK) He will not forgive(EL) your rebellion(EM) and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord(EN) and serve foreign gods, he will turn(EO) and bring disaster(EP) on you and make an end of you,(EQ) after he has been good to you.”

21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”

22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses(ER) against yourselves that you have chosen(ES) to serve the Lord.”

“Yes, we are witnesses,(ET)” they replied.

23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods(EU) that are among you and yield your hearts(EV) to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”(EW)

25 On that day Joshua made a covenant(EX) for the people, and there at Shechem(EY) he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.(EZ) 26 And Joshua recorded(FA) these things in the Book of the Law of God.(FB) Then he took a large stone(FC) and set it up there under the oak(FD) near the holy place of the Lord.

27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone(FE) will be a witness(FF) against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue(FG) to your God.”(FH)

28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.(FI)

Buried in the Promised Land(FJ)

29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died(FK) at the age of a hundred and ten.(FL) 30 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah[d](FM) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.(FN)

31 Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders(FO) who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.

32 And Joseph’s bones,(FP) which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt,(FQ) were buried at Shechem in the tract of land(FR) that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver[e] from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.

33 And Eleazar son of Aaron(FS) died and was buried at Gibeah,(FT) which had been allotted to his son Phinehas(FU) in the hill country(FV) of Ephraim.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 22:20 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  2. Joshua 24:6 Or charioteers
  3. Joshua 24:6 Or the Sea of Reeds
  4. Joshua 24:30 Also known as Timnath Heres (see Judges 2:9)
  5. Joshua 24:32 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value.