Joshua 24:19-33
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
19 Joshua in turn said to the people, “You may not be able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God; he is a passionate God(A) who will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods, he will then do evil to you and destroy you, after having done you good.”
21 But the people answered Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” 22 Joshua therefore said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” They replied, “We are witnesses!” 23 “Now, therefore, put away the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 Then the people promised Joshua, “We will serve the Lord, our God, and will listen to his voice.”
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was in the sanctuary of the Lord.(B) 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “This stone shall be our witness,(C) for it has heard all the words which the Lord spoke to us. It shall be a witness against you, should you wish to deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own heritage.(D)
Death of Joshua. 29 (E)After these events, Joshua, son of Nun, servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten, 30 and they buried him within the borders of his heritage at Timnath-serah(F) in the mountain region of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.[a] 31 Israel served the Lord during the entire lifetime of Joshua, and of those elders who outlived Joshua and who knew all the work the Lord had done for Israel. 32 (G)The bones of Joseph,[b] which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried in Shechem in the plot of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of money. This was a heritage of the descendants of Joseph. 33 When Eleazar, son of Aaron, also died, he was buried on the hill which had been given to his son Phinehas(H) in the mountain region of Ephraim.
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- 24:30 Following this verse the Greek translation of the Bible (the Septuagint) adds: “They laid with him there, in the tomb where they buried him, the flint knives with which he had circumcised the Israelites at Gilgal, when he brought them out of Egypt, as Yhwh commanded them. There they are to this very day.”
- 24:32 Joseph’s bones (Gn 50:24–26) and Jacob’s purchase of the burial ground (Gn 33:18–20) relate Joshua with Genesis. A hundred pieces of money: see note on Gn 33:19.
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