Joshua 24:14-28
Christian Standard Bible
The Covenant Renewal
14 “Therefore, fear the Lord and worship him in sincerity and truth.(A) Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped(B) beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship the Lord. 15 But if it doesn’t please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship—the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living?(C) As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.”
16 The people replied, “We will certainly not abandon the Lord to worship other gods! 17 For the Lord our God brought us and our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery,(D) and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected us all along the way we went and among all the peoples whose lands we traveled through. 18 The Lord drove out before us all the peoples, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will worship the Lord, because he is our God.”
19 But Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to worship the Lord, because he is a holy God. He is a jealous God;(E) he will not forgive your transgressions and sins.(F) 20 If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you, harm you, and completely destroy(G) you, after he has been good to you.”
21 “No!” the people answered Joshua. “We will worship the Lord.”
22 Joshua then told the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you yourselves have chosen to worship the Lord.”
“We are witnesses,” they said.
23 “Then get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 So the people said to Joshua, “We will worship the Lord our God and obey him.”
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people at Shechem and established a statute and ordinance for them. 26 Joshua recorded these things in the book of the law of God;(H) he also took a large stone and set it up there under the oak at the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone—it will be a witness against us,(I) for it has heard all the words the Lord said to us, and it will be a witness against you, so that you will not deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.
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Joshua 24:14-28
International Standard Version
14 “Now you must fear the Lord and serve him in faithfulness and truth. Throw away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates[a] River and in Egypt. Instead, serve the Lord. 15 If you think it’s the wrong thing for you to serve the Lord, then choose for yourselves today whom you will serve—the gods whom your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates[b] River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose territories you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
The Response of the People
16 In response, the people said, “Far be it from us that we should abandon the Lord to serve other gods, 17 since the Lord our God is the one who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, from a life of slavery. He did those great things right in front of us, preserving us along the way that we traveled and among all the peoples through whose territory we passed. 18 The Lord expelled all the people before us, including the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore, we also will serve the Lord, since he is our God.”
19 So Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord, because he is a God of Holiness. He is a jealous God, and he will forgive neither your transgressions nor your sins. 20 If you abandon the Lord and serve foreign deities, then he will turn and do you harm, consuming you after all[c] the good he has done for you.”
21 “No,” the people replied to Joshua. “We will serve the Lord.”
22 Joshua responded, “You are giving testimony against yourselves, that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
They replied, “We are witnesses!”
23 Joshua said,[d] “Therefore abandon the foreign gods that are among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 The people replied,[e] “We will serve the Lord our God and obey his voice.”
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, making statutes and ordinances in Shechem. 26 He[f] wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God, took a large stone, moved it under the shade of[g] the oak tree that was near the sanctuary of the Lord, 27 and then[h] told all of the people, “Look! This stone will testify for us, because it has heard everything that the Lord has spoken to us. So it will stand as a witness against you in the event that you deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, and each man returned[i] to his territorial inheritance.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Joshua 24:14 The Heb. lacks Euphrates
- Joshua 24:15 The Heb. lacks Euphrates
- Joshua 24:20 The Heb. lacks all
- Joshua 24:23 The Heb. lacks Joshua said
- Joshua 24:24 Lit. replied to Josh
- Joshua 24:26 Lit. Josh
- Joshua 24:26 The Heb. lacks the shade of
- Joshua 24:27 Lit. Josh
- Joshua 24:28 The Heb. lacks returned
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