Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close NET

Joshua 24:14-28
New English Translation

14 “Now[a] obey[b] the Lord and worship[c] him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors[d] worshiped[e] beyond the Euphrates[f] and in Egypt, and worship[g] the Lord. 15 If you have no desire[h] to worship[i] the Lord, then choose today whom you will worship,[j] whether it be the gods whom your ancestors[k] worshiped[l] beyond the Euphrates,[m] or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family[n] will worship[o] the Lord.”

16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can[p] worship[q] other gods! 17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery[r] in the land of Egypt[s] and performed these awesome miracles[t] before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations.[u] 18 The Lord drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship[v] the Lord, for he is our God!”

19 Joshua warned[w] the people, “You will not keep worshiping[x] the Lord, for[y] he is a holy God.[z] He is a jealous God who will not forgive[aa] your rebellion or your sins. 20 If[ab] you abandon the Lord and worship[ac] foreign gods, he will turn against you;[ad] he will bring disaster on you and destroy you,[ae] though he once treated you well.”[af]

21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We really will[ag] worship[ah] the Lord.” 22 Joshua said to the people, “Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the Lord?”[ai] They replied, “We are witnesses!”[aj] 23 Joshua said,[ak] “Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to[al] the Lord God of Israel.”

24 The people said to Joshua, “We will worship[am] the Lord our God and obey him.”[an]

25 That day Joshua drew up an agreement[ao] for the people, and he established rules and regulations[ap] for them in Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the Law Scroll of God. He then took a large stone and set it up there under the oak tree near the Lord’s sanctuary. 27 Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a witness against us, for it has heard everything the Lord said to us.[aq] It will be a witness against you if[ar] you deny your God.” 28 When Joshua dismissed the people, they went to their allotted portions of land.[as]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 24:14 sn Joshua quotes the Lord’s words in vv. 2b-13 (note that the Lord speaks in the first person in these verses); in vv. 14-15 Joshua himself exhorts the people (note the third person references to the Lord).
  2. Joshua 24:14 tn Heb “fear.”
  3. Joshua 24:14 tn Or “and serve.”
  4. Joshua 24:14 tn Heb “your fathers.”
  5. Joshua 24:14 tn Or “served.”
  6. Joshua 24:14 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.
  7. Joshua 24:14 tn Or “and serve.”
  8. Joshua 24:15 tn Heb “if it is bad in your eyes.”
  9. Joshua 24:15 tn Or “to serve.”
  10. Joshua 24:15 tn Or “will serve.”
  11. Joshua 24:15 tn Heb “your fathers.”
  12. Joshua 24:15 tn Or “served.”
  13. Joshua 24:15 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.
  14. Joshua 24:15 tn Heb “house.”
  15. Joshua 24:15 tn Or “will serve.”
  16. Joshua 24:16 tn Heb “to.”
  17. Joshua 24:16 tn Or “can serve.”
  18. Joshua 24:17 tn Heb “of the house of slavery.”
  19. Joshua 24:17 tn Heb “for the Lord our God, he is the one who brought up us and our fathers from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves.”
  20. Joshua 24:17 tn Or “great signs.”
  21. Joshua 24:17 tn Heb “and he guarded us in all the way in which we walked and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.”
  22. Joshua 24:18 tn Or “will serve.”
  23. Joshua 24:19 tn Heb “said to.”
  24. Joshua 24:19 tn Heb “you are not able to serve.”
  25. Joshua 24:19 sn For an excellent discussion of Joshua’s logical argument here, see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 274-75.
  26. Joshua 24:19 tn In the Hebrew text both the divine name (אֱלֹהִים, ʾelohim) and the adjective (קְדֹשִׁים, qedoshim, “holy”) are plural. Normally the divine name, when referring to the one true God, takes singular modifiers, but this is a rare exception where the adjective agrees grammatically with the honorific plural noun. See GKC §124.i and IBHS 122.
  27. Joshua 24:19 tn Heb “lift up” or “take away.”sn This assertion obviously needs qualification, for the OT elsewhere affirms that God does forgive. Joshua is referring to the persistent national rebellion against the Mosaic covenant that eventually causes God to decree unconditionally the nation’s exile.
  28. Joshua 24:20 tn Or “when.”
  29. Joshua 24:20 tn Or “and serve.”
  30. Joshua 24:20 tn The words “against you” are added for clarification.
  31. Joshua 24:20 tn Heb “bring you to an end.”
  32. Joshua 24:20 tn Heb “after he did good for you.”
  33. Joshua 24:21 tn The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is emphatic. Another option is to take it as explanatory, “No, for we will….”
  34. Joshua 24:21 tn Or “will serve.”
  35. Joshua 24:22 tn Heb “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the Lord to serve him.”
  36. Joshua 24:22 sn Like witnesses in a court of law, Israel’s solemn vow to worship the Lord will testify against them in the divine court if the nation ever violates its commitment.
  37. Joshua 24:23 tn The words “Joshua said” are supplied for clarification.
  38. Joshua 24:23 tn Heb “bend your heart toward.” The term לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) probably here refers to the people’s volition or will.
  39. Joshua 24:24 tn Or “will serve.”
  40. Joshua 24:24 tn Heb “and listen to his voice.”
  41. Joshua 24:25 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
  42. Joshua 24:25 tn Heb “a statute and a judgment.”
  43. Joshua 24:27 tn Heb “all the words of the Lord which he spoke with us.”
  44. Joshua 24:27 tn Or “lest,” “so that you might not.”
  45. Joshua 24:28 tn Heb “And Joshua sent the people away, each to his inheritance.”
Listen to Joshua 24:14-28
Close NIV

Joshua 24:14-28
New International Version

14 “Now fear the Lord(A) and serve him with all faithfulness.(B) Throw away the gods(C) your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt,(D) 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,(E) in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household,(F) we will serve the Lord.”(G)

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake(H) 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,(I) and performed those great signs(J) 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(K) before us all the nations,(L) including the Amorites, who lived in the land.(M) We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.(N)”

19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God;(O) he is a jealous God.(P) He will not forgive(Q) your rebellion(R) and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord(S) and serve foreign gods, he will turn(T) and bring disaster(U) on you and make an end of you,(V) 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(W) against yourselves that you have chosen(X) to serve the Lord.”

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

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

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

25 On that day Joshua made a covenant(AC) for the people, and there at Shechem(AD) he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.(AE) 26 And Joshua recorded(AF) these things in the Book of the Law of God.(AG) Then he took a large stone(AH) and set it up there under the oak(AI) near the holy place of the Lord.

27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone(AJ) will be a witness(AK) 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(AL) to your God.”(AM)

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

Read full chapter
Next
Joshua 23
Judges 1
Next
dropdown
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV