Joshua 8:30-35
New English Translation
Covenant Renewal
30 Then Joshua built an altar for the Lord God of Israel on Mount Ebal, 31 just as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded the Israelites. As described in the law scroll of Moses, it was made with uncut stones untouched by an iron tool.[a] On it they offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord and sacrificed tokens of peace.[b] 32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a duplicate of the law written by Moses.[c] 33 All the people,[d] rulers,[e] leaders, and judges were standing on either side of the ark, in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Both resident foreigners and native Israelites were there.[f] Half the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the Lord’s servant had previously instructed them to do for the formal blessing ceremony.[g] 34 Then[h] Joshua read aloud all the words of the law, including the blessings and the curses, just as they are written in the law scroll. 35 Joshua read aloud every commandment Moses had given[i] before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, children, and resident foreigners who lived among them.[j]
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- Joshua 8:31 tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones on which no one had wielded iron.” The expression “whole stones” refers to stones in their natural condition, i.e., not carved or shaped artificially with tools (“wielded iron”).
- Joshua 8:31 tn Or “peace offerings.”
- Joshua 8:32 tn Heb “and he wrote there on the stones a duplicate of the law of Moses which he wrote before the sons of Israel.”
- Joshua 8:33 tn Heb “All Israel.”
- Joshua 8:33 tn Or “elders.”
- Joshua 8:33 tn Heb “like the resident foreigner, like the citizen.” The language is idiomatic, meaning that both groups were treated the same, at least in this instance.
- Joshua 8:33 tn Heb “as Moses, the Lord’s servant, commanded to bless the people, Israel, formerly.”sn Moses’ earlier instructions are found in Deut 11:29.
- Joshua 8:34 tn Or “afterward.”
- Joshua 8:35 tn Heb “There was not a word from all which Moses commanded that Joshua did not read aloud.”
- Joshua 8:35 tn Heb “walked in their midst.”
Joshua 8:30-35
English Standard Version
Joshua Renews the Covenant
30 At that time Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, (A)on Mount Ebal, 31 just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings. 32 And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on (B)the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. 33 And all Israel, (C)sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests (D)who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, (E)just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel. 34 And afterward (F)he read all the words of the law, (G)the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, (H)and the women, and the little ones, and (I)the sojourners who lived[a] among them.
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- Joshua 8:35 Or traveled
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
