Joshua 24

1  THEN JOSHUA gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders of Israel and their heads, their judges, and their officers; they presented themselves before God.2  Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt in olden times beyond the Euphrates River, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, and they served other gods.3  And I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates River and led him through all the land of Canaan and multiplied his offspring. I gave him Isaac,4  And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau. And I gave to Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.5  I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it; and afterward I brought you out.6  I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.7  When they cried to the Lord, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and covered them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time [forty years]. 8  I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived on the other side of the Jordan; they fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you possessed their land, and I destroyed them before you.9  Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam son of Beor to curse you.10  But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you; so I delivered you out of Balak’s hand. 11  You went over the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the men of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I gave them into your hands.12  I sent the hornet [that is, the terror of you] before you, which drove the two kings of the Amorites out before you; but it was not by your sword or by your bow. 13  I have given you a land for which you did not labor and cities you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat from vineyards and olive yards you did not plant.14  Now therefore, [reverently] fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the [Euphrates] River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.15  And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.16  The people answered, Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods;17  For it is the Lord our God Who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, 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 people, the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.19  And Joshua said to the people, You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.20  If you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods, then 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 you have chosen the Lord, to serve Him. And they said, We are witnesses.23  Then put away, said he, the foreign gods that are among you and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.24  The people said to Joshua, The Lord our God we will serve; His voice we will obey.25  So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.26  And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God; and he took a great stone and set it up there under an oak that was in [the court of] the sanctuary of the Lord.27  And Joshua said to all the people, See, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the Lord spoke to us; so it shall be a witness against you, lest [afterward] you lie (pretend) and deny your God.28  So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.29  After this, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old.30  They buried him at the edge of his inheritance in Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.31  Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the works the Lord had done for Israel.32  And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem in the portion of ground Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of money; and it became the inheritance of the Josephites.33  And Eleazar son of Aaron died; and they buried him at Gibeah [on the hill] of Phinehas his son, which was given him in the hill country of Ephraim.

Joshua 24

Israel Renews its Commitment to the Lord

1 Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God.2 Joshua told all the people, “Here is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘In the distant past your ancestorst lived beyond the Euphrates River,t including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshipedt other gods,3 but I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphratest and brought him intot the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous; I gave him Isaac,4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I assigned Mount Seir,t while Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt down when I intervened in their land.t Then I brought you out.6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you arrived at the sea. The Egyptians chased your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.7 Your fatherst cried out for help to the Lord; he made the area between you and the Egyptians dark,t and then drowned them in the sea.t You witnessed with your very own eyest what I did in Egypt. You lived in the wilderness for a long time.t8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought with you, but I handed them over to you; you conqueredt their land and I destroyed them from before you.9 Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attackt against Israel. He summonedt Balaam son of Beor to call down judgmentt on you.10 I refused to respond to Balaam; he keptt prophesying good things aboutt you, and I rescued you from his power.t11 You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho.s The leaderst of Jericho, as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, fought with you, but I handed them over to you.12 I sent terrort ahead of you to drive out before you the twot Amorite kings. I gave you the victory; it was not by your swords or bows.t

13 I gave you a land int which you had not worked hard; you took up residence in cities you did not build and you are eating the produce oft vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’
14 Nows obeyt the Lord and worshipt him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestorst worshipedt beyond the Euphratest and in Egypt and worshipt the Lord.

15 If you have no desiret to worshipt the Lord, choose today whom you will worship,t whether it be the gods whom your ancestorst worshipedt beyond the Euphrates,t or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my familyt will worshipt the Lord!”
16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we cant worshipt other gods!17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slaveryt in the land of Egyptt and performed these awesome miraclest before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations.t

18 The Lord drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worshipt the Lord, for he is our God!”
19 Joshua warnedt the people, “You will not keep worshipingt the Lord, fors he is a holy God.t He is a jealous God who will not forgivets your rebellion or your sins.

20 Ift you abandon the Lord and worshipt foreign gods, he will turn against you;t he will bring disaster on you and destroy you,t though he once treated you well.”t
21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We really willt worshipt the Lord!”22 Joshua said to the people, “Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the Lord?”t They replied, “We are witnesses!”s

23 Joshua said,t “Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit tot the Lord God of Israel.”

24 The people said to Joshua, “We will worshipt the Lord our God and obey him.”t
25 That day Joshua drew up an agreementt for the people, and he established rules and regulationst 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 shrine.27 Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a witness against you, for it has heard everything the Lord said to us.t It will be a witness against you ift you deny your God.”

28 When Joshua dismissed the people, they went to their allotted portions of land.t

An Era Ends

29 After all thist Joshua son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died at the age of one hundred ten.30 They buried him in his allotted territoryt in Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

31 Israel worshipedt the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men who outlived him remained alive.t These men had experienced firsthand everything the Lord had done for Israel.t

32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the part of the field that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money.t So it became the inheritance of the tribe of Joseph.t

33 Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him in Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim, where his son Phinehas had been assigned land.t