Joshua 24

Joshua Reviews Israel's History

1 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and their judges and their officers; and they presented themselves before God.2 Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the tRiver, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods.3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau, and to Esau I gave Mount Seir to possess it; but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.5 Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt by what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out.6 I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and Egypt pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.7 But when they cried out to the LORD, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and covered them; and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness for a long time.8 Then I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan, and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land when I destroyed them before you.9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.10 But I was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his hand.11 You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Girgashite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. Thus I gave them into your hand.12 Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow.13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.'

"We Will Serve the LORD"

14 "Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.15 If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

16 The people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;17 for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.18 The LORD drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God."

19 Then Joshua said to the people, "You will not be able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins.20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you."21 The people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve the LORD."22 Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the LORD, to serve Him." And they said, "We are witnesses."23 "Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."24 The people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and we will obey His voice."25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.27 Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be for a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us; thus it shall be for a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God."28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his inheritance.

Joshua's Death and Burial

29 It came about after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being one hundred and ten years old.30 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of Mount Gaash.

31 Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the LORD which He had done for Israel.

32 Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the piece of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph's sons.33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him at Gibeah 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