Joshua 24

The Covenant at Shechem

1 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.2 And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.3 Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.5 Also I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I brought you out.6 Then 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 So they cried out to the Lord; and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon them, and covered them. And your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you dwelt in the wilderness a long time.8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they fought with you. But I gave them into your hand, that you might possess their land, and I destroyed them from before you.9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.10 But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand.11 Then you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand.12 I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow.13 I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.14 Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. 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 that were 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 So 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, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed.18 And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.19 But 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 nor 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 you good.21 And the people said to Joshua, No, but we will serve the Lord!22 So Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord for yourselves, to serve Him. And they said, We are witnesses!23 Now therefore, he said, put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.24 And the people said to Joshua, The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.26 Then 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 And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.28 So Joshua let the people depart, each to his own inheritance.

Death of Joshua and Eleazar

29 Now it came to pass 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 within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Serah, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.32 The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph.33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in a hill belonging to Phinehas his son, which was given to him in the mountains 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