24:1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
24:2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods.
24:3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac,
24:4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
24:5 “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.
24:6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea.
24:7 But they cried to the LORD for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.
24:8 “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land.
24:9 When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you.
24:10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.
24:11 “‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands.
24:12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you–also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.
24:13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’
24:14 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
24:15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
24:16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!
24:17 It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.
24:18 And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.”
24:19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.
24:20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”
24:21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the LORD.”
24:22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.
24:23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
24:24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey him.”
24:25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws.
24:26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the LORD.
24:27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness 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 to your God.”
24:28 Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.
24:29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten.
24:30 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
24:31 Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the LORD had done for Israel.
24:32 And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.
24:33 And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.
24:1 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem; and he called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and for their judges and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
24:2 And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt across the River long ago, Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor; and they served other gods.
24:3 And I took your father Abraham from across the River and brought him throughout all the land of Canaan; and I multiplied his seed and gave him Isaac.
24:4 And I gave Jacob and Esau to Isaac. And I gave Mount Seir to Esau, that he might possess it; but Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt.
24:5 And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt by what I did in the midst of it; and afterward I brought you out.
24:6 And I brought your fathers out from Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and with horsemen unto the Red Sea.
24:7 And when they cried out to Jehovah, He put deep darkness between you and the Egyptians; and He brought the sea upon them and covered them. And your eyes saw what I did to Egypt. And you dwelt in the wilderness for many days.
24:8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt beyond the Jordan, and they fought with you. And I gave them into your hand, and you possessed their land; and I destroyed them before you.
24:9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, the king of Moab, rose up and fought against Israel; and he sent men and called for Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.
24:10 But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he altogether blessed you, and I delivered you out of his hand.
24:11 And you crossed over the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the lords of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I gave them into your hand.
24:12 And I sent the hornet before you, and it drove them out from before you, that is, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow.
24:13 And I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.
24:14 Now therefore fear Jehovah, and serve Him in sincerity and faithfulness; and put away the gods whom your fathers served across the River and in Egypt, and serve Jehovah.
24:15 And if it seems wrong in your sight to serve Jehovah, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve, either the gods from across the River, whom your fathers served, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.
24:16 And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we would forsake Jehovah to serve other gods;
24:17 For Jehovah our God is the One who brought us and our fathers out from the land of Egypt, from the slave house, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed;
24:18 And Jehovah drove out all the peoples from before us, that is, the Amorites who inhabit the land. We also will serve Jehovah, for He is our God.
24:19 Then Joshua said to the people, You are not able to serve Jehovah, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins.
24:20 If you forsake Jehovah and serve foreign gods, He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you.
24:21 And the people said to Joshua, No; but we will serve Jehovah.
24:22 Then Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen Jehovah on your own, to serve Him. And they said, We are witnesses.
24:23 Now therefore put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to Jehovah the God of Israel.
24:24 And the people said to Joshua, Jehovah our God we will serve, and to His voice we will listen.
24:25 So Joshua made a covenant for the people that day, and he made a statute and an ordinance for them in Shechem.
24:26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and he took a great stone and erected it there under the terebinth that was at the sanctuary of Jehovah.
24:27 And Joshua said to all the people, This stone here shall be as a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of Jehovah, which He has spoken to us; and it shall be as a witness against you, lest you act deceptively against your God.
24:28 Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.
24:29 And after these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died at the age of one hundred and ten years.
24:30 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
24:31 And Israel served Jehovah throughout all the days of Joshua and throughout all the days of the elders whose days extended after Joshua’s and who knew all the work of Jehovah that He had done for Israel.
24:32 And Joseph’s bones, which the children of Israel had brought up from Egypt, were buried in Shechem, in the portion of the field that Jacob had bought from the children of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money; and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
24:33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in the hill of Phinehas his son, which had been given to him in the hill country of Ephraim.