Jos 24 | ABEn | STEP | And Joshua brought together all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and he called together the elders of Israel, and their rulers, and their magistrates, and their scribes; and they stood before God.

‏ Joshua 24

CHAPTER 24 The History of Israel's Sojourn

1 And Joshua brought together all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and he called together the elders of Israel, and their rulers, and their magistrates, and their scribes; and they stood before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the lord God of Israel, On the other side of the river [²dwelled ¹your fathers] from the beginning -- Terah the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor; and they served [²gods ¹other]. 3 And I took your father Abraham from out of the other side of the river, and I guided him in all the land of Canaan, and I multiplied his seed. 4 And I gave to him Isaac; and I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau; and I gave to Esau mount Seir, for an inheritance to him; and Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt. 5 And I sent Moses and Aaron, and he struck Egypt with the things which he did among them. 6 And after these things he led you, and he led your fathers from out of Egypt. And you entered into the sea, and [³pursued ¹the ²Egyptians] after your fathers with chariots and with horses into the [²sea ¹red]. 7 And we yelled to the lord, and he put a cloud and dimness between you and between the Egyptians; and he brought upon them the sea, and it covered them; and [²beheld ¹your eyes] as much as the lord did in the land of Egypt; and you were in the wilderness [²days ¹many]. 8 And he led you into the land of the Amorites dwelling on the other side of the Jordan; and they deployed against you. And [²delivered ³them ¹the lord] into your hands, and you inherited their land, and you utterly destroyed them from your face. 9 And Balak rose up, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, and deployed against Israel. And sending, he called Balaam son of Beor to curse you. 10 And [³did not ⁴want ¹the lord ²your God] to destroy you, and with blessings he blessed you, and rescued you from their hands. 11 And you passed over the Jordan and came to Jericho; and [⁴waged war ⁵against ⁶you ¹the ones ²dwelling ³in Jericho], the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and he delivered them into your hands. 12 And he sent [³in front ⁴of you ¹the ²swarm of wasps], and it cast them out from your presence -- the two kings of the Amorites; but not by your broadsword, nor by your bow. 13 And he gave to you the land upon which you did not tire by labor upon; and he gave cities which you did not build, but you settled upon them; and he gave vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant, but you shall eat from them.

Choose Whom You Will Serve

14 And now fear the lord, and serve him in straightness and in righteousness, and remove the [²gods ¹alien] which [²served ¹your fathers] on the other side of the river, and in Egypt, and serve to the lord! 15 But if it is not pleasing to you to serve to the lord, choose to yourselves today whom you should serve! whether to the gods of your fathers, to the ones on the other side of the river, or whether to the gods of the Amorites, in which you dwell upon their land. But I and my house, will serve to the lord! 16 And responding the people said, May it not be to us to leave the lord so as to serve [²gods ¹other]. 17 The lord our God, he led us and our fathers from out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery, and as many as [³he did ⁴to us ²signs ¹these great], and guarded us in all the way which we went by it, and among all the nations which we went through them. 18 And the lord cast out all the nations, and the Amorite dwelling in the land, from our face. But also we will serve to the lord, for this one is our God. 19 And Joshua said to all the people, In no way shall you be able to serve to the lord (for he is holy, and God is jealous, this one shall not spare your violations of the law, and your sins) 20 when ever you should abandon the lord, and should serve [²gods ¹alien]. And coming he shall afflict you, and shall completely consume you, because [²good ¹he did] to you. 21 And [³said ¹the ²people] to Joshua, No, but to the lord we shall serve. 22 And Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses according to yourselves that [³chose ¹you ²yourselves] the lord, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. 23 And now, remove the [²gods ¹alien], the ones among you, and straighten the heart to the lord God of Israel! 24 And [³said ¹the ²people] to Joshua, To the lord our God we shall serve, and of his voice we shall hearken.

Joshua Ordains a Covenant with Israel

25 And Joshua ordained a covenant with the people in that day. And he gave to them the law and judgment in Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these things in a scroll of the law of God. And [²took ⁴stone ³a great ⁵and ⁶set ⁷it ¹Joshua] there under the terebinth tree before the lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone will be to you for a testimony; for it has heard all the things being said by the lord, as much as he spoke to you today. And this will be in you for a testimony unto the last of the days, when ever you should lie to the lord your God. 28 And Joshua sent the people each to his place.

Joshua Dies

29 And it came to pass after those things [⁴died ¹Joshua ²the son ³of Nun], a servant of the lord who was a hundred ten years old. 30 And they entombed him by the borders of his inheritance in Timmnath-serah, in mount Ephraim, from the north of the mountain of Gaash. 31 And Israel served to the lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders, as many as dragged on in time after Joshua, and as many as beheld all the works of the lord, as much as he did to Israel. 32 And [⁵the ⁶bones ⁷of Joseph ⁴took up ¹the ²sons ³of Israel] from out of Egypt, and they buried them in Shechem, in the portion of the field of which Jacob acquired from the Amorites dwelling in Shechem for a hundred ewe-lambs, and he gave it to Joseph for a portion. 33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the chief priest came to an end; and he was entombed in Gabath of Phinehas his son, which he gave to him in mount Ephraim.