Joshua 24
1 Israel koca rhoek boeih te Joshua loh Shekhem ah a tingtun sak. Te vaengah Israel kah a hamca rhoek neh a lu rhoek, laitloek rhoek neh rhoiboei rhoek te a khue tih BOEIPA mikhmuh ah a pai sak.
[Many years later], Joshua summoned representatives of all the tribes of Israel. He gathered together the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the other officials at Shechem [city]. He told them to listen to what God wanted to tell them.
2 Te vaengah pilnam boeih taengah Joshua loh, “Israel Pathen BOEIPA loh, ‘Khosuen kah na pa rhoek, Abraham kah a napa, Nakhaw kah a napa Terah loh tuiva kah rhalvangan ah kho a sak uh tih pathen tloe rhoek te tho a thueng thil uh.
Joshua said to all of them, “This is what Yahweh, the God we Israeli people worship, is saying: ‘Long ago, your ancestors, including Abraham’s father Terah and Abraham’s younger brother Nahor, lived on the east side of the Euphrates River.
3 Na pa Abraham te tuiva rhalvangan lamkah ka loh phoeiah anih te Kanaan kho tom la ka caeh puei. A tii a ngan te ka rhoeng, ka rhoeng sak tih Isaak te anih taengah ka paek.
But I took your ancestor Abraham from that land east of the Euphrates River, and I led him as he lived in various places in this land of Canaan, and I enabled him to have many descendants. First, I enabled him to have a son, Isaac.
4 Isaak taengah Jakob neh Esau te ka paek. Esau te pang sak ham Seir tlang te ka paek. Tedae Jakob tah a ca rhoek neh Egypt la suntla uh.
When Isaac grew up, I enabled him to have twin sons, Jacob and Esau. I enabled Esau to live in the hilly area in Seir region, but many years later Jacob and his sons and their families went down to live in Egypt.
5 Moses neh Aaron te ka tueih tih anih lakli kah ka saii hno neh Egypt te ka vuek phoeiah ni nangmih kang khuen pueng.
“[Many years later], I sent Moses and his older brother Aaron to help your people, and I caused [the people of] Egypt to suffer very much because of what I did there. Then I enabled your ancestors to leave Egypt.
6 Egypt lamkah na pa rhoek te ka khuen tih tuitunli na pha uh vaengah na pa rhoek hnuk te Egypt rhoek loh leng neh, marhang caem neh capu li duela a hloem uh.
When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, they came to the Red Sea. The Egyptian army pursued them, some riding in chariots and others on horses, and they also arrived at the Red Sea.
7 Tedae BOEIPA taengla pang uh tih nangmih laklo neh Egypt laklo ah khohmuep hang khueh. Anih te tuili la a khuen tih a khuk. Egypt taengah ka saii te na mik loh a hmuh phoeiah kum te yet khosoek ah kho na sak uh coeng.
Then [your ancestors] pleaded with me to help them. So he caused (darkness/a very dark cloud) to come between your ancestors and the Egyptian army, so that the Egyptian army could not see your ancestors. I separated the water in the Red Sea so that your ancestors could cross it, but when the Egyptian army tried to cross in the same way to pursue them, I caused the water to come back and cover them, and the Egyptian soldiers all drowned, as your ancestors watched and were amazed [IDM]. But after that, you lived in the desert for many years.
8 Jordan rhalvangan kah kho aka sa Amori khohmuen la nangmih kang khuen, kang khuen tih nangmih m'vathoh thil uh vaengah khaw amih te nangmih kut ah kam paek dongah amih kah khohmuen te na pang uh. Te vaengah amih te na mikhmuh lamkah ka mitmoeng sak.
“Then I brought your [ancestors] to the area where the groups who were descendants of Amor lived, east of the Jordan River. They fought against you, but I enabled you to defeat them [IDM]. I [enabled you to] destroy them so that you could live in their land [IDM].
9 Moab manghai Zippor capa Balak te thoo tih Israel a vathoh thil vaengah nangmih aka tap ham Beor capa Balaam te a tah tih a khue.
Then, Zippor’s son Balak, the King of Moab, (decided that his army would fight against/opposed) the Israelis. He summoned Beor’s son Balaam and asked him to curse you.
10 Tedae Balaam ol te hnatun ham ka huem pawt dongah nangmih te yoethen sak ham yoethen m'paek tih a kut lamkah nangmih te kan huul.
But I would not do what Balaam asked, so he (blessed/said that I would do great things for) you four times, and I did not enable the army of Moab to defeat you [IDM].
11 Te phoeiah Jordan na kat uh tih Jerikho la na kun uh vaengah Jerikho hlang, Amori, Perizzi neh Kanaani, Khitti neh Girgashi, Khivee, Jebusi loh nangmih te m'vathoh thil uh. Tedae amih te nangmih kut ah kan tloeng coeng.
“Then you all crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho prepared to fight against you, [and the armies of] the descendants of Amor, Periz, Canaan, Heth, Girgash, Hiv, and Jebus [all prepared to do the same thing] but I enabled you to defeat [IDM] them all.
12 Te vaengah khoingal te nangmih hmai ah ka tueih tih Amori manghai rhoi mai nangmih mikhmuh lamkah a haek te nangmih kah cunghang nen moenih, nangmih kah palaa nen bal moenih.
I am the one who caused them to panic as you advanced and enabled you to defeat them, as I had enabled you to do earlier to the two kings of the groups who were descendants of Amor. You did not defeat them by using your own bows and arrows and swords; [it was I who defeated them].
13 Te dongah nangmih taengah kam paek khohmuen te kohnue thil uh boeh. Khopuei rhoek te na thoong pawt cakhaw a khuiah na om uh tih na tue uh pawh misurdum neh olive na caak uh,’ a ti.
So I gave you a land that you had not tilled/planted, and I gave you cities that you did not build. [Now] you live in those [cities] and you eat the grapes from the grapevines that you did not plant, and you eat olives from trees that you did not plant.’”
14 “Te dongah BOEIPA te rhih uh lamtah a taengah oltak neh cuemthuek la thothueng uh. Tuiva rhalvangan neh Egypt ah na pa rhoek loh tho a thueng thil pathen rhoek te phil uh lamtah BOEIPA taengah thothueng uh.
[Then Joshua said to the people], “[Because of all that] Yahweh [has done for you], revere him, and serve/worship him very faithfully. Throw away the idols that your ancestors worshiped on the east/other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve only Yahweh.
15 BOEIPA te thothueng thil ham na mik ah a thae oeh atah na pa rhoek loh tuiva kah rhalvangan, rhalvangan ah tho a thueng thil pathen khaw, a khohmuen ah kho aka sa nangmih loh Amori pathen mai khaw, thothueng thil ham tihnin ah coelh uh laeh. Tedae kai neh ka imkhui tah YAHWEH taengah ni tho ka thueng uh eh,” a ti nah.
But if you do not want to serve/worship Yahweh, you should decide today what [gods] you will serve/worship. You should decide whether you will serve/worship the gods that your ancestors who lived on the other/east side of the Euphrates River served, or whether you will serve/worship the gods that the descendants of Amor, who previously lived in the land where you are now living, [serve/worship]. But as for me and my family [MTY], we will serve/worship Yahweh!”
16 Te vaengah pilnam loh a doo tih, “BOEIPA hnoo ham neh pathen tloe rhoek taengah thothueng te kaimih ham tah savisava.
The Israeli people answered, “We will never quit [serving/worshiping] Yahweh! We would never [think of] [IDM] serving/worshiping other gods!
17 Sal imkhui Egypt kho lamkah mamih neh a pa rhoek khaw, mamih kah BOEIPA Pathen loh ng'caeh puei. Amah loh mamih mikhmuh ah miknoek a len len la a saii. Longpueng kah n'caeh khing vaengah mamih te n'dawndah dongah pilnam boeih kah a laklung ah ni ng'kat uh.
It was our God, Yahweh, who brought our parents and grandparents up out of Egypt. [He rescued them] from that land where they were slaves. As he rescued them, they saw him perform great miracles. He protected them all the time when they were traveling. He protected them from all the people-groups through whose territory they traveled.
18 Pilnam boeih neh khohmuen kah khosa Amori te BOEIPA loh mamih mikhmuh lamkah a haek. Amah te mamih kah Pathen la a om coeng dongah kaimih khaw BOEIPA taengah ni tho ka thueng uh eh,” a ti uh.
As our forefathers advanced, Yahweh expelled the descendants of Amor and the other people-groups who lived in this land. Yahweh is our God, so [we are saying that] we also will serve/worship him.”
19 Te phoeiah pilnam te Joshua loh, “BOEIPA he Pathen cim la a om dongah thothueng ham na coeng uh thai mahpawh. Amah he thatlai Pathen la a om dongah nangmih kah boekoek neh na tholhnah te khodawkngai mahpawh.
Joshua replied to the people, “[I think that] you are not able to serve/worship Yahweh, because he is a holy God. He will not forgive your sinning and rebelling [against him]. He demands that you serve/worship only him [IDM].
20 BOEIPA te na hnoo uh tih kholong pathen ni tho na thueng uh atah ha mael vetih nangmih soah thae a huet ni. Nangmih te ng'khah phoeiah nangmih taengah ha then ni,” a ti nah.
He has been good to you [in the past], but if you turn away from him and serve/worship foreign/other gods, he will turn [against you] and he will cause you to experience disasters. He will punish [IDM] you severely!”
21 Tedae pilnam loh Joshua taengah, “Moenih, BOEIPA taengah ni tho ka thueng uh eh,” a ti uh.
But the people replied to Joshua, “No, [we will not turn away from worshiping/serving Yahweh] We will serve/worship Yahweh!”
22 Te vaengah pilnam te Joshua loh, “Namamih kah thothueng thil ham BOEIPA na tuek uh te namamih ni na laipai uh,” a ti nah hatah, “Ka laipai uh coeng,” a ti uh.
Then Joshua said, “You yourselves are saying that you have decided to serve/worship Yahweh.” They replied, “Yes, we are saying that.”
23 Te phoeiah, “Nangmih lakli kah kholong pathen rhoek te palet uh lamtah Israel Pathen BOEIPA taengah na thinko te hong uh laeh,” a ti nah.
Then Joshua said, “Since [you have decided] that, you must throw away all the other gods/idols that you have among you. You must also promise that you will wholeheartedly give yourselves to Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [serve/worship].”
24 Joshua taengah pilnam loh, “Mamih kah Pathen BOEIPA te tho ka thueng vetih a ol te ka ngai uh ni,” a ti uh.
The people replied, “We will serve/worship Yahweh, our God, and obey him.”
25 Te vaeng khohnin ah Joshua loh pilnam ham moi a boh pah tih oltlueh neh laitloeknah te Shekhem ah a khueh pah.
That day, Joshua established an agreement between the people and Yahweh. He wrote for them all the laws that they were required to obey.
26 Tekah olka te Pathen kah olkhueng cabu khuiah Joshua loh a daek. Lungto len te a loh tih BOEIPA rhokso kaep kah hlopthing hmuiah a ling.
He wrote all those laws on a scroll. He called it ‘The laws of God’. Then he [told some men to] set up a large stone there at Shechem, under the [large] oak tree near the place where [they worshiped] Yahweh.
27 Te phoeiah pilnam pum te Joshua loh, “Mamih ham a thui BOEIPA ol boeih he anih loh a yaak coeng dongah mamih taengah laipai la hekah lungto he om pawn ni he. Na Pathen taengah na basa uh ve ne. Te vaengah nangmih taengah laipai la om bitni,” a ti nah.
He said to all the people, “Look! [It is as though] this stone has heard everything that Yahweh said to you [and that you promised Yahweh]. It will serve as a witness against you if you rebel against your God!”
28 Te phoeiah pilnam te Joshua loh a rho a paan sak.
Then Joshua sent the people away, and all of them returned to their own areas/homes.
29 Tekah olka a om phoeiah BOEIPA kah sal Nun capa Joshua he kum ya parha a lo ca vaengah duek.
Some time after that, Nun’s son Joshua, the faithful servant of Yahweh, died. He was 110 years old when he died.
30 Anih te amah kah rho rhi, Gaash tlang kah tlangpuei, Ephraim tlang kah Timnathkhehres ah a up uh.
The Israeli people buried his body on his own property in Timnath-Serah [town] town. It is north of Gaash Mountain in the hilly area of the tribe who were descendants of Ephraim.
31 Joshua tue boeih neh Joshua hnukah hinglung aka vang, Israel ham a saii BOEIPA kah bibi boeih aka ming a hamca rhoek kah a tue khuiah tah Israel loh BOEIPA taengah ni tho a thueng.
The Israeli people served/worshiped Yahweh as long as Joshua was alive. After Joshua died, they continued serving/worshiping Yahweh while the elders who had experienced everything that Yahweh had done for the Israeli people were still alive.
32 Joseph rhuh te Israel ca rhoek loh Egypt lamkah hang khuen uh te Jakob loh Shekhem napa Hamor ca rhoek taeng lamkah tangka yakhat neh a lai tih Joseph ca rhoek kah rho la aka coeng khohmuen, Shekhem khamyai ah a up uh.
Joseph’s bones, which the Israeli people had brought with them from Egypt, were also buried at Shechem. The people buried them in the piece of land that Jacob had bought long ago for 100 pieces of silver from Hamor, the father of Shechem. That piece of land was in the area that was given to the people who were descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s sons.
33 Aaron capa Eleazar khaw a duek vaengah a capa taengah a paek Ephraim tlang kah Phinekha som ah a up uh.
Eleazar, the Supreme Priest, the son of Aaron, also died. They buried his body at Gibeah, in the area that had been given to Eleazar’s son Phinehas, in the hilly area that belonged to the people who were descendants of Ephraim.
