Joshua 24

1 And Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, and he called those greater by birth, and the leaders and judges and teachers. And they stood in the sight of the Lord.

And Ioshua assembled againe all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called the Elders of Israel, and their heades, and their iudges, and their officers, and they presented themselues before God.

2 And he spoke to the people in this way: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Your fathers lived, in the beginning, across the river: Terah, the father of Abraham, and Nahor. And they served strange gods.

Then Ioshua said vnto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt beyond the flood in olde time, euen Terah the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor, and serued other gods.

3 Then I brought your father Abraham from the parts of Mesopotamia, and I led him into the land of Canaan. And I multiplied his offspring,

And I tooke your father Abraham from beyond the flood, and brought him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seede, and gaue him Izhak.

4 and I gave to him Isaac. And to him, I gave again Jacob and Esau. And I gave mount Seir to Esau as a possession. Yet truly, Jacob and his sons descended into Egypt.

And I gaue vnto Izhak, Iaakob and Esau: and I gaue vnto Esau mount Seir, to possesse it: but Iaakob and his children went downe into Egypt.

5 And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt with many signs and portents.

I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt: and when I had so done among them, I brought you out.

6 And I led you and your fathers away from Egypt, and you arrived at the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen, as far as the Red Sea.

So I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and ye came vnto the Sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with charets and horsemen vnto the red sea.

7 Then the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. And he stationed a darkness between you and the Egyptians, and he led the sea over them, and he covered them. Your eyes saw all that I did in Egypt, and you lived in the wilderness for a long time.

Then they cryed vnto the Lord, and he put a darkenesse betweene you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea vpon them, and couered them: so your eyes haue seene what I haue done in Egypt also ye dwelt in the wildernesse a long season.

8 And I led you into the land of the Amorite, who was living beyond the Jordan. And when they fought against you, I delivered them into your hands, and you possessed their land, and you put them to death.

After, I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt beyond Iorden, and they fought with you: but I gaue them into your hand, and ye possessed their countrey, and I destroyed them out of your sight.

9 Then Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab, rose up and fought against Israel. And he sent and called for Balaam, the son of Beor, so that he might curse you.

Also Balak the sonne of Zippor King of Moab arose and warred against Israel, and sent to call Balaam the sonne of Beor for to curse you,

10 And I was not willing to listen to him, but on the contrary, I blessed you through him, and I freed you from his hand.

But I would not heare Balaam: therefore he blessed you, and I deliuered you out of his hand.

11 And you crossed over the Jordan, and you arrived at Jericho. And the men of that city fought against you: the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. And I delivered them into your hands.

And ye went ouer Iorden, and came vnto Iericho, and the men of Iericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hiuites and the Iebusites, and I deliuered them into your hand.

12 And I sent wasps before you. And I drove them from their places, the two kings of the Amorites, but not by your sword, and not by your bow.

And I sent hornets before you, which cast them out before you, euen the two kings of the Amorites, and not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

13 And I gave you a land, in which you did not labor, and cities, which you did not build, so that you might live in them, and vineyards and olive groves, which you did not plant.’

And I haue giuen you a land, wherein ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and yee dwell in them, and eate of the vineyards and oliue trees, which yee planted not.

14 Now therefore, fear the Lord, and serve him with a perfect and very sincere heart. And take away the gods that your fathers served in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

Nowe therefore feare the Lord, and serue him in vprightnesse and in trueth, and put away the gods, which your fathers serued beyonde the flood and in Egypt, and serue the Lord.

15 But if it seems evil to you that you would serve the Lord, a choice is given to you. Choose today what pleases you, and whom you ought to serve above all else, either the gods that your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

And if it seeme euill vnto you to serue the Lord, choose you this day whome yee will serue, whether the gods which your fathers serued (that were beyond the flood) or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwel: but I and mine house will serue the Lord.

16 And the people responded, and they said: “Far be it from us that we would forsake the Lord, and serve foreign gods.

Then the people answered and saide, God forbid, that we shoulde forsake the Lord, to serue other gods.

17 The Lord our God himself led us and our fathers away from the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude. And he accomplished immense signs in our sight, and he preserved us along the entire way by which we journeyed, and among all the people through whom we passed.

For the Lord our God, he brought vs and our fathers out of the lande of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and he did those great miracles in our sight, and preserued vs in all the way that we went, and among all the people through whome we came.

18 And he cast out all the nations, the Amorite, the inhabitant of the land that we entered. And so, we will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

And the Lord did cast out before vs all the people, euen the Amorites which dwelt in the lande: therefore will we also serue the Lord, for he is our God.

19 And Joshua said to the people: “You will not be able to serve the Lord. For he is a holy and powerful God, and he is jealous, and he will not ignore your wickedness and sins.

And Ioshua saide vnto the people, Ye can not serue the Lord: for he is an holie God: he is a ielous God: hee will not pardon your iniquitie nor your sinnes.

20 If you leave behind the Lord, and you serve foreign gods, he will turn himself, and he will afflict you, and he will overthrow you, after all the good that he has offered to you.”

If yee forsake the Lord and serue strange gods, then he will returne and bring euill vpon you, and consume you, after that hee hath done you good.

21 And the people said to Joshua, “By no means will it be as you are saying, but we will serve the Lord.”

And the people saide vnto Ioshua, Nay, but we will serue the Lord.

22 And Joshua said to the people, “You yourselves are witnesses, that you have chosen the Lord so that you may serve him.” And they answered, “We are witnesses.”

And Ioshua saide vnto the people, Yee are witnesses against your selues, that yee haue chosen you the Lord, to serue him: and they sayd, We are witnesses.

23 “Now therefore,” he said, “take away strange gods from among yourselves, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

Then put away nowe, saide he, the strange gods which are among you, and bowe your hearts vnto the Lord God of Israel.

24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God, and we will be obedient to his precepts.”

And ye people saide vnto Ioshua, The Lord our God wil we serue, and his voyce wil we obey.

25 Therefore, on that day, Joshua struck a covenant, and he set before the people at Shechem the precepts and the judgments.

So Ioshua made a couenant with the people the same day, and gaue them an ordinance and lawe in Shechem.

26 He also wrote all these things in the volume of the law of the Lord. And he took a very great stone, and he stationed it under the oak that was in the Sanctuary of the Lord.

And Ioshua wrote these woordes in the booke of the Lawe of God, and tooke a great stone, and pitched it there vnder an oke that was in the Sanctuarie of the Lord.

27 And he said to all the people, “Lo, this stone shall be to you as a testimony, which has heard all the words of the Lord that he has spoken to you, lest perhaps, afterward, you might choose to deny it, and to lie to the Lord your God.”

And Ioshua saide vnto all the people, Beholde, this stone shall be a witnesse vnto vs: for it hath heard all the wordes of the Lord which he spake with vs: it shall be therefore a witnesse against you, lest yee denie your God.

28 And he dismissed the people, each one to their own possession.

Then Ioshua let the people depart, euery man vnto his inheritance.

29 And after these things, Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old.

And after these things Ioshua the sonne of Nun, the seruaunt of the Lord died, being an hundreth and ten yeeres olde.

30 And they buried him within the borders of his possession at Timnath-Serah, which is situated on mount Ephraim, before the northern side of mount Gaash.

And they buried him in ye border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the Northside of mount Gaash.

31 And Israel served the Lord during all the days of Joshua, and of the elders who lived for a long time after Joshua, and who had known all the works of the Lord that he had accomplished in Israel.

And Israel serued the Lord all the daies of Ioshua, and all the daies of the Elders that ouerliued Ioshua, and which had knowen all the workes of the Lord that he had done for Israel.

32 And the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel had brought from Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in a portion of the field that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred young female sheep, and so it was in the possession of the sons of Joseph.

And the bones of Ioseph, which the children of Israel brought out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem in a parcell of ground which Iaakob bought of the sonnes of Hamor the father of Shechem, for an hundreth pieces of siluer, and the children of Ioseph had them in their inheritance.

33 Likewise, Eleazar, the son of Aaron, died. And they buried him at Gibeah, which belongs to Phinehas, his son, and which was given to him on mount Ephraim.

Also Eleazar the sonne of Aaron died, whome they buried in the hill of Phinehas his sonne, which was giuen him in mount Ephraim.