Joshua 23

1 A long time later, after the Lord had given peace to the Israelites from conflict with their enemies around them, Joshua, by now really old,

And it came to pass after many days after the Lord had given Israel rest from all his enemies round about, that Joshua was old and advanced in years.

2 summoned all the Israelites—the elders, leaders, judges, and officials—and told them, “I'm old, getting on in years.

And Joshua called together all the children of Israel, and their elders, and their chiefs, and their judges, and their officers; and said to them, I am old and advanced in years.

3 You've seen everything the Lord your God has done to all the nations on your behalf—the Lord your God has been fighting for you.

And you have seen all that the Lord our God has done to all these nations before us; [for it] is the Lord your God who has fought for you.

4 I have allotted the land of the remaining nations for you to own, as well as the nations already conquered, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea.

See, that I have given to you these nations that are left to you by lots to your tribes, all the nations beginning at Jordan; and [some] I have destroyed; and the boundaries shall be at the great sea westward.

5 The Lord your God will make them retreat from you. He will drive them out before you and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.

And the Lord our God, he shall destroy them before us, until they utterly perish; and he shall send against them the wild beasts, until he shall have utterly destroyed them and their kings from before you; and you shall inherit their land, as the Lord our God said to you.

6 Be sure to observe everything that is written in the book of the Law of Moses. Don't stray from it, either to the left or to the right.

Do you therefore strive diligently to observe and do all things written in the book of the law of Moses, that you turn not to the right hand or to the left;

7 Don't associate with the nations that are left. Don't mention the names of their gods, and don't swear by them, worship them, or bow down to them.

that you go not in amongst these nations that are left; and the names of their gods shall not be named amongst you, neither shall you serve them, neither shall you bow down to them.

8 Stay close to the Lord your God, as you have done up to now.

But you shall cleave to the Lord our God, as you have done until this day.

9 The Lord has driven out strong, powerful nations before you. No one has been able to stand up to you to this day.

And the Lord shall destroy them before you, [even] great and strong nations; and no one has stood before us until this day.

10 Just one of you can chase away a thousand enemies, for the Lord your God is fighting for you, as he promised you.

One of you has chased a thousand, for the Lord our God, he fought for you, as he said to us.

11 Take great care to love the Lord your God.

And take you great heed to love the Lord our God.

12 For if you do turn from him, and adopt the ways of the nations that are left, if you intermarry with them, associating with one other,

For if you shall turn aside and attach yourselves to these nations that are left with you, and make marriages with them, and become mingled with them and they with you,

13 you can be absolutely sure that the Lord your God will definitely not drive out these nations before you. On the contrary, they will be a trap and a snare to you, a whip on you back and thorns in your eyes until you die out completely from this good land the Lord your God has given you.

know that the Lord will no more destroy these nations from before you; and they will be to you snares and stumbling blocks, and nails in your heels, and darts in your eyes, until you be destroyed from off this good land, which the Lord your God has given you.

14 Now I am about to die, the fate of every living thing on the earth. Deep down you know that not a single one of the Lord's good promises has failed. Everything has come true. Not one has failed.

But I hasten to go the way [of death], as all that are upon the earth also [do]: and you know in your heart and in your soul, that not one word has fallen [to the ground] of all the words which the Lord our God has spoken respecting all that concerns us; there has not one of them failed.

15 But in the same way that you received all the good things that the Lord you God promised, the Lord will bring on you all the bad things he has threatened until you're completely wiped out from this good land the Lord your God has given you.

And it shall come to pass, that as all the good things are come upon us which the Lord God will bring upon you all the evil things, until he shall have destroyed you from off this good land, which the Lord has given you,

16 If you break the agreement the Lord your God made with you, and you go and worship other gods, bowing down before them, then the Lord will become angry with you, and you will be quickly wiped out from the good land he has given you.”

when you transgress the covenant of the Lord our God, which he has charged us, and go and serve other gods, and bow down to them.