Joshua 24

1 Joshua summoned all the tribes of Israel to Shechem. Then he called the elders, leaders, judges, and officials and they came and stood before the Tabernacle of God.

And Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel, unto Shechem, —and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and they presented themselves before God.

2 Joshua said to all the people, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says this: ‘Long, long ago your forefathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods.

Then said Joshua unto all the people—Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel, Beyond the River, dwelt your fathers from age-past times, [unto] Terah, father of Abraham, and father of Nahor, —and they served other gods.

3 I brought your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and led him through all the land of Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac.

So I took your father, Abraham, from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan, —and multiplied his seed, and gave unto him, Isaac;

4 I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau. I gave to Esau the hill country of Seir to own, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

and gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau, —and gave unto Esau, Mount Seir, to possess it, but, Jacob and his sons, went down into Egypt.

5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought plagues on the people of Egypt, and I brought you out.

Then sent I Moses and Aaron, and plagued Egypt, according to that which I did in their midst, and, afterwards, brought you forth.

6 Yes, I brought your forefathers out, but when you arrived at the Red Sea the Egyptians were chasing after your forefathers with chariots and horsemen.

Yea I brought forth your fathers, out of Egypt, and ye came unto the sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers, with chariots and with horsemen, unto the Red Sea.

7 Your forefathers called out to the Lord for help, and he placed darkness between you and the Egyptians. Then he brought the sea back over them and they drowned. You saw what I did with your own eyes in Egypt. Then you lived for many years in the wilderness.

So they made outcry unto Yahweh, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought in upon them the sea, and covered them, —and your eyes beheld what I did with the Egyptians. And, when ye had remained in the desert many days,

8 After that I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought against you but I handed them over to you to defeat and you took over their land. I destroyed them before you.

then I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who were dwelling over the Jordan, and they fought with you, —then delivered I them into your hand, and ye took possession of their land, so I destroyed them from before you.

9 When Balak, son of Zippor, the king of Moab, wanted to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam, son of Beor, to come and curse you.

Then rose up Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, and made war with Israel, —and sent and called for Balaam son of Beor, to curse you;

10 But I wasn't willing to listen to Balaam, so instead he blessed you repeatedly, and saved you from Balak.

but I was not willing to hearken unto Balaam, —so, he kept on blessing, you, and I rescued you out of his hand.

11 You crossed the Jordan and arrived at Jericho where the men of Jericho fought against you. So did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Then passed ye over the Jordan, and came in unto Jericho, and, when they would have made war with you—even the lords of Jericho—the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Girgashite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, then delivered I them into your hand.

12 But I handed them over to you to defeat. And I sent the hornet before you to drive out the two kings of the Amorites. You did not win using your swords or your bows!

And I sent before you the hornet, which drave them out from before you, the two kings of the Amorites, —not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

13 I gave you a land you didn't work for and towns you didn't build. Now you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves you didn't plant.’

Thus I gave unto you a land on which thou hadst not laboured, and cities which ye had not built, and ye proceeded to dwell therein, —of vineyards and oliveyards, which ye planted not, ye are eating.

14 So respect the Lord and worship him, sincerely and faithfully. Get rid of the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and worship the Lord.

Now, therefore, revere ye Yahweh, and serve him, in sincerity and in truth, —and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve ye Yahweh.

15 But if you don't want to worship the Lord, choose today who you want to worship! Is it going to be the gods your forefathers worshipped beyond the Euphrates? Or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you're now living? But as for me and my family, we will worship the Lord!”

But, if it be, a vexation, in your eyes, to serve Yahweh, choose ye for yourselves, to-day, whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served, that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye are dwelling, —but, I and my house, will serve Yahweh.

16 The people responded, “We are never going to give up on the Lord and worship other gods!

Then responded the people, and said, Far be it from us, that we should forsake Yahweh, —to serve other gods;

17 For the Lord our God brought us and our forefathers out of slavery in Egypt. He was the one who did great miracles before our very eyes. He looked after us on the way as we traveled through the lands of many nations.

for, as for Yahweh our God, he, brought up both us and our fathers, out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of servants, —and who did before our eyes, these great signs, and preserved us throughout all the way wherein we journeyed, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed;

18 The Lord drove out before us the Amorites and all the other nations who were living in the land. So we will worship the Lord, for he is our God!”

then did Yahweh drive out all the peoples, even the Amorites were dwelling in the land, from before us, —we too, will serve Yahweh, for, he, is our God.

19 Joshua told the people, “Remember that the Lord is a holy and jealous God. You won't be able to worship him, and he won't forgive your rebellion and sins

Then said Joshua unto the people—Ye cannot serve Yahweh, for, a holy God, he is, a jealous GOD, he is, he will not forgive your transgression, nor your sins.

20 if you give up on him and worship foreign gods. He will turn against you and destroy you despite all the good he has done for you.”

When ye forsake Yahweh, and serve the gods of a stranger, then will he turn, and inflict on you calamity, and consume you, after that he hath dealt well with you.

21 “Don't say that!” the people replied. “We will worship the Lord!”

But the people said unto Joshua, —Nay! but, Yahweh, will we serve.

22 Then Joshua cautioned the people, “You have made yourselves witnesses against yourselves by saying that you have chosen to worship the Lord.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” the people replied.

Then said Joshua unto the people—Witnesses, are ye, against yourselves, that, ye yourselves, have chosen you Yahweh, to serve him. And they said: Witnesses!

23 “Then get rid of those foreign gods you have and promise to be loyal only to the Lord, the God of Israel,” Joshua told them.

Now, therefore, put ye away the gods of the stranger, that are in your midst, —and incline your heart unto Yahweh, God of Israel.

24 The people said to Joshua, “We will worship the Lord our God and we will obey him.”

And the people said unto Joshua, —Yahweh our God, will we serve, and, unto his voice, will we hearken.

25 So Joshua made a solemn agreement between the people and the Lord that day in Shechem, obligating them to follow all the Lord's laws and instructions.

So then Joshua solemnised a covenant for the people, on that day, —and set for them a statute and a regulation, in Shechem.

26 Joshua recorded this in the Book of the Law of God, and he set up a large stone under the oak tree near the Lord's sanctuary.

And Joshua wrote these words in the scroll of the law of God, —and took a great stone, and set it up there, under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Yahweh.

27 Joshua said to the people, “Look at this stone. It stands here as a witness against us for it has heard everything the Lord has told us, and it will be a witness against you if you ever deny what you have promised your God.”

And Joshua said unto all the people—Lo! this stone, shall serve against us as a witness, for, it, hath heard all the sayings of Yahweh, which he hath spoken with us, —so shall it serve against you as a witness, lest ye should act deceptively against your God.

28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, sending them to their allotted lands.

And Joshua sent the people away, every man unto his inheritance.

29 Later, after all this, Joshua, son of Nun, servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten.

And it came to pass, after these things, that Joshua son of Nun, servant of Yahweh, died, being a hundred and ten years old.

30 They buried him in Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash, the land he had been allocated.

And they buried him within the bounds of his own inheritance, in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of Mount Gaash.

31 The Israelites continued to worship the Lord throughout Joshua's life, and throughout the lifetimes of the elders who outlived him, those who had seen all that the Lord had done for Israel.

So then Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, —and all the days of the elders who prolonged their days after Joshua, and who had known all the work of Yahweh, which he had wrought for Israel.

32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought with them from Egypt, they buried in Shechem in the piece of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of silver. This land was inherited by Joseph's sons.

And, the bones of Joseph—which the sons of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in the portion of field, which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of money, —and they belonged unto the sons of Joseph, as an inheritance.

33 And Eleazar, son of Aaron, died and they buried him at Gibeah, in the hill country of Ephraim, land which had been given to his son Phinehas.

And, Eleazar son of Aaron, died, —and they buried him in the hill of Phinehas his son, which was given to him, in the hill country of Ephraim.