< Joshua 1 >
1 And it came to pass after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke unto Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, saying,
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, pass over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, to the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your boundary.
5 No man shall be able to stand up before thee all the days of thy life; as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not let thee fail, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage; for thou shalt divide for an inheritance unto this people the land, which I swore unto their fathers to give to them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant hath commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left; in order that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, in order that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success.
9 Behold, I have commanded thee, Be strong and of good courage; be not dismayed, neither be thou discouraged; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
11 Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare yourselves provisions; for after only three days more ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you, to possess it.
12 And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Menasseh, spoke Joshua, saying,
13 Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, The Lord your God hath granted you rest, and hath given you this land;
14 Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan; but ye shall pass over armed before your brethren, all the mighty men of valor, and help them;
15 Until the Lord shall have granted your brethren rest, as he hath done to you, and they also have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God giveth them: then shall ye return unto the land of your possession, and possess it, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on this side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun.
16 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou hast commanded us will we do, and whithersoever thou wilt send us will we go.
17 Entirely so as we have hearkened unto Moses, thus will we hearken unto thee: only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.
18 Every man that doth rebel against thy order, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou mayest command him, shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.