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,

After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to Joshua, the son of Nun, who had been Moses' assistant. He told him,

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.

“My servant Moses has died. So go and cross the Jordan, you and all the people, and enter the country I am giving to the Israelites.

3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

As I promised Moses, everywhere you set foot will be land I am giving to you,

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.

from the desert to Lebanon, and on up to the River Euphrates; all the land of the Hittites, and to the shore of the Mediterranean Sea to the west. This will be your territory.

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.

No one will be able to stand against you while you live. Just as I was with Moses, I will be with you. I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.

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.

Be strong! Be brave! You will be the people's leader as they occupy the land I promised their ancestors that I would give 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.

Just be strong and very brave, and be sure to obey all the law that my servant Moses instructed you to follow. Don't turn aside from it, either to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful in everything you do.

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.

Keep on reminding the people about the law. Meditate on it day and night, so you can be sure to do what it requires. Then you will be successful and prosper in what you do.

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.

Don't forget what I told you: Be strong! Be brave! Don't be afraid! Don't get discouraged! For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,

Then Joshua gave an order to those in charge of the people:

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.

“Go through the whole camp and tell the people, ‘Get everything ready, because in three days time we will cross the Jordan, to go and take the land God is giving to you to possess.’”

12 And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Menasseh, spoke Joshua, saying,

But to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said,

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;

“Remember what Moses, the servant of the Lord, ordered you to do: ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest, and will give 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;

Your wives and children, and your livestock will remain here in the land that Moses allotted you on the east side of the Jordan. But all your armed men, ready for battle, will cross over ahead of your brothers to 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.

until the Lord lets them rest, as he has let you rest, and they too have taken possession of the land that the Lord is giving to you. Then you can return and occupy your own land which Moses allotted to you on the east side of the Jordan.”

16 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou hast commanded us will we do, and whithersoever thou wilt send us will we go.

They said to Joshua, “We will do everything you have ordered us to do, and we will go wherever you send us.

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.

We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses in everything. May the Lord God be with you 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.

Anyone who rebels against what you say and doesn't follow your orders, who doesn't obey everything you command, will be put to death. So be strong! Be brave!”