Iosue 24
1 Congregavitque Josue omnes tribus Israël in Sichem, et vocavit majores natu, ac principes, et judices, et magistros: steteruntque in conspectu Domini,
[Many years later], Joshua summoned representatives of all the tribes of Israel. He gathered together the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the other officials at Shechem [city]. He told them to listen to what God wanted to tell them.
2 et ad populum sic locutus est: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus Israël: Trans fluvium habitaverunt patres vestri ab initio, Thare pater Abraham et Nachor: servieruntque diis alienis.
Joshua said to all of them, “This is what Yahweh, the God we Israeli people worship, is saying: ‘Long ago, your ancestors, including Abraham’s father Terah and Abraham’s younger brother Nahor, lived on the east side of the Euphrates River.
3 Tuli ergo patrem vestrum Abraham de Mesopotamiæ finibus, et adduxi eum in terram Chanaan, multiplicavique semen ejus,
But I took your ancestor Abraham from that land east of the Euphrates River, and I led him as he lived in various places in this land of Canaan, and I enabled him to have many descendants. First, I enabled him to have a son, Isaac.
4 et dedi ei Isaac: illique rursum dedi Jacob et Esau. E quibus, Esau dedi montem Seir ad possidendum: Jacob vero et filii ejus descenderunt in Ægyptum.
When Isaac grew up, I enabled him to have twin sons, Jacob and Esau. I enabled Esau to live in the hilly area in Seir region, but many years later Jacob and his sons and their families went down to live in Egypt.
5 Misique Moysen et Aaron, et percussi Ægyptum multis signis atque portentis.
“[Many years later], I sent Moses and his older brother Aaron to help your people, and I caused [the people of] Egypt to suffer very much because of what I did there. Then I enabled your ancestors to leave Egypt.
6 Eduxique vos et patres vestros de Ægypto, et venistis ad mare: persecutique sunt Ægyptii patres vestros cum curribus et equitatu, usque ad mare Rubrum.
When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, they came to the Red Sea. The Egyptian army pursued them, some riding in chariots and others on horses, and they also arrived at the Red Sea.
7 Clamaverunt autem ad Dominum filii Israël: qui posuit tenebras inter vos et Ægyptios, et adduxit super eos mare, et operuit eos. Viderunt oculi vestri cuncta quæ in Ægypto fecerim, et habitastis in solitudine multo tempore:
Then [your ancestors] pleaded with me to help them. So he caused (darkness/a very dark cloud) to come between your ancestors and the Egyptian army, so that the Egyptian army could not see your ancestors. I separated the water in the Red Sea so that your ancestors could cross it, but when the Egyptian army tried to cross in the same way to pursue them, I caused the water to come back and cover them, and the Egyptian soldiers all drowned, as your ancestors watched and were amazed [IDM]. But after that, you lived in the desert for many years.
8 et introduxi vos in terram Amorrhæi, qui habitabat trans Jordanem. Cumque pugnarent contra vos, tradidi eos in manus vestras, et possedistis terram eorum, atque interfecistis eos.
“Then I brought your [ancestors] to the area where the groups who were descendants of Amor lived, east of the Jordan River. They fought against you, but I enabled you to defeat them [IDM]. I [enabled you to] destroy them so that you could live in their land [IDM].
9 Surrexit autem Balac filius Sephor rex Moab, et pugnavit contra Israëlem. Misitque et vocavit Balaam filium Beor, ut malediceret vobis:
Then, Zippor’s son Balak, the King of Moab, (decided that his army would fight against/opposed) the Israelis. He summoned Beor’s son Balaam and asked him to curse you.
10 et ego nolui audire eum, sed e contrario per illum benedixi vobis, et liberavi vos de manu ejus.
But I would not do what Balaam asked, so he (blessed/said that I would do great things for) you four times, and I did not enable the army of Moab to defeat you [IDM].
11 Transistisque Jordanem, et venistis ad Jericho. Pugnaveruntque contra vos viri civitatis ejus, Amorrhæus et Pherezæus, et Chananæus, et Hethæus, et Gergezæus, et Hevæus, et Jebusæus: et tradidi illos in manus vestras.
“Then you all crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho prepared to fight against you, [and the armies of] the descendants of Amor, Periz, Canaan, Heth, Girgash, Hiv, and Jebus [all prepared to do the same thing] but I enabled you to defeat [IDM] them all.
12 Misique ante vos crabrones: et ejeci eos de locis suis, duos reges Amorrhæorum, non in gladio nec in arcu tuo.
I am the one who caused them to panic as you advanced and enabled you to defeat them, as I had enabled you to do earlier to the two kings of the groups who were descendants of Amor. You did not defeat them by using your own bows and arrows and swords; [it was I who defeated them].
13 Dedique vobis terram, in qua non laborastis, et urbes quas non ædificastis, ut habitaretis in eis: vineas, et oliveta, quæ non plantastis.
So I gave you a land that you had not tilled/planted, and I gave you cities that you did not build. [Now] you live in those [cities] and you eat the grapes from the grapevines that you did not plant, and you eat olives from trees that you did not plant.’”
14 Nunc ergo timete Dominum, et servite ei perfecto corde atque verissimo: et auferte deos quibus servierunt patres vestri in Mesopotamia et in Ægypto, ac servite Domino.
[Then Joshua said to the people], “[Because of all that] Yahweh [has done for you], revere him, and serve/worship him very faithfully. Throw away the idols that your ancestors worshiped on the east/other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve only Yahweh.
15 Sin autem malum vobis videtur ut Domino serviatis, optio vobis datur: eligite hodie quod placet, cui servire potissimum debeatis: utrum diis, quibus servierunt patres vestri in Mesopotamia, an diis Amorrhæorum, in quorum terra habitatis: ego autem et domus mea serviemus Domino.
But if you do not want to serve/worship Yahweh, you should decide today what [gods] you will serve/worship. You should decide whether you will serve/worship the gods that your ancestors who lived on the other/east side of the Euphrates River served, or whether you will serve/worship the gods that the descendants of Amor, who previously lived in the land where you are now living, [serve/worship]. But as for me and my family [MTY], we will serve/worship Yahweh!”
16 Responditque populus, et ait: Absit a nobis ut relinquamus Dominum, et serviamus diis alienis.
The Israeli people answered, “We will never quit [serving/worshiping] Yahweh! We would never [think of] [IDM] serving/worshiping other gods!
17 Dominus Deus noster, ipse eduxit nos et patres nostros de terra Ægypti, de domo servitutis: fecitque videntibus nobis signa ingentia, et custodivit nos in omni via per quam ambulavimus, et in cunctis populis per quos transivimus.
It was our God, Yahweh, who brought our parents and grandparents up out of Egypt. [He rescued them] from that land where they were slaves. As he rescued them, they saw him perform great miracles. He protected them all the time when they were traveling. He protected them from all the people-groups through whose territory they traveled.
18 Et ejecit universas gentes, Amorrhæum habitatorem terræ quam nos intravimus. Serviemus igitur Domino, quia ipse est Deus noster.
As our forefathers advanced, Yahweh expelled the descendants of Amor and the other people-groups who lived in this land. Yahweh is our God, so [we are saying that] we also will serve/worship him.”
19 Dixitque Josue ad populum: Non poteritis servire Domino: Deus enim sanctus et fortis æmulator est, nec ignoscet sceleribus vestris atque peccatis.
Joshua replied to the people, “[I think that] you are not able to serve/worship Yahweh, because he is a holy God. He will not forgive your sinning and rebelling [against him]. He demands that you serve/worship only him [IDM].
20 Si dimiseritis Dominum, et servieritis diis alienis, convertet se, et affliget vos atque subvertet, postquam vobis præstiterit bona.
He has been good to you [in the past], but if you turn away from him and serve/worship foreign/other gods, he will turn [against you] and he will cause you to experience disasters. He will punish [IDM] you severely!”
21 Dixitque populus ad Josue: Nequaquam ita ut loqueris erit, sed Domino serviemus.
But the people replied to Joshua, “No, [we will not turn away from worshiping/serving Yahweh] We will serve/worship Yahweh!”
22 Et Josue ad populum: Testes, inquit, vos estis, quia ipsi elegeritis vobis Dominum ut serviatis ei. Responderuntque: Testes.
Then Joshua said, “You yourselves are saying that you have decided to serve/worship Yahweh.” They replied, “Yes, we are saying that.”
23 Nunc ergo, ait, auferte deos alienos de medio vestri, et inclinate corda vestra ad Dominum Deum Israël.
Then Joshua said, “Since [you have decided] that, you must throw away all the other gods/idols that you have among you. You must also promise that you will wholeheartedly give yourselves to Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [serve/worship].”
24 Dixitque populus ad Josue: Domino Deo nostro serviemus, et obedientes erimus præceptis ejus.
The people replied, “We will serve/worship Yahweh, our God, and obey him.”
25 Percussit ergo Josue in die illo fœdus, et proposuit populo præcepta atque judicia in Sichem.
That day, Joshua established an agreement between the people and Yahweh. He wrote for them all the laws that they were required to obey.
26 Scripsit quoque omnia verba hæc in volumine legis Domini: et tulit lapidem pergrandem, posuitque eum subter quercum, quæ erat in sanctuario Domini:
He wrote all those laws on a scroll. He called it ‘The laws of God’. Then he [told some men to] set up a large stone there at Shechem, under the [large] oak tree near the place where [they worshiped] Yahweh.
27 et dixit ad omnem populum: En lapis iste erit vobis in testimonium, quod audierit omnia verba Domini, quæ locutus est vobis: ne forte postea negare velitis, et mentiri Domino Deo vestro.
He said to all the people, “Look! [It is as though] this stone has heard everything that Yahweh said to you [and that you promised Yahweh]. It will serve as a witness against you if you rebel against your God!”
28 Dimisitque populum, singulos in possessionem suam.
Then Joshua sent the people away, and all of them returned to their own areas/homes.
29 Et post hæc mortuus est Josue filius Nun servus Domini, centum et decem annorum:
Some time after that, Nun’s son Joshua, the faithful servant of Yahweh, died. He was 110 years old when he died.
30 sepelieruntque eum in finibus possessionis suæ in Thamnathsare, quæ est sita in monte Ephraim, a septentrionali parte montis Gaas.
The Israeli people buried his body on his own property in Timnath-Serah [town] town. It is north of Gaash Mountain in the hilly area of the tribe who were descendants of Ephraim.
31 Servivitque Israël Domino cunctis diebus Josue et seniorum, qui longo vixerunt tempore post Josue, et qui noverunt omnia opera Domini quæ fecerat in Israël.
The Israeli people served/worshiped Yahweh as long as Joshua was alive. After Joshua died, they continued serving/worshiping Yahweh while the elders who had experienced everything that Yahweh had done for the Israeli people were still alive.
32 Ossa quoque Joseph, quæ tulerant filii Israël de Ægypto, sepelierunt in Sichem, in parte agri quem emerat Jacob a filiis Hemor patris Sichem, centum novellis ovibus, et fuit in possessionem filiorum Joseph.
Joseph’s bones, which the Israeli people had brought with them from Egypt, were also buried at Shechem. The people buried them in the piece of land that Jacob had bought long ago for 100 pieces of silver from Hamor, the father of Shechem. That piece of land was in the area that was given to the people who were descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s sons.
33 Eleazar quoque filius Aaron mortuus est: et sepelierunt eum in Gabaath Phinees filii ejus, quæ data est ei in monte Ephraim.
Eleazar, the Supreme Priest, the son of Aaron, also died. They buried his body at Gibeah, in the area that had been given to Eleazar’s son Phinehas, in the hilly area that belonged to the people who were descendants of Ephraim.
