Iosue 24
1 congregavitque Iosue omnes tribus Israhel in Sychem et vocavit maiores natu ac principes et iudices 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 haec dicit Dominus Deus Israhel trans fluvium habitaverunt patres vestri ab initio Thare pater Abraham et Nahor 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 Mesopotamiae finibus et adduxi eum in terram Chanaan multiplicavique semen eius
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 Iacob et Esau e quibus Esau dedi montem Seir ad possidendum Iacob vero et filii eius descenderunt in Aegyptum
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 Mosen et Aaron et percussi Aegyptum 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 Aegypto et venistis ad mare persecutique sunt Aegyptii 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 Israhel qui posuit tenebras inter vos et Aegyptios et adduxit super eos mare et operuit illos viderunt oculi vestri cuncta quae in Aegypto 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 ad terram Amorrei qui habitabat trans Iordanem cumque pugnarent contra vos tradidi eos in manus vestras et possedistis terram eorum atque interfecistis illos
“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 Sepphor rex Moab et pugnavit contra Israhelem 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 eius
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 Iordanem et venistis ad Hiericho pugnaveruntque contra vos viri civitatis eius Amorreus et Ferezeus et Chananeus et Hettheus et Gergeseus et Eveus et Iebuseus 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 eieci eos de locis suis duos reges Amorreorum non in gladio et 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 aedificastis ut habitaretis in eis vineas et oliveta quae 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 Aegypto 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 potissimum servire debeatis utrum diis quibus servierunt patres vestri in Mesopotamia an diis Amorreorum 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 Aegypti 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 eiecit universas gentes Amorreum habitatorem terrae 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 Iosue ad populum non poteritis servire Domino Deus enim sanctus et fortis aemulator 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 adfliget vos atque subvertet postquam vobis praestiterit 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 Iosue 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 Iosue 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 vestrum et inclinate corda vestra ad Dominum Deum Israhel
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 Iosue Domino Deo nostro serviemus oboedientes praeceptis eius
The people replied, “We will serve/worship Yahweh, our God, and obey him.”
25 percussit igitur Iosue in die illo foedus et proposuit populo praecepta atque iudicia in Sychem
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 scripsitque omnia verba haec in volumine legis Dei et tulit lapidem pergrandem posuitque eum subter quercum quae 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 quae 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 haec mortuus est Iosue filius Nun servus Domini centum 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 suae in Thamnathsare quae sita est 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 Israhel Domino cunctis diebus Iosue et seniorum qui longo vixerunt tempore post Iosue et qui noverant omnia opera Domini quae fecerat in Israhel
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 Ioseph quae tulerant filii Israhel de Aegypto sepelierunt in Sychem in parte agri quem emerat Iacob a filiis Emmor patris Sychem centum novellis ovibus et fuit in possessione filiorum Ioseph
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 Gaab Finees filii eius quae 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.
