Joshua 24

1

Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned

the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented

themselves before God.

2

Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel,

says: 'Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham

and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods.

3

But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led

him throughout Canaan and gace him many descendants. I gave him

Isaac,

4

and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir

to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.

5

" 'Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what

I did there, and I brought you out.

6

When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and

the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as

the Red Sea.

7

But they cried to the LORD for help, and he put darkness between

you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered

them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians.

Then you lived in the desert for a long time.

8

" 'I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of

the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them to your

hands, I destroyed them from before you, and you took

possession of their land.

9

When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against

Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you.

10

But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again,

and I delivered you out of his hand.

11

" 'Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of

Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites,

Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave

them into yourhands.

12

I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you -

also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own

sword and bow.

13

So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did

not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive

groves that you did not plant.'

14

"Now fear the LORD and serve him all faithfulness. Throw away

the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in

Egypt, and serve the LORD.

15

But is serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose

for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods

your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the

Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my

household, we will serve the LORD."

16

Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD

to serve other gods!

17

It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers

up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those

great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey

and among all the nations which we traveled.

18

And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the

Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD,

because he is our God."

19

Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD.

He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your

rebellion and your sins.

20
If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and

bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been

good to you."

21

But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the LORD."

22

Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that

you have chosen to serve the LORD." "Yes, we are witnesses," they replied.

23

"Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that

are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD our God and obey him."

24

And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey him."

25

On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people,

and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws.

26

And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God.

Then he took a large stone and set it up there under

the oak near the holy place of the LORD.

27

"See!" he said to all the peole. "This stone will be a witness against us.

It has heard all the words the LORD has said to us.

It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God."

28

Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.

29

After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD,

died at the age of a hundred and ten.

30

And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah

in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

31

Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and

of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything

the LORD had done for Israel.

32

And Joseph's bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt,

were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for

a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.

This became the inheritance of Joseph's descendants.

33

And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah,

which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.