24:1 And Joshua gathered all the tribe of
Israel to Selo, and convoked their elders, and their officers, and their
judges, and set them before God.
24:2 And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord God of Israel,
Your fathers at first sojourned beyond the river, [even] Thara, the father
of Abraam and the father of Nachor; and they served other gods.
24:3 And I took your father Abraam from the other side of the river, and I
guided him through all the land, and I multiplied his seed;
24:4 and I gave to him Isaac, and to Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave to
Esau mount Seir for him to inherit: and Jacob and his sons went down to
Egypt, and became there a great and populous and mighty nation: and the
Egyptians afflicted them.
24:5 And I smote Egypt with the wonders that I wrought among them.
24:6 And afterwards [God] brought out our fathers from Egypt, and ye entered
into the Red Sea; and the Egyptians pursued after our fathers with chariots
and horses into the Red Sea.
24:7 And we cried aloud to the Lord; and he put a cloud and darkness between
us an the Egyptians, and he brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and
your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in the land of Egypt; and ye were
in the wilderness many days.
24:8 And he brought us into the land of the Amorites that dwelt beyond
Jordan, and the Lord delivered them into our hands; and ye inherited their
land, and utterly destroyed them from before you.
24:9 And Balac, king of Moab, son of Sepphor, rose up, and made war against
Israel, and sent and called Balaam to curse us.
24:10 But the Lord thy God would not destroy thee; and he greatly blessed
us, and rescued us out of their hands, and delivered them [to us].
24:11 And ye crossed over Jordan, and came to Jericho; and the inhabitants
of Jericho fought against us, the Amorite, and the Chananite, and the
Pherezite, and the Evite, and the Jebusite, and the Chettite, and the
Gergesite, and the Lord delivered them into our hands.
24:12 And he sent forth the hornet before you; and he drove them out from
before you, [even] twelve kings of the Amorites, not with thy sword, nor
with thy bow.
24:13 And he gave you a land on which ye did not labour, and cities which ye
did not build, and ye were settled in them; and ye eat [of] vineyards and
oliveyards which ye did not plant.
24:14 And now fear the Lord, and serve him in righteousness and justice; and
remove the strange gods, which our fathers served beyond the river, and in
Egypt; and serve the Lord.
24:15 But if it seem not good to you to serve the Lord, choose to yourselves
this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods of your fathers that were on
the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, among whom ye
dwell upon their land: but I and my house will serve the Lord, for he is
holy.
24:16 And the people answered and said, Far be it from us to forsake the
Lord, so as to serve other gods.
24:17 The Lord our God, he is God; he brought up us and our fathers from
Egypt, and kept us in all the way wherein we walked, and among all the
nations through whom we passed.
24:18 And the Lord cast ut the Amorite, and all the nations that inhabited
the land from before us: yea, we will serve the Lord, for he is our God.
24:19 And Joshua said to the people, Indeed ye will not be able to serve the
Lord, for God is holy; and he being jealous will not forgive your sins and
your transgressions.
24:20 Whensoever ye shall forsake the Lord and serve other gods, then he
shall come upon you and afflict you, and consume you, because he has done
you good.
24:21 And the people said to Joshua, Nay, but we will serve the Lord.
24:22 And Joshua said to the people, Ye [are] witnesses against yourselves,
that ye have chosen the Lord to serve him.
24:23 And now take away the strange gods that are among you, and set your
heart right toward the Lord God of Israel.
24:24 And the people said to Joshua, We will serve the Lord, and we will
hearken to his voice.
24:25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people on that day, and gave them a
law and an ordinance in Selo before the tabernacle of the God of Israel.
24:26 And he wrote these words in the book of the laws of God: and Joshua
took a great stone, and set it up under the oak before the Lord.
24:27 And Joshua said to the people, Behold, this stone shall be among you
for a witness, for it has heard all the words that have been spoken to it by
the Lord; for he has spoken to you this day; and this [stone] shall be among
you for a witness in the last days, whenever ye shall deal falsely with the
Lord my God.
24:28 And Joshua dismissed the people, and they went every man to his place.
24:29 And it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Naue the
servant of the Lord died, [at the age] of a hundred and ten years.
24:30 And they buried him by the borders of his inheritance in Thamnasarach
in the mount of Ephraim, northward of the mount of Galaad: there they put
with him into the tomb in which they buried him, the knives of stone with
which he circumcised the children of Israel in Galgala, when he brought them
out of Egypt, as the Lord appointed them; and there they are o this day.
24:31 And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of
the elders that lived as long as Joshua, and all that knew all the works of
the Lord which he wrought for Israel.
24:32 And the children of Israel brought up the bones of Joseph out of
Egypt, and buried [them] in Sicima, in the portion of the land which Jacob
bought of the Amorites who dwelt in Sicima for a hundred ewe-lambs; and he
gave it to Joseph for a portion.
24:33 And it came to pass afterwards that Eleazar the high-priest the son of
Aaron died, and was buried in Gabaa of Phinees his son, which he gave him in
mount Ephraim. In that day the children of Israel took the ark of God, and
carried it about among them; and Phinees exercised the priest's office in
the room of Eleazar his father till he died, and he was buried in his own
place Gabaa: but the children of Israel departed every one to their place,
and to their own city: and the children of Israel worshipped Astarte, and
Astaroth, and the gods of the nations round about them; and the Lord
delivered them into the hands of Eglom king of Moab and he ruled over them
eighteen years. |
24:1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of
Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads,
and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves
before God.
24:2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel,
Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah,
the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
24:3 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and
led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave
him Isaac.
24:4 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir,
to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
24:5 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that
which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
24:6 And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and
the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the
Red sea.
24:7 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the
Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes
have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long
season.
24:8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the
other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand,
that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
24:9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against
Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:
24:10 But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still:
so I delivered you out of his hand.
24:11 And you went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of
Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the
Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the
Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.
24:12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before
you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with
thy bow.
24:13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labor, and cities
which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards
which ye planted not do ye eat.
24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth:
and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the
flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day
whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on
the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye
dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
24:16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake
the LORD, to serve other gods;
24:17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out
of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great
signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and
among all the people through whom we passed:
24:18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the
Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for
he is our God.
24:19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is
an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions
nor your sins.
24:20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and
do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
24:21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
24:22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves
that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are
witnesses.
24:23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you,
and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.
24:24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and
his voice will we obey.
24:25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a
statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
24:26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a
great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of
the LORD.
24:27 And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a
witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake
unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.
24:28 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.
24:29 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun,
the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
24:30 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah,
which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.
24:31 And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of
the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the
LORD, that he had done for Israel.
24:32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out
of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought
of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver:
and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
24:33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that
pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim. |