1 T hen Joshua gathered all the families of Israel to Shechem. He called for the leaders of Israel, the heads of the families and those who judged between what is right or wrong. And they showed themselves before God.

Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders of Israel and their heads, their judges, and their officers; they presented themselves before God.

2 J oshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your fathers lived on the other side of the River. There was Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor. And they worshiped other gods.

Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt in olden times beyond the Euphrates River, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, and they served other gods.

3 T hen I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River. I led him through all the land of Canaan. I gave him many children, and I gave him Isaac.

And I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates River and led him through all the land of Canaan and multiplied his offspring. I gave him Isaac,

4 T o Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Mount Seir to Esau for his own. But Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau. And I gave to Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

5 I sent Moses and Aaron. I had to bring trouble upon Egypt by what I did among them. Then I brought you out.

I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it; and afterward I brought you out.

6 I brought your fathers out of Egypt to the Sea. Egypt went after your fathers to the Red Sea with war-wagons and horsemen.

I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.

7 B ut when they cried out to the Lord, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians. He brought the sea upon them and covered them. Your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the desert for a long time.

When they cried to the Lord, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and covered them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time.

8 I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived on the east side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them to you. You took their land for your own when I destroyed them in front of you.

I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived on the other side of the Jordan; they fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you possessed their land, and I destroyed them before you.

9 ’ Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, came and fought against Israel. He sent for Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.

Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam son of Beor to curse you.

10 B ut I would not listen to Balaam. So he had to pray for good to come to you. And I saved you from his hand.

But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you; so I delivered you out of Balak’s hand.

11 ’ You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho fought against you. And the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Girgashite, the Hivite and the Jebusite fought against you. So I gave them into your hand.

You went over the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the men of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I gave them into your hands.

12 I sent the hornets ahead of you. They drove out the people and the two kings of the Amorites from in front of you. You did not do it by your sword or bow.

I sent the hornet before you, which drove the two kings of the Amorites out before you; but it was not by your sword or by your bow.

13 I gave you a land you did not work for. You live in cities you did not build. You are eating from vines and olive trees you did not plant.’

I have given you a land for which you did not labor and cities you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat from vineyards and olive yards you did not plant.

14 “ So fear the Lord. Serve Him in faith and truth. Put away the gods your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt. Serve the Lord.

Now therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

15 I f you think it is wrong to serve the Lord, choose today whom you will serve. Choose the gods your fathers worshiped on the other side of the river, or choose the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

16 T he people answered, “May it never be that we turn away from the Lord and serve other gods.

The people answered, Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods;

17 F or the Lord our God is the One Who brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house where we were made to work. He did these powerful works in front of our eyes. He kept us safe everywhere we went, among all the nations we passed through.

For it is the Lord our God Who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, Who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the peoples through whom we passed.

18 T he Lord drove away from in front of us all the nations, even the Amorites who lived in the land. So we will serve the Lord. For He is our God.”

And the Lord drove out before us all the people, the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.

19 T hen Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord. For He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your wrong-doing or your sins.

And Joshua said to the people, You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.

20 I f you turn away from the Lord and serve strange gods, He will turn and punish you. He will destroy you after He has been good to you.”

If you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.

21 T he people said to Joshua, “Not so, for we will serve the Lord.”

And the people said to Joshua, No; but we will serve the Lord.

22 T hen Joshua said to the people, “You have spoken for yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” And they said, “We have spoken for ourselves.”

Then Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve Him. And they said, We are witnesses.

23 J oshua said, “So put away the strange gods that are among you. Give your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

Then put away, said he, the foreign gods that are among you and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.

24 T he people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey His voice.”

The people said to Joshua, The Lord our God we will serve; His voice we will obey.

25 S o Joshua made an agreement with the people that day. And he made Laws for them in Shechem.

So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.

26 J oshua wrote these words in the book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the tree that was by the holy place of the Lord.

And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God; and he took a great stone and set it up there under an oak that was in the sanctuary of the Lord.

27 J oshua said to all the people, “See, this stone will be here to speak against us. For it has heard all the words the Lord spoke to us. So it will be here to speak against you, if you do not stay true to your God.”

And Joshua said to all the people, See, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the Lord spoke to us; so it shall be a witness against you, lest you lie (pretend) and deny your God.

28 T hen Joshua sent the people away, each to his own land. The Death of Joshua and Eleazar

So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

29 A fter this, Joshua the son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died. He was 110 years old.

After this, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old.

30 T hey buried him in the land he was given in Timnath-serah, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

They buried him at the edge of his inheritance in Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.

31 I srael served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and of the leaders who lived after him who had known all the works the Lord had done for Israel.

Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the works the Lord had done for Israel.

32 T he people of Israel brought the bones of Joseph from Egypt. They buried them in Shechem, in the piece of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for 100 pieces of money. It became the land of Joseph’s children.

And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem in the portion of ground Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of money; and it became the inheritance of the Josephites.

33 E leazar the son of Aaron died also. They buried him on the hill at Gibeah that was given to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.

And Eleazar son of Aaron died; and they buried him at Gibeah of Phinehas his son, which was given him in the hill country of Ephraim.