23 And it came to pass a long time after that the Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age.

And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:

And ye have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the Lord your God is he that hath fought for you.

Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward.

And the Lord your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the Lord your God hath promised unto you.

Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;

That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:

But cleave unto the Lord your God, as ye have done unto this day.

For the Lord hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day.

10 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.

11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God.

12 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:

13 Know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you.

14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.

15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the Lord your God promised you; so shall the Lord bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you.

16 When ye have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.

24 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.

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.

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.

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.

I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.

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.

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.

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.

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:

10 But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.

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.

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.

13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

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.

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.

16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;

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:

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.

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.

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.

21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord.

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.

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 And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

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.

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.

28 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

23 2 Joshua exhorteth the people, that they join not themselves to the Gentiles, 7 that they name not their idols. 14 The promise if they fear God, 15 and threatenings, if they forsake him.

And a long season after that the Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, and Joshua was old, and [a]stricken in age,

Then Joshua called all Israel, and their Elders, and their Heads, and their Judges, and their officers, and said unto them, I am old, and stricken in age.

Also ye have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all these nations [b]before you, how the Lord your God himself hath fought for you.

Behold, I have [c]divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance according to your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have destroyed, even unto the great Sea [d]Westward.

And the Lord your God shall expel [e]them before you, and cast them out of your sight, and ye shall possess their land, as the Lord your God hath said unto you.

Be ye therefore of a valiant courage to observe and do all that is written in the book of the Law of Moses, (A)that ye turn not there from to the right hand nor to the left,

Neither company with these nations: that is, with them that are [f]left with you, neither (B)make mention of the name of their gods, [g]nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow unto them:

But stick fast unto the Lord your God, as ye have done unto this day.

For the Lord hath cast out before you great nations and mighty, and no man hath stood before your face hitherto.

10 (C)One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God he fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.

11 Take good heed therefore unto [h]yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God.

12 Else, if ye go back, and cleave unto the rest of these nations: that is, of them that remain with you, and shall [i]make marriages with them, and [j]go unto them, and they to you,

13 Know ye for certain, that the Lord your God will cast out no more of these nations from before you: (D)but they shall be a snare and destruction unto you, and a whip on your sides, and thorns in your [k]eyes, until ye perish out of this good land, which the Lord your God hath given you.

14 And behold, this day do I [l]enter into the way of all the world, and ye know in all your [m]hearts and in all your souls, that (E)nothing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God promised you, but all are come to pass unto you: nothing hath failed thereof.

15 Therefore as all [n]good things are come upon you, which the Lord your God promised you, so shall the Lord bring upon you every [o]evil thing, until he have destroyed you out of this good land, which the Lord your God hath given you.

16 When ye shall [p]transgress the Covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and shall go and serve other gods, and bow yourselves to them, then shall the wrath of the Lord wax hot against you, and ye shall perish quickly out of the good land which he hath given you.

24 2 Joshua rehearseth God’s benefits,  14 and exhorteth the people to fear God. 25 The league renewed between God and the people. 29 Joshua dieth. 32 The bones of Joseph are buried. 33 Eleazar dieth.

And Joshua assembled again all the [q]tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called the Elders of Israel, and their heads, and their Judges, and their officers, and they presented themselves before [r]God.

Then Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, (F)Your fathers dwelt beyond the [s]flood in old time, even Terah the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor, and served other gods.

And I took your father Abraham from beyond the flood, and brought him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and (G)gave him Isaac.

And I gave unto Isaac, (H)Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto (I)Esau mount Seir, to possess it: but (J)Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

(K)I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt: and when I had so done among them, I brought you out.

So I (L)brought your fathers out of Egypt, and ye came unto the Sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto (M)the red Sea.

Then they cried unto the Lord, and he put [t]a darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the Sea upon them, and covered them: so your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: also ye dwelt in the wilderness a [u]long season.

After, I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt beyond Jordan, (N)and they fought with you: but I gave them into your hand, and ye possessed their country, and I destroyed them out of your sight.

(O)Also Balak the son of Zippor king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent to Balaam the son of Beor for to curse you,

10 But I would not hear Balaam: therefore he blessed you, and I delivered you out of his hand.

11 And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho, and the [v]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.

12 And I sent (P)hornets before you, which cast them out before you, even the two kings of the Amorites, and not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

13 And I have given you a land, wherein ye did not labor, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them, and eat of the vineyards and olive trees, which ye planted not.

14 Now therefore [w]fear the Lord, and serve him in uprightness and in truth, and put away the gods, which your fathers served beyond the flood, and in Egypt, and serve ye the Lord.

15 And [x]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 beyond the flood) or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: [y]but I and mine house will serve the Lord.

16 Then the people answered and said, God forbid, that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods.

17 For the Lord our God, he brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and he did those great miracles in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the people through whom we came.

18 And the Lord did cast out before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the Lord, [z]for he is our God.

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 pardon your iniquity nor your sins.

20 If ye forsake the Lord and serve strange gods, (Q)then he will return and bring evil upon you, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay, but we will serve the Lord.

22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses [aa]against yourselves, that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him: and they said, We are witnesses.

23 Then put away now, said he, the strange [ab]gods which are among you, and bow your hearts unto the Lord God of Israel.

24 And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

25 So Joshua [ac]made a covenant with the people the same day, and gave them an ordinance and law in Shechem.

26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the Law of God and took a great stone, and pitched it there under an [ad]oak that was in the Sanctuary of the Lord.

27 And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us: for it [ae]hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake with us: it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deny your God.

28 Then Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.

29 And after these things, Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord died, being an hundred and ten years old.

30 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in (R)Timnath Serah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the North side of mount Gaash.

31 And Israel [af]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.

32 And the (S)bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem in a parcel of ground, which Jacob bought of (T)the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem, for an hundred pieces of silver, and the children of Joseph had them in their inheritance.

33 Also Eleazar the son of Aaron died, whom they buried in [ag]the hill of Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 23:1 Hebrew, commen into years.
  2. Joshua 23:3 Your eyes bearing witness.
  3. Joshua 23:4 Or, overthrown those nations.
  4. Joshua 23:4 Hebrew, at the sunset.
  5. Joshua 23:5 Which yet remain and are not overcome, as Josh. 13:2.
  6. Joshua 23:7 And not yet subdued.
  7. Joshua 23:7 Let not the Judges admit an oath which any shall swear by their idols.
  8. Joshua 23:11 Hebrew, souls.
  9. Joshua 23:12 Or, be of their affinity.
  10. Joshua 23:12 Or, have conversation with them.
  11. Joshua 23:13 Meaning, they shall be a continual grief unto you, and so the cause of your destruction.
  12. Joshua 23:14 I die according to the course of nature.
  13. Joshua 23:14 Most certainly.
  14. Joshua 23:15 Or, promises.
  15. Joshua 23:15 Or, threatenings, as Josh. 24:20.
  16. Joshua 23:16 He showeth that no evil can come unto man, except he offend God by disobedience.
  17. Joshua 24:1 That is, the nine tribes and the half.
  18. Joshua 24:1 Before the Ark which was brought to Shechem, when they went to bury Joseph’s bones.
  19. Joshua 24:2 Euphrates in Mesopotamia, Gen. 11:26.
  20. Joshua 24:7 Or, a cloud.
  21. Joshua 24:7 Even forty years.
  22. Joshua 24:11 Because it was the chief city, under it he containeth all the country: else they of the city fought not.
  23. Joshua 24:14 This is the true use of God’s benefits, to learn thereby to fear and serve him with an upright conscience.
  24. Joshua 24:15 Hebrew, if it be evil in your sight.
  25. Joshua 24:15 This teacheth us that if all the world would go from God, yet every one of us particularly is bound to cleave unto him.
  26. Joshua 24:18 How much more are we bound to serve God in Christ, by whom we have received the redemption of our souls?
  27. Joshua 24:22 If you do the contrary, your own mouths shall condemn you.
  28. Joshua 24:23 Out of your hearts and otherwise.
  29. Joshua 24:25 By joining God and the people together: also he repeated the promises and threatenings out of the Law.
  30. Joshua 24:26 Or, elm.
  31. Joshua 24:27 Rather than man’s dissimulation should not be punished, the dumb creatures shall cry for vengeance.
  32. Joshua 24:31 Such are the people commonly as their rulers are.
  33. Joshua 24:33 Hebrew, Gibeath Phinehas.