Joshua 24:16

New Living Translation

The people replied, "We would never abandon the Lord and serve other gods.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The people replied, “We will certainly not abandon the Lord to worship other gods!

Hebrew Names Version
The people answered, Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

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

Lexham English Bible
And the people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we would forsake Yahweh to serve other gods,

English Standard Version
Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods,

New Century Version
Then the people answered, "We will never stop following the Lord to serve other gods!

New English Translation
The people responded, "Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can worship other gods!

Amplified Bible
The people answered, "Far be it from us to abandon (reject) the LORD to serve other gods;

New American Standard Bible
The people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we would abandon the LORD to serve other gods;

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the people answered and saide, God forbid, that we shoulde forsake the Lord, to serue other gods.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we should forsake Yahweh to serve other gods;

Contemporary English Version
The people answered: We could never worship other gods or stop worshiping the Lord .

Complete Jewish Bible
The people answered, "Far be it from us that we would abandon Adonai to serve other gods;

Darby Translation
And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods;

Easy-to-Read Version
Then the people answered, "We will never stop following the Lord . We will never serve other gods!

George Lamsa Translation
And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;

Good News Translation
The people replied, "We would never leave the Lord to serve other gods!

Literal Translation
And the people replied and said, Far be it from us to forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then answered the people, and saide: God forbidde, that we shulde forsake the LORDE, & serue other goddes.

American Standard Version
And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods;

Bible in Basic English
Then the people in answer said, Never will we give up the Lord to be the servants of other gods;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The people aunswered and sayd: God forbyd, that we should forsake the Lord, and serue straunge goddes.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the people answered and said: 'Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

King James Version (1611)
And the people answered and said, God forbid that wee should forsake the Lord, to serue other gods.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the people answered and said, Far be it from us to forsake the Lord, so as to serve other gods.

English Revised Version
And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

Berean Standard Bible
The people replied, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And al the puple answeride and seide, Fer be it fro vs that we forsake the Lord, and serue alien goddis.

Young's Literal Translation
And the people answer and say, `Far be it from us to forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods;

Update Bible Version
And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake Yahweh, to serve other gods;

Webster's Bible Translation
And the people answered, and said, Be it far from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

World English Bible
The people answered, Far be it from us that we should forsake Yahweh, to serve other gods;

New King James Version
So the people answered and said: "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;

New Life Bible
The people answered, "May it never be that we turn away from the Lord and serve other gods.

New Revised Standard
Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then responded the people, and said, Far be it from us, that we should forsake Yahweh, - to serve other gods;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the people answered, and said, God forbid we should leave the Lord, and serve strange gods.

Revised Standard Version
Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

THE MESSAGE
The people answered, "We'd never forsake God ! Never! We'd never leave God to worship other gods.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ But if you refuse to serve the Lord , then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord ." ¹⁶ The people replied, "We would never abandon the Lord and serve other gods. ¹⁷ For the Lord our God is the one who rescued us and our ancestors from slavery in the land of Egypt. He performed mighty miracles before our very eyes. As we traveled through the wilderness among our enemies, he preserved us. ¹⁸ It was the Lord who drove out the Amorites and the other nations living here in the land. So we, too, will serve the Lord , for he alone is our God." ¹⁹ Then Joshua warned the people, "You are not able to serve the Lord , for he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. ²⁰ If you abandon the Lord and serve other gods, he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you." ²¹ But the people answered Joshua, "No, we will serve the Lord !" ²² "You are a witness to your own decision," Joshua said. "You have chosen to serve the Lord ." "Yes," they replied, "we are witnesses to what we have said." ²³ "All right then," Joshua said, "destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord , the God of Israel." ²⁴ The people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 Samuel 12:23, Romans 3:6, Romans 6:2, Hebrews 10:38, Hebrews 10:39

Reciprocal: Joshua 22:29 - God forbid 1 Samuel 20:2 - God forbid 1 Kings 21:3 - The Lord Jeremiah 2:20 - and thou saidst

Cross-References

Genesis 4:1
Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, "With the Lord 's help, I have produced a man!"

Genesis 24:17
Running over to her, the servant said, "Please give me a little drink of water from your jug."

Genesis 24:18
"Yes, my lord," she answered, "have a drink." And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink.

Genesis 26:7
When the men who lived there asked Isaac about his wife, Rebekah, he said, "She is my sister." He was afraid to say, "She is my wife." He thought, "They will kill me to get her, because she is so beautiful."

Genesis 39:6
So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn't worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man,

Song of Solomon 5:2

Young Woman

I slept, but my heart was awake, when I heard my lover knocking and calling: "Open to me, my treasure, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the people answered and said,.... To Joshua, upon his proposal to them, the option he gave them to serve the Lord or idols, and which was only done to try them:

God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods; they speak with the utmost abhorrence of idolatry, as a thing far from their hearts and thoughts, as the most abominable and execrable that could be thought or spoken of; to forsake the word, and worship, and ordinances of God, and serve the idols of the Gentiles, strange gods, whether more ancient or more recent, such as their fathers worshipped in former times, or the inhabitants of the land they now dwelt in, for which they were spewed out of it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 24:16. God forbid that we should forsake the Lord — That they were now sincere cannot be reasonably doubted, for they served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and the elders that outlived him, Joshua 24:31; but afterwards they turned aside, and did serve other gods. "It is ordinary," says Mr. Trapp, "for the many-headed multitude to turn with the stream - to be of the same religion with their superiors: thus at Rome, in DIOCLETIAN'S time, they were pagans; in CONSTANTINE'S Christians; in CONSTANTIUS'S, Arians; in JULIAN'S apostates, and in JOVINIAN'S, Christians again! And all this within less than the age of a man. It is, therefore, a good thing that the heart be established with grace."