Study Desk

Joshua's Farewell to the Leaders

After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest^(a) from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man,^(b)

summoned all Israel—their elders,^(c) leaders, judges and officials^(d)—and said to them: "I am very old.^(e)

You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you.^(f)

Remember how I have allotted^(g) as an inheritance^(h) for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea⁽ⁱ⁾ in the west.

The Lord your God himself will push them out^(j) for your sake. He will drive them out^(k) before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.^(l)

"Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law^(m) of Moses, without turning aside⁽ⁿ⁾ to the right or to the left.^(o)

Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear^(p) by them. You must not serve them or bow down^(q) to them.

But you are to hold fast to the Lord ^(r) your God, as you have until now.

"The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations;^(s) to this day no one has been able to withstand you.^(t)

One of you routs a thousand,^(u) because the Lord your God fights for you,^(v) just as he promised.

So be very careful^(w) to love the Lord ^(x) your God.

"But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them^(y) and associate with them,^(z)

then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out^(aa) these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares^(ab) and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes,^(ac) until you perish from this good land,^(ad) which the Lord your God has given you.

"Now I am about to go the way of all the earth.^(ae) You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise^(af) has been fulfilled; not one has failed.^(ag)

But just as all the good things^(ah) the Lord your God has promised you have come to you, so he will bring on you all the evil things^(ai) he has threatened, until the Lord your God has destroyed you^(aj) from this good land he has given you.^(ak)

If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord 's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.^(al)"

The Covenant Renewed at Shechem

Then Joshua assembled^(a) all the tribes of Israel at Shechem.^(b) He summoned^(c) the elders,^(d) leaders, judges and officials of Israel,^(e) and they presented themselves before God.

Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor,^(f) lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.^(g)

But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan^(h) and gave him many descendants.⁽ⁱ⁾ I gave him Isaac,^(j)

and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.^(k) I assigned the hill country of Seir^(l) to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.^(m)

"‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron,⁽ⁿ⁾ and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.^(o)

When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea,^(p) and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen^[a](q) as far as the Red Sea.^[b](r)

But they cried^(s) to the Lord for help, and he put darkness^(t) between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them.^(u) You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians.^(v) Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.^(w)

"‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites^(x) who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land.^(y)

When Balak son of Zippor,^(z) the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor^(aa) to put a curse on you.^(ab)

But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you^(ac) again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

"‘Then you crossed the Jordan^(ad) and came to Jericho.^(ae) The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites,^(af) Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites,^(ag) but I gave them into your hands.^(ah)

I sent the hornet^(ai) ahead of you, which drove them out^(aj) before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.^(ak)

So I gave you a land^(al) 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.'^(am)

"Now fear the Lord ^(an) and serve him with all faithfulness.^(ao) Throw away the gods^(ap) your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt,^(aq) and serve the Lord .

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites,^(ar) in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household,^(as) we will serve the Lord ."^(at)

Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake^(au) the Lord to serve other gods!

It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery,^(av) and performed those great signs^(aw) before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.

And the Lord drove out^(ax) before us all the nations,^(ay) including the Amorites, who lived in the land.^(az) We too will serve the Lord , because he is our God.^(ba)"

Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the Lord . He is a holy God;^(bb) he is a jealous God.^(bc) He will not forgive^(bd) your rebellion^(be) and your sins.

If you forsake the Lord ^(bf) and serve foreign gods, he will turn^(bg) and bring disaster^(bh) on you and make an end of you,^(bi) after he has been good to you."

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

Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses^(bj) against yourselves that you have chosen^(bk) to serve the Lord ." "Yes, we are witnesses,^(bl)" they replied.

"Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods^(bm) that are among you and yield your hearts^(bn) to the Lord , the God of Israel."

And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God and obey him."^(bo)

On that day Joshua made a covenant^(bp) for the people, and there at Shechem^(bq) he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.^(br)

And Joshua recorded^(bs) these things in the Book of the Law of God.^(bt) Then he took a large stone^(bu) and set it up there under the oak^(bv) near the holy place of the Lord .

"See!" he said to all the people. "This stone^(bw) will be a witness^(bx) 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^(by) to your God."^(bz)

Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.^(ca)

After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord , died^(cc) at the age of a hundred and ten.^(cd)

And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah^[c](ce) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.^(cf)

Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders^(cg) who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.

And Joseph's bones,^(ch) which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt,^(ci) were buried at Shechem in the tract of land^(cj) that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver^[d] from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph's descendants.

And Eleazar son of Aaron^(ck) died and was buried at Gibeah,^(cl) which had been allotted to his son Phinehas^(cm) in the hill country^(cn) of Ephraim.