MLV(i)
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.
2 And Joshua said to all the people, Jehovah says thus, the God of Israel: Your* fathers dwelt of old time beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor and they served other gods. 3 And I took your* father Abraham from beyond the River and led him throughout all the land of Canaan and multiplied his seed and gave him Isaac. 4 And I gave to Isaac, Jacob and Esau. And I gave to Esau Mount Seir to possess it. And Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt.
5 And I sent Moses and Aaron and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did in the midst of it and afterward I brought you* out. 6 And I brought your* fathers out of Egypt. And you* came to the sea and the Egyptians pursued after your* fathers with chariots and with horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 And when they cried out to Jehovah, 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* dwelt in the wilderness many days.
8 And I brought you* into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt beyond the Jordan. And they fought with you*. And I gave them into your* hand and you* possessed their land and I destroyed them from before you*.
9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you*, 10 but I would not listen to Balaam. Therefore he blessed you* greatly. So I delivered you* out of his hand.
11 And you* went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you*, the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Girgashite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. And I delivered them into your* hand. 12 And I sent the hornet before you*, which drove them out from before you*, even the two kings of the Amorites, not with your sword, nor with your bow.
13 And I gave you* a land in which you had not labored and cities which you* did not build and you* dwell in it. You* eat of vineyards and olive-groves which you* did not plant.
14 Now therefore fear Jehovah and serve him in sincerity and in truth. And put away the gods which your* fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve you* Jehovah.
15 And if it seems evil to you* to serve Jehovah, choose you* this day whom you* will serve: whether the gods which your* fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you* dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.
16 And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods. 17 For Jehovah our God, he it is who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed. 18 And Jehovah drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve Jehovah, for he is our God.
19 And Joshua said to the people, You* cannot serve Jehovah, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your* transgression nor your* sins. 20 If you* forsake Jehovah and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you* evil and consume you*, after he has done you* good. 21 And the people said to Joshua, No, but we will serve Jehovah.
22 And Joshua said to the people, You* are witnesses against yourselves that you* have chosen for you*, Jehovah, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. 23 Now therefore, he said, put away the foreign gods which are among you* and incline your* heart to Jehovah, the God of Israel. 24 And the people said to Joshua, we will serve Jehovah our God and we will listen to his voice.
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 he took a great stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Jehovah.
27 And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of Jehovah which he spoke to us. It will be therefore a witness against you*, lest you* deny your* God.
28 So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.
29 And it happened after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being a hundred and ten years old. 30 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-Serah, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash.
31 And Israel served Jehovah all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work of Jehovah that he had worked for Israel. 32 And they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up out of Egypt, in Shechem, in the portion of the land which Jacob bought from the Amorites who dwelt in Shechem for a hundred ewe-lambs. And he gave it to Joseph for a portion.
33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died. And they buried him in the hill of Phinehas his son, which was given him in the hill-country of Ephraim.
2 And Joshua said to all the people, Jehovah says thus, the God of Israel: Your* fathers dwelt of old time beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor and they served other gods. 3 And I took your* father Abraham from beyond the River and led him throughout all the land of Canaan and multiplied his seed and gave him Isaac. 4 And I gave to Isaac, Jacob and Esau. And I gave to Esau Mount Seir to possess it. And Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt.
5 And I sent Moses and Aaron and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did in the midst of it and afterward I brought you* out. 6 And I brought your* fathers out of Egypt. And you* came to the sea and the Egyptians pursued after your* fathers with chariots and with horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 And when they cried out to Jehovah, 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* dwelt in the wilderness many days.
8 And I brought you* into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt beyond the Jordan. And they fought with you*. And I gave them into your* hand and you* possessed their land and I destroyed them from before you*.
9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you*, 10 but I would not listen to Balaam. Therefore he blessed you* greatly. So I delivered you* out of his hand.
11 And you* went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you*, the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Girgashite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. And I delivered them into your* hand. 12 And I sent the hornet before you*, which drove them out from before you*, even the two kings of the Amorites, not with your sword, nor with your bow.
13 And I gave you* a land in which you had not labored and cities which you* did not build and you* dwell in it. You* eat of vineyards and olive-groves which you* did not plant.
14 Now therefore fear Jehovah and serve him in sincerity and in truth. And put away the gods which your* fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve you* Jehovah.
15 And if it seems evil to you* to serve Jehovah, choose you* this day whom you* will serve: whether the gods which your* fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you* dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.
16 And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods. 17 For Jehovah our God, he it is who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed. 18 And Jehovah drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve Jehovah, for he is our God.
19 And Joshua said to the people, You* cannot serve Jehovah, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your* transgression nor your* sins. 20 If you* forsake Jehovah and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you* evil and consume you*, after he has done you* good. 21 And the people said to Joshua, No, but we will serve Jehovah.
22 And Joshua said to the people, You* are witnesses against yourselves that you* have chosen for you*, Jehovah, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. 23 Now therefore, he said, put away the foreign gods which are among you* and incline your* heart to Jehovah, the God of Israel. 24 And the people said to Joshua, we will serve Jehovah our God and we will listen to his voice.
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 he took a great stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Jehovah.
27 And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of Jehovah which he spoke to us. It will be therefore a witness against you*, lest you* deny your* God.
28 So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.
29 And it happened after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being a hundred and ten years old. 30 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-Serah, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash.
31 And Israel served Jehovah all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work of Jehovah that he had worked for Israel. 32 And they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up out of Egypt, in Shechem, in the portion of the land which Jacob bought from the Amorites who dwelt in Shechem for a hundred ewe-lambs. And he gave it to Joseph for a portion.
33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died. And they buried him in the hill of Phinehas his son, which was given him in the hill-country of Ephraim.