| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Joshua assembled together all of the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He called for the leaders, officials, judges, and tribal officers of Israel. They assembled in formation before God, | 1Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem and summoned Israel's elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and they presented themselves before God. |
| 2and Joshua told all of the people, "This is what the LORD God of Israel has to say: 'Long ago your ancestors lived beyond the Euphrates River, including Terah, father of both Abraham and Nahor, where they served other gods. | 2Joshua 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, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. |
| 3Then I took your ancestor Abraham from the other side of the Euphrates River and led him through the entire land of Canaan. I multiplied his descendants, and gave him his son Isaac. | 3But I took your father Abraham from the region beyond the Euphrates River, led him throughout the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac, |
| 4I gave Jacob and Esau to Isaac. And I gave Mount Seir to Esau as his possession, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. | 4and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave the hill country of Seir to Esau as a possession, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt." |
| 5Later I commissioned Moses and Aaron, and I inflicted plagues on Egypt by what I did among them. Afterwards, I brought all of you out. | 5Then I sent Moses and Aaron; I plagued Egypt by what I did there and afterward I brought you out. |
| 6Then I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and you came to the Sea, and the Egyptians followed your ancestors with chariots and horsemen to the Reed Sea. | 6When I brought your fathers out of Egypt and you reached the Red Sea, the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen as far as the sea. |
| 7But when they cried out to the LORD, he placed darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon the Egyptians, and swallowed them up. Your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you lived in the desert for a long time. | 7Your fathers cried out to the LORD, so He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea over them, engulfing them. Your own eyes saw what I did to Egypt. After that, you lived in the wilderness a long time." |
| 8I brought you into the territory of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan River. They fought you, but I gave them into your control, and you took possession of their land. I destroyed them from your presence. | 8Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you, but I handed them over to you. You possessed their land, and I annihilated them before you. |
| 9Then Zippor's son, King Balak of Moab, showed up and fought against Israel. He sent word to Balaam, summoning Beor's son to put a curse on you. | 9Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you, |
| 10But I wasn't willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his control. | 10but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he repeatedly blessed you, and I delivered you from his hand." |
| 11Next, you crossed the Jordan River and arrived at Jericho. But the citizens of Jericho fought you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and the Jebusites, so I gave them into your control. | 11You then crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho--as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites--fought against you, but I handed them over to you. |
| 12Then I sent hornets ahead of you to drive out two kings of the Amorites before you without your using either sword or bow. | 12I sent the hornet ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings before you. It was not by your sword or bow. |
| 13I gave you a land for which you never worked and cities that you didn't build, but that you have lived in. You're eating from vineyards and olive groves that you didn't plant.' | 13I gave you a land you did not labor for, and cities you did not build, though you live in them; you are eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.'" |
| 14"Now you must fear the LORD and serve him in faithfulness and truth. Throw away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Instead, serve the LORD. | 14Therefore, fear the LORD and worship Him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship Yahweh. |
| 15If you think it's the wrong thing for you to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves today whom you will serve—the gods whom your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose territories you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." | 15But if it doesn't please you to worship Yahweh, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh." |
| 16In response, the people said, "Far be it from us that we should abandon the LORD to serve other gods, | 16The people replied, "We will certainly not abandon the LORD to worship other gods! |
| 17since the LORD our God is the one who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, from a life of slavery. He did those great things right in front of us, preserving us along the way that we traveled and among all the peoples through whose territory we passed. | 17For the LORD our God brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected us all along the way we went and among all the peoples whose lands we traveled through. |
| 18The LORD expelled all the people before us, including the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore, we also will serve the LORD, since he is our God." | 18The LORD drove out before us all the peoples, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will worship the LORD, because He is our God." |
| 19So Joshua told the people, "You will not be able to serve the LORD, because he is a God of Holiness. He is a jealous God, and he will forgive neither your transgressions nor your sins. | 19But Joshua told the people, "You will not be able to worship Yahweh, because He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not remove your transgressions and sins. |
| 20If you abandon the LORD and serve foreign deities, then he will turn and do you harm, consuming you after all the good he has done for you." | 20If you abandon the LORD and worship foreign gods, He will turn against you, harm you, and completely destroy you, after He has been good to you."" |
| 21"No," the people replied to Joshua. "We will serve the LORD." | 21No!" the people answered Joshua. "We will worship the LORD." |
| 22Joshua responded, "You are giving testimony against yourselves, that you have chosen to serve the LORD." They replied, "We are witnesses!" | 22Joshua then told the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you yourselves have chosen to worship Yahweh."" We are witnesses," they said." |
| 23Joshua said, "Therefore abandon the foreign gods that are among you, and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." | 23Then get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and offer your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." |
| 24The people replied, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey his voice." | 24So the people said to Joshua, "We will worship the LORD our God and obey Him." |
| 25So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, making statutes and ordinances in Shechem. | 25On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people at Shechem and established a statute and ordinance for them. |
| 26He wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God, took a large stone, moved it under the shade of the oak tree that was near the sanctuary of the LORD, | 26Joshua recorded these things in the book of the law of God; he also took a large stone and set it up there under the oak next to the sanctuary of the LORD. |
| 27and then told all of the people, "Look! This stone will testify for us, because it has heard everything that the LORD has spoken to us. So it will stand as a witness against you in the event that you deny your God." | 27And Joshua said to all the people, "You see this stone--it will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD said to us, and it will be a witness against you, so that you will not deny your God." |
| 28Then Joshua dismissed the people, and each man returned to his territorial inheritance. | 28Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance. |
| 29Some time later, Joshua servant of the LORD died at the age of 110 years, and | 29After these things, the LORD's servant, Joshua son of Nun, died at the age of 110. |
| 30they buried him in his territorial inheritance at Timnath-serah in the mountainous region of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. | 30They buried him in his allotted territory at Timnath-serah, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. |
| 31Israel served the LORD for the entire lifetimes of Joshua and of the officials who outlived Joshua, that is, the ones who had personally known everything that the LORD had done for Israel. | 31Israel worshiped Yahweh throughout Joshua's lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua and who had experienced all the works Yahweh had done for Israel. |
| 32They also buried the bones of Joseph, which the Israelis brought up from Egypt, in the parcel of ground at Shechem that Jacob had purchased from the descendants of Shechem's father Hamor, for 100 pieces of silver. It became part of the inheritance of the descendants of Joseph. | 32Joseph's bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the parcel of land Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for 100 qesitahs. It was an inheritance for Joseph's descendants. |
| 33Later, Aaron's son Eleazar also died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which belonged to his son Phinehas, and which had been given to him in the mountainous region of Ephraim. | 33And Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim. |
|
