1Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. (Jos 23:2; Jos 24:25; Jos 24:32; 1Sa 10:19)2And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates,[1] Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. (Ge 11:27; Ge 31:30; Ge 35:2)3Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River[2] and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. (Ge 12:1; Ge 12:6; Ge 21:2; Ac 7:2)4And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. (Ge 25:24; Ge 36:8; Ge 46:1; Ge 46:6; De 2:5; Ac 7:15)5And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out. (Ex 3:10; Ex 4:14; Ex 12:37; Ex 12:51)6“Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. (Ex 14:2; Ex 14:9; Jos 24:5)7And when they cried to the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. (Ex 14:10; Ex 14:20; Ex 14:27; De 4:34; De 29:2; Jos 5:6)8Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. (Nu 21:21)9Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, (Nu 22:5; De 23:4; Jud 11:25)10but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. (Nu 23:11; Nu 23:20; Nu 24:1; Nu 24:10)11And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. (Jos 3:14; Jos 3:17; Jos 4:10; Jos 6:1; Jos 10:1; Jos 11:1)12And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. (Ex 23:28; De 7:20; Ps 44:3)13I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’ (De 6:10; Jos 11:13)
Choose Whom You Will Serve
14“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. (De 10:12; Jos 24:2; Jos 24:23; 1Sa 12:24)15And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Ge 18:19; Ex 23:24; Ex 23:32; Ex 34:15; De 13:7; De 29:18; Jos 24:14; Jos 24:22; Jud 6:10; 1Ki 18:21; Eze 20:39)16Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods,17for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed.18And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”19But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. (Ex 20:5; Ex 23:21; Le 19:2; 1Sa 6:20; Ps 99:5; Ps 99:9; Isa 5:16; Na 1:2)20If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” (Jos 23:15; 1Ch 28:9; 2Ch 15:2; Ezr 8:22; Isa 1:28; Isa 63:10; Isa 65:11; Jer 17:13; Ac 7:42)21And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.”22Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” (Jos 24:15)23He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” (Jos 24:14; Jud 10:16; 1Sa 7:3)24And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”25So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. (Ex 15:25; 2Ki 11:17; 2Ch 23:16; Ne 9:38)26And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. (Ge 28:18; Ge 35:4; De 31:24; Jos 4:3; Jud 9:6)27And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” (Ge 31:48; Ge 31:52; De 31:19; De 31:21; De 31:26; De 32:1; Jos 22:27; Jos 22:34)28So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance. (Jud 2:6)
Joshua’s Death and Burial
29After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old. (Jud 2:7)30And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. (Jos 19:50)31Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel. (De 11:2; De 31:13; Jud 2:7)32As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money.[3] It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph. (Ge 33:19; Ge 50:25; Ex 13:19)33And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of Phinehas his son, which had been given him in the hill country of Ephraim. (Jos 17:15; Jos 22:13; Jos 24:30)
1Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.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 River Euphrates and worshipped other gods.3But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac,4and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.5‘ “Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.6When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen[1] as far as the Red Sea.[2]7But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.8‘ “I brought you to the land of the Amorites 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.9When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you.10But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.11‘ “Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands.12I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you – also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.13So I gave you a land 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.”14‘Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshipped beyond the River Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.15But 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, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’16Then the people answered, ‘Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!17It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we travelled.18And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.’19Joshua said to the people, ‘You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.20If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.’21But the people said to Joshua, ‘No! We will serve the Lord.’22Then Joshua said, ‘You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.’ ‘Yes, we are witnesses,’ they replied.23‘Now then,’ said Joshua, ‘throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.’24And the people said to Joshua, ‘We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.’25On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.26And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord.27‘See!’ he said to all the people. ‘This stone will be a witness 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 to your God.’28Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.
Buried in the promised land
29After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten.30And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah[3] in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. (Jud 2:9)31Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.32And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver[4] from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.33And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.
1Joshua gathered all Israel’s tribes together at Shechem. He sent for the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel. They came and stood there in the sight of God.2Joshua spoke to all the people. He said, ‘The LORD is the God of Israel. He says, “Long ago your people lived east of the River Euphrates. They worshipped other gods there. Your people included Terah. He was the father of Abraham and Nahor.3I took your father Abraham from the land east of the Euphrates. I led him all through Canaan. I gave him many children and grandchildren. I gave him Isaac.4To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave the hill country of Seir to Esau. But Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.5‘ “Then I sent Moses and Aaron. I made the people of Egypt suffer because of the plagues I sent on them. But I brought you out of Egypt.6When I brought your people out, they came to the Red Sea. The people of Egypt chased them with chariots and with men on horses. They chased them all the way to the sea.7But your people cried out to me for help. So I put darkness between you and the people of Egypt. I swept them into the sea. It completely covered them. Your own eyes saw what I did to them. After that, you lived in the desert for a long time.8‘ “I brought you to the land of the Amorites. They lived east of the River Jordan. They fought against you. But I handed them over to you. I destroyed them to make room for you. Then you took over their land.9Balak, the son of Zippor, prepared to fight against Israel. Balak was the king of Moab. He sent for Balaam, the son of Beor. Balak wanted Balaam to put a curse on you.10But I would not listen to Balaam’s curses. So he blessed you again and again. And I saved you from his power.11‘ “Then you went across the River Jordan. You came to Jericho. Its people fought against you. So did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites. But I handed them over to you.12I sent hornets ahead of you. They drove your enemies out to make room for you. That included the two Amorite kings. You did not do that with your own swords and bows.13So I gave you a land you had never farmed. I gave you cities you had not built. You are now living in them. And you are eating the fruit of vineyards and olive trees you did not plant.”14‘So have respect for the LORD. Serve him. Be completely faithful to him. Throw away the gods your people worshipped east of the River Euphrates and in Egypt. Serve the LORD.15But suppose you don’t want to serve him. Then choose for yourselves now whom you will serve. You can choose the gods your people served east of the River Euphrates. Or you can serve the gods of the Amorites. After all, you are living in their land. But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.’16Then the people answered Joshua, ‘We would never desert the LORD! We would never serve other gods!17The LORD our God himself brought us and our parents up out of Egypt. He brought us out of that land where we were slaves. With our own eyes, we saw those great signs he did. He kept us safe on our entire journey. He kept us safe as we travelled through all the nations.18He drove them out to make room for us. That included the Amorites. They also lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD. That’s because he is our God.’19Joshua said to the people, ‘You aren’t able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won’t forgive you when you disobey him. He won’t forgive you when you sin against him.20Suppose you desert the LORD. Suppose you serve the gods that people in other lands serve. If you do, he will turn against you. He will bring trouble on you. He will destroy you, even though he has been good to you.’21But the people said to Joshua, ‘No! We will serve the LORD.’22Then Joshua said, ‘You are witnesses against yourselves. You have said that you have chosen to serve the LORD.’ ‘Yes. We are witnesses,’ they replied.23‘Now then’, said Joshua, ‘throw away the statues of the gods that are among you. People from other lands serve those gods. Give yourselves completely to the LORD. He is the God of Israel.’24Then the people said to Joshua, ‘We will serve the LORD our God. We will obey him.’25On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people. There at Shechem he reminded them of its rules and laws.26He recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he got a large stone. He set it up in Shechem under the oak tree. It was near the place that had been set apart for the LORD.27‘Look!’ he said to all the people. ‘This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us. Suppose you aren’t faithful to your God. Then the stone will be a witness against you.’28Joshua sent the people away. He sent all of them to their own shares of land.
Joshua is buried in the promised land
29Then Joshua, the servant of the LORD, died. He was the son of Nun. He was 110 years old when he died.30His people buried him at Timnath Serah on his own property. It’s north of Mount Gaash in the hill country of Ephraim.31Israel served the LORD as long as Joshua lived. They also served him as long as the elders lived. Those were the elders who lived longer than Joshua did. They had seen for themselves everything the LORD had done for Israel.32The Israelites had brought Joseph’s bones up from Egypt. They buried his bones at Shechem in the piece of land Jacob had bought. He had bought it from the sons of Hamor. He had paid 100 pieces of silver for it. Hamor was the father of Shechem. That piece of land became the share that belonged to Joseph’s children after him.33Aaron’s son Eleazar died. He was buried at Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim. Gibeah had been given to Eleazar’s son Phinehas.