Chapter 24

And Joshua gathered⁴ all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called⁴ for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges,⁶ and for their officers;⁶ and they presented¹⁰¹ themselves before God.

And Joshua said⁴ unto all the people, Thus saith¹ the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt¹ on the other side of the flood in old time, [even] Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served⁴ other gods.

And I took⁴ your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led⁵⁵ him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied⁵⁵ his seed, and gave⁴ him Isaac.

And I gave⁴ unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave⁴ unto Esau mount Seir, to possess² it; but Jacob and his children went down¹ into Egypt.

I sent⁴ Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued⁴ Egypt, according to that which I did¹ among them: and afterward I brought you out.⁵²

And I brought your fathers out⁵⁵ of Egypt: and ye came⁴ unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued⁴ after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.

And when they cried⁴ unto the LORD, he put⁴ darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought⁵⁵ the sea upon them, and covered¹⁷ them; and your eyes have seen⁴ what I have done¹ in Egypt: and ye dwelt⁴ in the wilderness a long season.

And I brought⁵⁵ you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt⁶ on the other side Jordan; and they fought¹¹ with you: and I gave⁴ them into your hand, that ye might possess⁴ their land; and I destroyed⁵⁵ them from before you.

Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose⁴ and warred¹¹ against Israel, and sent⁴ and called⁴ Balaam the son of Beor to curse¹⁵ you:

But I would¹ not hearken² unto Balaam; therefore he blessed¹⁷ you still:² so I delivered⁵⁵ you out of his hand.

And ye went over⁴ Jordan, and came⁴ unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought¹¹ against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered⁴ them into your hand.

And I sent⁴ the hornet before you, which drave them out¹⁷ from before you, [even] the two kings of the Amorites; [but] not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

And I have given⁴ you a land for which ye did not labour,¹ and cities which ye built¹ not, and ye dwell⁴ in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted¹ not do ye eat.⁶

Now therefore fear³ the LORD, and serve³ him in sincerity and in truth: and put away⁵⁴ the gods which your fathers served¹ on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve³ ye the LORD.

And if it seem evil¹ unto you to serve² the LORD, choose³ you this day whom ye will serve;⁴ whether the gods which your fathers served¹ that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:⁶ but as for me and my house, we will serve⁴ the LORD.

And the people answered⁴ and said,⁴ God forbid that we should forsake² the LORD, to serve² other gods;

For the LORD our God, he [it is] that brought us up⁵⁶ and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did¹ those great signs in our sight, and preserved⁴ us in all the way wherein we went,¹ and among all the people through whom we passed:¹

And the LORD drave out¹⁷ from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt⁶ in the land: [therefore] will we also serve⁴ the LORD; for he [is] our God.

And Joshua said⁴ unto the people, Ye cannot ^{3201 4} serve² the LORD: for he [is] an holy God; he [is] a jealous God; he will not forgive⁴ your transgressions nor your sins.

If ye forsake⁴ the LORD, and serve¹ strange gods, then he will turn¹ and do you hurt,⁵² and consume¹⁴ you, after that he hath done you good.⁵²

And the people said⁴ unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve⁴ the LORD.

And Joshua said⁴ unto the people, Ye [are] witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen¹ you the LORD, to serve² him. And they said,⁴ [We are] witnesses.

Now therefore put away,⁵⁴ [said he], the strange gods which [are] among you, and incline⁵⁴ your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.

And the people said⁴ unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve,⁴ and his voice will we obey.⁴

So Joshua made⁴ a covenant with the people that day, and set⁴ them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

And Joshua wrote⁴ these words in the book of the law of God, and took⁴ a great stone, and set it up⁵⁵ there under an oak, that [was] by the sanctuary of the LORD.

And Joshua said⁴ unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard¹ all the words of the LORD which he spake¹⁴ unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny¹⁷ your God.

So Joshua let the people depart,¹⁷ every man unto his inheritance.

And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died,⁴ [being] an hundred and ten years old.

And they buried⁴ him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah, which [is] in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.

And Israel served⁴ the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived^{52 3117 310} Joshua, and which had known¹ all the works of the LORD, that he had done¹ for Israel.

And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up⁵² out of Egypt, buried¹ they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought¹ of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

And Eleazar the son of Aaron died;¹ and they buried⁴ him in a hill [that pertained to] Phinehas his son, which was given⁸ him in mount Ephraim.