Open English Translation YEHO (JOS) Chapter 24

24 Then Yehoshua (Joshua) assembled all the tribes of Yisrael (Israel) at Shekem. He summoned their elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and they presented themselves before God, 2 and Yehoshua told all the people, “Yahweh, the god of Yisrael says: Your ancestors including Terah the father of Avraham and Nahor,[ref] lived beyond the Perat (Euphrates) river from long ago, but they worshipped other gods. 3 Then I took your ancestor Avraham from beyond the river and brought him across all the land of Kena’an (Canaan),[ref] and I multiplied his descendants, including giving him Yitshak (Isaac).[ref] 4 Then I gave Ya’akov (Jacob) and Esav (Esau) to Yitshak,[ref] and I gave Esav the hill country of Se’ir[ref] but Ya’akov and his sons went down to Mitsrayim (Egypt).[ref] 5 I sent Mosheh (Moses) and Aharon (Aaron) and I damaged Mitsrayim internally, and then I brought you all out again.[ref] 6 I brought your ancestors out of Mitsrayim, and you all came to the edge of the Red Sea. The Mitsrim (Egyptians) chased after them with chariots and horsemen[ref] 7 and the people cried out to Yahweh, and he placed darkness between you and the Mitsrim. After bringing you all through the sea, he brought the sea over the Mitsri (Egyptian) army and drowned them. Your own eyes saw what I did to Mitsrayim. Then you all lived a long time in the wilderness.

8 “After that, I brought you to the region of the Amorim who lived on the eastern side of the Yarden (Jordan), and they battled against you all, but I gave you victory over them and I destroyed them from ahead of you and you all took over their land.[ref] 9 Then (Tsipor’s son) King Balak of Moav (Moab) prepared his warriors and fought against you all and he summoned (Be’or’s son) Bil’am (Balaam) to curse you.[ref] 10 But I wasn’t willing to listen to Bil’am, so instead, he blessed you all repeatedly and I rescued you from King Balak. 11 Then you crossed over the Yarden river[ref] and arrived at Yeriho (Jericho). The men of Yeriho fought against you all,[ref] as did the Amorim, the Perizim, the Kena’anim (Canaanites), the Hitim, the Girgashim, the Hivim, and the Yevusim but I helped you all to defeat them. 12 I sent hornets[fn] ahead of you all and they drove out the two Amori kings[ref]—it wasn’t your swords or bows that did it. 13 So I gave you all a land which you didn’t earn yourselves and cities to live in that you all didn’t build yourselves. You all are benefitting from vineyards and olive groves that you didn’t plant.”[ref]

14 The Yehoshua (Joshua) continued, “Now you all must respect Yahweh and faithfully serve him with your complete beings. And you all must remove the idols that your ancestors served beyond the Perat (Euphrates) and in Mitsrayim, and only serve Yahweh. 15 But if you all dislike serving Yahweh, then choose for yourselves today who you will serve: perhaps the gods your fathers once served beyond the Perat, or the gods of the Amori people in whose land you are now living. But as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.”

16 “We’d never even consider leaving Yahweh to serve other gods,” the people responded, 17 “because Yahweh is our god. He is the one who brought us and our ancestors out from slavery in the land of Mitsrayim, and who did those great miracles right in front of our eyes. Also, he looked after us on our entire journey and among all the people groups that we passed by. 18 Yahweh drove all the peoples out ahead of us, even the Amorim who lived in that region. So we too we will serve Yahweh because he is our god.”

19 “You all won’t be able to serve Yahweh,” warned Yehoshua, “because he’s a god who cannot mix with sin. He’s a jealous God—he won’t forgive your rebellion and disobedience. 20 If you abandon Yahweh and serve the gods of other nations, then he’ll turn and do harm to you all and destroy you, even if he’s previously been good to you all.”

21 But the people answered Yehoshua, “No, we will worship Yahweh.” 22 Then Yehoshua cautioned the people, “You all are witnesses against yourselves, that you yourselves have chosen to serve Yahweh.”

“We are witnesses,” they confirmed.

23 “Then you all go right now and remove the foreign gods that you already have, and turn your hearts towards Yahweh, the god of Yisrael (Israel),” said Yehoshua.

24 “We will serve our god Yahweh, and we will listen to his voice,” the people replied.

25 So Yehoshua made a formal agreement with the people in Shekem on that day, establishing rules and laws for them. 26 He wrote them in the book of God’s law. Then he took a large stone and set it up there beneath the oak tree that was by Yahweh’s sacred tent. 27 “Look at this stone,” Yehoshua said to all the people. “It will be for a witness against us, because it has heard everything that Yahweh has instructed us, and it will be for a witness against you all, in case you act deceptively against your god.” 28 Then Yehoshua sent all the people off to go to their allotted regions.

29 After all that, Nun’s son and Yahweh’s servant Yehoshua (Joshua) died at the age of 110. 30 They buried him in his allotted property at Timnat-Serah which is in the Efrayim (Ephraim) hill country north of Mt. Ga’ash.[ref]

31 The Israelis had served Yahweh all through Yehoshua’s lifetime and throughout the lifetimes of the elders who lived longer than Yehoshua and who had experienced everything that Yahweh had done for Yisrael (Israel).

32 They buried Yosef’s (Joseph) bones (that they had carried out from Mitsrayim (Egypt)) in Shekem—in the portion of the field that Ya’akov (Jacob) had bought from the sons of Hamor (Shekem’s father) for a hundred coins, and that land became the inheritance of Yosef’s descendants.[ref]

33 Aharon’s (Aaron) son Eleazar also died and was buried at Giveah—the city that belonged to his son Pinhas in the Efrayim hill country.