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Joshua 23-24
New King James Version
Joshua 23-24
New King James Version
Joshua’s Farewell Address
23 Now it came to pass, a long time after the Lord (A)had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua (B)was old, advanced in age. 2 And Joshua (C)called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them:
“I am old, advanced in age. 3 You have seen all that the (D)Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the (E)Lord your God is He who has fought for you. 4 See, (F)I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea westward. 5 And the Lord your God (G)will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land, (H)as the Lord your God promised you. 6 (I)Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, (J)lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 and lest you (K)go[a] among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not (L)make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to (M)swear by them; you shall not (N)serve them nor bow down to them, 8 but you shall (O)hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. 9 (P)For the Lord has [b]driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. 10 (Q)One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, (R)as He promised you. 11 (S)Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God. 12 Or else, if indeed you do (T)go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations—these that remain among you—and (U)make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, 13 know for certain that (V)the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. (W)But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.
14 “Behold, this day (X)I[c] am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that (Y)not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. 15 (Z)Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the Lord your God promised you, so the Lord will bring upon you (AA)all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the Lord your God has given you. 16 [d]When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the (AB)anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”
The Covenant at Shechem(AC)
24 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to (AD)Shechem and (AE)called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they (AF)presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: (AG)‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of [e]the River in old times; and (AH)they served other gods. 3 (AI)Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of [f]the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his [g]descendants and (AJ)gave him Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave (AK)Jacob and Esau. To (AL)Esau I gave the mountains of Seir to possess, (AM)but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 (AN)Also I sent Moses and Aaron, and (AO)I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I brought you out.
6 ‘Then I (AP)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. 7 So they cried out to the Lord; and He put (AQ)darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon them, and covered them. And (AR)your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you dwelt in the wilderness (AS)a long time. 8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, (AT)and they fought with you. But I gave them into your hand, that you might possess their land, and I destroyed them from before you. 9 Then (AU)Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and (AV)sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. 10 (AW)But I would not listen to Balaam; (AX)therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 Then (AY)you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And (AZ)the men of Jericho fought against you—also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. 12 (BA)I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but (BB)not with your sword or with your bow. 13 I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and (BC)cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’
14 (BD)“Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in (BE)sincerity and in truth, and (BF)put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of [h]the River and (BG)in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, (BH)choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether (BI)the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of [i]the River, or (BJ)the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. (BK)But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
16 So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17 for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. (BL)We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.”
19 But Joshua said to the people, (BM)“You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a (BN)holy God. He is (BO)a jealous God; (BP)He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 20 (BQ)If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, (BR)then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.”
21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord!”
22 So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that (BS)you have chosen the Lord for yourselves, to serve Him.”
And they said, “We are witnesses!”
23 “Now therefore,” he said, (BT)“put away the foreign gods which are among you, and (BU)incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.”
24 And the people (BV)said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!”
25 So Joshua (BW)made[j] a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance (BX)in Shechem.
26 Then Joshua (BY)wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took (BZ)a large stone, and (CA)set it up there (CB)under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be (CC)a witness to us, for (CD)it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.” 28 So (CE)Joshua let the people depart, each to his own inheritance.
Death of Joshua and Eleazar
29 (CF)Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old. 30 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at (CG)Timnath Serah, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.
31 (CH)Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had (CI)known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.
32 (CJ)The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground (CK)which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred [k]pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph.
33 And (CL)Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in a hill belonging to (CM)Phinehas his son, which was given to him in the mountains of Ephraim.
Footnotes
- Joshua 23:7 associate with
- Joshua 23:9 dispossessed
- Joshua 23:14 I am going to die.
- Joshua 23:16 Or if ever
- Joshua 24:2 The Euphrates
- Joshua 24:3 The Euphrates
- Joshua 24:3 Lit. seed
- Joshua 24:14 The Euphrates
- Joshua 24:15 The Euphrates
- Joshua 24:25 Lit. cut a covenant
- Joshua 24:32 Heb. qesitah, an unknown ancient measure of weight
Joshua 23-24
New International Version
Joshua 23-24
New International Version
Joshua’s Farewell to the Leaders
23 After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest(A) from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man,(B) 2 summoned all Israel—their elders,(C) leaders, judges and officials(D)—and said to them: “I am very old.(E) 3 You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you.(F) 4 Remember how I have allotted(G) as an inheritance(H) for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea(I) in the west. 5 The Lord your God himself will push them out(J) for your sake. He will drive them out(K) before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.(L)
6 “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law(M) of Moses, without turning aside(N) to the right or to the left.(O) 7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear(P) by them. You must not serve them or bow down(Q) to them. 8 But you are to hold fast to the Lord(R) your God, as you have until now.
9 “The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations;(S) to this day no one has been able to withstand you.(T) 10 One of you routs a thousand,(U) because the Lord your God fights for you,(V) just as he promised. 11 So be very careful(W) to love the Lord(X) your God.
12 “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them(Y) and associate with them,(Z) 13 then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out(AA) these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares(AB) and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes,(AC) until you perish from this good land,(AD) which the Lord your God has given you.
14 “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth.(AE) You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise(AF) has been fulfilled; not one has failed.(AG) 15 But just as all the good things(AH) the Lord your God has promised you have come to you, so he will bring on you all the evil things(AI) he has threatened, until the Lord your God has destroyed you(AJ) from this good land he has given you.(AK) 16 If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.(AL)”
The Covenant Renewed at Shechem
24 Then Joshua assembled(AM) all the tribes of Israel at Shechem.(AN) He summoned(AO) the elders,(AP) leaders, judges and officials of Israel,(AQ) and they presented themselves before God.
2 Joshua 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,(AR) lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.(AS) 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan(AT) and gave him many descendants.(AU) I gave him Isaac,(AV) 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.(AW) I assigned the hill country of Seir(AX) to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.(AY)
5 “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron,(AZ) and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.(BA) 6 When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea,(BB) and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen[a](BC) as far as the Red Sea.[b](BD) 7 But they cried(BE) to the Lord for help, and he put darkness(BF) between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them.(BG) You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians.(BH) Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.(BI)
8 “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites(BJ) 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.(BK) 9 When Balak son of Zippor,(BL) the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor(BM) to put a curse on you.(BN) 10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you(BO) again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.
11 “‘Then you crossed the Jordan(BP) and came to Jericho.(BQ) The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites,(BR) Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites,(BS) but I gave them into your hands.(BT) 12 I sent the hornet(BU) ahead of you, which drove them out(BV) before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.(BW) 13 So I gave you a land(BX) 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.’(BY)
14 “Now fear the Lord(BZ) and serve him with all faithfulness.(CA) Throw away the gods(CB) your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt,(CC) and serve the Lord. 15 But 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,(CD) in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household,(CE) we will serve the Lord.”(CF)
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake(CG) the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery,(CH) and performed those great signs(CI) before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out(CJ) before us all the nations,(CK) including the Amorites, who lived in the land.(CL) We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.(CM)”
19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God;(CN) he is a jealous God.(CO) He will not forgive(CP) your rebellion(CQ) and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord(CR) and serve foreign gods, he will turn(CS) and bring disaster(CT) on you and make an end of you,(CU) after he has been good to you.”
21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses(CV) against yourselves that you have chosen(CW) to serve the Lord.”
“Yes, we are witnesses,(CX)” they replied.
23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods(CY) that are among you and yield your hearts(CZ) to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”(DA)
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant(DB) for the people, and there at Shechem(DC) he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.(DD) 26 And Joshua recorded(DE) these things in the Book of the Law of God.(DF) Then he took a large stone(DG) and set it up there under the oak(DH) near the holy place of the Lord.
27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone(DI) will be a witness(DJ) 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(DK) to your God.”(DL)
28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.(DM)
Buried in the Promised Land(DN)
29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died(DO) at the age of a hundred and ten.(DP) 30 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah[c](DQ) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.(DR)
31 Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders(DS) who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.
32 And Joseph’s bones,(DT) which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt,(DU) were buried at Shechem in the tract of land(DV) that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver[d] from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.
33 And Eleazar son of Aaron(DW) died and was buried at Gibeah,(DX) which had been allotted to his son Phinehas(DY) in the hill country(DZ) of Ephraim.
Footnotes
- Joshua 24:6 Or charioteers
- Joshua 24:6 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Joshua 24:30 Also known as Timnath Heres (see Judges 2:9)
- Joshua 24:32 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.