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24 And Yehoshua gathered Kol Shivtei Yisroel to Shechem, and called for the Ziknei Yisroel, and for their Rashim, and for their shofetim, and for their shoterim; and they presented themselves before HaElohim.

And Yehoshua said unto Kol HaAm, Thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel, Avoteichem dwelt on the other side of the [Euphrates] River long ago, even Terach, Avi Avraham, and Avi Nachor: and they served elohim acherim.

But I took Avichem Avraham from the other side of the [Euphrates] River, and led him through Kol Eretz Kena’an, and multiplied his zera, and gave him Yitzchak.

And I gave unto Yitzchak Ya’akov and Esav; and I gave unto Esav Mt Seir, to possess it; but Ya’akov and his banim went down into Mitzrayim.

I sent Moshe also and Aharon, and I plagued Mitzrayim, according to that which I did among them; and afterward I brought you out.

And I brought Avoteichem out of Mitzrayim; and ye came unto the Yam [Suf]; the Mitzrayim pursued after Avoteichem with chariots and parashim unto the Yam Suf.

And when they cried unto Hashem, He put darkness between you and the Mitzrayim, and brought the yam upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Mitzrayim; and ye dwelt in the midbar yamim rabbim.

And I brought you into the Eretz HaEmori, the ones dwelling on the other side of the Yarden; they fought against you; I gave them into your yad, that ye might possess their land; I destroyed them from before you.

Then Balak ben Tzippor Melech Moav arose and warred against Yisroel, and sent and summoned Balaam ben Beor to curse you;

10 But I would not pay heed unto Balaam; therefore he made a brocha over you; so I saved you out of his yad.

11 And you went over the Yarden, and came unto Yericho; and the Ba’alei Yericho fought against you, and HaEmori, and the Perizzi, and the Kena’ani, and the Chitti, and the Girgashi, the Chivi, and the Yevusi; and I gave them into your yad.

12 And I sent the tzirah (hornet) before you, which drove them out ahead of you, even the two melachim of the Emori; but not with thy cherev, nor with thy keshet.

13 So I have given you an Eretz for which ye did not toil, and towns which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; kramim and zetim (olive groves) which ye eat but did not plant.

14 Now therefore fear Hashem, serve Him batamim (completely) and in emes; put away the elohim which Avoteichem served on the other side of the [Euphrates] River, and in Mitzrayim; and serve ye Hashem.

15 And if it seem rah unto you to serve Hashem, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the elohim which Avoteichem served that were on the other side of the River, or the elohei HaEmori, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my bais, we will serve Hashem.

16 And the people answered and said, Chalilah lanu (far be it from us) that we should forsake Hashem, to serve elohim acharim;

17 For Hashem Eloheinu, He it is that brought us up and Avoteinu out of Eretz Mitzrayim, from the bais avadim, and which did those haotot hagedolot in our sight, and was shomer over us in kol HaDerech in which we went, and among Kol HaAmim through whom we passed;

18 And Hashem drove out from before us Kol HaAmim, even HaEmori which dwelt in HaAretz; therefore will we also serve Hashem; for He is Eloheinu.

19 And Yehoshua said unto HaAm, Ye are not able to serve Hashem; for He is an Elohim Kedoshim; He is an El Kanno (jealous G-d); He will not forgive your paysha’im nor your chattot.

20 If ye forsake Hashem, and serve elohei nekhar (foreign g-ds), then He will turn and bring you rah, and consume you, after that He hath done you tov.

21 And HaAm said unto Yehoshua, No; but we will serve Hashem.

22 And Yehoshua said unto HaAm, Ye are edim against yourselves that ye have chosen for you Hashem, to serve Him. And they said, We are edim.

23 Now therefore put away, said he, the elohei hanechar which are among you, and yield your levav unto Hashem Elohei Yisroel.

24 And HaAm said unto Yehoshua, Hashem Eloheinu will we serve, and His voice will we obey.

25 So Yehoshua made a Brit with HaAm that day, and set them a chok and a mishpat at Shechem.

26 And Yehoshua wrote these words in the Sefer Torah Elohim, and took an Even Gedolah, and set it up there under an oak, that was near the Mikdash Hashem.

27 And Yehoshua said unto kol HaAm, Hinei, this Even (Stone) shall be as an edah (witness) unto us; for it hath heard all the words of Hashem which He spoke unto us; it shall be therefore as an edah (witness) unto you, lest ye are untrue to Eloheichem.

28 So Yehoshua sent HaAm away, every man unto his nachalah.

29 And it came to pass after these things, that Yehoshua ben Nun Eved Hashem, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

30 And they buried him in the territory of his nachalah in Timnat Serach, which is in har Ephrayim, north of Mt Ga’ash.

31 And Yisroel served Hashem all the days of Yehoshua, and all the days of the Zekenim that outlived Yehoshua, and which had da’as of kol ma’asei Hashem, that He had done for Yisroel.

32 And the atzmot Yosef, which the Bnei Yisroel brought up out of Mitzrayim, they buried at Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Ya’akov bought of the Bnei Chamor Av Shechem for a hundred pieces of silver: and it became the nachalah of the Bnei Yosef.

33 And Eleazar ben Aharon died; and they buried him on a hill that belonged to Pinchas his son, which was given him in har Ephrayim.

The Covenant Renewed at Shechem

24 Then Joshua assembled(A) all the tribes of Israel at Shechem.(B) He summoned(C) the elders,(D) leaders, judges and officials of Israel,(E) and they presented themselves before God.

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,(F) lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.(G) But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan(H) and gave him many descendants.(I) I gave him Isaac,(J) and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.(K) I assigned the hill country of Seir(L) to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.(M)

“‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron,(N) and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.(O) When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea,(P) and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen[a](Q) as far as the Red Sea.[b](R) But they cried(S) to the Lord for help, and he put darkness(T) between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them.(U) You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians.(V) Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.(W)

“‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites(X) 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.(Y) When Balak son of Zippor,(Z) the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor(AA) to put a curse on you.(AB) 10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you(AC) again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

11 “‘Then you crossed the Jordan(AD) and came to Jericho.(AE) The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites,(AF) Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites,(AG) but I gave them into your hands.(AH) 12 I sent the hornet(AI) ahead of you, which drove them out(AJ) before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.(AK) 13 So I gave you a land(AL) 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.’(AM)

14 “Now fear the Lord(AN) and serve him with all faithfulness.(AO) Throw away the gods(AP) your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt,(AQ) 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,(AR) in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household,(AS) we will serve the Lord.”(AT)

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake(AU) 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,(AV) and performed those great signs(AW) 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(AX) before us all the nations,(AY) including the Amorites, who lived in the land.(AZ) We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.(BA)

19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God;(BB) he is a jealous God.(BC) He will not forgive(BD) your rebellion(BE) and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord(BF) and serve foreign gods, he will turn(BG) and bring disaster(BH) on you and make an end of you,(BI) 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(BJ) against yourselves that you have chosen(BK) to serve the Lord.”

“Yes, we are witnesses,(BL)” they replied.

23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods(BM) that are among you and yield your hearts(BN) to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”(BO)

25 On that day Joshua made a covenant(BP) for the people, and there at Shechem(BQ) he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.(BR) 26 And Joshua recorded(BS) these things in the Book of the Law of God.(BT) Then he took a large stone(BU) and set it up there under the oak(BV) near the holy place of the Lord.

27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone(BW) will be a witness(BX) 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(BY) to your God.”(BZ)

28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.(CA)

Buried in the Promised Land(CB)

29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died(CC) at the age of a hundred and ten.(CD) 30 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah[c](CE) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.(CF)

31 Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders(CG) who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.

32 And Joseph’s bones,(CH) which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt,(CI) were buried at Shechem in the tract of land(CJ) 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(CK) died and was buried at Gibeah,(CL) which had been allotted to his son Phinehas(CM) in the hill country(CN) of Ephraim.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 24:6 Or charioteers
  2. Joshua 24:6 Or the Sea of Reeds
  3. Joshua 24:30 Also known as Timnath Heres (see Judges 2:9)
  4. Joshua 24:32 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value.