Joshua 24 (NET)

Israel Renews its Commitment to the Lord

1 Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God. 2 Joshua told all the people, “Here is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘In the distant past your ancestors1 lived beyond the Euphrates River,2 including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshiped3 other gods, 3 but I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates4 and brought him into5 the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous; I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I assigned Mount Seir,6 while Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt down when I intervened in their land.7 Then I brought you out. 6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you arrived at the sea. The Egyptians chased your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 Your fathers8 cried out for help to the Lord; he made the area between you and the Egyptians dark,9 and then drowned them in the sea.10 You witnessed with your very own eyes11 what I did in Egypt. You lived in the wilderness for a long time.12 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought with you, but I handed them over to you; you conquered13 their land and I destroyed them from before you. 9 Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attack14 against Israel. He summoned15 Balaam son of Beor to call down judgment16 on you. 10 I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept17 prophesying good things about18 you, and I rescued you from his power.19 11 You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho.20 The leaders21 of Jericho, as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, fought with you, but I handed them over to you. 12 I sent terror22 ahead of you to drive out before you the two23 Amorite kings. I gave you the victory; it was not by your swords or bows.24 13 I gave you a land in25 which you had not worked hard; you took up residence in cities you did not build and you are eating the produce of26 vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’

14 Now27 obey28 the Lord and worship29 him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors30 worshiped31 beyond the Euphrates32 and in Egypt and worship33 the Lord. 15 If you have no desire34 to worship35 the Lord, choose today whom you will worship,36 whether it be the gods whom your ancestors37 worshiped38 beyond the Euphrates,39 or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family40 will worship41 the Lord!”

16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can42 worship43 other gods! 17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery44 in the land of Egypt45 and performed these awesome miracles46 before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations.47 18 The Lord drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship48 the Lord, for he is our God!”

19 Joshua warned49 the people, “You will not keep worshiping50 the Lord, for51 he is a holy God.52 He is a jealous God who will not forgive53 your rebellion or your sins. 20 If54 you abandon the Lord and worship55 foreign gods, he will turn against you;56 he will bring disaster on you and destroy you,57 though he once treated you well.”58

21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We really will59 worship60 the Lord!” 22 Joshua said to the people, “Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the Lord?”61 They replied, “We are witnesses!”62 23 Joshua said,63 “Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to64 the Lord God of Israel.”

24 The people said to Joshua, “We will worship65 the Lord our God and obey him.”66

25 That day Joshua drew up an agreement67 for the people, and he established rules and regulations68 for them in Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the Law Scroll of God. He then took a large stone and set it up there under the oak tree near the Lord’s shrine. 27 Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a witness against you, for it has heard everything the Lord said to us.69 It will be a witness against you if70 you deny your God.” 28 When Joshua dismissed the people, they went to their allotted portions of land.71

An Era Ends

29 After all this72 Joshua son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died at the age of one hundred ten. 30 They buried him in his allotted territory73 in Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel worshiped74 the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men who outlived him remained alive.75 These men had experienced firsthand everything the Lord had done for Israel.76

32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the part of the field that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money.77 So it became the inheritance of the tribe of Joseph.78

33 Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him in Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim, where his son Phinehas had been assigned land.79

124:2tn Heb “your fathers.” 224:2tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity. 324:2tn Or “served.” 424:3tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity. 524:3tn Or “through.” 624:4tn Heb “I gave to Esau Mount Seir to possess it.” 724:5tn Heb “by that which I did in its midst.” 824:7tn Heb “they”; the referent (the fathers) has been specified in the translation for clarity (see the previous verse). 924:7tn Or “put darkness between you and the Egyptians.” 1024:7tn Heb “and he brought over them the sea and covered them.” 1124:7tn Heb “your eyes saw.” 1224:7tn Heb “many days.” 1324:8tn Or “took possession of.” 1424:9tn Heb “arose and fought.” 1524:9tn Heb “sent and called.” 1624:9tn Or “to curse.” 1724:10tn The infinitive absolute follows the finite verb in the Hebrew text and indicates continuation or repetition of the action. Balaam pronounced several oracles of blessing over Israel (see Num 23-24). 1824:10tn Heb “blessing.” Balaam’s “blessings” were actually prophecies of how God would prosper Israel. 1924:10tn Heb “hand.” 2024:11map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1. 2124:11tn Or perhaps, “citizens.” 2224:12tn Traditionally, “the hornet” (so KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV) but the precise meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain (cf. NEB “panic”). 2324:12tn The LXX has “twelve,” apparently understanding this as a reference to Amorite kings west of the Jordan (see Josh 5:1, rather than the trans-Jordanian Amorite kings Sihon and Og (see Josh 2:10; 9:10). 2424:12tn Heb “and it drove them out from before you, the two kings of the Amorites, not by your sword and not by your bow.” The words “I gave you the victory” are supplied for clarification. 2524:13tn Or perhaps, “for.” 2624:13tn The words “the produce of” are supplied for clarification. 2724:14sn Joshua quotes the Lord’s words in vv. 2b-13 (note that the Lord speaks in the first person in these verses); in vv. 14-15 Joshua himself exhorts the people (note the third person references to the Lord). 2824:14tn Heb “fear.” 2924:14tn Or “and serve.” 3024:14tn Heb “your fathers.” 3124:14tn Or “served.” 3224:14tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3. 3324:14tn Or “and serve.” 3424:15tn Heb “if it is bad in your eyes.” 3524:15tn Or “to serve.” 3624:15tn Or “will serve.” 3724:15tn Heb “your fathers.” 3824:15tn Or “served.” 3924:15tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3. 4024:15tn Heb “house.” 4124:15tn Or “will serve.” 4224:16tn Heb “to.” 4324:16tn Or “can serve.” 4424:17tn Heb “of the house of slavery.” 4524:17tn Heb “for the Lord our God, he is the one who brought up us and our fathers from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves.” 4624:17tn Or “great signs.” 4724:17tn Heb “and he guarded us in all the way in which we walked and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.” 4824:18tn Or “will serve.” 4924:19tn Heb “said to.” 5024:19tn Heb “you are not able to serve.” 5124:19sn For an excellent discussion of Joshua’s logical argument here, see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 274-75. 5224:19tn In the Hebrew text both the divine name (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) and the adjective (קְדֹשִׁים, qÿdoshim, “holy”) are plural. Normally the divine name, when referring to the one true God, takes singular modifiers, but this is a rare exception where the adjective agrees grammatically with the honorific plural noun. See GKC §124.i and IBHS 122. 5324:19tn Heb “lift up” or “take away.”sn This assertion obviously needs qualification, for the OT elsewhere affirms that God does forgive. Joshua is referring to the persistent national rebellion against the Mosaic covenant that eventually cause God to decree unconditionally the nation’s exile. 5424:20tn Or “when.” 5524:20tn Or “and serve.” 5624:20tn The words “against you” are added for clarification. 5724:20tn Heb “bring you to an end.” 5824:20tn Heb “after he did good for you.” 5924:21tn The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is emphatic. Another option is to take it as explanatory, “No, for we will….” 6024:21tn Or “will serve.” 6124:22tn Heb “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the Lord to serve him.” 6224:22sn Like witnesses in a court of law, Israel’s solemn vow to worship the Lord will testify against them in the divine court if the nation ever violates its commitment. 6324:23tn The words “Joshua said” are supplied for clarification. 6424:23tn Heb “bend your heart toward.” The term לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) probably here refers to the people’s volition or will. 6524:24tn Or “will serve.” 6624:24tn Heb “and listen to his voice.” 6724:25tn Heb “cut a covenant.” 6824:25tn Heb “a statute and a judgment.” 6924:27tn Heb “all the words of the Lord which he spoke with us.” 7024:27tn Or “lest,” “so that you might not.” 7124:28tn Heb “And Joshua sent the people away, each to his inheritance.” 7224:29tn Heb “after these things.” 7324:30tn Heb “in the territory of his inheritance.” 7424:31tn Or “served.” 7524:31tn Heb “all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived him.” 7624:31tn Heb “who knew all the work of the Lord which he had done for Israel.” 7724:32tn Heb “one hundred qesitahs.” The Hebrew word קְשִׂיטָה (qesitah) is generally understood to refer to a unit of money, but the value and/or weight is unknown. The word occurs only here and in Gen 33:19 and Job 42:11. 7824:32tn Heb “and they became for the sons of Joseph an inheritance.” One might think “bones” is the subject of the verb “they became,” but the verb is masculine, while “bones” is feminine. The translation follows the emendation suggested in the BHS note, which appeals to the Syriac and Vulgate for support. The emended reading understands “the part (of the field)” as the subject of the verb “became.” The emended verb is feminine singular; this agrees with “the part” (of the field), which is feminine in Hebrew. 7924:33tn Heb “in Gibeah of Phinehas, his son, which had been given to him in the hill country of Ephraim.”