Joshua 23:4-7

23:4 See, I have parceled out to your tribes these remaining nations, ¹  from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea ²  in the west, including all the nations I defeated. ³  23:5 The Lord your God will drive them out from before you and remove them, ⁴  so you can occupy ⁵  their land as the Lord your God promised ⁶  you. 23:6 Be very strong! Carefully obey ⁷  all that is written in the law scroll of Moses so you won’t swerve from it to the right or the left, 23:7 or associate with these nations that remain near ⁸  you. You must not invoke or make solemn declarations by the names of their gods! ⁹  You must not worship ¹⁰  or bow down to them!

¹ tn Heb “I have assigned by lots to you these remaining nations as an inheritance for your tribes.”

² tn Heb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.

³ tn Heb “from the Jordan and all the nations which I cut off and the Great Sea [at] the place where the sun sets.” The relationship of the second half of the verse, which mentions nations already conquered, to the first half, which speaks of “remaining nations,” is difficult to understand.

⁴ tn The Hebrew text reads, “from before you.” This has not been included in the translation because it is redundant in English.

⁵ tn Or “take possession of.”

⁶ tn Heb “said to.”

⁷ tn Heb “Be strong so you can be careful to do.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “with.”

¹¹ tn Heb “and in the name of their gods you must not invoke and you must not make solemn declarations.” The words “and you must not make solemn declarations” are omitted in the LXX and may represent a later scribal addition to elucidate the immediately preceding command. The Hiphil of שָׁבַע (shava’) without an object occurs only here and in Josh 6:26.

¹² tn Or “serve.”