24:1 Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God. 24:2 Joshua told all the people, “Here is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘In the distant past your ancestors 1 lived beyond the Euphrates River, 2 including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshiped 3 other gods, 24:3 but I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates 4 and brought him into 5 the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous; I gave him Isaac, 24:4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I assigned Mount Seir, 6 while Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 24:5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt down when I intervened in their land. 7 Then I brought you out. 24:6 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. 24:7 Your fathers 8 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 eyes 11 what I did in Egypt. You lived in the wilderness for a long time. 12 24:8 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 conquered 13 their land and I destroyed them from before you. 24:9 Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attack 14 against Israel. He summoned 15 Balaam son of Beor to call down judgment 16 on you. 24:10 I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept 17 prophesying good things about 18 you, and I rescued you from his power. 19 24:11 You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. 20 The leaders 21 of Jericho, as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, fought with you, but I handed them over to you. 24:12 I sent terror 22 ahead of you to drive out before you the two 23 Amorite kings. I gave you the victory; it was not by your swords or bows. 24 24:13 I gave you a land in 25 which you had not worked hard; you took up residence in cities you did not build and you are eating the produce of 26 vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’
1 tn Heb “your fathers.”
2 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Or “served.”
4 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Or “through.”
6 tn Heb “I gave to Esau Mount Seir to possess it.”
7 tn Heb “by that which I did in its midst.”
8 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the fathers) has been specified in the translation for clarity (see the previous verse).
9 tn Or “put darkness between you and the Egyptians.”
10 tn Heb “and he brought over them the sea and covered them.”
11 tn Heb “your eyes saw.”
12 tn Heb “many days.”
13 tn Or “took possession of.”
14 tn Heb “arose and fought.”
15 tn Heb “sent and called.”
16 tn Or “to curse.”
17 tn 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).
18 tn Heb “blessing.” Balaam’s “blessings” were actually prophecies of how God would prosper Israel.
19 tn Heb “hand.”
20 map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.
21 tn Or perhaps, “citizens.”
22 tn Traditionally, “the hornet” (so KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV) but the precise meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain (cf. NEB “panic”).
23 tn 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).
24 tn 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.
25 tn Or perhaps, “for.”
26 tn The words “the produce of” are supplied for clarification.