Joshua 24:2-15
24:2 Joshua told all the people, “Here is what the
Lord God of Israel says: ‘In the distant past your ancestors
lived beyond the Euphrates River,
including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshiped
other gods,
24:3 but I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates
and brought him into
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,
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.
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
cried out for help to the
Lord; he made the area between you and the Egyptians dark,
and then drowned them in the sea.
You witnessed with your very own eyes
what I did in Egypt. You lived in the wilderness for a long time.
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
their land and I destroyed them from before you.
24:9 Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attack
against Israel. He summoned
Balaam son of Beor to call down judgment
on you.
24:10 I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept
prophesying good things about
you, and I rescued you from his power.
24:11 You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho.
The leaders
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
ahead of you to drive out before you the two
Amorite kings. I gave you the victory; it was not by your swords or bows.
24:13 I gave you a land in
which you had not worked hard; you took up residence in cities you did not build and you are eating the produce of
vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’
24:14 Now obey the Lord and worship him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and worship the Lord.
24:15 If you have no desire to worship the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, whether it be the gods whom your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family will worship the Lord!”