Joshua 24:1-15

Context

Israel Renews its Commitment to the Lord

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 ancestors¹ lived beyond the Euphrates River,² including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshiped³ other gods, 24:3 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, 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 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 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 conquered¹³ their land and I destroyed them from before you. 24:9 Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attack¹⁴ against Israel. He summoned¹⁵ Balaam son of Beor to call down judgment¹⁶ on you. 24:10 I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept¹⁷ prophesying good things about¹⁸ you, and I rescued you from his power.¹⁹ 24:11 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. 24:12 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 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.’

24:14 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. 24:15 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!”

[24:2] ¹tn Heb “your fathers.”

[24:2] ²tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:2] ³tn Or “served.”

[24:3] ⁴tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:3] ⁵tn Or “through.”

[24:4] ⁶tn Heb “I gave to Esau Mount Seir to possess it.”

[24:5] ⁷tn Heb “by that which I did in its midst.”

[24:7] ⁸tn Heb “they”; the referent (the fathers) has been specified in the translation for clarity (see the previous verse).

[24:7] ⁹tn Or “put darkness between you and the Egyptians.”

[24:7] ¹⁰tn Heb “and he brought over them the sea and covered them.”

[24:7] ¹¹tn Heb “your eyes saw.”

[24:7] ¹²tn Heb “many days.”

[24:8] ¹³tn Or “took possession of.”

[24:9] ¹⁴tn Heb “arose and fought.”

[24:9] ¹⁵tn Heb “sent and called.”

[24:9] ¹⁶tn Or “to curse.”

[24:10] ¹⁷tn 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).

[24:10] ¹⁸tn Heb “blessing.” Balaam’s “blessings” were actually prophecies of how God would prosper Israel.

[24:10] ¹⁹tn Heb “hand.”

[24:11] ²⁰map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[24:11] ²¹tn Or perhaps, “citizens.”

[24:12] ²²tn Traditionally, “the hornet” (so KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV) but the precise meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain (cf. NEB “panic”).

[24:12] ²³tn 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).

[24:12] ²⁴tn 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.

[24:13] ²⁵tn Or perhaps, “for.”

[24:13] ²⁶tn The words “the produce of” are supplied for clarification.

[24:14] ²⁷sn 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).

[24:14] ²⁸tn Heb “fear.”

[24:14] ²⁹tn Or “and serve.”

[24:14] ³⁰tn Heb “your fathers.”

[24:14] ³¹tn Or “served.”

[24:14] ³²tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.

[24:14] ³³tn Or “and serve.”

[24:15] ³⁴tn Heb “if it is bad in your eyes.”

[24:15] ³⁵tn Or “to serve.”

[24:15] ³⁶tn Or “will serve.”

[24:15] ³⁷tn Heb “your fathers.”

[24:15] ³⁸tn Or “served.”

[24:15] ³⁹tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.

[24:15] ⁴⁰tn Heb “house.”

[24:15] ⁴¹tn Or “will serve.”