So Joshua summoned all Israel, including the elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and told them: “I am very old.

Look! The ark of the covenant of the Ruler ¹  of the whole earth is ready to enter the Jordan ahead of you.

Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God.

When the feet ¹  of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Ruler ²  of the whole earth, touch ³  the water of the Jordan, the water coming downstream toward you will stop flowing and pile up.” ⁴ 

All the people, ¹  rulers, ²  leaders, and judges were standing on either side of the ark, in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Both resident foreigners and native Israelites were there. ³  Half the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the Lord’s servant had previously instructed to them to do for the formal blessing ceremony. ⁴ 

from the Shihor River ¹  east of ²  Egypt northward to the territory of Ekron (it is regarded as Canaanite territory), ³  including the area belonging to the five Philistine lords who ruled in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as Avvite land ⁴ 

The leaders then added, ¹  “Let them live.” So they became ²  woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had decided. ³ 

He was accompanied by ten leaders, one from each of the Israelite tribes, each one a family leader among the Israelite clans. ¹ 

The Israelites did not attack them because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them in the name of the Lord God of Israel. ¹  The whole community criticized ²  the leaders,

Joshua made a peace treaty with them and agreed to let them live. The leaders of the community ¹  sealed it with an oath. ² 

but all the leaders told the whole community, “We swore an oath to them in the name of ¹  the Lord God of Israel. So now we can’t hurt ²  them!

When Phinehas the priest and the community leaders and clan leaders who accompanied him heard the defense of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the Manassehites, ¹  they were satisfied. ² 

Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders left the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead and reported back to the Israelites in the land of Canaan. ¹ 

They went before Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, “The Lord told Moses to assign us land among our relatives.” ¹  So Joshua ²  assigned them land among their uncles, as the Lord had commanded. ³