He then made the clans of Judah approach and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He made the clan of the Zerahites approach and Zabdi was selected.

When you capture the city, set it on fire. Do as the Lord says! See, I have given you orders.”

So they selected Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

and told them: “You have carried out all the instructions of Moses the Lord’s servant, and you have obeyed all I have told you.

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.

The Lord drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship the Lord, for he is our God!”

They said to Joshua, “It was carefully reported to your subjects how the Lord your God commanded Moses his servant to assign you the whole land and to destroy all who live in the land from before you. Because of you we were terrified we would lose our lives, so we did this thing.

explain to your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground.’

But they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

The Israelites followed the Lord’s instructions to Moses and divided up the land.

(Now the city’s fields and surrounding towns they had assigned to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his property.)

I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept prophesying good things about you, and I rescued you from his power.

Joshua instructed the leaders of the people:

That day Joshua captured Makkedah and put the sword to it and its king. He annihilated everyone who lived in it; he left no survivors. He did to its king what he had done to the king of Jericho.

for the Lord determined to make them obstinate so they would attack Israel. He wanted Israel to annihilate them without mercy, as he had instructed Moses.

But carefully obey the commands and instructions Moses the Lord’s servant gave you. Love the Lord your God, follow all his instructions, obey his commands, be loyal to him, and serve him with all your heart and being!”

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.

When Joshua dismissed the people, they went to their allotted portions of land.

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!”

Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them.