Joshua, Chapter 24:

Joshua Verses, Chapter 24 of the Book of Joshua of the Bible.

The covenant is renewed in Shechem

• 1. Then Joshua summoned all the tribes of Israel to Shechem. He gathered the authorities, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
• 2. Joshua said to all the people, “Hear what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Long ago, your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.
• 3. But I took your father Abraham out of that land beyond the river, and led him throughout the land of Canaan. I multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.
• 4. To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
• 5. “Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and struck the Egyptians with plagues, punishing them. Then I got you out of there.
• 6. When your ancestors left Egypt, they reached the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with their chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.
• 7. But they cried out to me, and I put darkness between you and the Egyptians; I made the sea return and cover them. You yourselves saw what I did to the Egyptians. After that, you lived in the desert for a long time.
• 8. “I brought them to the land of the Amorites, east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your hands. I destroyed them before you, and you took possession of their land.
• 9. When Balak, king of Moab, son of Zippor, was preparing to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam, son of Beor, to curse them.
• 10. But I would not listen to Balaam; on the contrary, I blessed you, delivering you from his hand.
• 11. “You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The leaders of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I delivered them into your hands.
• 12. I caused a panic among them in order to drive them out before you, as I did with the two Amorite kings. It was not by sword or bow that you won this victory.
• 13. I gave you land that you did not cultivate and cities that you did not build. You are living in them and eating from the orchards and vineyards that you did not plant.”
• 14. “Now fear the Lord and serve him with integrity and faithfulness. Throw away the gods that your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
• 15. But if you do not like serving the Lord, choose today whom you will serve: whether the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
• 16. Then the people replied: “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord to serve other gods!
• 17. It was the Lord himself, our God, who brought us and our ancestors out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great wonders before our eyes. He protected us throughout our journey and among all the people we passed through.
• 18. Furthermore, the Lord expelled all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in this land. We too will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
• 19. Joshua said to the people, “You are not capable of serving the Lord. He is a holy God, a jealous God; he will not forgive your rebellion and your sin.
• 20. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn against you and punish you; he will annihilate them, even after having treated them kindly.”
• 21. But the people answered Joshua, “No way! We will serve the Lord.”
• 22. Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” “We are,” they replied.
• 23. Joshua said, “Now then, throw away the foreign gods that are with you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
• 24. And the people answered, “We will serve the Lord our God, and we will obey him alone.”
• 25. That day Joshua made an agreement with the people in Shechem and gave them decrees and laws.
• 26. Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and lifted it there, under the oak tree next to the sanctuary of the Lord.
• 27. And he said to all the people, “This stone will be a witness against us. She heard every word the Lord said to us. Therefore, she will be a witness against you if you are unfaithful to your God.”
• 28. Then Joshua sent the people away, each one to his inheritance.

Joshua's death

• 29. After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten years.
• 30. He was buried in the land he inherited, in Timnath-sera, in the mountains of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
• 31. Israel served the Lord throughout the life of Joshua and the leaders who lived after him and who had witnessed everything the Lord had done for Israel.
• 32. The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought from Egypt, were buried in Shechem, in the part of the field that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of silver. That land became the property of Joseph's descendants.
• 33. Eleazar son of Aaron also died and was buried in Gibeah, which had been given to Phinehas his son in the mountains of Ephraim.

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