The Covenant at Shechem

1And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

2And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Your^p fathers dwelled on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.   Euphrates River

3And I took your^p father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.   offspring

4And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave to Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

5I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you^p out.

6And I brought your^p fathers out of Egypt: and you^p came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your^p fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red sea.

7And when they cried to the Lord, he put darkness between you^p and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your^p eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and you^p dwelled in the wilderness a long season.

8And I brought you^p into the land of the Amorites, which dwelled on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you^p: and I gave them into your hand, that you^p might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you^p.

9Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you^p:

10But I would not hearken to Balaam; therefore he blessed you^p still: so I delivered you^p out of his hand.

11And you^p went over Jordan, and came to Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you^p, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your^p hand.

12And I sent the hornet before you^p, which drove them out from before you^p, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with your sword, nor with your bow.

13And I have given you^p a land for which you^p did not labor, and cities which you^p built not, and you^p dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which you^p planted not do you^p eat.

14Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your^p fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve you^p the Lord.

15And if it seem evil to you^p to serve the Lord, choose you^p this day whom you^p will serve; whether the gods which your^p fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you^p dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

16And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;

17For the Lord our God, He it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:

18And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelled in the land: therefore will we also serve the Lord: for He is our God.

19And Joshua said to the people, You^p cannot serve the Lord: for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your^p transgressions nor your^p sins.

20If you^p forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then He will turn and do you^p hurt, and consume you^p, after that He has done you^p good.   ACTS 7:43 | foreign; destroy

21And the people said to Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord.

22And Joshua said to the people You^p are witnesses against yourselves^p that you^p have chosen you^p the Lord, to serve Him. And they said, We are witnesses.

23Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you^p, and incline your^p heart to the Lord God of Israel.

24And the people said to Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and His voice will we obey.

25So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.   agreement; decree

26And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the Lord.

27And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us; for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us: it shall be therefore a witness to you^p, lest you^p deny your^p God.

28So Joshua let the people depart, every man to his inheritance.