| English Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. | 1Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem and summoned Israel's elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and they presented themselves before God. |
| 2And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. | 2Joshua said to all the people, "This is 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. |
| 3Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. | 3But I took your father Abraham from the region beyond the Euphrates River, led him throughout the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac, |
| 4And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. | 4and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave the hill country of Seir to Esau as a possession, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt." |
| 5And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out. | 5Then I sent Moses and Aaron; I plagued Egypt by what I did there and afterward I brought you out. |
| 6“‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. | 6When I brought your fathers out of Egypt and you reached the Red Sea, the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen as far as the sea. |
| 7And when they cried to the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. | 7Your fathers cried out to the LORD, so He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea over them, engulfing them. Your own eyes saw what I did to Egypt. After that, you lived in the wilderness a long time." |
| 8Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. | 8Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you, but I handed them over to you. You possessed their land, and I annihilated them before you. |
| 9Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, | 9Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you, |
| 10but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. | 10but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he repeatedly blessed you, and I delivered you from his hand." |
| 11And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. | 11You then crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho--as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites--fought against you, but I handed them over to you. |
| 12And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. | 12I sent the hornet ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings before you. It was not by your sword or bow. |
| 13I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’ | 13I gave you a land you did not labor for, and cities you did not build, though you live in them; you are eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.'" |
| 14“Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. | 14Therefore, fear the LORD and worship Him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship Yahweh. |
| 15And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” | 15But if it doesn't please you to worship Yahweh, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh." |
| 16Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods, | 16The people replied, "We will certainly not abandon the LORD to worship other gods! |
| 17for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. | 17For the LORD our God brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected us all along the way we went and among all the peoples whose lands we traveled through. |
| 18And the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.” | 18The LORD drove out before us all the peoples, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will worship the LORD, because He is our God." |
| 19But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. | 19But Joshua told the people, "You will not be able to worship Yahweh, because He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not remove your transgressions and sins. |
| 20If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” | 20If you abandon the LORD and worship foreign gods, He will turn against you, harm you, and completely destroy you, after He has been good to you."" |
| 21And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD.” | 21No!" the people answered Joshua. "We will worship the LORD." |
| 22Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” | 22Joshua then told the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you yourselves have chosen to worship Yahweh."" We are witnesses," they said." |
| 23He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel.” | 23Then get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and offer your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." |
| 24And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” | 24So the people said to Joshua, "We will worship the LORD our God and obey Him." |
| 25So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. | 25On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people at Shechem and established a statute and ordinance for them. |
| 26And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. | 26Joshua recorded these things in the book of the law of God; he also took a large stone and set it up there under the oak next to the sanctuary of the LORD. |
| 27And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” | 27And Joshua said to all the people, "You see this stone--it will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD said to us, and it will be a witness against you, so that you will not deny your God." |
| 28So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance. | 28Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance. |
| 29After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being 110 years old. | 29After these things, the LORD's servant, Joshua son of Nun, died at the age of 110. |
| 30And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. | 30They buried him in his allotted territory at Timnath-serah, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. |
| 31Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the LORD did for Israel. | 31Israel worshiped Yahweh throughout Joshua's lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua and who had experienced all the works Yahweh had done for Israel. |
| 32As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph. | 32Joseph's bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the parcel of land Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for 100 qesitahs. It was an inheritance for Joseph's descendants. |
| 33And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of Phinehas his son, which had been given him in the hill country of Ephraim. | 33And Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim. |
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