Joshua 24:1-22

¹And Joshua gathered all the lineages of Israel into Shechem; and he called the greater men in birth, and the princes, and judges, and masters; and they stood in the sight of the Lord. (And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel into Shechem; and he called the men of great age, that is, the elders, and the leaders, and the judges, and the officers; and they stood before the Lord.)

²And Joshua spake thus to the people, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, Your fathers dwelled at the beginning beyond the flood Euphrates, (that is), Terah, the father of Abraham and Nachor, and they served alien gods. (And Joshua spoke to the people thus, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, Long ago your forefathers lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, that is, Terah, and his sons Abraham and Nachor, and they served foreign, or other, gods.)

³Therefore I took your father Abraham from the coasts of Mesopotamia, and I brought him into the land of Canaan; and I multiplied his seed, and I gave Isaac to him;

⁴and again, I gave to Isaac, Jacob, and Esau; of which I gave to Esau the hill of Seir, to have in possession; and Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt. (and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau; and I gave Esau the hill country of Seir, to have for a possession; and Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt.)

⁵And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I smote Egypt with many signs and wonders, and I led you

⁶and your fathers out of Egypt. And ye came to the (Red) Sea, and (the) Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots, and multitude of knights (or and many soldiers), (yea), unto the Red Sea.

⁷And the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, and he put darknesses betwixt you and the Egyptians; and he brought the sea (down) on them, and (it altogether) covered them. Your eyes have seen all (the) things, which I did in Egypt. And ye dwelled in wilderness much time, (or And then ye lived in the wilderness, or in the desert, a long time).

⁸And I brought you into the land of Amorites, that dwelled beyond (the) Jordan; and when they fought against you, I betook them into your hands, and ye had their land in possession, and ye killed them. (And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who lived on the east side of the Jordan River; and when they fought against you, I delivered them into your hands, and ye had their land for a possession, and ye killed them.)

⁹And Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab, rose (up), and fought against Israel; and he sent (for), and called (on) Balaam, the son of Beor, that he should curse you.

¹⁰And I would not hear him, but on the contrary by Balaam I blessed you, and I delivered you from the hands of Balak. (But I would not listen to him, and on the contrary, I blessed you by Balaam, and I rescued you from Balak’s hands.)

¹¹And ye passed over (the) Jordan (or And ye crossed over the Jordan River), and came to Jericho; and men of that city fought against you, Amorites, and Perizzites, and Canaanites, Hittites, and Girgashites, and Hivites, and Jebusites; and I betook them (all) into your hands.

¹²And I sent flies with venomous tongues before you, and I casted them out of their places; (yea), I killed the two kings of (the) Amorites, not in thy sword, nor in thy bow, (or but not with thy sword, or with thy bow).

¹³And I gave to you the land in which ye travailed not, and cities which ye builded not, (so) that ye should dwell in those, and vineries (or and vineyards), and places of olive trees, which ye planted not.

¹⁴Now therefore dread ye the Lord, and serve ye him with perfect heart and most true; and do ye away the gods, to which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. (And so now fear ye the Lord, and serve ye him with a perfect and a most true heart; and do ye away the gods whom your forefathers served in Mesopotamia, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.)

¹⁵But if it seemeth evil to you, that ye serve the Lord, choosing is given to you; choose ye to you today that, that pleaseth, whom ye ought most to serve; whether to gods, which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, whether to the gods of Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; forsooth I, and mine house, shall serve the Lord. (But if it seemeth onerous to you, that ye serve the Lord, choosing is given to you; choose ye today what pleaseth you, whom ye ought most to serve; whether the gods, which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye live; but I, and my house, shall serve the Lord.)

¹⁶And all the people answered, and said, Far be it from us that we forsake the Lord, and serve alien gods (or and serve foreign, or other, gods).

¹⁷Our Lord God himself led us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of servage, and did great signs in our sight; and he kept us (safe) in all the way, by which we went, and in all peoples, by which we passed; (The Lord our God himself led us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude, or of slavery, and did great miracles before us; and he kept us safe on all the way, by which we went, and among all the peoples, through whom we passed;)

¹⁸and he casted out all folks, Amorites, the dwellers of the land, into which we entered. Therefore we shall serve the Lord, for he is our Lord God. (and he threw out the Amorites, and all the other people, who lived in the land, into which we entered. And so we shall serve the Lord, for he is the Lord our God.)

¹⁹And Joshua said to the people, Ye may not serve the Lord; for God is holy, and a strong fervent lover, and he forgiveth not your trespasses and sins. (But Joshua said to the people, Ye shall not be able to serve the Lord; for God is holy, and a jealous God, and he will not forgive your trespasses and sins.)

²⁰If ye forsake the Lord, and serve alien gods, (or If ye forsake the Lord, and serve foreign, or other, gods), the Lord shall turn himself (away) from you, and he shall torment (you), and destroy you, (even) after that he hath given good things to you.

²¹And the people said to Joshua, It shall not be so, as thou speakest, but we shall serve the Lord.

²²And Joshua said to the people, Ye be witnesses (to yourselves), that ye have chosen the Lord to you, that ye serve him. And they answered, We be witnesses. (And Joshua said to the people, Ye be your own witnesses, that ye have chosen the Lord for yourselves, and that ye shall serve him. And they answered, We be our own witnesses.)