Joshua 24:13-27

¹³And I gave to you the land in which ye travailed not, and cities which ye builded not, that ye should dwell in those, and vineries, 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.

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 owe 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.

¹⁶And all the people answered, and said, Far be it from us that we forsake the Lord, and serve alien 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 in all the way, by which we went, and in all peoples, by which 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.

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.

²⁰If ye forsake the Lord, and serve alien gods, the Lord shall turn himself from you, and he shall torment, and destroy you, 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, that ye have chosen the Lord to you, that ye serve him. And they answered, We be witnesses.

²³Therefore, he said, now do ye away alien gods from the midst of you, and bow ye your hearts to the Lord God of Israel.

²⁴And the people said to Joshua, We shall serve the Lord our God, and we shall be obedient to his behests.

²⁵Therefore Joshua smote a bond of peace in that day, and setted forth to the people commandments and dooms in Shechem.

²⁶And he wrote all these words in the book of God’s law. And he took a great stone, and putted it under an oak, that was in the saintuary of the Lord.

²⁷And he said to all the people, Lo! this stone shall be to you into witnessing, that ye have heard all the words of the Lord, which he spake to you, lest peradventure ye would deny afterward, and lie to your Lord God.