Joshua 24:1-15

New American Standard Bible

Joshua Reviews Israel’s History

24 Then ^(A)Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, their heads, their judges, and their officers; and they presented themselves before God. ² Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates River, namely, ^(B)Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods. ³ Then ^(C)I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and ^(D)multiplied his ^[a]descendants and gave him ^(E)Isaac. ⁴ To Isaac I gave ^(F)Jacob and Esau, and ^(G)to Esau I gave Mount Seir, to possess it; but ^(H)Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. ⁵ Then ^(I)I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt ^[b]by what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out. ⁶ So I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and ^(J)you came to the sea; and Egypt pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the ^[c]Red Sea. ⁷ But when they cried out to the Lord, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and covered them; and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And ^(K)you lived in the wilderness for a long time. ⁸ Then ^(L)I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who lived beyond the Jordan, and they fought with you; but I handed them over to you, and you took possession of their land when I eliminated them before you. ⁹ Then ^(M)Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, rose up and fought against Israel, and he sent messengers and summoned Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. ¹⁰ But I ^(N)was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I saved you from his hand. ^11 (O)You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and ^(P)the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Girgashite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Therefore ^(Q)I handed them over to you. ¹² Then I ^(R)sent the hornet before you and it ^[d]drove out the two kings of the Amorites from you—^(S)not by your sword nor your bow. ¹³ And ^(T)I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

“We Will Serve the Lord”

¹⁴ “Now, therefore, ^[e](U)fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and ^[f]truth; and do away with the gods which your fathers served beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ But if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, which were beyond the Euphrates River, or ^(V)the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”