Preparing to Enter the Land

1 This is what happened after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord.

The Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, the attendant of Moses, ² “Moses my servant is dead. So prepare to cross the Jordan River that lies in front of you. You and all this people, prepare to go into the land that I am about to give to the people of Israel. ³ I have given you every place where the sole of your foot has stepped, just as I promised Moses. ⁴ From the Wilderness^[a] and from Lebanon to the Great River, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—as far as the Mediterranean Sea,^[b] where the sun sets, this will be your territory. ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, I will be with you. I will not abandon you, and I will not forsake you.

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, because you will divide this land among these people, this land which I swore to their fathers that I would give to this people. ⁷ Just be strong and very courageous. Be careful to act according to the entire Law which my servant Moses commanded for you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may succeed wherever you go. ⁸ This Book of the Law must never depart from your mouth, and you are to meditate on it day and night, so that you will act faithfully according to everything written in it, because then you will prosper in everything you do, and you will succeed. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified and do not be overwhelmed, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

¹⁰ So Joshua gave this order to the officers of the people: ¹¹ “Go through the camp and give this order to the people: ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, because within three days you will be crossing over this Jordan to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving to you as a possession.’”

¹² To the Reubenites and the Gadites and to half of the tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, ¹³ “Remember the command that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you when he said, ‘The Lord your God is granting you rest, and he has given you this land.’ ¹⁴ Your wives, your children, and your cattle will stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but you yourselves, all of your strong warriors in their military units, are to cross over ahead of your brothers. You are to help your brothers ¹⁵ until the Lord gives rest to them as he has to you and they too take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you may return to the land allotted to you so that you may fully possess the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave to you in the area east of the Jordan, toward the sunrise.”

¹⁶ Then they answered Joshua, “Everything that you have commanded us we will do. We will go to any place you send us. ¹⁷ Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, we will likewise obey you. May the Lord your God be with you, just as he was with Moses. ¹⁸ Anyone who rebels against your orders and does not obey whatever you command him will be put to death. Just be strong and courageous!”