Joshua 24:1–15

Joshua Recounts Their History

24And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem; he summoned the elders of Israel, their heads, their judges, and their officials, and they presented themselves before God. ²And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: ‘Long ago^a your ancestors^b—Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor—lived beyond the river,^c and they served other gods. ³I took your ancestor^d Abraham from beyond the river^e and led him through all the land of Canaan, and I increased his offspring; I gave him Isaac, ⁴and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. ⁵And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out. ⁶When I brought out your ancestors^f from Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your ancestors^g with chariots^h and horsemen to the Red Sea.^{i 7}They cried out to Yahweh, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and he brought the sea over them^j and covered them; your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you lived in the wilderness for many days. ⁸And I brought you to the land of the Amorites^k who lived beyond the Jordan; they fought you, and I gave them into your hand; you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you.^{l 9}Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, set out and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you, ¹⁰but I was not willing to listen to Balaam, and he richly blessed you. So I rescued you from his hand, ¹¹and you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the citizens of Jericho, the Amorites,^m the Perizzites,ⁿ the Canaanites,^o the Hittites,^p the Girgashites,^q the Hivites,^r and the Jebusites,^s fought against you, and I gave them into your hand. ¹²I sent before you the hornet and they drove out before you two kings of the Amorites;^t but not by your sword or bow. ¹³I gave to you a land that you have not labored on, and cities that you have not built, and you live^u in them; you eat from vineyards and olive groves that you have not planted.’

The Israelites Promise to Serve Yahweh

¹⁴“So now, revere Yahweh and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness; remove the gods that your ancestors^v served beyond the river^w and in Egypt, and serve Yahweh. ¹⁵But if it is bad in your eyes to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you want to serve, whether it is the gods that your ancestors^x served beyond the river,^y or the gods of the Amorites^z in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.”