Only the introductory wĕʿattâ (“now therefore”) and a shift in verbal forms signals that both the speaker and the mood of the speech have changed. Joshua now speaks with his own voice and calls for a response to YHWH’s gracious acts (v. 14). Repetition of the verb “serve” (ʿābad) renders a thematic coherence to Joshua’s challenge and prompts both audience and reader to understand the gravity of the choice before Israel. It is a choice that would seem obvious. If through YHWH the nation was brought