Joshua Reviews Israel’s History 2 UDB Joshua said to all of them, "This is what Yahweh, the God we Israelite people worship, is saying: 'Long ago, your ancestors, including Abraham's father Terah and Abraham's younger brother Nahor, lived far beyond the Euphrates River, where they worshiped other gods. BSB BSB: And Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your fathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates and worshiped other gods.
3 UDB But I took your ancestor Abraham, and I led him into the land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants through his son Isaac. BSB BSB: But I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and led him through all the land of Canaan, and I multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac,
4 UDB I gave Isaac his own sons, Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Edom as his own, but I sent Jacob and his children down to Egypt where they lived for many years. BSB BSB: and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau Mount Seir to possess, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
5 UDB I sent Moses and his brother Aaron to Egypt, and I caused the people of Egypt to suffer many terrible plagues. After that, I brought your people out of Egypt. BSB BSB: Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and afterward I brought you out.
6 UDB When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, they came to the sea. The Egyptian army pursued them with chariots and on horseback, as far as the Sea of Reeds.'" BSB BSB: When I brought your fathers out of Egypt and you reached the Red Sea, the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea.
7 UDB Joshua continued to speak: "When you pleaded to Yahweh for help, he caused darkness to come between the nation of Israel and the Egyptian army, and he covered the Egyptian army with the waters of the sea so that your enemies were drowned. This is what Yahweh says: 'You saw what I did in Egypt. You lived in the desert for many years. BSB BSB: So your fathers cried out to the LORD, and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, over whom He brought the sea and engulfed them. Your very eyes saw what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.
8 UDB Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the east side of the Jordan River (the other side of the Jordan River from us here today). They fought against you, but I made you defeat them and destroy them; you captured their land. But I was the one who actually destroyed them, and I let you see everything that I did for you. BSB BSB: Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your hand, that you should possess their land when I destroyed them before you.
9 UDB Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, prepared his army and attacked Israel. He sent for Beor's son Balaam, and he told him to call for a curse from Yahweh on your people. BSB BSB: Then Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you,
10 UDB But I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, I made him bless you, and I saved you from his curse. BSB BSB: but I would not listen to Balaam. So he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his hand.
11 UDB Then you all crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho. The leaders of Jericho fought against you, as did the armies of the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I made all of you more powerful than they were, and you defeated them all. BSB BSB: After this, you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I delivered them into your hand.
12 UDB I am the one who caused them to panic. They acted as if they were being chased by hornets. And you drove out the two kings of the Amorites as your army moved ahead and pushed them away. But it was not because of your swords or your bows and arrows, but it was because that I, Yahweh, was fighting on your side. BSB BSB: I sent the hornet ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings before you, but not by your own sword or bow.
13 UDB So I gave you a land that you had not cleared or plowed, and I gave you cities that you did not build. Now you live in those cities, and you eat the grapes from grapevines that you did not plant, and you eat olives from trees that you did not plant.'" BSB BSB: So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities that you did not build, and now you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’
Choose Whom You Will Serve (Deuteronomy 10:12–22)
14 UDB Joshua continued to speak: "Now be afraid and be in awe of Yahweh. Worship him sincerely, and be faithful when you make promises to him. Throw away the idols that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the far side of the Euphrates River and when they lived in Egypt. Worship Yahweh alone. BSB BSB: Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
15 UDB If you do not want to worship Yahweh, then decide today what gods you will worship. In that case, you must decide whether you will worship the gods of your ancestors, the gods that they worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, or whether you will worship the gods of the Amorites, the gods that those people worshiped in this land where you now live. But as for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh." BSB BSB: But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”
16 UDB The Israelite people answered, "We will always worship Yahweh! We promise that we will never worship or bow down to any other gods! BSB BSB: The people replied, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!
17 UDB It was Yahweh who brought our ancestors up out of Egypt. He rescued us from that land where they were slaves. We saw him perform great miracles, and he protected us when we were traveling. He protected us wherever we went; he kept us safe from the armies of many kings. We became a great nation, and we have entered this land. BSB BSB: For the LORD our God brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected us throughout our journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.
18 UDB Yahweh drove out all the peoples before us. He defeated the Amorites who lived in the land. So we will worship and bow down to Yahweh, for he is our God." BSB BSB: And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because He is our God!”
19 UDB But Joshua replied to the people, "You cannot serve Yahweh! He is a holy God, and he will not allow you to worship other gods. He will not forgive you for breaking his laws, or when you sin, BSB BSB: But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your rebellion or your sins.
20 UDB if you forsake Yahweh and worship other gods. If you forget him, he will turn and do the same harm to you as he did to your enemies, and he will burn you as with fire! He will do all this to you after he has been so good to you—if you turn your back on him and leave him." BSB BSB: If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and consume you, even after He has been good to you.”
21 UDB But the people answered Joshua, "No, we will worship Yahweh." BSB BSB: “No!” replied the people. “We will serve the LORD!”
22 UDB Then Joshua said, "You are bearing witness to what you have said. You have chosen Yahweh and you are promising to worship him alone." They replied, "Yes, that is what we promise to do." BSB BSB: Then Joshua told them, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD.” “We are witnesses!” they said.
23 UDB Then Joshua said, "You must throw away all the other idols you have with you, and with all the strength you have within you, you must turn to Yahweh and worship him as your God and no other." BSB BSB: “Now, therefore,” he said, “get rid of the foreign gods among you and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
24 UDB The people replied, "We will worship Yahweh our God and we will obey him alone." BSB BSB: So the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey His voice.”
25 UDB On that same day, Joshua made a covenant with the people. There at Shechem, he wrote down for them all the decrees and laws that Yahweh commanded them to obey. BSB BSB: On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he established for them a statute and ordinance.
26 UDB He wrote down all the words that were in the book of the law of God. He took a great stone and set it up there at Shechem, under the large oak tree that grew beside the place where they worshiped Yahweh. BSB BSB: Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was near the sanctuary of the LORD.
27 UDB Joshua said to all the people, "Look! This stone will bear testimony against us. This is the place where we promised that we would serve Yahweh. This stone will be a place to remember our promise to Yahweh and a place to remind us of what will happen to us if we do not keep our promise to God." BSB BSB: And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone. It will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us, and it will be a witness against you if you ever deny your God.”
28 UDB Then Joshua sent the people away, and they went to the places that were assigned to them. BSB BSB: Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.
Joshua’s Death and Burial (Judges 2:6–9)
29 UDB After these things happened, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of Yahweh, died. He was 110 years old when he died. BSB BSB: Some time later, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110.
30 UDB They buried his body on his own property in Timnath Serah. It is in the north hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. BSB BSB: And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31 UDB The people of Israel worshiped Yahweh as long as the elders who had served with Joshua were alive; they had seen everything that Yahweh had done for Israel. BSB BSB: Israel had served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced all the works that the LORD had done for Israel.
32 UDB Joseph's bones, which the people of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob had bought long ago for the price of one hundred pieces of silver. He had bought it from Hamor, the father of Shechem. That piece of land became a permanent possession for Joseph's descendants. BSB BSB: And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver. So it became an inheritance for Joseph’s descendants.
33 UDB Eleazar son of Aaron also died. They buried his body at Gibeah, the city that belonged to Phinehas his son in the hill country of Ephraim. BSB BSB: Eleazar son of Aaron also died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.