Joshua 24

vayye'esof yehoshua et-kol-shivte yisra'el shekhemah vayyiqra leziqne yisra'el ulerashayw uleshofetayw uleshoterayw vayyityatsevu lifne ha'elohim

Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders and commanders, magistrates and officers; and they presented themselves before God.

vayyomer yehoshua el-kol-ha'am koh-amar Adonai elohe yisra'el be'ever hannahar yashevu avotekhem me'olam terakh avi avraham va'avi nakhor vayya'avdu elohim akherim

Then Joshua said to all the people, “Thus said the ETERNAL, the God of Israel: In olden times, your ancestors—Terah, father of Abraham and father of Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and worshiped other gods.

va'eqqakh et-avikhem et-avraham me'ever hannahar va'olekh oto bekhol-erets kena'an (vrv) [va'arbeh] et-zaro va'etten-lo et-yitskhaq

But I took your ancestor Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and led him through the whole land of Canaan and multiplied his offspring. I gave him Isaac,

va'etten leyitskhaq et-ya'aqov ve'et-esav va'etten le'esav et-har se'ir lareshet oto veya'aqov uvanayw yaredu mitsrayim

and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Seir as his possession, while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

va'eshlakh et-mosheh ve'et-aharon va'eggof et-mitsrayim ka'asher asiti beqirbo ve'akhar hotseti etkhem

“Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with [the wonders] that I wrought in their midst, after which I freed you—

va'otsi et-avotekhem mimmitsrayim vattavo'u hayyammah vayyirdefu mitsrayim akhare avotekhem berekhev uvefarashim yam-suf

I freed your ancestors—from Egypt, and you came to the Sea. But the Egyptians pursued your ancestors to the Sea of Reeds with chariots and riders.

vayyitsaqu el-Adonai vayyasem ma'afel benekhem uven hammitsrim vayyave alayw et-hayyam vayekhassehu vattirenah enekhem et asher-asiti bemitsrayim vatteshevu vammidbar yamim rabbim

They cried out to GOD, who put darkness between you and the Egyptians; then [God] brought the Sea upon them, and it covered them. Your own eyes saw what I did to the Egyptians. “After you had lived a long time in the wilderness,

(vvh) [va'avi] etkhem el-erets ha'emori hayyoshev be'ever hayyarden vayyillakhamu ittekhem va'etten otam beyedkhem vattireshu et-artsam va'ashmidem mippenekhem

I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They gave battle to you, but I delivered them into your hands; I annihilated them for you, and you took possession of their land.

vayyaqom balaq ben-tsippor melekh mo'av vayyillakhem beyisra'el vayyishlakh vayyiqra levilam ben-be'or leqallel etkhem

Thereupon Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, made ready to attack Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you,

velo aviti lishmoa levilam vayevarekh barokh etkhem va'atsil etkhem miyyado

but I refused to listen to Balaam; he had to bless you, and thus I saved you from him.

vatta'avru et-hayyarden vattavo'u el-yerikho vayyillakhamu vakhem ba'ale-yerikho ha'emori vehapperizzi vehakkena'ani vehakhitti vehaggirgashi hakhivvi vehayevusi va'etten otam beyedkhem

“Then you crossed the Jordan and you came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho and the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites fought you, but I delivered them into your hands.

va'eshlakh lifnekhem et-hatsirah vattegaresh otam mippenekhem shene malkhe ha'emori lo vekharbekha velo veqashtekha

I sent a plague ahead of you, and it drove them out before you—[just like] the two Amorite kings—not by your sword or by your bow.

va'etten lakhem erets asher lo-yagata bah ve'arim asher lo-venitem vatteshevu bahem keramim vezetim asher lo-netatem attem okhelim

I have given you a land for which you did not labor and towns that you did not build, and you have settled in them; you are enjoying vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.

ve'attah yeru et-Adonai ve'ivdu oto betamim uve'emet vehasiru et-elohim asher avedu avotekhem be'ever hannahar uvemitsrayim ve'ivdu et-Adonai

“Now, therefore, revere GOD and render service with undivided loyalty; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve GOD.

ve'im ra be'enekhem la'avod et-Adonai bakharu lakhem hayyom et-mi ta'avodun im et-elohim asher-avedu avotekhem asher (vvr) [me'ever] hannahar ve'im et-elohe ha'emori asher attem yoshevim be'artsam ve'anokhi uveti na'avod et-Adonai

Or, if you are loath to serve GOD, choose this day which ones you are going to serve—the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or those of the Amorites in whose land you are settled; but I and my household will serve GOD.”

vayya'an ha'am vayyomer khalilah lanu me'azov et-Adonai la'avod elohim akherim

In reply, the people declared, “Far be it from us to forsake the ETERNAL and serve other gods!

ki Adonai elohenu hu hamma'aleh otanu ve'et-avotenu me'erets mitsrayim mibbet avadim va'asher asah le'enenu et-ha'otot haggedolot ha'elleh vayyishmerenu bekhol-hadderekh asher halakhnu vah uvekhol ha'ammim asher avarnu beqirbam

For it was the ETERNAL our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, the house of bondage, and who wrought those wondrous signs before our very eyes, and guarded us all along the way that we traveled and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.

vayegaresh Adonai et-kol-ha'ammim ve'et-ha'emori yoshev ha'arets mippanenu gam-anakhnu na'avod et-Adonai ki-hu elohenu

And then GOD drove out before us all the peoples—the Amorites—that inhabited the country. We too will serve the ETERNAL—who is our God.”

vayyomer yehoshua el-ha'am lo tukhelu la'avod et-Adonai ki-elohim qedoshim hu el-qanno hu lo-yissa lefishakhem ulekhattovtekhem

Joshua, however, said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the ETERNAL—who is a holy God, a jealous one—who will not forgive your transgressions and your sins.

ki ta'azvu et-Adonai va'avadtem elohe nekhar veshav vehera lakhem vekhillah etkhem akhare asher-hetiv lakhem

If you forsake the ETERNAL and serve alien gods, [God] will turn and deal harshly with you and make an end of you, after having been gracious to you.”

vayyomer ha'am el-yehoshua lo ki et-Adonai na'avod

But the people replied to Joshua, “No, we will serve the ETERNAL!”

vayyomer yehoshua el-ha'am edim attem bakhem ki-attem bekhartem lakhem et-Adonai la'avod oto vayyomeru edim

Thereupon Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have by your own act chosen to serve the ETERNAL.” “Yes, we are!” they responded.

ve'attah hasiru et-elohe hannekhar asher beqirbekhem vehattu et-levavkhem el-Adonai elohe yisra'el

“Then put away the alien gods that you have among you and direct your hearts to the ETERNAL, the God of Israel.”

vayyomeru ha'am el-yehoshua et-Adonai elohenu na'avod uveqolo nishma

And the people declared to Joshua, “It is the ETERNAL our God whom we will serve—and whom we will obey.”

vayyikhrot yehoshua berit la'am bayyom hahu vayyasem lo khoq umishpat bishkhem

On that day at Shechem, Joshua made a covenant for the people and he made a fixed rule for them.

vayyikhtov yehoshua et-haddevarim ha'elleh besefer torat elohim vayyiqqakh even gedolah vayeqimeha sham takhat ha'allah asher bemiqdash Adonai

Joshua recorded all this in a book of divine instruction. He took a great stone and set it up at the foot of the oak in the sacred precinct of GOD;

vayyomer yehoshua el-kol-ha'am hinneh ha'even hazzot tihyeh-bbanu le'edah ki-hi shame'ah et kol-imre Adonai asher dibber immanu vehayetah vakhem le'edah pen-tekhakhashun belohekhem

and Joshua said to all the people, “See, this very stone shall be a witness against us, for it heard all the words that GOD spoke to us; it shall be a witness against you, lest you break faith with your God.”

vayeshallakh yehoshua et-ha'am ish lenakhalato

Joshua then dismissed the people to their allotted portions.

vayehi akhare haddevarim ha'elleh vayyamot yehoshua bin-nun eved Adonai ben-me'ah va'eser shanim

After these events, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of GOD, died at the age of one hundred and ten years.

vayyiqberu oto bigvul nakhalato betimnat-serakh asher behar-efrayim mitsefon lehar-ga'ash

They buried him on his own property, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

vayya'avod yisra'el et-Adonai kol yeme yehoshua vekhol yeme hazzeqenim asher he'erikhu yamim akhare yehoshua va'asher yade'u et kol-ma'aseh Adonai asher asah leyisra'el

Israel served GOD during the lifetime of Joshua and the lifetime of the elders who lived on after Joshua, and who had experienced all the deeds that GOD had wrought for Israel.

ve'et-atsmot yosef asher-he'elu vene-yisra'el mimmitsrayim qaveru vishkhem bekhelqat hassadeh asher qanah ya'aqov me'et bene-khamor avi-shekhem beme'ah qesitah vayyihyu livne-yosef lenakhalah

The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the piece of ground that Jacob had bought for a hundred kesitahs from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, and which had become a heritage of the Josephites.

ve'elazar ben-aharon met vayyiqberu oto begivat pinekhas beno asher nittan-lo behar efrayim

Eleazar son of Aaron also died, and they buried him on the hill of his son Phinehas, which had been assigned to him in the hill country of Ephraim.