The Tanakh · JPS 1917 Translation

Joshua 24

Jewish Publication Society 1917 · Nevi'im — the Prophets

Joshua chapter 24 — part of the Nevi'im — the Prophets in the Jewish Bible. In the classic JPS 1917 translation it opens: “And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and…” — the complete text of all 33 verses is below, free to read online.

1And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before G-d.

2And Joshua said unto all the people: 'Thus saith HaShem, the G-d of Israel: Your fathers dwelt of old time beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor; and they served other gods.

3And I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

4And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau; and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; and Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

5And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did in the midst thereof; and afterward I brought you out.

6And I brought your fathers out of Egypt; and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and with horsemen unto the Red Sea.

7And when they cried out unto HaShem, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt; and ye dwelt in the wilderness many days.

8And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, that dwelt beyond the Jordan; and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand, and ye possessed their land; and I destroyed them from before you.

9Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel; and he sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.

10But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he even blessed you; so I delivered you out of his hand.

11And ye went over the Jordan, and came unto Jericho; and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Girgashite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I delivered them into your hand.

12And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

13And I gave you a land whereon thou hadst not laboured, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell therein; of vineyards and olive-yards which ye planted not do ye eat.

14Now therefore fear HaShem, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt; and serve ye HaShem.

15And if it seem evil unto you to serve HaShem, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve HaShem.'

16And the people answered and said: 'Far be it from us that we should forsake HaShem, to serve other gods;

17for HaShem our G-d, He it is that brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and that did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed;

18and HaShem drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites that dwelt in the land; therefore we also will serve HaShem; for He is our G-d.'

19And Joshua said unto the people: 'Ye cannot serve HaShem; for He is a holy G-d; He is a jealous G-d; He will not forgive your transgression nor your sins.

20If ye forsake HaShem, and serve strange gods, then He will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after that He hath done you good.'

21And the people said unto Joshua: 'Nay; but we will serve HaShem.'

22And Joshua said unto the people: 'Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you HaShem, to serve Him. --And they said: 'We are witnesses.'--

23Now therefore put away the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto HaShem, the G-d of Israel.'

24And the people said unto Joshua: 'The HaShem our G-d will we serve, and unto His voice will we hearken.'

25So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

26And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of G-d; and he took a great stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of HaShem.

27And Joshua said unto all the people: 'Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it hath heard all the words of HaShem which He spoke unto us; it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest ye deny your G-d.'

28So Joshua sent the people away, every man unto his inheritance.

29And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of HaShem, died, being a hundred and ten years old.

30And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash.

31And Israel served HaShem all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, and had known all the work of HaShem, that He had wrought for Israel.

32And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

33And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in the Hill of Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.

33 verses · JPS 1917 (public domain)

‹ Joshua 23 Judges 1 ›

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