YAHOSHUA 24

1 And Yahoshua gathered all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl to Sheḵem and called for the elders of Yisra’ĕl, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers. And they presented themselves before Elohim.

2 And Yahoshua said to all the people, “Thus said 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, ‘Long ago your fathers dwelt beyond the River – Teraḥ, the father of Aḇraham and the father of Naḥor. And they served other mighty ones.

3 ‘So I took your father Aḇraham from beyond the River, and caused him to go through all the land of Kena’an, and multiplied his offspring and gave him Yitsḥaq.

4 ‘And to Yitsḥaq I gave Ya’aqoḇ and Ĕsaw. And to Ĕsaw I gave the mountains of Sĕ’ir to possess, but Ya’aqoḇ and his children went down to Mitsrayim.

5 ‘Then I sent Mosheh and Aharon, and plagued Mitsrayim, as I did in their midst. And afterward I brought you out.

6 ‘And I brought your fathers out of Mitsrayim, and you came to the sea. And the Mitsrites pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Sea of Reeds.

7 ‘And they cried out to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and He put thick darkness between you and the Mitsrites, and brought the sea upon them and covered them. And your eyes saw what I did in Mitsrayim. And you dwelt in the wilderness a long time.

8 ‘And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt beyond the Yardĕn, and they fought with you. But I gave them into your hand, and you possessed their land, and I destroyed them from before you.

9 ‘And Balaq son of Tsippor, sovereign of Mo’aḇ, rose up and fought against Yisra’ĕl, and sent and called for Bil’am son of Be’or to curse you.

10 ‘But I refused to listen to Bil’am, so he continued to baraḵ you, and I delivered you out of his hand.

11 ‘And you passed over the Yardĕn and came to Yeriḥo. And the masters of Yeriḥo, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Kena’anite, and the Ḥittite, and the Girgashite, and the Ḥiwwite, and the Yeḇusite fought against you. But I gave them into your hand.

12 ‘And I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two sovereigns of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow.

13 ‘And I gave you a land for which you did not labour, and cities which you did not build. And you dwell in them, you eat of the vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant.’

14 “And now, revere 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, serve Him in perfection and in truth, and put away the mighty ones which your fathers served beyond the River and in Mitsrayim, and serve 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄!

15 “And if it seems evil in your eyes to serve 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, choose for yourselves this day whom you are going to serve, whether the mighty ones which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the mighty ones of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But I and my house, we serve 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.”

16 And the people answered and said, “Far be it from us to forsake 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, to serve other mighty ones,

17 for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 our Elohim is He who has brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Mitsrayim, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs before our eyes, and has guarded us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed.

18 “And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 drove out from before us all the people, even the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We too serve 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, for He is our Elohim.”

19 Then Yahoshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, for He is a qodesh Elohim, a jealous Ĕl is He. He does not bear with your transgression and with your sins.

20 If you forsake 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and shall serve mighty ones of a stranger, then He shall turn back and do you evil and consume you, after He has been good to you.”

21 And the people said to Yahoshua, “No, but we will serve 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄!”

22 Then Yahoshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 for yourselves, to serve Him.” And they said, “Witnesses!”

23 “And now, put away the mighty ones of the stranger which are in your midst, and incline your heart to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim of Yisra’ĕl.”

24 And the people said to Yahoshua, “𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 our Elohim we serve, and His voice we obey.”

25 And Yahoshua made a covenant with the people that day, and laid on them a law and a right-ruling in Sheḵem.

26 Then Yahoshua wrote these words in the Book of the Torah of Elohim. And he took a large stone, and put it up there under the oak that was by the Miqdash of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.

27 And Yahoshua said to all the people, “See, this stone is a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 which He spoke to us. And it shall be a witness against you, lest you lie against your Elohim.”

28 Then Yahoshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.

29 And after these events it came to be that Yahoshua son of Nun, the servant of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, died, one hundred and ten years old.

30 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Seraḥ, which is in the mountains of Ephrayim, on the north side of Mount Ga’ash.

31 And Yisra’ĕl served 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 all the days of Yahoshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Yahoshua, who had known all the works of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 which He had done for Yisra’ĕl.

32 And the bones of Yosĕph, which the children of Yisra’ĕl had brought up out of Mitsrayim, they buried at Sheḵem, in the plot of ground which Ya’aqoḇ had bought from the sons of Ḥamor the father of Sheḵem for one hundred qesitah, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Yosĕph.

33 And El’azar son of Aharon died, and they buried him in a hill that belonged to Pineḥas his son, which was given to him in the hill country of Ephrayim.