Joshua

Joshua leads the Israelites into the Promised Land, conquering it through many battles.

Chapter 24

1 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 for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

*Joshua brought together all of Israel's tribes at a place called Shechem. He invited important people like the elders, leaders, judges, and officials. They all came to meet with God.

2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

*Joshua told everyone, "God says, 'Your ancestors lived far away by a river long ago. They were Terah, Abraham's dad, and Nahor's dad too. They worshiped other gods."

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

*I brought your dad, Abraham, from far away across the river, and guided him through all of Canaan's land, increased his children, and gave him a son named Isaac.

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

*I gave both Jacob and Esau land. I gave Esau Mount Seir for him to own. But Jacob and his kids went to Egypt.

5 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.

*I sent Moses and Aaron to Egypt, causing trouble there like I had before. Then, I helped you leave.

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

*I led your ancestors out of Egypt, and you arrived at the sea. The Egyptians chased them there with chariots and horses all the way to the Red Sea.

7 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.

*When they called to God, He made darkness separate you from the Egyptians and made the sea cover them. Your eyes saw what I did to the Egyptians. You lived in the desert for a long time.

8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.

*I brought you to a place called the land of the Amorites, who lived across the river Jordan. They fought against you, but I helped you defeat them so you could take over their land. I eliminated them so they wouldn't be in your way.

9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:

*Then King Balak of Moab decided to fight against Israel and asked Balaam, son of Beor, to put a curse on them.

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

*But I didn't listen to Balaam; so he still blessed you, and I saved you from his control.

11 And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.

*You crossed the Jordan River and reached Jericho. The people of Jericho fought against you along with many other groups like the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites. But I helped you defeat them all.

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

*I sent a bug ahead of you that chased away the two Amorite kings without you needing to use your sword or bow.

13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

*I gave you a land you didn't work for, cities you didn't build, and you live in them. You eat from vineyards and olive groves you didn't plant.

14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

*So now, fear God genuinely and honestly, and stop worshipping the other gods your ancestors followed on the other side of the river and in Egypt. Instead, only serve God.

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

*If serving the Lord seems bad to you, choose today whom you want to serve. You can pick either the gods your ancestors followed on the other side of the river or the gods of the Amorites where you live now. But for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.

16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

*And the people replied, We won't abandon the LORD to worship other gods.

17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:

*The Lord God saved us and our ancestors from slavery in Egypt. He performed amazing miracles for us, protected us on our journey, and kept us safe from harm as we traveled through different lands.

18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.

*And the Lord removed all the people living in the land, the Amorites, so we will serve the Lord because he is our God.

19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

*Joshua told the people, "You can't serve God because He is holy and jealous. He won't forgive your wrongdoing or sin."

20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

*If you leave the LORD and worship other gods, He will respond by harming you and destroying you, even after helping and benefiting you before.

21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.

*The people told Joshua, "No, we won't serve anyone else. We will only serve the Lord."

22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.

*Joshua told the people, "You witnessed yourselves choosing to serve the Lord." The people replied, "We are witnesses to this choice."

23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.

*So, remove the foreign gods, he said, and focus your heart on the LORD God of Israel.

24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

*The people told Joshua, "We will only serve and listen to the Lord, our God."

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

*That day, Joshua agreed with the people on a rule and a law in Shechem.

26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.

*Joshua wrote these words in God's book and placed a big stone under an oak tree near the LORD's holy place.

27 And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.

*Joshua told everyone, "This stone is a witness. It heard God's words and will remind us so we don't deny Him."

28 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.

*So Joshua allowed the people to leave for their own land, each man to his designated area.

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

*After these events, Joshua, the Lord's servant, who was 110 years old, passed away.

30 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.

*They put him in the ground at the edge of what he owned in a place called Timnathserah, which is in a big area called Mount Ephraim, on the top part of a hill named Gaash.

31 And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel.

*Israel followed the LORD during Joshua's time and afterward, when the older people who remembered God's help for them were still alive.

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

*The bones of Joseph were brought from Egypt by the people of Israel and were buried in Shechem. This area was purchased by Jacob from the family of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of silver. It then became the inherited land for Joseph's children.

33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.

*Eleazar, Aaron's son, passed away. They buried him in a hill belonging to his son Phinehas in the area called Mount Ephraim.

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