06:022:016 Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the LORD?
06:022:017 Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,
06:022:018 But that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD? and it will be, seeing ye rebel to day against the LORD, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.
06:022:019 Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD's tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God.
06:022:020 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in theaccursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation ofIsrael? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.
06:022:021 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and thehalf tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads ofthe thousands of Israel,
06:022:022 The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, andIsrael he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if intransgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,)
06:022:023 That we have built us an altar to turn from following theLORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering,or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himselfrequire it;
06:022:024 And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing,saying, In time to come your children might speak unto ourchildren, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God ofIsrael?
06:022:025 For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, yechildren of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in theLORD: so shall your children make our children cease fromfearing the LORD.
06:022:026 Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
06:022:027 But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and ourgenerations after us, that we might do the service of the LORDbefore him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices,and with our peace offerings; that your children may not sayto our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.
06:022:028 Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so sayto us or to our generations in time to come, that we may sayagain, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which ourfathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; butit is a witness between us and you.
06:022:029 God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.
06:022:030 And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them.
06:022:031 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.
06:022:032 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes,returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children ofGad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, tothe children of Israel, and brought them word again.
06:022:033 And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the childrenof Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up againstthem in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children ofReuben and Gad dwelt.
06:022:034 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called thealtar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORDis God.
06:023:001 And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had givenrest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, thatJoshua waxed old and stricken in age.
06:023:002 And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, andfor their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers,and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:
06:023:003 And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto allthese nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he thathath fought for you.
06:023:004 Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward.
06:023:005 And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you,and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possesstheir land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you.
06:023:006 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that iswritten in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn notaside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;
06:023:007 That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:
06:023:008 But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.
06:023:009 For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day.
06:023:010 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God,he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.
06:023:011 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love theLORD your God.
06:023:012 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:
06:023:013 Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more driveout any of these nations from before you; but they shall besnares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, andthorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good landwhich the LORD your God hath given you.
06:023:014 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: andye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not onething hath failed of all the good things which the LORD yourGod spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, andnot one thing hath failed thereof.
06:023:015 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things arecome upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shallthe LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he havedestroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your Godhath given you.
06:023:016 When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God,which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods,and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORDbe kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from offthe good land which he hath given unto you.
06:024:001 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, andcalled for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and fortheir judges, and for their officers; and they presentedthemselves before God.
06:024:002 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD Godof Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the floodin old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the fatherof Nachor: and they served other gods.
06:024:003 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of theflood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, andmultiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
06:024:004 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esaumount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children wentdown into Egypt.
06:024:005 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
06:024:006 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.
06:024:007 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between youand the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and coveredthem; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: andye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.
06:024:008 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelton the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gavethem into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and Idestroyed them from before you.
06:024:009 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:
06:024:010 But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.
06:024:011 And you 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.
06:024:012 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out frombefore you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not withthy sword, nor with thy bow.
06:024:013 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, andcities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of thevineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.
06:024:014 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and intruth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on theother side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
06:024:015 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.
06:024:016 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
06:024:017 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:
06:024:018 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even theAmorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also servethe LORD; for he is our God.
06:024:019 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: forhe is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgiveyour transgressions nor your sins.
06:024:020 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he willturn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath doneyou good.
06:024:021 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve theLORD.
06:024:022 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.
06:024:023 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which areamong you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.
06:024:024 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will weserve, and his voice will we obey.
06:024:025 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and setthem a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
06:024:026 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.
06:024:027 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.
06:024:028 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.
06:024:029 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son ofNun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and tenyears old.
06:024:030 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance inTimnathserah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side ofthe hill of Gaash.
06:024:031 And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all thedays of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had knownall the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel.
06:024:032 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.
06:024:033 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.