We Will Worship and Obey the Lord
1 Joshua called the tribes of Israel together for a meeting at Shechem. He asked the leaders, including the old men, the judges, and the officials, to come up and stand near the sacred tent. 2 Then Joshua told everyone to listen to this message from the Lord, the God of Israel:
Long ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods. This continued until the time of your ancestor Terah and his two sons, Abraham and Nahor. 3 But I brought Abraham across the Euphrates River and led him through the land of Canaan. I blessed him by giving him Isaac, the first in a line of many descendants. 4 Then I gave Isaac two sons, Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Mount Seir, but your ancestor Jacob and his children went to live in Egypt.
5-6 Later I sent Moses and his brother Aaron to help your people, and I made all those horrible things happen to the Egyptians. I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, but the Egyptians got in their chariots and on their horses and chased your ancestors, catching up with them at the Red Sea. 7 Your people cried to me for help, so I put a dark cloud between them and the Egyptians. Then I opened up the sea and let your people walk across on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, I commanded the sea to swallow them, and they drowned while you watched.
You lived in the desert for a long time, 8 then I brought you into the land east of the Jordan River. The Amorites were living there, and they fought you. But with my help, you defeated them, wiped them out, and took their land. 9 King Balak decided that his nation Moab would go to war against you, so he asked Balaam to come and put a curse on you. 10 But I wouldn't listen to Balaam, and I rescued you by making him bless you instead of curse you.
11 You crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho. The rulers of Jericho fought you, and so did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I helped you defeat them all. 12 Your enemies ran from you, but not because you had swords and bows and arrows. I made your enemies panic and run away, as I had done with the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River.
13 You didn't have to work for this land—I gave it to you. Now you live in towns you didn't build, and you eat grapes and olives from vineyards and trees you didn't plant.
14 Then Joshua told the people:
Worship the Lord, obey him, and always be faithful. Get rid of the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. 15 But if you don't want to worship the Lord, then choose here and now! Will you worship the same idols your ancestors did? Or since you're living on land that once belonged to the Amorites, maybe you'll worship their gods. I won't. My family and I are going to worship and obey the Lord!
16 The people answered:
We could never worship other gods or stop worshiping the Lord. 17 The Lord is our God. We were slaves in Egypt as our ancestors had been, but we saw the Lord work miracles to set our people free and to bring us out of Egypt. Even though other nations were all around us, the Lord protected us wherever we went. 18 And when we fought the Amorites and the other nations that lived in this land, the Lord made them run away. Yes, we will worship and obey the Lord, because the Lord is our God.
19 Joshua said:
The Lord is fearsome; he is the one true God, and I don't think you are able to worship and obey him in the ways he demands. You would have to be completely faithful, and if you sin or rebel, he won't let you get away with it. 20 If you turn your backs on the Lord and worship the gods of other nations, the Lord will turn against you. He will make terrible things happen to you and wipe you out, even though he had been good to you before.
21 But the people shouted, “We won't worship any other gods. We will worship and obey only the Lord!”
22 Joshua said, “You have heard yourselves say that you will worship and obey the Lord. Isn't that true?”
“Yes, it's true,” they answered.
23 Joshua said, “But you still have some idols, like those the other nations worship. Get rid of your idols! You must decide once and for all that you really want to obey the Lord God of Israel.”
24 The people said, “The Lord is our God, and we will worship and obey only him.”
25 Joshua helped Israel make an agreement with the Lord that day at Shechem. Joshua made laws for Israel 26 and wrote them down in The Book of the Law of God. Then he set up a large stone under the oak tree at the place of worship in Shechem 27 and told the people, “Look at this stone. It has heard everything that the Lord has said to us. Our God can call this stone as a witness if we ever reject him.”
28 Joshua sent everyone back to their homes.
Joshua, Joseph, and Eleazar Are Buried
29 Not long afterwards, the Lord's servant Joshua died at the age of 110. 30 The Israelites buried him in his own land at Timnath-Serah, north of Mount Gaash in the hill country of Ephraim.
31 As long as Joshua lived, Israel worshiped and obeyed the Lord. There were other leaders old enough to remember everything that the Lord had done for Israel. And for as long as these men lived, Israel continued to worship and obey the Lord.
32 When the people of Israel left Egypt, they brought the bones of Joseph along with them. They took the bones to the town of Shechem and buried them in the field that Jacob had bought for 100 pieces of silver from Hamor, the founder of Shechem. The town and the field both became part of the land belonging to the descendants of Joseph.
33 When Eleazar the priest died, he was buried in the hill country of Ephraim on a hill that belonged to his son Phinehas.
Josuab ge ǁaes ǀkha Sexems tawa ra ǃhoa
1 Josuab ge hoaraga ǃhaodi Israels dide Sexems tawa ge ǀhaoǀhao. ǁÎb ge kaigu, ǂgaeǂgui-aogu, ǂhanuǂhanu-aogu tsî ǂamkhoegu Israels diga ge ǂgai, tsî gu ge Elob aiǃâ hā ge mâ. 2 Ob ge Josuaba hoaraga ǁaesa ǃoa ge mî: “Nētib ge ǃKhūb, Israeli di Eloba ra mî: ‘Sadu aboxagu ge ǂguro Eufratǃāb nauǃani ge ǁan hâ i tsî ǀkhara eloga gere ǃoaba. ǁÎgu di ǀguib ge Terab, Abrahammi tsî Nahori tsîkha di î ge iba. 3 O ta ge tita sadu aboxab Abrahamma Eufratǃāb nauǃani ǁgoe ǃhūba xu ū tsî Kanaanǃhūb hoaragab ǃnâ-u ge ǂgaeǂgui. Tsî ta ge kaise ǂgui ôananôaguba ge mā bi. ǁÎba ta ge Isaka ge mā, 4 tsî Isaka ta ge Jakob tsî Esaub tsîkha ge mā. Esauba ta ge ǃnâuxa ǃhūb Edommi diba ǁîb dise ge mā, xawe sadu aboxab Jakob tsî ǁîb di ôan tsîn ge Egipteb ǁga ge doeǁgôa. 5 Ega ta ge Moseb tsî Aronni tsîkha ge sî tsî ta ge tsûtsû-aina Egipteb ǂama ge hā-ū. ǁNās khaoǃgâ ta ge ge ǂgaeǂguiǂui du. 6 Sadu aboxana ta ge Egipteba xu ge ūǂui, tsîn ge Egipteǁîna ǁîna torokunidi tsî hāǃgapi-aogu ǀkha ge ǃgôaǃgon. On ge sadu aboxana ǀApahurib tawan ge sīo, 7 tita ǃoa huib ǃaroma ge ǂgai, o ta ge ǃkhaenaba ǁîn tsî Egipteǁîn tsîn ǁaegu ge dī. Tita ge huriba Egipteǁîn ǂama dâu kai tsî ǁîna ge āǁō kai. Tarena ta ge Egipteb ǀkha a dīsa du ge a ǂan.
“ ‘ǂOmxa ǁaeba du ge ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ ge ǁan. 8 ǁNās khaoǃgâ ta ge Amorǁîn, Jordanni aiǂoas ǃnâ ge ǁan hâ in di ǃhūb ǃnâ ge hā-ū du. ǁÎn ge sadu ǃoagu a ǃkham, xawe ta ge ǁîn ǂama dansa ge mā du. Sadu ge ǁîn di ǃhūba ge ū tsî tita ge ǁîna sadu aiǃâ ge hîkākā. 9 Moabǁîn di gao-aob Balaki, Sipori ôab ge sadu ǃoagu ge ǃkham. ǁÎb ge Beori ôab Bileamma ge haisiba, îb sado ǀâxare. 10 Xawe ta ge tita Bileamma ǃgâ ǂgao tama ge i, xui-aob ge sado ge ǀkhae tsî ta ge ǁnās ǀkha sado Balaka xu ge huiǂui. 11 Jordanna ǃgâu tsî du ge Jerixos ǃnâ ge hā. Jerixos di aogu ge sadu ǃoagu ge ǃkham; ǁnās ǁkhās xasen ge Amorǁîn, Perisǁîn, Kanaanǁîn, Hetǁîn, Girgasǁîn, Hivǁîn tsî Jebusǁîn tsîna ge dī, xawe ta ge ǁîn hoan ǂama dansa ge mā du. 12 Sadu ra ǀgū hîa ta ge kai ǃaoba ǁîn ǂama ge hā kai, Amorǁîn di gao-aokha ta nî ǁgariǂuise; sadu gôagu tsî khādi tsîn ǀkhas ose. 13 Sîsen tama du ge hâ i ǃhūb tsî ǂnubi tama du ge hâ i ǃādi tsîna ta ge ge mā du. Nēsi du ge ǁnāpa ǁan tsî ǃhana tama du ge hâ i draibehaidi tsî ǀkherahaidi di ǂûna ra ǂû.’ ”
14 ǃAruǀîb ge Josuaba ge mî: “Nēsi ǁnâi ǃKhūba ǃaoǃgâ, î du ǁîba ǂhauǃnâsib tsî ǂgomǂgomsasib ǀkha ǃoaba. ǁNā elogu sadu aboxan Mesopotamiab tsî Egipteb tsîkha ǃnâ gere ǃoabaga aoxū, î du ǃKhūb ǀguiba ǃoaba. 15 ǃKhūba du ga ǃoaba ǂgao tama i, o nētsē mîǁgui tari-e du ra ǃoaba ǂgaosa, sadu aboxan Mesopotamiab ǃnâ gere ǀgoreǀî elogu tamas ka io Amorǁîn, ǁîn di ǃhūb ǃnâ du ǁan hân di elogu kas hoasa. Xawe tita tsî ti omaris xasa, sida ge ǃKhūba nî ǃoaba.”
16 On ge khoena ge ǃeream: “Sida ge ǃKhūba ǁnāxū tsî ǀkhara elo-e ǃoaba tide. 17 ǃKhūb, sida Elob ge sida aboxan tsî sida tsîna Egipteb di khobosisa xu ge ǂgaeǂguiǂui, tsî da ge ǁîb ge dī buruxa dīga ge mû. ǁÎb ge doe da ge daob hoab ai, ǁîdi ǃnâ-u da ge ǃkharu ǃhaodi hoadi ǃnâ ge sâu da. 18 Nē ǃhūb ǃnâ da ge ǂgâxa, ob ge ǃKhūba nēpa ge ǁan hâ i Amorǁîn hoana ge ǁgariǂui. Sida on ge ǃKhūba nî ǃoaba; ǁîb ge a sida Elo.”
19 Josuab ge ǁaesa ge ǃeream: “ǃKhūba ǃoabas ge supu tama hâ. ǁÎb ge a ǃanu Elo tsîb ge sadu ǁorena ǀûba du tide. ǁÎb ge mâǃoa-aona tani tide 20 tsî ǁîba ǁnāxū tsî du ga ǃhao eloga a ǃoaba, ob ge mâǃoa tsî nî ǁkhara du. ǁÎb ge ǂgurob ge sadu ǃoagu ǃgâi i xawe nî hîkākā du.” 21 On ge khoena Josuab ǃoa ge mî: “Tātse, sida ge ǃKhūba nî ǃoaba.”
22 Ob ge Josuaba ǁîn ǃoa ge mî: “Sadu ge sadu ǂûdu ǃoagu a ǃkhō-amao, ǃKhūba du ge ǁîba nî ǃoabase ǁhûiǂui ǃkhaisa.”
“Ā, sida ge a ǃkhō-amao” tin ge ǁîna ge ǃeream.
23 Ob ge Josuaba ge mî: “O ǁnâi ǃhao elogu hîa du ūhâga aoxū, î ǃKhūb, Israeli di Eloba ǂgomǂgomsase hâba.”
24 On ge khoena Josuab ǃoa ge mî: “Sida ge ǃKhūb, sida Eloba nî ǃoaba. ǁÎb mîmāde da ge nî ǁnâuǀnam.” 25 Josuab ge ǁnātsē ǁaesa ǃgaeǀhaosa dība tsî ǁîna ǁnāpa Sexems tawa ǂhanugu tsî ǂnûiǂgādi hîan nî saona ge mā. 26 Josuab ge ǁnā mîmāde Elob ǂhanub di ǂkhanis ǃnâ ge xoamâi. Tsîb ge kai ǀuisa ū tsî ǁîsa aikehais ǃKhūb ommi tawa mâs ǃgao ǂgōse ge mâi. 27 ǁÎb ge hoaraga khoena ǃoa ge mî: “Nē ǀuis ge nî sada di ǃkhō-am. ǁÎs ge ǃKhūb ge sada ǃoa a mî xūn hoana ge ǁnâu. ǁÎs ge sadu ǃoagu nî ǃkhō-am î du tā Eloba mâǃoa.” 28 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Josuaba ǁaesa ge ǃgû kai tsî i ge mâ-i hoa-e ǁî-i ǃhūǀkharib ǁga ge oa.
Josuab tsî Eleasari tsîkha di ǁōb
29 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ǃKhūb di ǃgāb Josuab, Nunni ôaba ǀguikaidisi tsî disi kurixab a hîa ge ǁō. 30 On ge ǁîba ǁîb di ǃhūb ǂûb ǃnâ Timnat-Seras, Efraimmi di ǃnâuxa ǃhūb ǃnâ Gaasǃhommi di ǀapasǀkhāb ai ǂnôas tawa ge ǁkhō.
31 Josuab ûiǁaeb hoaban ge Israelǁîna ǃKhūba gere ǃoaba, tsîn ge ǁîb ge ǁōs khaoǃgâs tsîna ǁnā ǂgaeǂgui-aogu, ǃKhūb ge Israela a dība xūn hoana ge aitsama mû khoegu a ûitsamas kōse ǁnās ǀkha gere aiǃgû.
32 Josefi di soros, Israelǁîn ge Egipteba xu a ǀkhī-ūs ge Sexems ǃnâ, Jakob ge Sexemmi di îb Hamori ôaga xu ǀguikaidisi ǀhaiǀuri maridi ama ǁama hâ i ǃhūǃâs ǃnâ ge ǁkhōhe. ǁNā ǃhūǃâsan ge Josefi ôana ge ǀumi hâ i.
33 Aronni ôab Eleasari ge ǁō tsî Gibeas, Efraimmi ǃnâuxa ǃhūb ǃnâ ǂnôas, ǁîb ôab Pinehasi ge māhe hâ is tawa ge ǁkhōhe.
