Joshua 24
Joshua assembleth the tribes at Shechem.
Joshua 24:1 And Josue gaderide alle the lynagis of Israel in to Sechem; and he clepide the grettere men in birthe, and the princes, and iugis, and maistris; and thei stoden in the siyt of the Lord.
A brief history of God's benefits from Terah.
Joshua 24:2 And he spak thus to the puple, The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, Youre fadris dwelliden at the bigynnyng biyende the flood Eufrates, Thare, the fadir of Abraham, and Nachor, and thei serueden alien goddis. Joshua 24:3 Therfor Y took youre fadir Abraham fro the coostis of Mesopotanye, and Y brouyte hym in to the lond of Canaan; and Y multipliede the seed of hym, Joshua 24:4 and Y yaf Isaac to hym; and eft Y yaf to Isaac, Jacob, and Esau, of whiche Y yaf to Esau the hil of Seir, to haue in possessioun; forsothe Jacob and hise sones yeden doun in to Egipt. Joshua 24:5 And Y sente Moises and Aaron, and Y smoot Egipt with many signes and wondris, Joshua 24:6 and Y ledde you and youre fadris out of Egipt. And ye camen to the see, and Egipcians pursueden youre fadris with charis, and multitude of knyytis, til to the Reed See. Joshua 24:7 Forsothe the sones of Israel crieden to the Lord, and he settide derknessis bitwixe you and Egipcians; and he brouyte the see on hem, and hilide hem. Youre iyen sien alle thingis, whiche Y dide in Egipt. And ye dwelliden in wildirnesse in myche tyme. Joshua 24:8 And Y brouyte you in to the lond of Ammorrei, that dwellide biyende Jordan; and whanne thei fouyten ayens you, Y bitook hem in to youre hondis, and ye hadden in possessioun the lond of hem, and ye killiden hem. Joshua 24:9 Sotheli Balach, the sone of Sephor, the king of Moab, roos, and fauyt ayens Israel; and he sente, and clepide Balaam, the sone of Beor, that he schulde curse you. Joshua 24:10 And Y nolde here hym, but ayenward bi hym Y blesside you, and delyuerede you fro hise hondis. Joshua 24:11 And ye passiden Jordan, and camen to Jerico; and men of that citee fouyten ayens you, Ammorrei, and Feresei, and Cananei, Ethei, and Gergesei, and Euei, and Jebusei; and Y bitook hem in to youre hondis. Joshua 24:12 And Y sente flies with venemouse tongis bifor you, and Y castide hem out of her places; Y kyllide twei kyngis of Ammorreis, not in thi swerd and bowe. Joshua 24:13 And Y yaf to you the lond in which ye traueiliden not, and citees whiche ye bildiden not, that ye schulden dwelle in tho, and vyneris, and places of olyue trees, whiche ye plauntiden not.
He reneweth the Covenant between them and God.
Joshua 24:14 Now therfor drede ye the Lord, and serue ye hym with perfite herte and moost trewe; and do ye awei the goddis, to whiche youre fadris seruyden in Mesopotanye, and in Egipt; and serue ye the Lord. Joshua 24:15 But if it semeth yuel to you, that ye serue the Lord, chesyng is youun to you; chese ye to you to dai that, that plesith, whom ye owen most to serue; whether to goddis, whiche youre fadris serueden in Mesopotanye, whether to the goddis of Ammorreis, in whose lond ye dwellen; forsothe Y, and myn hows schulen serue the Lord. Joshua 24:16 And al the puple answeride and seide, Fer be it fro vs that we forsake the Lord, and serue alien goddis. Joshua 24:17 Oure Lord God hym silf ledde vs and oure fadris out of the lond of Egipt, fro the hows of seruage, and dide grete signes in oure siyt; and he kepte vs in al the weie, bi which we yeden, and in alle puplis, bi whiche we passiden; and he castide out alle folkis, Joshua 24:18 Ammorrei, the dwellere of the lond, in to which we entriden. Therfor we schulen serue the Lord, for he is oure Lord God. Joshua 24:19 And Josue seide to the puple, Ye moun not serue the Lord; for God is hooli, and a strong feruent louyere, and he foryyueth not youre trespassis and synnes. Joshua 24:20 If ye forsaken the Lord, and seruen alien goddis, the Lord schal turne hym silf, and schal turment you, and schal distrie, after that he hath youe goodis to you. Joshua 24:21 And the puple seide to Josue, It schal not be so, as thou spekist, but we schulen serue the Lord. Joshua 24:22 And Josue seide to the puple, Ye ben witnessis, that ye han chose the Lord to you, that ye serue him. And thei answeriden, We ben witnessis. Joshua 24:23 Therfor, he seide, Now do ye awei alien goddis fro the myddis of you, and bowe ye youre hertis to the Lord God of Israel. Joshua 24:24 And the puple seide to Josue, We schulen serue oure Lord God, and we schulen be obedient to hise heestis. Joshua 24:25 Therfor Josue smoot a boond of pees in that dai, and settide forth to the puple comaundementis and domes in Sichen.
A stone the witness of the Covenant.
Joshua 24:26 And he wroot alle these wordis in the book of Goddis lawe. And he took a greet stoon, and puttide it vndur an ook, that was in the seyntuarie of the Lord. Joshua 24:27 And he seide to al the puple, Lo! this stoon schal be to you in to witnessing, that ye herden alle the wordis of the Lord, whiche he spak to you, lest perauenture ye wolden denye aftirward, and lye to youre Lord God. Joshua 24:28 And he lefte the puple, ech man in to his possessioun.
Joshua's age, death, and burial.
Joshua 24:29 And after these thingis Josue, the sone of Nun, the seruaunt of the Lord, diede, an hundride yeer eld and ten. Joshua 24:30 And thei birieden hym in the costis of his possessioun, in Thannath of Sare, which is set in the hil of Effraym, fro the north part of the hil Gaas. Joshua 24:31 And Israel seruede the Lord in alle the daies of Josue, and of the eldre men, that lyueden in long tyme aftir Josue, and whiche eldre men knewen alle the werkis of the Lord, whiche he hadde do in Israel.
Joseph's bones are buried.
Joshua 24:32 Also the sones of Israel birieden the boonys of Joseph, whiche thei baren fro Egipt in Sichen, in the part of the feeld, which feeld Jacob bouyte of the sones of Emor, fadir of Sichen, for an hundrid yonge scheep; and it was in to possessioun of the sones of Joseph.
Eleazar dieth.
Joshua 24:33 Also Eliazar, sone of Aaron, preest, diede; and Fynees and hise sones biryden hym in Gabaa, which was youun to hym in the hil of Efraym.
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