Joshua 24:13-18

24:13 I gave you a land in ¹  which you had not worked hard; you took up residence in cities you did not build and you are eating the produce of ²  vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’

24:14 Now ³  obey ⁴  the Lord and worship ⁵  him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors ⁶  worshiped ⁷  beyond the Euphrates ⁸  and in Egypt and worship ⁹  the Lord. 24:15 If you have no desire ¹⁰  to worship ¹¹  the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, ¹²  whether it be the gods whom your ancestors ¹³  worshiped ¹⁴  beyond the Euphrates, ¹⁵  or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family ¹⁶  will worship ¹⁷  the Lord!”

24:16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can ¹⁸  worship ¹⁹  other gods! 24:17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery ²⁰  in the land of Egypt ²¹  and performed these awesome miracles ²²  before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations. ²³  24:18 The Lord drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship ²⁴  the Lord, for he is our God!”

[24:13]  ¹ tn Or perhaps, “for.”

[24:13]  ² tn The words “the produce of” are supplied for clarification.

[24:14]  ³ sn Joshua quotes the Lord’s words in vv. 2b-13 (note that the Lord speaks in the first person in these verses); in vv. 14-15 Joshua himself exhorts the people (note the third person references to the Lord).

[24:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “fear.”

[24:14]  ⁵ tn Or “and serve.”

[24:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “your fathers.”

[24:14]  ⁷ tn Or “served.”

[24:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.

[24:14]  ⁹ tn Or “and serve.”

[24:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “if it is bad in your eyes.”

[24:15]  ⁶ tn Or “to serve.”

[24:15]  ⁷ tn Or “will serve.”

[24:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “your fathers.”

[24:15]  ⁹ tn Or “served.”

[24:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.

[24:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “house.”

[24:15]  ¹² tn Or “will serve.”

[24:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “to.”

[24:16]  ⁸ tn Or “can serve.”

[24:17]  ⁹ tn Heb “of the house of slavery.”

[24:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for the Lord our God, he is the one who brought up us and our fathers from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves.”

[24:17]  ¹¹ tn Or “great signs.”

[24:17]  ¹² tn Heb “and he guarded us in all the way in which we walked and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.”

[24:18]  ¹¹ tn Or “will serve.”