24:1 約書亞將以色列的眾支派聚集在示劍，召了以色列的長老、族長、審判官，並官長來，他們就站在上帝面前。
24:2 約書亞對眾民說：「耶和華─以色列的上帝如此說：『古時你們的列祖，就是亞伯拉罕和拿鶴的父親他拉，住在大河那邊事奉別神，
24:3 我將你們的祖宗亞伯拉罕從大河那邊帶來，領他走遍迦南全地，又使他的子孫眾多，把以撒賜給他；
24:4 又把雅各和以掃賜給以撒，將西珥山賜給以掃為業；後來雅各和他的子孫下到埃及去了。
24:5 我差遣摩西、亞倫，並照我在埃及中所行的降災與埃及，然後把你們領出來。
24:6 我領你們列祖出埃及，他們就到了紅海；埃及人帶領車輛馬兵追趕你們列祖到紅海。
24:7 你們列祖哀求耶和華，他就使你們和埃及人中間黑暗了，又使海水淹沒埃及人。我在埃及所行的事，你們親眼見過。你們在曠野也住了許多年日。
24:8 我領你們到約旦河東亞摩利人所住之地。他們與你們爭戰，我將他們交在你們手中，你們便得了他們的地為業；我也在你們面前將他們滅絕。
24:9 那時，摩押王西撥的兒子巴勒起來攻擊以色列人，打發人召了比珥的兒子巴蘭來咒詛你們。
24:10 我不肯聽巴蘭的話，所以他倒為你們連連祝福。這樣，我便救你們脫離巴勒的手。
24:11 你們過了約旦河，到了耶利哥；耶利哥人、亞摩利人、比利洗人、迦南人、赫人、革迦撒人、希未人、耶布斯人都與你們爭戰；我把他們交在你們手裡。
24:12 我打發黃蜂飛在你們前面，將亞摩利人的二王從你們面前攆出，並不是用你的刀，也不是用你的弓。
24:13 我賜給你們地土，非你們所修治的；我賜給你們城邑，非你們所建造的。你們就住在其中，又得吃非你們所栽種的葡萄園、橄欖園的果子。』
24:14 「現在你們要敬畏耶和華，誠心實意地事奉他，將你們列祖在大河那邊和在埃及所事奉的神除掉，去事奉耶和華。
24:15 若是你們以事奉耶和華為不好，今日就可以選擇所要事奉的：是你們列祖在大河那邊所事奉的神呢？是你們所住這地的亞摩利人的神呢？至於我和我家，我們必定事奉耶和華。」
24:16 百姓回答說：「我們斷不敢離棄耶和華去事奉別神；
24:17 因耶和華─我們的上帝曾將我們和我們列祖從埃及地的為奴之家領出來，在我們眼前行了那些大神蹟，在我們所行的道上，所經過的諸國，都保護了我們。
24:18 耶和華又把住此地的亞摩利人都從我們面前趕出去。所以，我們必事奉耶和華，因為他是我們的上帝。」
24:19 約書亞對百姓說：「你們不能事奉耶和華；因為他是聖潔的上帝，是忌邪的上帝，必不赦免你們的過犯罪惡。
24:20 你們若離棄耶和華去事奉外邦神，耶和華在降福之後，必轉而降禍與你們，把你們滅絕。」
24:21 百姓回答約書亞說：「不然，我們定要事奉耶和華。」
24:22 約書亞對百姓說：「你們選定耶和華，要事奉他，你們自己作見證吧！」他們說：「我們願意作見證。」
24:23 約書亞說：「你們現在要除掉你們中間的外邦神，專心歸向耶和華─以色列的上帝。」
24:24 百姓回答約書亞說：「我們必事奉耶和華─我們的上帝，聽從他的話。」
24:25 當日，約書亞就與百姓立約，在示劍為他們立定律例典章。
24:26 約書亞將這些話都寫在上帝的律法書上，又將一塊大石頭立在橡樹下耶和華的聖所旁邊。
24:27 約書亞對百姓說：「看哪，這石頭可以向我們作見證；因為是聽見了耶和華所吩咐我們的一切話，倘或你們背棄你們的上帝，這石頭就可以向你們作見證（倘或...見證：或譯所以要向你們作見證，免得你們背棄耶和華─你們的上帝）。」
24:28 於是約書亞打發百姓各歸自己的地業去了。
24:29 這些事以後，耶和華的僕人嫩的兒子約書亞，正一百一十歲，就死了。
24:30 以色列人將他葬在他地業的境內，就是在以法蓮山地的亭拿‧西拉，在迦實山的北邊。
24:31 約書亞在世和約書亞死後，那些知道耶和華為以色列人所行諸事的長老還在的時候，以色列人事奉耶和華。
24:32 以色列人從埃及所帶來約瑟的骸骨，葬埋在示劍，就是在雅各從前用一百塊銀子向示劍的父親、哈抹的子孫所買的那塊地裡；這就作了約瑟子孫的產業。
24:33 亞倫的兒子以利亞撒也死了，就把他葬在他兒子非尼哈所得以法蓮山地的小山上。
Then Joshua assembled all the tribes
of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of
Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
2 Joshua
said to all the people, “This is what the Lord,
the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father
of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other
gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the
Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave
him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the
hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.
5 “‘Then
I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and
I brought you out. 6 When I brought your people out of Egypt,
you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen[a] as far as
the Red Sea.[b] 7 But
they cried to the Lord for help,
and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them
and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then
you lived in the wilderness for a long time.
8 “‘I brought
you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought
against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you,
and you took possession of their land. 9 When Balak son of
Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam
son of Beor to put a curse on you. 10 But I would not listen to
Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.
11 “‘Then
you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought
against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites,
Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. 12 I
sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two
Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. 13 So
I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and
you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not
plant.’
14 “Now
fear the Lord and serve him with
all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the
Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
15 But if serving the Lord
seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will
serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods
of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household,
we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then
the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and
our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those
great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among
all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the
nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
19 Joshua
said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not
forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will
turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good
to you.”
21 But
the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
22 Then
Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to
serve the Lord.”
“Yes,
we are witnesses,” they replied.
23 “Now
then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield
your hearts to the Lord, the God of
Israel.”
24 And
the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord
our God and obey him.”
25 On
that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he
reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. 26 And Joshua recorded
these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set
it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord.
27 “See!”
he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has
heard all the words the Lord has
said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”
28 Then
Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.
29 After
these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 30 And
they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah[c] in the hill
country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31 Israel
served the Lord throughout the
lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced
everything the Lord had done for
Israel.
32 And
Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at
Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver[d] from the
sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s
descendants.
33 And
Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to
his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.
**********
約書亞臨終前，他要百姓再一次在上帝面前立約，表明自己願意事奉耶和華上帝的心志！而他們的承諾不是隨隨便便的，是有立石為記的，不是小石頭，而是大石頭為記，表示是心意堅定！
就像基督徒為什麼要以十字架為記，因為這是耶穌基督拯救的象徵，讓大家看見之後，想到上帝為了愛我們，甚至犧牲祂的獨生子，這是何等的愛！是惟有創造天地的主，才有這樣的愛！
而在約書亞去世後，也記載約瑟的骸骨葬埋在示劍，讓人看見上帝給約瑟的信心，他相信自己必定回到上帝賜給他的應許之地，即使是骸骨回去，他也願意遵守上帝的旨意！這也讓我們再一次看見，上帝賜給人的確信是何等的浩大與奇妙！我們也有向約瑟一般的確信，就是耶穌基督的再來！而耶穌基督再來也是我們復活得永生，進入上帝國與耶穌基督做王到永遠！哈利路亞！
