The Preacher's Bible

After many days, when Jehovah had given rest to Israel from their enemies all around, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, ²Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, “I am old and well advanced in years. ³You have seen all that Jehovah your God has done to all these nations because of you; for it is Jehovah your God who has fought for you. ⁴Behold, I have allotted to you these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even to the great sea toward the going down of the sun. ⁵Jehovah your God will thrust them out from before you, and drive them from out of your sight. You shall possess their land, as Jehovah your God spoke to you.

⁶“Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that you not turn away from it to the right hand or to the left; ⁷that you not come 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 down yourselves to them; ⁸but hold fast to Jehovah your God, as you have done to this day.

⁹“For Jehovah has driven great and strong nations out from before you. But as for you, no man has stood before you to this day. ¹⁰One man of you shall chase a thousand; for it is Jehovah your God who fights for you, as he spoke to you. ¹¹Take good heed therefore to yourselves, that you love Jehovah your God.

¹²“But if you do at all go back, and hold fast to the remnant of these nations, even these who remain among you, and make marriages with them, and go in to them, and they to you; ¹³know for a certainty that Jehovah your God will no longer drive these nations from out of your sight; but they shall be a snare and a trap to you, a scourge in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which Jehovah your God has given you.

¹⁴“Behold, today I am going the way of all the earth. You know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which Jehovah your God spoke concerning you. All have happened to you. Not one thing has failed of it. ¹⁵It shall happen that as all the good things have come on you of which Jehovah your God spoke to you, so Jehovah will bring on you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land which Jehovah your God has given you, ¹⁶when you disobey the covenant of Jehovah your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down yourselves to them. Then Jehovah’s anger will be kindled against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which he has given to you.”