Joshua's Charge to Israel's Leaders

Joshua 23

1 A long time afterward, when the Lord had given e rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua f was old and well advanced in years, 2 Joshua g summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, "I am now old and well advanced in years. 3 And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, h for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. 4 Behold, i I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God j will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, k just as the Lord your God promised you. 6 Therefore, l be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, m turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, 7 n that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you o or make mention of the names of their gods p or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, 8 q but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. 9 r For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, s no man has been able to stand before you to this day. 10 t One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God u who fights for you, just as he promised you. 11 v Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. 12 For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you w and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13 know for certain that x the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, y but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.

14 "And now z I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that a not one word has failed of all the good things 1 that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. 15 But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you b all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, 16 if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you."

  1. Cross References
    Joshua 11:23
    So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.
  2. Cross References
    Joshua 13:1
    Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, "You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.
  3. Cross References
    Joshua 24:1
    Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God.
    Deuteronomy 31:28
    Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
    1 Chronicles 28:1
    David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, the stewards of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the seasoned warriors.
  4. Cross References
    Joshua 10:14
    There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.
    Joshua 10:42
    And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.
    Exodus 14:14
    The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.
  5. Cross References
    Joshua 13:2 - 7
    This is the land that yet remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites
  6. Cross References
    Joshua 13:6
    All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians. I myself will drive them out from before the people of Israel. Only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you.
    Exodus 23:30
    Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.
    Exodus 33:2
    I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
    Exodus 34:11
    Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
    Deuteronomy 11:23
    Then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves.
  7. Cross References
    Numbers 33:53
    And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.
  8. Cross References
    Joshua 1:7
    Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
  9. Cross References
    Joshua 1:7
    Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
    Deuteronomy 5:32
    You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
    Deuteronomy 28:14
    And if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
  10. Cross References
    Exodus 23:33
    They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.
    Deuteronomy 7:2 - 3
    And when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.
  11. Cross References
    Exodus 23:13
    Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.
    Psalms 16:4
    The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.
  12. Cross References
    Jeremiah 5:7
    How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores.
    Zephaniah 1:5
    Those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom.
  13. Cross References
    Joshua 22:5
    Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
    Deuteronomy 10:20
    You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear.
    Deuteronomy 11:22
    For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him.
    Deuteronomy 13:4
    You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.
  14. Cross References
    Joshua 13:6
    All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians. I myself will drive them out from before the people of Israel. Only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you.
    Exodus 23:30
    Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.
    Exodus 33:2
    I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
    Exodus 34:11
    Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
    Deuteronomy 11:23
    Then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves.
  15. Cross References
    Joshua 1:5
    No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
    Joshua 10:8
    And the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.
    Joshua 21:44
    And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands.
  16. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:8
    Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
    Deuteronomy 32:30
    How could one have chased a thousand, and two have put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had given them up?
  17. Cross References
    Joshua 23:3
    And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you.
    Exodus 14:14
    The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.
    Deuteronomy 3:22
    You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.
  18. Cross References
    Joshua 22:5
    Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
  19. Cross References
    Exodus 34:16
    And you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.
    Deuteronomy 7:3
    You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons.
  20. Cross References
    Judges 2:3
    So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.
    Judges 2:21
    I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died.
  21. Cross References
    Exodus 23:33
    They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.
    Numbers 33:55
    But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.
    Deuteronomy 7:16
    And you shall consume all the peoples that the Lord your God will give over to you. Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.
    Judges 2:3
    So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.
  22. Cross References
    1 Kings 2:2
    I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man.
  23. Cross References
    Joshua 21:45
    Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.
  24. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:14 - 39
    But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments.
    Deuteronomy 28:15 - 68
    But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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