Discovery Box

Joshua 24:1-15

24:1 Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God. 24:2 Joshua told all the people, “Here is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘In the distant past your ancestors ¹  lived beyond the Euphrates River, ²  including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshiped ³  other gods, 24:3 but I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates ⁴  and brought him into ⁵  the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous; I gave him Isaac, 24:4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I assigned Mount Seir, ⁶  while Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 24:5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt down when I intervened in their land. ⁷  Then I brought you out. 24:6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you arrived at the sea. The Egyptians chased your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 24:7 Your fathers ⁸  cried out for help to the Lord; he made the area between you and the Egyptians dark, ⁹  and then drowned them in the sea. ¹⁰  You witnessed with your very own eyes ¹¹  what I did in Egypt. You lived in the wilderness for a long time. ¹²  24:8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought with you, but I handed them over to you; you conquered ¹³  their land and I destroyed them from before you. 24:9 Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attack ¹⁴  against Israel. He summoned ¹⁵  Balaam son of Beor to call down judgment ¹⁶  on you. 24:10 I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept ¹⁷  prophesying good things about ¹⁸  you, and I rescued you from his power. ¹⁹  24:11 You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. ²⁰  The leaders ²¹  of Jericho, as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, fought with you, but I handed them over to you. 24:12 I sent terror ²²  ahead of you to drive out before you the two ²³  Amorite kings. I gave you the victory; it was not by your swords or bows. ²⁴  24:13 I gave you a land in ²⁵  which you had not worked hard; you took up residence in cities you did not build and you are eating the produce of ²⁶  vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’

24:14 Now ²⁷  obey ²⁸  the Lord and worship ²⁹  him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors ³⁰  worshiped ³¹  beyond the Euphrates ³²  and in Egypt and worship ³³  the Lord. 24:15 If you have no desire ³⁴  to worship ³⁵  the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, ³⁶  whether it be the gods whom your ancestors ³⁷  worshiped ³⁸  beyond the Euphrates, ³⁹  or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family ⁴⁰  will worship ⁴¹  the Lord!”