because the Israelites are my own servants; ¹  they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from being their slaves, ¹  and I broke the bars of your yoke and caused you to walk upright. ² 

(and I myself will walk in hostility against them and bring them into the land of their enemies), and ¹  then their uncircumcised hearts become humbled and they make up for ²  their iniquity,

In spite of this, however, when they are in the land of their enemies I will not reject them and abhor them to make a complete end of them, to break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God.

I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors ¹  whom I brought out from the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’”

“Look, ¹  I myself have taken the Levites from among the Israelites instead of ²  every firstborn who opens the womb among the Israelites. So the Levites belong to me,

“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn males among the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. And the Levites will be mine. I am the Lord.

You must expel both men and women; you must put them outside the camp, so that ¹  they will not defile their camps, among which I live.”

Say to them, ‘As I live, ¹  says ²  the Lord, I will surely do to you just what you have spoken in my hearing. ³ 

I, the Lord, have said, “I will surely do so to all this evil congregation that has gathered together against me. In this wilderness they will be finished, and there they will die!”’”

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land where you are to live, ¹  which I am giving you, ² 

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land to which I am bringing you ¹ 

I myself have chosen ¹  your brothers the Levites from among the Israelites. They are given to you as a gift from the Lord, to perform the duties ²  of the tent of meeting.

The Lord spoke to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion of property ¹  among them – I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.

Then the Israelites said to him, “We will go along the highway, and if we ¹  or our cattle drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We will only pass through on our feet, without doing anything else.”

You have eaten no bread and drunk no wine or beer – all so that you might know that I ¹  am the Lord your God!

They have made me jealous ¹  with false gods, ²  enraging me with their worthless gods; ³  so I will make them jealous with a people they do not recognize, ⁴  with a nation slow to learn ⁵  I will enrage them.

You will see the land before you, but you will not enter the land that I am giving to the Israelites.”

I and all the troops ¹  who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them.

So Joshua summoned all Israel, including the elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and told them: “I am very old.