Josvas afskedstale til folket og pagtslutningen
1Derefter samlede Josva alle Israels stammeledere, dommere og administratorer i Sikem, hvor de trådte frem for Guds ansigt.
2Da sagde Josva til folket: „Herren, Israels Gud, siger: Jeres forfar Tera, Abrahams og Nakors far, boede på den anden side af Eufratfloden, hvor man dyrkede fremmede guder. 3Men jeg udvalgte Abraham og førte ham ind i Kana’ans land, hvor jeg gav ham talrige efterkommere gennem hans søn Isak. 4Isak gav jeg sønnerne Jakob og Esau. Esau fik området omkring Seirs bjerge, mens Jakob og hans familie tog til Egypten.
5Jeg gav jer Moses og Aron som ledere, og jeg bragte frygtelige plager over Egypten, hvorefter jeg førte mit folk ud af landet. 6Men egypterne satte efter dem med deres heste og vogne, og da jeres forfædre var kommet til Det Røde Hav, 7råbte de til mig om hjælp, og jeg satte mørke mellem dem og egypterne. Jeg lod havet skylle over alle egypterne, så de druknede for øjnene af Israels folk. Derefter vandrede folket omkring i ørkenen i mange år.
8Til sidst førte jeg jer ind i amoritternes land på østsiden af Jordanfloden. De rykkede ud imod jer, men jeg tilintetgjorde dem og overgav landet til jer. 9Da rykkede kong Balak af Moab ud imod jer og lejede Bileam til at forbande jer. 10Men det ville jeg ikke tillade. I stedet tvang jeg ham til at velsigne jer, så I blev reddet fra hans forbandelser.
11Derefter krydsede I Jordanfloden og kom til Jeriko. Jerikos mænd tog kampen op imod jer, og det samme gjorde mange andre folk: amoritterne, perizzitterne, kana’anæerne, hittitterne, girgashitterne, hivvitterne og jebusitterne. Hver især kæmpede de imod jer, men jeg tilintetgjorde dem alle. 12Jeg sendte frygt og forvirring24,12 På hebraisk: „hvepse”. Det skal dog ikke forstås bogstaveligt, jævnfør 2.Mos. 23,27-28. foran jer, så jeres fjender blev panikslagne, også de to amoritterkonger. Det var ikke jeres sværd og buer, som skaffede jer sejr. 13Det var mig, som gav jer et land, I ikke havde slidt med at opdyrke, og byer, I ikke selv havde bygget—de byer, som I bor i nu. Jeg gav jer frugten af landets vinmarker og olivenlunde, skønt I ikke havde haft besværet med at plante dem.”
14Josva fortsatte: „Vis nu ærefrygt for Herren og tjen ham af et oprigtigt og sandt hjerte. Udryd de afguder, som jeres forfædre dyrkede, mens de boede hinsides Eufratfloden og i Egypten. Tilbed Herren alene. 15Hvis ikke I vil tjene Herren, så beslut jer i dag for, hvilke andre guder I vil tjene. Skal det være de guder, som jeres forfædre dyrkede på den anden side af Eufratfloden? Eller skal det være de guder, som blev dyrket her i amoritternes land, som I nu har overtaget? Men jeg og min familie, vi vil tjene Herren!”
16Da svarede folket: „Vi vil aldrig svigte Herren og dyrke andre guder! 17Herren er den Gud, som frelste os og vores forfædre fra Egyptens slaveri. Han er den Gud, som har gjort vældige undere for øjnene af os. Han beskyttede os under vores lange vandringer og hjalp os mod alle vores fjender. 18Det var ham, der drev amoritterne og de andre folkeslag ud af det land, vi nu bor i. Også vi vil tjene Herren—han alene skal være vores Gud!”
19Men Josva svarede folket: „Det er ikke sikkert, at I kan klare at holde fast ved Herren, jeres Gud. Han er en hellig Gud, der ikke tåler rivaler, og som ikke ser igennem fingre med oprør og synd. 20Hvis I svigter ham og vender jer til andre guder, vil han straffe jer hårdt—uanset hvor god han hidtil har været imod jer.”
21Men folket svarede: „Vi vil tjene Herren!”
22„I er selv vidner på, at I har valgt at tjene Herren,” sagde Josva.
„Ja,” svarede folket, „det er vi vidner på.”
23„Godt,” fortsatte Josva, „så bevis det ved at fjerne jeres afguder, så I kan tjene Herren alene.”
24„Ja,” svarede folket, „for vi vil tilbede og tjene Herren alene.”
25Den dag lod Josva folket slutte pagt ved Sikem, en permanent og bindende pagt imellem dem og Gud, 26og han skrev det hele i den bog, hvor Guds love var nedskrevet. For at minde dem om deres pagt med Gud rullede han en stor sten hen under egetræet ved siden af Herrens alter. 27Så sagde han til folket:
„Denne sten har hørt hvert eneste ord, Herren har sagt, og derfor skal den være et vidne imod jer, hvis I bryder jeres løfte.” 28Derpå sendte han folket hjem til deres forskellige territorier.
29Josva døde kort efter i en alder af 110 år 30og blev begravet på sin jord i Timnat-Sera nord for Ga’ashbjerget i Efraims højland.
31Folket adlød Herren, så længe Josva og de andre gamle israelitter levede, de som havde oplevet Herrens undere.
32Josefs knogler, som folket havde bragt med fra Egypten, blev begravet på det stykke jord, som Jakob havde købt af Hamors sønner i Sikem, og som nu hørte med til Josefs efterkommeres arvelod.
33Arons søn Eleazar døde også og blev begravet i Gibea i Efraims højland, den by, som var blevet overdraget hans søn Pinehas.
1And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 2And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. 3And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac. 4And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. 5I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out. 6And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea. 7And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season. 8And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you. 9Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you: 10But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand. 11And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand. 12And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. 13And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.
14¶ Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
15And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. 16And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; 17For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: 18And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God. 19And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.24.19 holy God: Heb. holy Gods 20If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. 21And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD. 22And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. 23Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. 24And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. 25So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
26¶ And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. 27And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God. 28So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.
29¶ And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. 30And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. 31And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel.24.31 overlived…: Heb. prolonged their days after Joshua
32¶ And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.24.32 pieces…: or, lambs 33And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.
