We Will Worship and Obey the Lord
1 Joshua called the tribes of Israel together for a meeting at Shechem. He asked the leaders, including the old men, the judges, and the officials, to come up and stand near the sacred tent. 2 Then Joshua told everyone to listen to this message from the Lord, the God of Israel:
Long ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods. This continued until the time of your ancestor Terah and his two sons, Abraham and Nahor. 3 But I brought Abraham across the Euphrates River and led him through the land of Canaan. I blessed him by giving him Isaac, the first in a line of many descendants. 4 Then I gave Isaac two sons, Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Mount Seir, but your ancestor Jacob and his children went to live in Egypt.
5-6 Later I sent Moses and his brother Aaron to help your people, and I made all those horrible things happen to the Egyptians. I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, but the Egyptians got in their chariots and on their horses and chased your ancestors, catching up with them at the Red Sea. 7 Your people cried to me for help, so I put a dark cloud between them and the Egyptians. Then I opened up the sea and let your people walk across on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, I commanded the sea to swallow them, and they drowned while you watched.
You lived in the desert for a long time, 8 then I brought you into the land east of the Jordan River. The Amorites were living there, and they fought you. But with my help, you defeated them, wiped them out, and took their land. 9 King Balak decided that his nation Moab would go to war against you, so he asked Balaam to come and put a curse on you. 10 But I wouldn't listen to Balaam, and I rescued you by making him bless you instead of curse you.
11 You crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho. The rulers of Jericho fought you, and so did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I helped you defeat them all. 12 Your enemies ran from you, but not because you had swords and bows and arrows. I made your enemies panic and run away, as I had done with the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River.
13 You didn't have to work for this land—I gave it to you. Now you live in towns you didn't build, and you eat grapes and olives from vineyards and trees you didn't plant.
14 Then Joshua told the people:
Worship the Lord, obey him, and always be faithful. Get rid of the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. 15 But if you don't want to worship the Lord, then choose here and now! Will you worship the same idols your ancestors did? Or since you're living on land that once belonged to the Amorites, maybe you'll worship their gods. I won't. My family and I are going to worship and obey the Lord!
16 The people answered:
We could never worship other gods or stop worshiping the Lord. 17 The Lord is our God. We were slaves in Egypt as our ancestors had been, but we saw the Lord work miracles to set our people free and to bring us out of Egypt. Even though other nations were all around us, the Lord protected us wherever we went. 18 And when we fought the Amorites and the other nations that lived in this land, the Lord made them run away. Yes, we will worship and obey the Lord, because the Lord is our God.
19 Joshua said:
The Lord is fearsome; he is the one true God, and I don't think you are able to worship and obey him in the ways he demands. You would have to be completely faithful, and if you sin or rebel, he won't let you get away with it. 20 If you turn your backs on the Lord and worship the gods of other nations, the Lord will turn against you. He will make terrible things happen to you and wipe you out, even though he had been good to you before.
21 But the people shouted, “We won't worship any other gods. We will worship and obey only the Lord!”
22 Joshua said, “You have heard yourselves say that you will worship and obey the Lord. Isn't that true?”
“Yes, it's true,” they answered.
23 Joshua said, “But you still have some idols, like those the other nations worship. Get rid of your idols! You must decide once and for all that you really want to obey the Lord God of Israel.”
24 The people said, “The Lord is our God, and we will worship and obey only him.”
25 Joshua helped Israel make an agreement with the Lord that day at Shechem. Joshua made laws for Israel 26 and wrote them down in The Book of the Law of God. Then he set up a large stone under the oak tree at the place of worship in Shechem 27 and told the people, “Look at this stone. It has heard everything that the Lord has said to us. Our God can call this stone as a witness if we ever reject him.”
28 Joshua sent everyone back to their homes.
Joshua, Joseph, and Eleazar Are Buried
29 Not long afterwards, the Lord's servant Joshua died at the age of 110. 30 The Israelites buried him in his own land at Timnath-Serah, north of Mount Gaash in the hill country of Ephraim.
31 As long as Joshua lived, Israel worshiped and obeyed the Lord. There were other leaders old enough to remember everything that the Lord had done for Israel. And for as long as these men lived, Israel continued to worship and obey the Lord.
32 When the people of Israel left Egypt, they brought the bones of Joseph along with them. They took the bones to the town of Shechem and buried them in the field that Jacob had bought for 100 pieces of silver from Hamor, the founder of Shechem. The town and the field both became part of the land belonging to the descendants of Joseph.
33 When Eleazar the priest died, he was buried in the hill country of Ephraim on a hill that belonged to his son Phinehas.
العهد في شكيم
1 وجمَعَ يَشوعُ أسباطَ بَني إِسرائيلَ في شَكيمَ، واستدعى شُيوخَهُم ورُؤساءَهُم وقُضاتَهُم وقادَتَهُم، فحَضَروا أمامَ الرّبِّ. 2 فقالَ يَشوعُ لجميعِ الشَّعبِ: «هذا ما قالَ الرّبُّ إلهُ إِسرائيلَ: عِبرَ نهرِ الفُراتِ سكَنَ آباؤُكُم مُنذُ القديمِ، تارَحُ أبو إبراهيمَ وأبو ناحورَ، وعبَدوا آلِهةً أُخرى. 3 فأخَذتُ إبراهيمَ أباكُم مِنْ عِبرِ النَّهرِ وسَيَّرتُهُ في أرضِ كنعانَ وأكثَرتُ نَسلَهُ ورزَقتُهُ إسحَقَ، 4 ورَزَقتُ إسحَقَ يَعقوبَ وعيسو، وأعطَيتُ عيسو جبَلَ سعيرَ لَه، أمَّا يَعقوبُ وبَنوهُ فنَزَلوا إلى مِصْرَ. 5 وأرسَلتُ موسى وهرونَ وضَربتُ مِصْرَ بِالمُعجِزاتِ، وبَعدَ ذلِكَ أرجَعتُكُم. 6 أخرجتُ آباءَكُم مِنْ مِصْرَ في اتِّجاهِ البحرِ فلَحِقَ بِهِمِ المِصْريُّونَ بِالمَركباتِ والخَيلِ. ولمَّا اقتَرَبَ آباؤُكُم مِنَ البحرِ الأحمرِ 7 صرَخوا إلى الرّبِّ فجَعلَ بَينَهُم وبَينَ المِصْريِّينَ ظُلمةً، ثُمَّ رَدَّ علَيهِمِ البحرَ فغطَّاهُم. فعُيونُكُم رأت ما فعَلْتُ في مِصْرَ. وأقَمتُم في البرِّيَّةِ أيّاما كثيرةً. 8 ثُمَّ جِئتُ بِكُم إلى أرضِ الأموريِّينَ السَّاكِنينَ شرقَ الأردُنِّ فحارَبوكُم، فسَلَّمتُهُم إلى أيديكُم ووَزَّعتُ علَيكُم أرضَهُم، ومَحوتُهُم مِنْ قُدَّامِكُم. 9 فقامَ بالاقُ بنُ صِفُّورَ مَلِكُ موآبَ وحارَبَ بَني إِسرائيلَ ودَعا بَلعامَ بنَ بَعورَ لِـيَلعَنَكُم، 10 فرَفضتُ أنْ أسمَعَ لِبَلعامَ، فبارَكَكُم، وأنقَذتُكُم مِنْ لَعنَتِه. 11 ثُمَّ عَبرتُمُ الأردُنَّ وجِئتُم إلى أريحا، فحاربَكُم أهلُها والأموريُّونَ والفِرزِّيُّونَ والكنعانيُّونَ والحِثِّيُّونَ. والجِرجاشيُّونَ والحِوِّيُّونَ واليَبوسيُّونَ، فأسلَمتُهُم إلى أيديكُم 12 وأرسَلتُ إلى قُدَّامِكُمُ الذُعرَ فطَردتُ مَلِكَي الأموريِّينَ مِنْ أمامِكُم، لا بِسَيفِكُم ولا بِقَوسِكُم. 13 وأعطيتُكُم أرضا ما تَعِبتُم بِها ومُدُنا ما بَنيتُموها، فأقمتُم فيها، وكُروما وزيتونا ما غَرستُموها وأنتُمُ اليومَ تأكلونَها.
14 «فخافوا الرّبَّ واعبُدوهُ بِكمالٍ وإخلاصٍ، وانزِعوا الآلِهةَ الّتي عبَدَها آباؤُكُم في نهرِ الفُراتِ وفي مِصْرَ واعبُدوا الرّبَّ. 15 وإنْ كانَ يَسوؤُكُم أنْ تَعبُدوهُ فاختاروا لكُمُ اليومَ مَنْ تَعبُدونَ، إمَّا الآلِهةُ الّتي عبَدَها آباؤُكُم عِبرَ الفُراتِ أو آلِهةُ الأموريِّينَ الّذينَ أنتُم مُقيمونَ بأرضِهِم. أمَّا أنا وأهلُ بَيتي فنَعبُدُ الرّبَّ».
16 فأجابَهُ الشَّعبُ: «حاشا لنا أنْ نترُكَ الرّبَّ ونعبُدَ آلِهةً غريـبةً 17 لأنَّ الرّبَّ إلهَنا هوَ الّذي أخرَجَنا نحنُ وآباءَنا مِنْ مِصْرَ، أرضِ العُبوديَّةِ وصنعَ أمامَ عُيونِنا تِلكَ المُعجِزاتِ العظيمةَ وحَفِظَنا في جميعِ الطُّرُقِ الّتي سلَكناها، وبَينَ جميعِ الشُّعوبِ الّذينَ عبَرْنا أرضَهُم. 18 وطَرَدَ مِنْ أمامِنا جميعَ الشُّعوبِ وكذلِكَ الأموريِّينَ السَّاكِنينَ في الأرضِ قَبلَنا، فنحنُ أيضا نعبدُ الرّبَّ لأنَّهُ إلهُنا».
19 فقالَ يَشوعُ لِلشَّعبِ: «لا تقدِرونَ أنْ تَعبُدوا الرّبَّ لأنَّهُ إلهٌ قُدُّوسٌ، إلهٌ غيورٌ، لا يَصبِرُ على ذُنوبِكُم وخَطاياكُم. 20 فأنتُم إذا تَركتُموهُ وعَبدتُم آلِهةً غريـبةً يَرتَدُّ عَنكُم ويُسيءُ إليكُم ويُفنيكُم بَعدَما كانَ باركَكُم».
21 فقالَ الشَّعبُ ليشوعَ: «كلاَّ، بلِ الرّبَّ وحدَهُ نعبُدُ». 22 فأجابَهُم يَشوعُ: «أنتُم شُهودٌ على أنفُسِكُم أنَّكُمُ اختَرتُمُ الرّبَّ لِتعبُدوهُ». فقالوا: «نحنُ شُهودٌ».
23 فقالَ لهُم يَشوعُ: «فالآنَ انزِعوا الآلِهةَ الغريـبةَ فيما بَينَكُم ووَجِّهوا قُلوبَكُم إلى الرّبِّ إلهِ إِسرائيلَ».
24 فأجابَهُ الشَّعبُ: «الرّبَّ إلهَنا نعبُدُ ولِصوتِهِ نسمَعُ».
25 فقطَعَ يَشوعُ لِلشَّعبِ عَهدا في ذلِكَ اليومِ، وجعَلَ لهُم فرائضَ وأحكاما في شَكيمَ. 26 وسَجَّلَ يشوعُ هذا الكلامَ في كتابِ شريعةِ اللهِ وأخذَ حجَرا كبـيرا وأقامَهُ هُناكَ تَحتَ البَلُّوطَةِ الّتي عِندَ مَقدِسِ الرّبِّ. 27 وقالَ يَشوعُ لجميعِ الشَّعبِ: «هذا الحجَرُ يكونُ شاهِدا بَينَنا، لأنَّهُ سَمِعَ جميعَ أقوالِ الرّبِّ الّتي كَلَّمَنا بِها، فيكونُ شاهِدا لِئلاَّ تُنكِروا إلهَكُم». 28 ثمَّ صرَفَ الشَّعبَ، كُلَّ واحدٍ إلى مُلكِهِ.
موت يشوع
29 وبَعدَ ذلِكَ ماتَ يَشوعُ بنُ نُونٍ عبدُ الرّبِّ وهوَ ابنُ مئَةٍ وعشْرِ سِنينَ، 30 فدَفَنوهُ في أرضِهِ، في تِمنَةَ سارَحَ الّتي في جبَلِ أفرايمَ، إلى شَمالِ جبَلِ جاعَشَ.
31 وعبَدَ بَنو إِسرائيلَ الرّبَّ كُلَّ أيّامِ يَشوعَ، وكُلَّ أيّامِ الشُّيوخِ الّذينَ امتَدَّت حياتُهُم إلى ما بَعدَ يَشوعَ والّذينَ عرَفوا كُلَّ ما صنعَ الرّبُّ لإِسرائيلَ.
32 ودفَنَ بَنو إِسرائيلَ عِظامَ يوسُفَ الّتي أصعَدوها مِنْ مِصْرَ في شَكيمَ، في الحقلِ الّذي اشتَراهُ يَعقوبُ مِنْ بَني حَمورَ، أبـي شَكيمَ، بمئَةِ نَعجةٍ، وصارَ لِبَني يوسُفَ مُلْكا.
33 وماتَ ألِعازارُ بنُ هرونَ، فدَفَنوهُ في جِبعَةَ، وهيَ مدينةُ فِنحاسَ ابنِهِ، الّتي أُعطيَت لَه في جبَلِ أفرايمَ.
