Tauta apliecina derību ar Dievu
(2Moz 24:9–18)1 Tad Jozua Šehemā sapulcināja visas Israēla ciltis un sasauca Israēla vecajos un viņu galvenos, un viņu tiesnešus, un virsniekus, un tie stājās Dieva priekšā. 2 Un Jozua teica visai tautai: “Tā saka Kungs, Israēla Dievs: jūsu tēvi senlaik dzīvoja viņpus upes – Terahs, Ābrahāma un Nāhora tēvs, un viņi kalpoja citiem dieviem. 3 Tad es viņpus upes ņēmu jūsu tēvu Ābrahāmu un vedu cauri visai Kanaāna zemei, vairoju viņa pēcnācējus un devu viņam Īzaku. 4 Un Īzakam es devu Jēkabu un Ēsavu; Ēsavam es devu par mantojumu Seīra kalnus, bet Jēkabs ar saviem dēliem devās uz Ēģipti. 5 Tad es sūtīju Mozu un Āronu un situ Ēģipti ar sērgām – tā es tur darīju, un pēc tam es jūs no turienes aizvedu. 6 Es izvedu jūsu tēvus no Ēģiptes, un jūs nonācāt pie jūras, un ēģiptieši vajāja jūsu tēvus – ar kararatiem un jātniekiem! – līdz Niedru jūrai. 7 Kad tie brēca uz Kungu, viņš sūtīja tumsību starp tiem un ēģiptiešiem un šiem uznāca jūra un apklāja viņus. Paši savām acīm jūs redzējāt, ko es darīju Ēģiptē! Tad ilgu laiku jūs mitāt tuksnesī. 8 Un es jūs aizvedu uz amoriešu zemi viņpus Jardānas, un tie cīnījās pret jums, bet es tos nodevu jūsu rokā, un jūs iemantojāt viņu zemi, un es tos iznīcināju jūsu priekšā. 9 Tad cēlās Moāba ķēniņš Bālāks, Ciporas dēls, un karoja ar Israēlu – viņš sūtīja pēc Bileāma, Beora dēla, lai tas jūs nolād. 10 Bet es negribēju klausīt Bileāmu, un viņš svētīdams svētīja jūs – tā es jūs izglābu no viņa rokas. 11 Un jūs pārgājāt Jardānu un nonācāt Jērikā, un ar jums karoja Jērikas vīri – amorieši un perizieši, un kanaānieši, un hetieši, un girgašieši, un hivieši, un jebūsieši – es tos atdevu jūsu rokā. 12 Es izsūtīju jums pa priekšu sirseņus, kas padzina tos jūsu priekšā – abus amoriešu ķēniņus! – neba jūsu zobens vai loks! 13 Es devu jums zemi, ko jūsu roka nebija iestrādājusi, un pilsētas, ko jūs nebijāt cēluši – tajās jūs apmetāties! – un vīnadārzus un olīvkokus, ko jūs nebijāt stādījuši – no tiem jūs ēdāt! 14 Tad nu bīstieties Kunga un krietni kalpojiet viņam uzticībā, aizvāciet dievus, kuriem kalpoja jūsu tēvi viņpus upes un Ēģiptē, un kalpojiet Kungam! 15 Bet, ja jums netīk kalpot Kungam, tad izvēlieties šodien, kam kalpot – vai nu dieviem, kam jūsu tēvi kalpoja viņpus upes, vai amoriešu dieviem, kuru zemē jūs mītat; bet es un mans nams – mēs kalposim Kungam!”
16 Tad tauta atbildēja un teica: “Pasargi, Dievs, ka mēs pamestu Kungu un kalpotu citiem dieviem! 17 Jo Kungs, mūsu Dievs, izveda mūs un mūsu tēvus no Ēģiptes zemes un vergu nama. Viņš mūsu acu priekšā darīja visas šīs varenās zīmes un sargāja mūs ceļā, ko gājām, un starp visām tautām, kuru vidū mēs nonācām. 18 Un Kungs padzina mūsu priekšā visas tautas, arī amoriešus, kuri mita tajā zemē, tad nu mēs kalposim Kungam, jo viņš ir mūsu Dievs!”
19 Bet Jozua teica tautai: “Jūs nevarat kalpot Kungam, jo viņš ir svēts Dievs, viņš ir dedzīgs Dievs, viņš nepiedos jūsu pārkāpumus un grēkus! 20 Ja jūs atmetīsiet Kungu un kalposiet svešiem dieviem, tad viņš novērsīsies, darīs jums ļaunu un iznīcinās jūs – arī tad, kad jau darījis jums labu!”
21 Bet tauta teica Jozuam: “Nē! Mēs kalposim Kungam!” 22 Tad Jozua teica tautai: “Jūs paši sev šodien esat liecinieki, ka izvēlējāties Kungu, lai kalpotu viņam!” Un tie teica: “Esam liecinieki!” 23 “Tad nu aizvāciet svešos dievus, kas jūsu vidū, un šķīstiet savas sirdis Kungam, Israēla Dievam!” 24 Un tauta teica Jozuam: “Mēs kalposim Kungam, mūsu Dievam, un mēs klausīsim viņa balsij!”
25 Todien Jozua noslēdza ar tautu derību un deva tiem Šehemā likumus un tiesas. 26 Jozua rakstīja šos vārdus Dieva bauslības grāmatā, ņēma lielu akmeni un uzslēja zem ozola pie Kunga svētvietas. 27 Tad Jozua sacīja visai tautai: “Redzi, šis akmens lai ir mums par liecību, jo tas ir dzirdējis visus Kunga vārdus, ko viņš sacījis! Tādēļ tas lai jums ir par liecību, ka nepieviļat savu Dievu!” 28 Tad Jozua atlaida ļaudis – katru uz savu mantojuma daļu.
Jozuas nāve
29 Pēc tam Kunga kalps Jozua, Nūna dēls, nomira – viņš bija simt desmit gadu vecs. 30 Tie viņu apglabāja viņa mantojuma daļas robežās Timnat-Serahā, kas Efraima kalnienē uz ziemeļiem no Gaašas kalna. 31 Israēls kalpoja Kungam visu Jozuas laiku un visu to vecajo laiku, kuri nāca pēc Jozuas un zināja visus Kunga darbus, ko viņš bija darījis Israēlā.
32 Jāzepa kaulus, ko Israēla dēli bija izveduši no Ēģiptes, viņi apglabāja Šehemā – tajā lauka daļā, ko Jēkabs bija nopircis no Šehemas tēva Hamora dēliem par simts naudas gabaliem, un tas bija Jāzepa dēlu īpašums. 33 Un Elāzārs, Ārona dēls, nomira, un viņa dēls viņu apglabāja Pinhāsa Gibā – tā bija viņam dotā daļa Efraima kalnienē.
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.
