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.
Joshua Speaks to the People at Shechem
1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the officers of Israel, and they came into the presence of God. 2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has to say: ‘Long ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. One of those ancestors was Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor. 3 Then I took Abraham, your ancestor, from the land across the Euphrates and led him through the whole land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Edom as his possession, but your ancestor Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 Later I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought great trouble on Egypt. But I led you out; 6 I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and cavalry. But when your ancestors got to the Red Sea 7 they cried out to me for help, and I put darkness between them and the Egyptians. I made the sea come rolling over the Egyptians and drown them. You know what I did to Egypt.
“‘You lived in the desert a long time. 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the east side of the Jordan. They fought you, but I gave you victory over them. You took their land, and I destroyed them as you advanced. 9 Then the king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, fought against you. He sent word to Balaam son of Beor and asked him to put a curse on you. 10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you, and in this way I rescued you from Balak. 11 You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The men of Jericho fought you, as did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I gave you victory over them all. 12 As you advanced, I threw them into panic in order to drive out the two Amorite kings. Your swords and bows had nothing to do with it. 13 I gave you a land that you had never worked and cities that you had not built. Now you are living there and eating grapes from vines that you did not plant, and olives from trees that you did not plant.’
14 “Now then,” Joshua continued, “honor the Lord and serve him sincerely and faithfully. Get rid of the gods which your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord. 15 If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve the Lord.”
16 The people replied, “We would never leave the Lord to serve other gods! 17 The Lord our God brought our fathers and us out of slavery in Egypt, and we saw the miracles that he performed. He kept us safe wherever we went among all the nations through which we passed. 18 As we advanced into this land, the Lord drove out all the Amorites who lived here. So we also will serve the Lord; he is our God.”
19 Joshua said to the people, “But you may not be able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God and will not forgive your sins. He will tolerate no rivals, 20 and if you leave him to serve foreign gods, he will turn against you and punish you. He will destroy you, even though he was good to you before.”
21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
22 Joshua told them, “You are your own witnesses to the fact that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
“Yes,” they said, “we are witnesses.”
23 “Then get rid of those foreign gods that you have,” he demanded, “and pledge your loyalty to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 The people then said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey his commands.”
25 So Joshua made a covenant for the people that day, and there at Shechem he gave them laws and rules to follow. 26 Joshua wrote these commands in the book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak tree in the Lord's sanctuary. 27 He said to all the people, “This stone will be our witness. It has heard all the words that the Lord has spoken to us. So it will be a witness against you, to keep you from rebelling against your God.” 28 Then Joshua sent the people away, and everyone returned to their own part of the land.
Joshua and Eleazar Die
29 After that, the Lord's servant Joshua son of Nun died at the age of a hundred and ten. 30 They buried him on his own land at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.
31 As long as Joshua lived, the people of Israel served the Lord, and after his death they continued to do so as long as those leaders were alive who had seen for themselves everything that the Lord had done for Israel.
32 The body of Joseph, which the people of Israel had brought from Egypt, was buried at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver. This land was inherited by Joseph's descendants.
33 Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, the town in the hill country of Ephraim which had been given to his son Phinehas.
