Joshua 23

New King James Version

Joshua’s Farewell Address

23 Now it came to pass, a long time after theLord^(A)had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua^(B)was old, advanced in age.² And Joshua^(C)called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them:

“I am old, advanced in age.³ You have seen all that the^(D)Lordyour God has done to all these nations because of you, for the^(E)Lordyour GodisHe who has fought for you.⁴ See,^(F)I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea westward.⁵ And theLordyour God^(G)will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land,^(H)as theLordyour God promised you.^6 (I)Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses,^(J)lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left,⁷ andlest you^(K)go^[a]among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not^(L)make mention of the name of their gods, nor causeanyoneto^(M)swearby them;you shall not^(N)serve them nor bow down to them,⁸ but you shall^(O)hold fast to theLordyour God, as you have done to this day.^9 (P)For theLordhas^[b]driven out from before you great and strong nations; butas foryou, no one has been able to stand against you to this day.^10 (Q)One man of you shall chase a thousand, for theLordyour GodisHe who fights for you,^(R)as He promised you.^11 (S)Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love theLordyour God.¹² Or else, if indeed you do^(T)go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations—these that remain among you—and^(U)make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you,¹³ know for certain that^(V)theLordyour God will no longer drive out these nations from before you.^(W)But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which theLordyour God has given you.

¹⁴ “Behold, this day^(X)I^[c]amgoing the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that^(Y)not one thing has failed of all the good things which theLordyour God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed.^15 (Z)Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which theLordyour God promised you, so theLordwill bring upon you^(AA)all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which theLordyour God has given you.^16 [d]When you have transgressed the covenant of theLordyour God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the^(AB)anger of theLordwill burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”