Joshua 23

¹ Now long after Yahweh had given Israel rest from al the enemies surrounding them -- Joshua was oldnow, far advanced in years-

² Joshua summoned al Israel, their elders, leaders, judges and officials, and said to them, 'I myself amold, far advanced in years;

³ you for your part have witnessed al that Yahweh your God has done to al these nations for your sake;Yahweh your God himself has fought for you.

⁴ Look, these nations stil remaining, and al the nations which I have exterminated from the Jordan althe way to the Great Sea in the west, I have al otted to you as the heritage for your tribes.

⁵ Yahweh your God wil himself drive them out before you; he wil dispossess them before you and youwil take possession of their country, as Yahweh your God has promised you.

⁶ 'So be very firm about keeping and doing everything written in the Book of the Law of Moses, notswerving from that either to right or to left.

⁷ Never mix with the peoples who are stil left beside you. Do not utter the names of their gods, do notswear by them, do not serve them and do not bow down to them.

⁸ On the contrary, you must be loyal to Yahweh your God as you have been til now.

⁹ Yahweh has dispossessed great and powerful nations before you, and no one so far has been able toresist you.

¹⁰ One man of you was able to rout a thousand of them, since Yahweh your God was himself fighting foryou, as he had promised you.

¹¹ Be very careful, as you value your life, to love Yahweh your God.

¹² 'But should you in any way relapse, if you make friends with the remnant of these nations stil livingbeside you, if you intermarry with them, if you mix with them and they with you,

¹³ then know for certain that Yahweh your God wil stop dispossessing these nations before you, and foryou they will be a snare, a pitfal , thorns in your sides and thistles in your eyes, until you vanish from this finecountry given you by Yahweh your God.

¹⁴ 'Today, you see, I am going the way of al the earth. Acknowledge with all your heart and soul that ofal the promises made to you by Yahweh your God, not one has failed: al have been fulfil ed -- not one hasfailed.

¹⁵ 'As every promise made to you by Yahweh your God has been fulfil ed for you, by the same tokenYahweh wil fulfil al his threats against you, even to exterminating you from this fine country given you by Yahweh your God.

¹⁶ 'For if you violate the covenant which Yahweh your God has imposed on you, if you go and serveother gods and bow down to them, then Yahweh's anger wil be roused against you and you will quickly vanishfrom the fine country which he has given you.'