1Józua zhromaždil všetky kmene Izraela do Síchemu a povolal starších, predákov, sudcov a úradníkov Izraela. Keď sa postavili pred Boha, 2prehovoril Józua ku všetkému ľudu: Takto hovorí Hospodin, Boh Izraela: Vaši otcovia, Terach, otec Abrahámov a Náchórov, bývali kedysi za Veľriekou a slúžili iným bohom. 3Ale ja som vzal vášho otca, Abraháma, spoza Veľrieky a previedol som ho celým Kanaánom, rozmnožil som jeho potomstvo a dal som mu Izáka. 4Izákovi som dal Jákoba a Ézava; Ézavovi som dal pohorie Seír do vlastníctva. Jákob a jeho synovia zostúpili do Egypta. 5Potom som poslal Mojžiša a Árona a ranil som Egypt tým, čo som vykonal uprostred neho. Potom som vás vyviedol. 6Keď som vyviedol vašich otcov z Egypta, prišli ste k moru; Egypťania prenasledovali vašich otcov s vozmi a jazdcami k Červenému moru. 7Keď volali k Hospodinovi, postavil mrákavu medzi vás a Egypťanov a uviedol na nich more, ktoré ich pokrylo. Vlastnými očami ste videli, čo som urobil Egypťanom. Potom ste bývali dlhý čas na púšti. 8Voviedol som vás do krajiny Amorejcov, ktorí bývali za Jordánom; keď bojovali proti vám, vydal som vám ich do rúk, zabrali ste ich krajinu a ja som ich vyhubil pred vami. 9Potom povstal moábsky kráľ Bálák, syn Cippórov, a bojoval proti Izraelu; dal zavolať Beórovho syna Bileáma, aby vás preklínal. 10Ja som však nechcel počúvať Bileáma, ale znova a znova som vám žehnal, a tak som vás vytrhol z jeho ruky. 11Keď ste pre šli cez Jordán a prišli k Jerichu, jerišskí občania, Amorejci, Perizejci, Kanaánci, Chetejci, Girgášejci, Chivijci a Jebúsejci bojovali proti vám, ale ja som vám ich vydal do rúk. 12Pred vami som poslal sršne; tie ich zahnali spred vás, oboch kráľov amorejských - nie tvojím mečom a tvojím lukom sa to stalo. 13Dal som vám zem, na ktorej ste sa nenamáhali, mestá, ktoré ste nestavali, a usadili ste sa v nich; jete z viníc a z olív, ktoré ste nesadili. 14Preto sa teraz bojte Hospodina a slúžte Mu úprimne a verne, odstráňte bohov, ktorým slúžili vaši otcovia za Veľriekou a v Egypte, a slúžte Hospodinovi! 15Ak sa vám nepáči slúžiť Hospodinovi, vyvoľte si dnes, komu chcete slúžiť, či bohom, ktorým slúžili vaši otcovia za Veľriekou, alebo bohom Amorejcov, v krajine ktorých bývate. Ja však a môj dom budeme slúžiť Hospodinovi. 16A ľud odpovedal: Nech je vzdialené od nás, že by sme opustili Hospodina a slúžili iným bohom! 17Lebo Hospodin je náš Boh, On vyviedol nás a našich otcov z Egypta, z domu otroctva a pred našimi očami robil tie veľké znamenia a chránil nás po celej ceste, ktorou sme išli, a medzi všetkými národmi, cez ktoré sme prešli. 18Hospodin zahnal spred nás všetky národy, aj Amorejcov, ktorí bývali v krajine pred nami. Aj my budeme slúžiť Hospodinovi, lebo On je náš Boh. 19Tu povedal Józua ľudu: Nemôžete slúžiť Hospodinovi, lebo On je svätý Boh, horliaci Boh; neodpustí vám priestupky a hriechy. 20Ak opustíte Hospodina a budete slúžiť cudzím bohom, odvráti sa, zle bude nakladať s vami a zničí vás, hoci predtým s vami dobre nakladal. 21Ľud však odvetil Józuovi: Nie! My budeme slúžiť Hospodinovi. 22A Józua povedal ľudu: Sami ste svedkami proti sebe, že ste si vyvolili Hospodina, aby ste Jemu slúžili. Oni odpovedali: Sme svedkami. 23Tak teraz odstráňte cudzích bohov, ktorých máte uprostred seba, a nakloňte srdcia k Hospodinovi, Bohu Izraela. 24Nato ľud povedal Józuovi: Hospodinovi, nášmu Bohu, budeme slúžiť a Jeho hlas poslúchať. 25V ten deň Józua uzavrel zmluvu s ľudom, dal mu ustanovenia a právo v Sícheme. 26Józua vpísal všetky tieto slová do knihy Hospodinovho zákona, vzal veľký kameň a postavil ho pod dubom, čo stojí pri svätyni Hospodinovej. 27Potom Józua povedal všetkému ľudu: Hľa, tento kameň bude svedkom proti nám, lebo počul všetky reči, ktoré nám hovoril Hospodin, a bude svedkom proti vám, aby ste nezapreli svojho Boha. 28Potom Józua prepustil ľud, každého do jeho dedičného vlastníctva. 29Po týchto udalostiach zomrel Józua, syn Núnov, služobník Hospodinov, keď mal stodesať rokov. 30Pochovali ho na území jeho dedičného vlastníctva v Timnat-Serachu na Efrajimskom pohorí, severne od vrchu Gáaš. 31A Izrael slúžil Hospodinovi, kým žil Józua a starší, ktorí Józuu prežili a ktorí poznali všetky skutky Hospodinove, čo vykonal pre Izrael. 32Jozefove kosti, ktoré Izraelci doniesli z Egypta, pochovali v Sícheme, na pozemku, ktorý Jákob kúpil od synov Síchemovho otca Chámóra za sto kesít. Ten sa stal dedičstvom synov Jozefových. 33Keď zomrel Áronov syn Eleázár, pochovali ho v Gibei, meste jeho syna Pinchása, ktoré sa mu dostalo na Efrajimskom pohorí.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 JOSHUA ASSEMBLING THE TRIBES. (
Josh 24:1)
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem--Another and final opportunity of dissuading the people against idolatry is here described as taken by the aged leader, whose solicitude on this account arose from his knowledge of the extreme readiness of the people to conform to the manners of the surrounding nations. This address was made to the representatives of the people convened at Shechem, and which had already been the scene of a solemn renewal of the covenant (
Josh 8:30,
Josh 8:35). The transaction now to be entered upon being in principle and object the same, it was desirable to give it all the solemn impressiveness which might be derived from the memory of the former ceremonial, as well as from other sacred associations of the place (
Gen 12:6-
Gen 12:7;
Gen 33:18-
Gen 33:20;
Gen 35:2-
Gen 35:4).
they presented themselves before God--It is generally assumed that the ark of the covenant had been transferred on this occasion to Shechem; as on extraordinary emergencies it was for a time removed (Jdg. 20:1-18;
1Sam 4:3;
2Sam 15:24). But the statement, not necessarily implying this, may be viewed as expressing only the religious character of the ceremony [HENGSTENBERG].
2 RELATES GOD'S BENEFITS. (
Josh 24:2-
Josh 24:13)
Joshua said unto all the people--His address briefly recapitulated the principal proofs of the divine goodness to Israel from the call of Abraham to their happy establishment in the land of promise; it showed them that they were indebted for their national existence as well as their peculiar privileges, not to any merits of their own, but to the free grace of God.
Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood--The Euphrates, namely, at Ur.
Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor--(see
Gen 11:27). Though Terah had three sons, Nahor only is mentioned with Abraham, as the Israelites were descended from him on the mother's side through Rebekah and her nieces, Leah and Rachel.
served other gods--conjoining, like Laban, the traditional knowledge of the true God with the domestic use of material images (
Gen 31:19,
Gen 31:34).
3 I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan--It was an irresistible impulse of divine grace which led the patriarch to leave his country and relatives, to migrate to Canaan, and live a "stranger and pilgrim" in that land.
4 I gave unto Esau mount Seir--(See on
Gen 36:8). In order that he might be no obstacle to Jacob and his posterity being the exclusive heirs of Canaan.
12 I sent the hornet before you--a particular species of wasp which swarms in warm countries and sometimes assumes the scourging character of a plague; or, as many think, it is a figurative expression for uncontrollable terror (see on
Exod 23:28).
14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth--After having enumerated so many grounds for national gratitude, Joshua calls on them to declare, in a public and solemn manner, whether they will be faithful and obedient to the God of Israel. He avowed this to be his own unalterable resolution, and urged them, if they were sincere in making a similar avowal, "to put away the strange gods that were among them"--a requirement which seems to imply that some were suspected of a strong hankering for, or concealed practice of, the idolatry, whether in the form of Zabaism, the fire-worship of their Chaldean ancestors, or the grosser superstitions of the Canaanites.
26 Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God--registered the engagements of that solemn covenant in the book of sacred history.
took a great stone--according to the usage of ancient times to erect stone pillars as monuments of public transactions.
set it up there under an oak--or terebinth, in all likelihood, the same as that at the root of which Jacob buried the idols and charms found in his family.
that was by the sanctuary of the Lord--either the spot where the ark had stood, or else the place around, so called from that religious meeting, as Jacob named Beth-el the house of God.
29 HIS AGE AND DEATH. (
Josh 24:29-
Josh 24:30)
Joshua . . . died--LIGHTFOOT computes that he lived seventeen, others twenty-seven years, after the entrance into Canaan. He was buried, according to the Jewish practice, within the limits of his own inheritance. The eminent public services he had long rendered to Israel and the great amount of domestic comfort and national prosperity he had been instrumental in diffusing among the several tribes, were deeply felt, were universally acknowledged; and a testimonial in the form of a statue or obelisk would have been immediately raised to his honor, in all parts of the land, had such been the fashion of the times. The brief but noble epitaph by the historian is, Joshua, "the servant of the Lord."
31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua--The high and commanding character of this eminent leader had given so decided a tone to the sentiments and manners of his contemporaries and the memory of his fervent piety and many virtues continued so vividly impressed on the memories of the people, that the sacred historian has recorded it to his immortal honor. "Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua."
32 the bones of Joseph--They had carried these venerable relics with them in all their migrations through the desert, and deferred the burial, according to the dying charge of Joseph himself, till they arrived in the promised land. The sarcophagus, in which his mummied body had been put, was brought thither by the Israelites, and probably buried when the tribe of Ephraim had obtained their settlement, or at the solemn convocation described in this chapter.
in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought . . . for an hundred pieces of silver--Kestitah translated, "piece of silver," is supposed to mean "a lamb," the weights being in the form of lambs or kids, which were, in all probability, the earliest standard of value among pastoral people. The tomb that now covers the spot is a Mohammedan Welce, but there is no reason to doubt that the precious deposit of Joseph's remains may be concealed there at the present time.
33 Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him in . . . mount Ephraim--The sepulchre is at the modern village Awertah, which, according to Jewish travellers, contains the graves also of Ithamar, the brother of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar [VAN DE VELDE].