1Na ka whakaemia e Hohua nga iwi katoa o Iharaira ki Hekeme, a ka karangatia e ia nga kaumatua o Iharaira, o ratou ariki, o ratou kaiwhakawa, o ratou rangatira; a tu ana ratou i te aroaro o te Atua. 2Na ka mea a Hohua ki te iwi katoa, Ko te korero tenei a Ihowa, a te Atua o Iharaira, I noho o koutou matua i mua i tawahi o te awa, a Teraha matua o Aperahama, matua hoki o Nahora: i mahi ano hoki ki nga atua ke. 3Na tangohia ana e ahau to koutou matua, a Aperahama i tawahi o te awa, a arahina ana a puta noa i te whenua o Kanaana, a whakanuia ana tona uri e ahau; i hoatu hoki a Ihaka ki a ia. 4A hoatu ana e ahau a Hakopa raua ko Ehau ki a Ihaka: a hoatu ana e ahau a Maunga Heira ki a Ehau, hei kainga; ko Hakopa ia ratou ko ana tama i heke ki Ihipa. 5I tonoa ano e ahau a Mohi raua ko Arona, a patua iho e ahau a Ihipa, peratia ana me taku i mea ai i waenganui i a ratou: a muri iho ka whakaputaina mai koutou e ahau. 6A whakaputaina mai ana e ahau o koutou matua i Ihipa: a ka tae koutou ki te moana; na ka whai mai nga Ihipiana i muri i o koutou matua ki te Moana Whero, me nga hariata, me nga hoia eke hoiho. 7A, e ta ratou karangatanga ki a Ihowa, tukua iho ana e ia he pouri ki waenganui o koutou, o nga Ihipiana, a kawea mai ana e ia te moana ki runga ki a ratou, taupokina ana ratou: a i kite o koutou kanohi i nga mea i mea ai ahau ki Ihipa: a he maha nga ra i noho ai koutou i te koraha. 8Na kawea ana koutou e ahau ki te whenua o nga Amori, i noho ra i tawahi o Horano; a whawhai ana ratou ki a koutou: a tukua ana ratou e ahau ki o koutou ringa, na riro ana to ratou oneone i a koutou; a huna iho ratou e ahau i to koutou aroaro. 9Na ka whakatika a Paraka tama a Tipora kingi o Moapa, kei te whawhai ki a Iharaira; a tikina ana e ia a Paraama tama a Peoro, hei kanga mo koutou: 10Otiia kihai ahau i pai kia rongo ki a Paraama; na, ko te manaakitanga i manaaki ai ia i a koutou: a whakaorangia ake koutou e ahau i tona ringa. 11Na ka whiti mai koutou i Horano, a ka tae ki Heriko: a whawhai ana nga tangata o Heriko ki a koutou, nga Amori, nga Perihi, nga Kanaani, nga Hiti, nga Kirikahi, nga Hiwi, me nga Iepuhi; a tukua ana ratou e ahau ki to koutou ringa. 12A tonoa atu ana e ahau te horonete ki mua i a koutou, a nana ratou i pei i to koutou aroaro, ara nga kingi tokorua o nga Amori; ehara i te mea na tau hoari, na tau kopere ranei. 13A hoatu ana e ahau ki a koutou he whenua kihai nei koutou i mahi, he pa hoki kihai i hanga e koutou, a noho ana koutou i reira; ehara i te mea whakato na koutou nga mara waina, mara oriwa ranei, e kainga nei e koutou. 14Na kona kia wehi i a Ihowa, mahi atu hoki ki a ia i runga i te tika, i runga i te pono: whakarerea atu hoki nga atua i mahi na o koutou matua ki a ratou i tawahi o te awa, i Ihipa hoki; a mahi atu ki a Ihowa. 15A, ki te mea he kino ki to koutou whakaaro te mahi ki a Ihowa, ma koutou e whiriwhiri i tenei ra ko wai ta koutou e mahi ai; ki nga atua ranei i mahi ra o koutou matua ki a ratou i tawahi o te awa, ki nga atua ranei o nga Amori, e noho nei kouto u ki to ratou oneone: ko ahau ia me toku whare, ka mahi matou ki a Ihowa. 16Na ka whakautua e te iwi, ka mea, Aue, kia whakarere koia matou i a Ihowa, kia mahi ki nga atua ke! 17Ko Ihowa hoki, ko to tatou Atua, nana tatou me o tatou matua i whakaputa mai: te whenua o Ihipa, i te whare pononga, nana hoki aua tohu nunui i mahi ki to tatou aroaro, a nana tatou i tiaki i te huarahi katoa i haere ra tatou i roto hoki i nga i wi katoa, i haere mai ra tatou ra waenganui i a ratou: 18Na Ihowa ano i pei i to tatou aroaro nga iwi katoa, ara nga Amori, i noho nei i tenei whenua: ina, ka mahi matou ki a Ihowa; ko ia hoki to tatou Atua. 19Na ka mea a Hohua ki te iwi, E kore e ahei i a koutou te mahi ki a Ihowa: he Atua tapu hoki ia; he Atua hae ia; e kore e tukua noatia e ia a koutou mahi tutu, o koutou hara. 20Ki te whakarere koutou i a Ihowa, a ka mahi ki nga atua ke, na ka tahuri mai ia ka whakawhiu i a koutou, ka huna hoki i a koutou, i muri iho i tana mahi pai ki a koutou. 21Na ka mea te iwi ki a Hohua, Kahore; engari ka mahi matou ki a Ihowa. 22Na ka mea a Hohua ki te iwi, Hei kaiwhakaatu koutou ki a koutou ano mo ta koutou whiriwhiri a Ihowa, kia mahi ki a ia. A ka mea ratou, Ae, hei kaiwhakaatu matou. 23Na reira, e ai ki tana, whakarerea atu nga atua ke i waenganui i a koutou na, ka whakatahuri i o koutou ngakau ki a Ihowa, ki te Atua o Iharaira. 24Katahi ka mea te iwi ki a Hohua, Ka mahi matou ki a Ihowa, ki to tatou Atua, ko tona reo hoki ta matou e whakarongo ai. 25A whakaritea iho e Hohua he kawenata ki te iwi i taua rangi ano, a hoatu ana e ia ki a ratou tetahi tikanga me tetahi ritenga i Hekeme. 26A tuhituhia ana e Hohua enei kupu ki te pukapuka o te ture a te Atua; a ka tango ia i tetahi kohatu nui, whakaarahia ake ana i reira i raro i te oki, i te taha o te whare tapu o Ihowa. 27A ka mea a Hohua ki te iwi katoa, Nana, ko tenei kohatu hei kaiwhakaatu ki a tatou; kua rongo hoki ia i nga kupu katoa a Ihowa i korerotia e ia ki a tatou: na hei kaiwhakaatu ia ki a koutou, kei whakakahore ki to koutou Atua. 28Heoi tukua ana e Hohua te iwi kia haere, tena tangata, tena ki tona wahi ake. 29A, muri iho i enei mea, na ka mate a Hohua tama a Nunu, te pononga a Ihowa, a kotahi rau kotahi tekau ona tau i ora ai. 30A tanumia iho ia e ratou ki te rohe o tona kainga, ki Timenata Hera, ki te whenua pukepuke o Eparaima, ki te taha ki te raki o Maunga Kaaha. 31A i mahi a Iharaira ki a Ihowa i nga ra katoa o Hohua, i nga ra katoa ano o nga kaumatua i hipa ake o ratou ra i o Hohua, i mohio hoki ki nga mahi katoa a Ihowa i mahi ai mo Iharaira. 32A ko nga wheua o Hohepa, i maua mai e nga tama a Iharaira i Ihipa, i tanumia e ratou ki Hekeme, ki te wahi o te mara i hokona e Hakopa i nga tama a Hamora matua o Hekeme ki nga moni kotahi rau: na riro ana taua wahi i nga tama a Hohepa hei kaing a tupu. 33Na ka mate a Ereatara tama a Arona; a tanumia ana ki te pukepuke o tana tama, o Pinehaha, i homai ki a ia i te whenua pukepuke o Eparaima.
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].
