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14 ‘Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’

16 Then the people answered, ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; ¹⁷for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; ¹⁸and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’

19 But Joshua said to the people, ‘You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. ²⁰If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.’ ²¹And the people said to Joshua, ‘No, we will serve the Lord!’ ²²Then Joshua said to the people, ‘You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.’ And they said, ‘We are witnesses.’ ²³He said, ‘Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.’ ²⁴The people said to Joshua, ‘The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.’ ²⁵So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem. ²⁶Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak in the sanctuary of the Lord. ²⁷Joshua said to all the people, ‘See, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us; therefore it shall be a witness against you, if you deal falsely with your God.’ ²⁸So Joshua sent the people away to their inheritances.

Death of Joshua and Eleazar

29 After these things Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old.

BOOK V

(Psalms 107-150)

Psalm 107

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Many Troubles

¹ O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
   for his steadfast love endures for ever.
² Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
   those he redeemed from trouble
³ and gathered in from the lands,
   from the east and from the west,
   from the north and from the south.^*

⁴ Some wandered in desert wastes,
   finding no way to an inhabited town;
⁵ hungry and thirsty,
   their soul fainted within them.
⁶ Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
   and he delivered them from their distress;
⁷ he led them by a straight way,
   until they reached an inhabited town.
⁸ Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
   for his wonderful works to humankind.
⁹ For he satisfies the thirsty,
   and the hungry he fills with good things.

Jesus Blesses Little Children

13 Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; ¹⁴but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ ¹⁵And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.