Then Israel said to Joseph,“ I’m about to die. But God will be with all of you. He’ll take you back to the land of your fathers.

以色列又对约瑟说：“我要死了，但神必与你们同在，领你们回到你们列祖之地。

以色列又对约瑟说：“看哪，我快要死了，但上帝必与你们同在，领你们回到你们祖先之地。

以色列又对约瑟说：“看哪，我快要死了，但神必与你们同在，领你们回到你们祖先之地。

以色列对约瑟说：“我快死了，但上帝必与你们同在，带你们回到你们祖先的土地。

以色列又对约瑟说：“看哪，我快要死了，但是神必与你们同在，必领你们回到你们祖先的土地去。

以色列对约瑟说：“看哪，我就要死了！但神必与你们同在，把你们带回到你们祖先之地。

以色列又對約瑟說：「我要死了，但神必與你們同在，領你們回到你們列祖之地。

以色列又對約瑟說：「看哪，我快要死了，但上帝必與你們同在，領你們回到你們祖先之地。

以色列又對約瑟說：「看哪，我快要死了，但神必與你們同在，領你們回到你們祖先之地。

以色列對約瑟說：「我快死了，但上帝必與你們同在，帶你們回到你們祖先的土地。

以色列又對約瑟說：“看哪，我快要死了，但是神必與你們同在，必領你們回到你們祖先的土地去。

以色列對約瑟說：『看吧，我快要死了，但上帝必與你們同在；必領你們回到你們列祖之地。

以色列對約瑟說：「看哪，我就要死了！但神必與你們同在，把你們帶回到你們祖先之地。

以色列語約瑟曰、我將死矣、惟上帝必偕爾、俾返先人之處、

以色列語約瑟曰、我死期將至、上帝必祐爾、使爾返於爾祖所旅之處。

以色列又語約瑟曰、我將死矣、天主必祐爾、使爾返於爾列祖之地、

Then Israel said to Joseph,“ I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers.

Then Israel said to Joseph,“ Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.

Then Jacob said to Joseph,“ Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will take you back to Canaan, the land of your ancestors.

Israel said to Joseph,“ Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.

Then Israel said to Joseph,“ Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers.

Then Israel said to Joseph,“ Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.

And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God will be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

Then Israel said to Joseph,“ Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.

And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

Then Israel said to Joseph,“ I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.

Israel said to Joseph,“ Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you, and bring you again to the land of your fathers.

Joseph said to his brothers,“ I’m about to die. But God will surely come to help you. He’ll take you up out of this land. He’ll bring you to the land he promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

I will go down to Egypt with you. I will surely bring you back again. And when you die, Joseph will close your eyes with his own hand.”

Stay there for a while. I will be with you and give you my blessing. I will give all these lands to you and your children after you. And I will keep my word that I gave to your father Abraham.

I am with you. I will watch over you everywhere you go. And I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

There were many priests in Levi’s family line. Death kept them from continuing in office.But Jesus lives forever. So he always holds the office of priest.People now come to God through him. And he is able to save them completely and for all time. Jesus lives forever. He prays for them.

Joshua gathered all Israel’s tribes together at Shechem. He sent for the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel. They came and stood there in the sight of God.Joshua spoke to all the people. He said,“ The Lord is the God of Israel. He says,‘ Long ago your people lived east of the Euphrates River. They worshiped other gods there. Your people included Terah. He was the father of Abraham and Nahor.I took your father Abraham from the land east of the Euphrates. I led him all through Canaan. I gave him many children and grandchildren. I gave him Isaac.To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave the hill country of Seir to Esau. But Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.“‘ Then I sent Moses and Aaron. I made the people of Egypt suffer because of the plagues I sent on them. But I brought you out of Egypt.When I brought your people out, they came to the Red Sea. The people of Egypt chased them with chariots and with men on horses. They chased them all the way to the sea.But your people cried out to me for help. So I put darkness between you and the people of Egypt. I swept them into the sea. It completely covered them. Your own eyes saw what I did to them. After that, you lived in the desert for a long time.“‘ I brought you to the land of the Amorites. They lived east of the Jordan River. They fought against you. But I handed them over to you. I destroyed them to make room for you. Then you took over their land.Balak, the son of Zippor, prepared to fight against Israel. Balak was the king of Moab. He sent for Balaam, the son of Beor. Balak wanted Balaam to put a curse on you.But I would not listen to Balaam’s curses. So he blessed you again and again. And I saved you from his power.“‘ Then you went across the Jordan River. You came to Jericho. Its people fought against you. So did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites. But I handed them over to you.I sent hornets ahead of you. They drove your enemies out to make room for you. That included the two Amorite kings. You did not do that with your own swords and bows.So I gave you a land you had never farmed. I gave you cities you had not built. You are now living in them. And you are eating the fruit of vineyards and olive trees you did not plant.’“ So have respect for the Lord. Serve him. Be completely faithful to him. Throw away the gods your people worshiped east of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord.But suppose you don’t want to serve him. Then choose for yourselves right now whom you will serve. You can choose the gods your people served east of the Euphrates River. Or you can serve the gods of the Amorites. After all, you are living in their land. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”Then the people answered Joshua,“ We would never desert the Lord! We would never serve other gods!The Lord our God himself brought us and our parents up out of Egypt. He brought us out of that land where we were slaves. With our own eyes, we saw those great signs he did. He kept us safe on our entire journey. He kept us safe as we traveled through all the nations.He drove them out to make room for us. That included the Amorites. They also lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord. That’s because he is our God.”Joshua said to the people,“ You aren’t able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won’t forgive you when you disobey him. He won’t forgive you when you sin against him.Suppose you desert the Lord. Suppose you serve the gods that people in other lands serve. If you do, he will turn against you. He will bring trouble on you. He will destroy you, even though he has been good to you.”But the people said to Joshua,“ No! We will serve the Lord.”Then Joshua said,“ You are witnesses against yourselves. You have said that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”“ Yes. We are witnesses,” they replied.“ Now then,” said Joshua,“ throw away the statues of the gods that are among you. People from other lands serve those gods. Give yourselves completely to the Lord. He is the God of Israel.”Then the people said to Joshua,“ We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him.”On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people. There at Shechem he reminded them of its rules and laws.He recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he got a large stone. He set it up in Shechem under the oak tree. It was near the place that had been set apart for the Lord.“ Look!” he said to all the people.“ This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has spoken to us. Suppose you aren’t faithful to your God. Then the stone will be a witness against you.”Joshua sent the people away. He sent all of them to their own shares of land.Then Joshua, the servant of the Lord, died. He was the son of Nun. He was 110 years old when he died.His people buried him at Timnath Serah on his own property. It’s north of Mount Gaash in the hill country of Ephraim.Israel served the Lord as long as Joshua lived. They also served him as long as the elders lived. Those were the elders who lived longer than Joshua did. They had seen for themselves everything the Lord had done for Israel.The Israelites had brought Joseph’s bones up from Egypt. They buried his bones at Shechem in the piece of land Jacob had bought. He had bought it from the sons of Hamor. He had paid 100 pieces of silver for it. Hamor was the father of Shechem. That piece of land became the share that belonged to Joseph’s children after him.Aaron’s son Eleazar died. He was buried at Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim. Gibeah had been given to Eleazar’s son Phinehas.

The Lord said to Joshua,“ Today I will begin to honor you in the eyes of all the Israelites. Then they will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses.

The Lord himself will go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will never leave you. He’ll never desert you. So don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope.”

Here is what I am commanding you to do. Be strong and brave. Do not be afraid. Do not lose hope. I am the Lord your God. I will be with you everywhere you go.”

“ Where are those people now? And what about my prophets? Do they live forever?I commanded my servants the prophets what to say. I told them what I planned to do. But your people refused to obey me. So I had to punish them.“ Then they had a change of heart. They said,‘ The Lord who rules over all has punished us because of how we have lived. He was fair and right to do that. He has done to us just what he decided to do.’ ”

“ David carried out God’s purpose while he lived. Then he died. He was buried with his people. His body rotted away.

Don’t put your trust in human leaders. Don’t trust in people who can’t save you.When they die, they return to the ground. On that day their plans come to nothing.

Melchizedek has no father or mother. He has no family line. His days have no beginning. His life has no end. He remains a priest forever. In this way, he is like the Son of God.

These are the words Moses spoke to all the Israelites. At that time, they were in the desert east of the Jordan River. It’s in the Arabah Valley across from Suph. The people were between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab.It takes 11 days to go from Mount Horeb to Kadesh Barnea if you travel on the Mount Seir road.It was the 40th year since the Israelites had left Egypt. On the first day of the 11th month, Moses spoke to them. He told them everything the Lord had commanded him to tell them.They had already won the battle over Sihon. Sihon was the king of the Amorites. He had ruled in Heshbon. Israel had also won the battle over Og at Edrei. Og was the king of Bashan. He had ruled in Ashtaroth.The people were east of the Jordan River in the territory of Moab. There Moses began to explain the law. Here is what he said.The Lord our God spoke to us at Mount Horeb. He said,“ You have stayed long enough at this mountain.Take your tents down. Go into the hill country of the Amorites. Go to all the people who are their neighbors. Go to the people who live in the Arabah Valley. Travel to the mountains and the western hills. Go to the people in the Negev Desert and along the coast. Travel to the land of Canaan and to Lebanon. Go as far as the great Euphrates River.I have given you all this land. Go in and take it as your own. The Lord promised he would give the land to your fathers. He promised it to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He also said he would give it to their children after them.”At that time I spoke to you. I said,“ You are too heavy a load for me to carry alone.The Lord your God has caused there to be many of you. Today you are as many as the stars in the sky.The Lord is the God of your people. May he cause there to be a thousand times more of you. May he bless you, just as he promised he would.But I can’t handle your problems and troubles all by myself. I can’t settle your arguments.So choose some wise men from each of your tribes. They must understand how to give good advice. The people must have respect for them. I will appoint those men to have authority over you.”You answered me,“ Your suggestion is good.”So I chose the leading men of your tribes who were wise and respected. I appointed them to have authority over you. I made them commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. I appointed them to be officials over the tribes.Here is what I commanded your judges at that time. I said,“ Listen to your people’s cases when they argue with one another. Judge them fairly. It doesn’t matter whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and an outsider living among you.When you judge them, treat everyone the same. Listen to those who are important and those who are not. Don’t be afraid of anyone. God is the highest judge. Bring me any case that is too hard for you. I’ll listen to it.”At that time I told you everything you should do.The Lord our God commanded us to start out from Mount Horeb. So we did. We went toward the hill country of the Amorites. We traveled all through the huge and terrible desert you saw. Finally, we reached Kadesh Barnea.Then I said to you,“ You have reached the hill country of the Amorites. The Lord our God is giving it to us.The Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take it. Do what the Lord says. He’s the God of your people. Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope.”Then all of you came to me. You said,“ Let’s send some men ahead of us. They can check out the land for us and bring back a report. They can suggest to us which way to go. They can tell us about the towns we’ll come to.”That seemed like a good idea to me. So I chose 12 of you. I picked one man from each tribe.They left and went up into the hill country. There they came to the Valley of Eshkol. They checked it out.They got some of the fruit of that land. Then they brought it down to us and gave us their report. They said,“ The Lord our God is giving us a good land.”But you wouldn’t go up. You refused to obey the command of the Lord your God.You spoke against him in your tents. You said,“ The Lord hates us. That’s why he brought us out of Egypt to hand us over to the Amorites. He wanted to destroy us.Where can we go? The men who checked out the land have made us afraid. They say,‘ The people are stronger and taller than we are. The cities are large. They have walls that reach up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’ ”Then I said to you,“ Don’t be terrified. Don’t be afraid of them.The Lord your God will go ahead of you. He will fight for you. With your own eyes you saw how he fought for you in Egypt.You also saw how the Lord your God brought you through the desert. He carried you everywhere you went, just as a father carries his son. And now you have arrived here.”In spite of that, you didn’t trust in the Lord your God.He went ahead of you on your journey. He was in the fire at night and in the cloud during the day. He found places for you to camp. He showed you the way you should go.The Lord heard what you said. So he became angry. He made a promise. He said,“ I promised to give this good land to your people of long ago. But no one alive today will see it.Only Caleb will see the land. He is the son of Jephunneh. I will give him and his children after him the land he walked on. He followed me with his whole heart.”Because of you, the Lord became angry with me also. He said,“ You will not enter the land either.But Joshua, the son of Nun, is your helper. Joshua will enter the land. Help him to be brave. Give him hope. He will lead Israel to take the land as their own.You said your little ones would be taken prisoner. But they will enter the land. They do not yet know right from wrong. But I will give them the land. They will take it as their own.As for you, turn around. Start out toward the desert. Go along the road that leads to the Red Sea.”Then you replied,“ We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight. We’ll do just as the Lord our God has commanded us.” So all of you got your swords and put them on. You thought it would be easy to go up into the hill country.But the Lord spoke to me. He said,“ Tell them,‘ Do not go up and fight. I will not be with you. Your enemies will win the battle over you.’ ”So I told you what the Lord said. But you wouldn’t listen. You refused to obey his command. You were so filled with pride that you marched up into the hill country.The Amorites who lived in those hills came out and attacked you. Like large numbers of bees they chased you. They beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah.You came back and wept in front of the Lord. But he didn’t pay any attention to your weeping. He wouldn’t listen to you.So you stayed in Kadesh for many years. You spent a long time in that area.

He said,“ I’m about to die, just as everyone else on earth does. So be strong. Show how brave you are.Do everything the Lord your God requires. Live the way he wants you to. Obey his orders and commands. Keep his laws and rules. Do everything written in the Law of Moses. Then you will have success in everything you do. You will succeed everywhere you go.The Lord will keep the promise he made to me. He said,‘ Your sons must be careful about how they live. They must be faithful to me with all their heart and soul. Then you will always have a son from your family line to sit on the throne of Israel.’

In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die. But in the other case, it is collected by the one who is said to be living.

I am already being poured out like a drink offering. The time when I will leave is near.

Joshua, no one will be able to oppose you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will never leave you. I will never desert you.

The Lord lives! Give praise to my Rock! Give honor to God my Savior!

Jacob lived in the land of Canaan. It’s the land where his father had stayed.

But I will punish the nation that makes them slaves. After that, they will leave with many possessions.

“ Now I’m about to die, just as everyone else on earth does. The Lord your God has kept all the good promises he gave you. Every one of them has come true. Not one has failed to come true. And you know that with all your heart and soul.

He took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot. They took all the people and possessions they had acquired in Harran. They started out for the land of Canaan. And they arrived there.

I know my tent will soon be removed. Our Lord Jesus Christ has made that clear to me.

“ Lord, you are the King over all. Now let me, your servant, go in peace. That is what you promised.