Joshua said to all the people,“ This stone has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God.”

约书亚对百姓说：“看哪，这石头可以向我们作见证；因为是听见了耶和华所吩咐我们的一切话，倘或你们背弃你们的神，这石头就可以向你们作见证。”

约书亚对众百姓说：“看哪，这石头可以向我们作见证，因为它听见了耶和华所吩咐我们的一切话；这石头将向你们作见证，免得你们背叛你们的上帝。”

约书亚对众百姓说：“看哪，这石头可以向我们作见证，因为它听见了耶和华所吩咐我们的一切话；这石头将向你们作见证，免得你们背叛你们的神。”

然后，他对民众说：“看啊，这块石头可以为我们作证，它听到了耶和华所吩咐我们的话。如果你们背弃上帝，它必作证。”

约书亚对全体人民说：“看哪，这块石头可以向我们作证，因为它听见了耶和华对我们所说的一切话；所以这块石头要向你们作证，免得你们否认你们的神。”

約書亞對百姓說：「看哪，這石頭可以向我們作見證；因為是聽見了耶和華所吩咐我們的一切話，倘或你們背棄你們的神，這石頭就可以向你們作見證。」

約書亞對眾百姓說：「看哪，這石頭可以向我們作見證，因為它聽見了耶和華所吩咐我們的一切話；這石頭將向你們作見證，免得你們背叛你們的上帝。」

約書亞對眾百姓說：「看哪，這石頭可以向我們作見證，因為它聽見了耶和華所吩咐我們的一切話；這石頭將向你們作見證，免得你們背叛你們的神。」

然後，他對民眾說：「看啊，這塊石頭可以為我們作證，它聽到了耶和華所吩咐我們的話。如果你們背棄上帝，它必作證。」

約書亞對全體人民說：“看哪，這塊石頭可以向我們作證，因為它聽見了耶和華對我們所說的一切話；所以這塊石頭要向你們作證，免得你們否認你們的神。”

約書亞對眾民說：『看哪，這塊石頭可以對我們作證，因為它聽見了永恆主同我們所說的一切話；所以這塊石頭要對你們作證，免得你們否認你們的上帝。』

謂民曰、耶和華諭我之言、此石悉聞之、可對我為證、必為爾證、免爾違爾上帝、

告民曰、我儕以此石為憑、耶和華所諭我者、斯石聞之、如爾違爾上帝、可以此石為憑。

約書亞謂民眾曰、凡主諭我諸言、此石皆聞之、可對我儕作證、如爾違主爾之天主、有此石對爾作證、

“ See!” he said to all the people.“ This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”

“ 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.”

And Joshua said to all the people,“ Behold, 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, lest you deal falsely with your God.”

And Joshua said to all the people,“ You see this stone— it will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD said to us, and it will be a witness against you, so that you will not deny your God.”

Then Joshua said to all the people,“ Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, because it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us; so it shall be a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God.”

And Joshua said to all the people,“ Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.”

And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it hath heard all the words of Jehovah which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest ye deny your God.

And Joshua said to all the people,“ You see this stone— it will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the Lord said to us, and it will be a witness against you, so that you will not deny your God.”

And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.

Joshua said to all the people,“ Look, this stone will be a witness against you, for it has heard everything the LORD said to us. It will be a witness against you if you deny your God.”

Joshua said to all the people,“ Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all Yahweh’s words which he spoke to us. It shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deny your God.”

He replied,“ If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”

The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar“ Witness,” for they said,“ It is a witness between us and them that the Lord is our God, too.”

but as a memorial. It will remind our descendants and your descendants that we, too, have the right to worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours,‘ You have no claim to the Lord.’“ If they say this, our descendants can reply,‘ Look at this copy of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors made. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices; it is a reminder of the relationship both of us have with the Lord.’

“ Take this Book of Instruction and place it beside the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, so it may remain there as a witness against the people of Israel.

Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the Lord says:“ The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me.

“ Listen, O heavens, and I will speak! Hear, O earth, the words that I say!

That would be better than facing God’s judgment. For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?

If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us.If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer( which means“ the stone of help”), for he said,“ Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”

But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say,“ Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.

And when great disasters come down on them, this song will stand as evidence against them, for it will never be forgotten by their descendants. I know the intentions of these people, even now before they have entered the land I swore to give them.”

The very stones in the walls cry out against you, and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint.

Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.

So come, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a witness to our commitment.”So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument.Then he told his family members,“ Gather some stones.” So they gathered stones and piled them in a heap. Then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a covenant meal.To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar sahadutha( which means“ witness pile” in Aramaic), and Jacob called it Galeed( which means“ witness pile” in Hebrew).Then Laban declared,“ This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today.” This explains why it was called Galeed—“ Witness Pile.”But it was also called Mizpah( which means“ watchtower”), for Laban said,“ May the Lord keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other’s sight.If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us.“ See this pile of stones,” Laban continued,“ and see this monument I have set between us.They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones to harm you, and you must never pass these stones or this monument to harm me.

“ So write down the words of this song, and teach it to the people of Israel. Help them learn it, so it may serve as a witness for me against them.

“ Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

“ Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you. If you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed.

“ I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.