Liber Iosue, 24

1. congregavitque Josue omnes tribus Israël in Sychem et vocavit majores natu ac principes et judices et magistros steteruntque in conspectu Domini

1. And Josue gathered together all the tribes of Israel in Sichem, and called for the ancients, and the princes, and the judges, and the masters: and they stood in the sight of the Lord:

2. et ad populum sic locutus est hæc dicit Dominus Deus Israël trans fluvium habitaverunt patres vestri ab initio Thare pater Abraham et Nahor servieruntque diis alienis

2. And he spoke thus to the people: Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Your fathers dwelt of old on the other side of the river, Thare the father of Abraham, and Nachor: and they served strange gods.

3. tuli ergo patrem vestrum Abraham de Mesopotamiæ finibus et adduxi eum in terram Chanaan multiplicavique semen ejus

3. And I took your father Abraham from the borders of Mesopotamia: and brought him into the land of Chanaan: and I multiplied his seed,

4. et dedi ei Isaac illique rursum dedi Jacob et Esau e quibus Esau dedi montem Seir ad possidendum Jacob vero et filii ejus descenderunt in Ægyptum

4. And gave him Isaac: and to him again I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave to Esau mount Seir for his possession: but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

5. misique Mosen et Aaron et percussi Ægyptum multis signis atque portentis

5. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt with many signs and wonders.

6. eduxique vos et patres vestros de Ægypto et venistis ad mare persecutique sunt Ægyptii patres vestros cum curribus et equitatu usque ad mare Rubrum

6. And I brought you and your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea: and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen, as far as the Red Sea.

7. clamaverunt autem ad Dominum filii Israël qui posuit tenebras inter vos et Ægyptios et adduxit super eos mare et operuit illos viderunt oculi vestri cuncta quæ in Ægypto fecerim et habitastis in solitudine multo tempore

7. And the children of Israel cried to the Lord: and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them. Your eyes saw all that I did in Egypt, and you dwelt in the wilderness a long time:

8. et introduxi vos ad terram Amorrei qui habitabat trans Jordanem cumque pugnarent contra vos tradidi eos in manus vestras et possedistis terram eorum atque interfecistis illos

8. And I brought you into the land of the Amorrhite, who dwelt beyond the Jordan. And when they fought against you, I delivered them into your hands, and you possessed their land, and slew them.

9. surrexit autem Balac filius Sepphor rex Moab et pugnavit contra Israhelem misitque et vocavit Balaam filium Beor ut malediceret vobis

9. And Balac son of Sephor king of Moab arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and called for Balaam son of Beor, to curse you:

10. et ego nolui audire eum sed e contrario per illum benedixi vobis et liberavi vos de manu ejus

10. And I would not hear him, but on the contrary I blessed you by him, and I delivered you out of his hand.

11. transistisque Jordanem et venistis ad Hiericho pugnaveruntque contra vos viri civitatis ejus Amorreus et Ferezeus et Chananeus et Hettheus et Gergeseus et Eveus et Jebuseus et tradidi illos in manus vestras

11. And you passed over the Jordan, and you came to Jericho. And the men of that city fought against you, the Amorrhite, and the Pherezite, and the Chanaanite, and the Hethite, and the Gergesite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite: and I delivered them into your hands.

12. misique ante vos crabrones et ejeci eos de locis suis duos reges Amorreorum non in gladio et arcu tuo

12. And I sent before you hornets: and I drove them out from their places, the two kings of the Amorrhites, not with thy sword nor with thy bow.

13. dedique vobis terram in qua non laborastis et urbes quas non ædificastis ut habitaretis in eis vineas et oliveta quæ non plantastis

13. And I gave you a land, in which you had not laboured, and cities to dwell in which you built not, vineyards and oliveyards, which you planted not.

14. nunc ergo timete Dominum et servite ei perfecto corde atque verissimo et auferte deos quibus servierunt patres vestri in Mesopotamia et in Ægypto ac servite Domino

14. Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him with a perfect and most sincere heart: and put away the gods which your fathers served in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

15. sin autem malum vobis videtur ut Domino serviatis optio vobis datur eligite hodie quod placet cui potissimum servire debeatis utrum diis quibus servierunt patres vestri in Mesopotamia an diis Amorreorum in quorum terra habitatis ego autem et domus mea serviemus Domino

15. But if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, you have your choice: choose this day that which pleaseth you, whom you would rather serve, whether the gods which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the gods of the Amorrhites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

16. responditque populus et ait absit a nobis ut relinquamus Dominum et serviamus diis alienis

16. And the people answered, and said: God forbid we should leave the Lord, and serve strange gods.

17. Dominus Deus noster ipse eduxit nos et patres nostros de terra Ægypti de domo servitutis fecitque videntibus nobis signa ingentia et custodivit nos in omni via per quam ambulavimus et in cunctis populis per quos transivimus

17. The Lord our God he brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage: and did very great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way by which we journeyed, and among all the people through whom we passed.

18. et ejecit universas gentes Amorreum habitatorem terræ quam nos intravimus serviemus igitur Domino quia ipse est Deus noster

18. And he hath cast out all the nations, the Amorrhite the inhabitant of the land into which we are come. Therefore we will serve the Lord, for he is our God.

19. dixitque Josue ad populum non poteritis servire Domino Deus enim sanctus et fortis æmulator est nec ignoscet sceleribus vestris atque peccatis

19. And Josue said to the people: You will not be able to serve the Lord: for he is a holy God, and mighty and jealous, and will not forgive your wickedness and sins.

20. si dimiseritis Dominum et servieritis diis alienis convertet se et adfliget vos atque subvertet postquam vobis præstiterit bona

20. If you leave the Lord, and serve strange gods, he will turn, and will afflict you, and will destroy you after all the good he hath done you.

21. dixitque populus ad Josue nequaquam ita ut loqueris erit sed Domino serviemus

21. And the people said to Josue: No, it shall not be so as thou sayest, but we will serve the Lord.

22. et Josue ad populum testes inquit vos estis quia ipsi elegeritis vobis Dominum ut serviatis ei responderuntque testes

22. And Josue said to the people: You are witnesses, that you yourselves have chosen you the Lord to serve him. And they answered: We are witnesses.

23. nunc ergo ait auferte deos alienos de medio vestrum et inclinate corda vestra ad Dominum Deum Israël

23. Now therefore, said he, put away strange gods from among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord the God of Israel.

24. dixitque populus ad Josue Domino Deo nostro serviemus obœdientes præceptis ejus

24. And the people said to Josue: We will serve the Lord our God, and we will be obedient to his commandments.

25. percussit igitur Josue in die illo fœdus et proposuit populo præcepta atque judicia in Sychem

25. Josue therefore on that day made a covenant, and set before the people commandments and judgments in Sichem.

26. scripsitque omnia verba hæc in volumine legis Dei et tulit lapidem pergrandem posuitque eum subter quercum quæ erat in sanctuario Domini

26. And he wrote all these things in the volume of the law of the Lord: and he took a great stone, and set it under the oak that was in the sanctuary of the Lord.

27. et dixit ad omnem populum en lapis iste erit vobis in testimonium quod audierit omnia verba Domini quæ locutus est vobis ne forte postea negare velitis et mentiri Domino Deo vestro

27. And he said to all the people: Behold this stone shall be a testimony unto you, that it hath heard all the words of the Lord, which he hath spoken to you: lest perhaps hereafter you will deny it, and lie to the Lord your God.

28. dimisitque populum singulos in possessionem suam

28. And he sent the people away every one to their own possession.

29. et post hæc mortuus est Josue filius Nun servus Domini centum decem annorum

29. And after these things Josue the son of Null the servant of the Lord died, being a hundred and ten years old:

30. sepelieruntque eum in finibus possessionis suæ in Thamnathsare quæ sita est in monte Ephraim a septentrionali parte montis Gaas

30. And they buried him in the border of his possession in Thamnathsare, which is situate in mount Ephraim, on the north side of mount Gaas.

31. servivitque Israël Domino cunctis diebus Josue et seniorum qui longo vixerunt tempore post Josue et qui noverant omnia opera Domini quæ fecerat in Israël

31. 31And Israel served the Lord all the days of Josue, and of the ancients that lived a long time after Josue, and that had known all the works of the Lord which he had done in Israel.

32. ossa quoque Joseph quæ tulerant filii Israël de Ægypto sepelierunt in Sychem in parte agri quem emerat Jacob a filiis Emmor patris Sychem centum novellis ovibus et fuit in possessione filiorum Joseph

32. And the bones of Joseph which the children of Israel had taken out of Egypt, they buried in Sichem, in that part of the field which Jacob had bought of the sons of Hemor the father of Sichem, for a hundred young ewes, and it was in the possession of the sons of Joseph.

33. Eleazar quoque filius Aaron mortuus est et sepelierunt eum in Gaab Finees filii ejus quæ data est ei in monte Ephraim

33. Eleazar also the son of Aaron died: and they buried him in Gabaath that belongeth to Phinees his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.