And now the LORD hath given rest unto your brethren as he promised them. Wherefore, return and go unto your tents and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan.

But in any wise take exceeding good heed that ye do the commandment and law which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you: which is, that ye love the LORD your God, and walk in his ways and keep his commandments, and cleave unto him, and serve him with all your hearts and all your souls."

Unto the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses gave possession in Bashan: and unto the other half thereof gave Joshua with their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And also when Joshua sent them away unto their tents and blessed them,

And the children of Ruben, the children of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, returned and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, and to the land of their possession, wherein they were possessed at the mouth of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

And when they came unto the coasts of Jordan that lie in the land of Canaan: there the children of Ruben, the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh, built an altar fast by Jordan, and that a great altar to see to.

And when the children of Israel heard say, "Behold the children of Reuben, the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in the forefront of the land of Canaan in the borders of Jordan on the side of the children of Israel":

"Thus say the whole congregation of the LORD: 'What transgression is this that ye have transgressed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from after the LORD and to build you an altar for to rebel this day against the LORD?

Is the wicked deed of Peor too little for us, whereof we are not cleansed unto this day, and there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD?

Did not Achan the son of Zerah trespass in the excommunicate things, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel, so that he alone perished not for his wickedness?'"

Or else if we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offerings, or to offer peace offerings thereon: let the LORD require it.

And have not rather done it for fear of this: lest in time to come your children should say unto ours, 'What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?'

Saying, 'That the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Ruben and of Gad: ye have no part therefore in the LORD.' And so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD.

And therefore we said, 'Let us cause an altar to be made, not for burnt offerings, nor sacrifices,

but it shall be a witness between us and you and our generations after us, that we should serve the LORD, with our offerings, sacrifices and peace offerings: and that your children should not say to ours in time to come: ye have no part in the LORD.'

And we thought if they should so say to us, or to our generations in time to come, that we would say again, 'Behold the fashion of the altar which our fathers made, neither for burnt offerings nor sacrifices, but that it should be a witness between us and you.'

God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD and that we should turn this day from after him, and build an altar for burnt offerings nor sacrifices, save the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle."

And when Phinehas the priest and the lords of the congregation and heads over the thousands of Israel, which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben, the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, they were well content.

And the answer pleased the children of Israel well, and they praised God, and did not intend to go against them in battle, to destroy the land which the children of Ruben and Gad dwelt in.

And it came to pass, a long season after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and was stricken in years.

Wherefore he sent for all Israel and for their elders, their heads, their judges and officers, and said unto them, "I am old and stricken in years.

Be, therefore, exceeding strong that ye take heed to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye bow not aside therefrom, to the righthand or to the left:

One of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God he fighteth for you, as he hath said unto you.

be sure that the LORD your God will not cast out all these nations before you. But they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges for your sides, and pricks in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.

Behold, I walk this day, by the way of all the world: call ye to mind in all your hearts and in all your souls, that nothing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God promised you. All are come to pass, and nothing hath failed thereof.

when ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you: and have gone and served strange gods, and bowed yourselves to them. Then shall the wrath of the LORD wax hot upon you, and ye shall perish quickly, from off the good land which he hath given you."

And Joshua said unto all the people, "Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel, 'Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the water in old time even Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, and served strange gods.

And they cried unto the LORD. And he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and brought the sea upon them and covered them. And your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt. And ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.

And I brought you into the land of the Amorites which dwelt on the other side Jordan. And they fought with you: and I gave them into your hands. And ye conquered their country. And I destroyed them in your sight.

And when ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho, the citizens of Jericho fought against you: the Amorites, Perezites, Cananites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, Jebusites which I delivered into your hands.

And I sent hornets before you and ye cast out before you: even the two kings of the Amorites: but not with your own sword or with your own bow.

And I gave you a land in which ye did not labor, and cities which you built not, and ye dwelt in them. And vines, and olive trees which ye planted not, and ye ate of them.

And now, fear the LORD and serve him in pureness and truth: And put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the water, and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

But if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, then choose you this day, whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, that were on the other side of the water, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land, ye dwelt. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage, and which did those miracles in our sight, and preserved us in all the way we went and among all the nations which we came through.

And the LORD did cast out before us all the nations with the Amorites which dwelt in the land, wherefore we will serve the LORD - for he is our God."

But when ye have forsaken the LORD and have served strange gods, he will turn and do you evil and consume you, after that he hath done you good."

And so Joshua made a covenant with the people the same day and set ordinances and laws before them in Shechem.

And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone and pitched it on end in the said place, even under an oak that stood in the sanctuary of the LORD.

Whom they buried in the country of his inheritance, even in Timnathserah which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.

And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem, for a hundredth pieces of silver, which parcel became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, whom they buried in Gibeah that pertained to Phinehas his son and was given him in Mount Ephraim.

And Judah went up, and the LORD delivered the Cananites and Perezites into their hands. And they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

And they found Adonibezek in Bezek. And they fought against him, and slew the Cananites and Perezites.

The children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.

And after that, the children of Judah went even to fight against the Cananites that dwelt in the mountain, in the south, and in the low country.

And Judah went unto the Cananites that dwelt in Hebron, which before time was called Kiriatharba. And slew Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai.

And from thence they went to the inhabiters of Debir, whose name in old time was called Kiriathsepher.

And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees, with the children of Judah, into the wilderness of Judah that lieth in the South of Arad, and dwelt among the people.

And the children of Benjamin did not cast out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem, but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.

And in like manner the house of Joseph went up to Bethel and the LORD with them,

Neither did Manasseh expel Bethshean with her towns, neither Taanach with her towns, neither the inhabiters of Dor with her towns, neither the inhabiters of Ibleam with her towns, neither the inhabiters of Megiddo with her towns, and so the Cananites went to and dwelt in the said land.

In like manner Ephraim expelled not the Cananites that dwelt in Gezer, but the Cananites dwelt still in Gezer among them.

And the Amorites kept the children of Dan in the mountains, and suffered them not the come down to the valleys.

And so the Amorites went and dwelled in mount Heres in Aijalon and in Shaalbim. Neverthelater, the hand of Joseph waxed heavy upon them, so that they became tributaries.

And when the angel of the LORD had spoken these words unto all the children of Israel, the people cried out and wept.

And when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel went every man into his inheritance to possess the land.

And Joshua the son of Nun the servant of the LORD died when he was a hundred and ten years old:

whom they buried in the coasts of his inheritance: even in Timnathserah in mount Ephraim on the north side of the hill Gaash.

And then the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim,

and yet for all that they would not hearken unto their judges: But went a whoring after strange gods and bowed themselves unto them, and turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in obeying the commandments of the LORD, and did not so.

And when the LORD raised up judges unto them, the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hands of their enemies all the days of the judge: for the LORD had compassion over their sorrowings which they had by the reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

Yet for all that, as soon as the judge was dead they turned and did worse than their fathers in following strange gods, and in serving them, and ceased not from their inventions nor from their malicious ways.

therefore henceforth I will not cast out one man before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died -

he left the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Cananites, the Sidonians, the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon: even from mount Baalhermon unto Hamath.

they took the daughters of them to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

And so the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the LORD and forgot the LORD their God and served Baalim and Asheroth.

And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. And the LORD stirred them up a saver and saved them: one Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

And then the children of Israel went to again, and committed wickedness in the sight of the LORD. And then the LORD hardened Eglon the king of the Moabites, against the children of Israel, because they had committed wickedness before the LORD.

And then they cried unto the LORD. And the LORD stirred them up a saver, Ehud the son of Gera, the son of Jemini, a man that could do nothing handsomely with his right hand. And when the children of Israel sent a present by him unto Eglon the king of the Moabites,

And when he had delivered the present, he let the people go that had carried the present,

And Ehud came in unto him in a summer parlor, of which he had several unto himself alone, and said, "I have a message unto thee from God." And he arose out of his seat.

so that the hilt went in also, and the fat closed upon the hilt: for he drew not the dagger out of his belly. And filthiness departed from him.

When he was gone out, his servants came and looked. And behold, the doors of the parlor were locked. And they said, "Ah, he is doing of his easement in his summer chamber."

And when they had tarried till they were ashamed, for no man did the doors of the parlor open: then they took a key and opened them. And behold, their lord was fallen down dead upon the earth.

And when he was come, he blew a trumpet in mount Ephraim. And the children of Israel went down with him off the hill and he before them.

And after him came Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an oxgoad, and delivered Israel also.

And the children of Israel began again to do wickedly in the sight of the LORD when Ehud was dead.

And the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor, whose captain of war was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the gentiles.

and dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel, in mount Ephraim. And the children of Israel came to her for judgment.

And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam, out of Kadesh in Naphtali, and said unto him, "The LORD God of Israel commandeth thee, that thou go and draw to mount Tabor and take with thee ten thousand men, of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun.

And she answered, "I will surely go with thee, but then the praise shall not be thine in the way which thou goest, for the LORD shall deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman." And she arose and went with Barak to Kadesh.

But Heber the Kenite was removed out of the Kenites, which was of the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and pitched his tent until he was come unto the oak of Zaananim, by Kadesh.

Then said Deborah unto Barak, "Up, for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hands: for the LORD is gone out before thee." And so Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

And Jael went out against Sisera and said unto him, "Turn in, my lord. Turn in to me and fear not." And he turned in unto her tent: and she covered him with a mantle.

And he said unto her, "Stand in the door of thy tent, and if any man come and ask thee, or enquire of thee whether there be any man here, say, 'Nay.'"

Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a nail of the tent, and a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail thorough the temples of his head into the ground, as he slumbered being weary: And so he died.

And behold, as Barak followed after Sisera, Jael came out against him, and said unto him, "Come and I will show thee the man whom thou seekest." And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail through his temples.

"Praise the LORD in them that were willing, while others sat still in Israel.

LORD, when thou departedest out of Seir and camest from the fields of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heaven rained, and the clouds dropped water:

In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath and in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied. And they that walked by paths, went by ways that set compasses about.

The villages were uninhabited in Israel; were uninhabited until I, Deborah, arose; until I arose a mother in Israel.

"God chose new fashions of war, for when they had war at their gates: there was not seen, among forty thousand, either shield or spear in Israel.

Mine heart loveth the maintainers of the law in Israel, that are willing among the people.

Bless the LORD, ye that ride on goodly asses and sit in judgment. And ye that walk by the ways, make ditties.

Now the archers did cry, where men draw water; there shall they tell of the justice of the LORD, and of the justice of his uplandish folk in Israel. And then the people of the LORD went down unto the gates.

Ephraim was the first against Amalek, and after them Benjamin, among the people. Of Machir came learned men in the law, and of Zebulun that well could draw with the pen of a scribe.

The lords of Issachar were with Deborah. And as Barak, even so was Issachar sent into the valley afoot. But in the divisions of Reuben, were great imaginations of heart.

Wherefore abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? In the divisions of Reuben, great were the imaginations of heart.

Gilead abode on the other side Jordan, and why tarried Dan in ships? And Asher sat in the havens of the sea, and abode still in his own coasts.

But Zebulun is a people that put their lives in jeopardy of death, and Naphtali in like manner, even unto the top of the fields.