1. The Lord gave Israel peace from their enemies around them. He made Israel safe. Many years passed, and Joshua became very old.
2. So he called a meeting of all the elders, heads of families, judges and officers of the Israelites. He said, “I am now very old.
3. You have seen what the Lord has done to our enemies. He did it to help us. The Lord your God fought for you.
4. Remember that your people have been given their land. It’s the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. It’s the land I promised to give you. But you don’t control that land yet.
5. The Lord your God will make the people living there leave. You will enter the land. And the Lord will force them out ahead of you. He has promised you this.
6. “Be strong. You must be careful to obey everything the Lord has commanded. Obey everything written in the Book of the Teachings of Moses. Do exactly as it says.
7. There are still some people living among us who are not Israelites. They worship their own gods. Don’t become friends with them. Don’t serve or worship their gods.
8. You must continue to follow the Lord your God. You have done this in the past. And you must continue to do it.