9. Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, set out and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you,
10. but I was not willing to listen to Balaam, and he richly blessed you. So I rescued you from his hand,
11. and you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the citizens of Jericho, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, fought against you, and I gave them into your hand.
12. I sent before you the hornet and they drove out before you two kings of the Amorites; but not by your sword or bow.
13. I gave to you a land that you have not labored on, and cities that you have not built, and you live in them; you eat from vineyards and olive groves that you have not planted.’
14. “So now, revere Yahweh and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness; remove the gods that your ancestors served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve Yahweh.
15. But if it is bad in your eyes to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you want to serve, whether it is the gods that your ancestors served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.”
16. And the people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we would forsake Yahweh to serve other gods,
17. for Yahweh our God brought us and our ancestors from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery, and did these great signs before our eyes. He protected us along the entire way that we went, and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.
18. And Yahweh drove out all the people before us, the Amorites who live in the land. We will serve Yahweh, for he is our God.”
19. But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve Yahweh, for he is a holy and jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.
20. If you forsake Yahweh and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster to you; he will destroy you after he has done good to you.”
21. And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve Yahweh.”
22. And Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves to serve Yahweh.” And they said, “We are witnesses.”