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Saturday, July 19th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Joshua 24:21

But the people shouted, "We won't worship any other gods. We will worship and obey only the Lord !"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Backsliders;   Covenant;   Decision;   Shechem;  

Dictionaries:

- Fausset Bible Dictionary - Pillars;   Shechem (1);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Covenant;   Ebal;   Joshua;   Joshua, the Book of;   Temple of Jerusalem;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Shechem;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Elder;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Shechem;   Teraphim;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“No!” the people answered Joshua. “We will worship the Lord.”
Hebrew Names Version
The people said to Yehoshua, No; but we will serve the LORD.
King James Version
And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord .
Lexham English Bible
And the people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve Yahweh."
English Standard Version
And the people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve the Lord ."
New Century Version
But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the Lord ."
New English Translation
The people said to Joshua, "No! We really will worship the Lord !"
Amplified Bible
The people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve [only] the LORD."
New American Standard Bible
And the people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve the LORD."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the people saide vnto Ioshua, Nay, but we will serue the Lord.
Legacy Standard Bible
And the people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve Yahweh."
Complete Jewish Bible
But the people said to Y'hoshua, "No, but we will serve Adonai ."
Darby Translation
And the people said to Joshua, No; but we will serve Jehovah.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then the people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve the Lord !"
George Lamsa Translation
And the people said to Joshua, Nay, we will not serve any other, but we will serve the LORD God.
Good News Translation
The people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the Lord ."
Literal Translation
And the people said to Joshua, No, but we will serve Jehovah.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The people sayde vnto Iosua: Not so, but we will serue the LORDE.
American Standard Version
And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve Jehovah.
Bible in Basic English
And the people said to Joshua, No! But we will be the servants of the Lord.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the people sayde vnto Iosuah: Nay, but we will serue the Lorde.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the people said unto Joshua: 'Nay; but we will serve the LORD.'
King James Version (1611)
And the people said vnto Ioshua, Nay, but we will serue the Lord.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the people said to Joshua, Nay, but we will serve the Lord.
English Revised Version
And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
"No!" replied the people. "We will serve the LORD!"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the puple seide to Josue, It schal not be so, as thou spekist, but we schulen serue the Lord.
Young's Literal Translation
And the people saith unto Joshua, `No, but Jehovah we do serve.'
Update Bible Version
And the people said to Joshua, No; but we will serve Yahweh.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the people said to Joshua, No; but we will serve the LORD.
World English Bible
The people said to Joshua, No; but we will serve Yahweh.
New King James Version
And the people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve the LORD!"
New Living Translation
But the people answered Joshua, "No, we will serve the Lord !"
New Life Bible
The people said to Joshua, "Not so, for we will serve the Lord."
New Revised Standard
And the people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve the Lord !"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But the people said unto Joshua, - Nay! but, Yahweh, will we serve.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the people said to Josue: No, it shall not be so as thou sayest, but we will serve the Lord.
Revised Standard Version
And the people said to Joshua, "Nay; but we will serve the LORD."
THE MESSAGE
But the people told Joshua: "No! No! We worship God !"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve the LORD."

Contextual Overview

15 But if you don't want to worship the Lord , then choose right now! Will you worship the same idols your ancestors did? Or since you're living on land that once belonged to the Amorites, maybe you'll worship their gods. I won't. My family and I are going to worship and obey the Lord ! 16 The people answered: We could never worship other gods or stop worshiping the Lord . 17 The Lord is our God. We were slaves in Egypt as our ancestors had been, but we saw the Lord work miracles to set our people free and to bring us out of Egypt. Even though other nations were all around us, the Lord protected us wherever we went. 18 And when we fought the Amorites and the other nations that lived in this land, the Lord made them run away. Yes, we will worship and obey the Lord , because the Lord is our God. 19 Joshua said: The Lord is fearsome; he is the one true God, and I don't think you are able to worship and obey him in the ways he demands. You would have to be completely faithful, and if you sin or rebel, he won't let you get away with it. 20 If you turn your backs on the Lord and worship the gods of other nations, the Lord will turn against you. He will make terrible things happen to you and wipe you out, even though he had been good to you before. 21 But the people shouted, "We won't worship any other gods. We will worship and obey only the Lord !" 22 Joshua said, "You have heard yourselves say that you will worship and obey the Lord . Isn't that true?" "Yes, it's true," they answered. 23 Joshua said, "But you still have some idols, like those the other nations worship. Get rid of your idols! You must decide once and for all that you really want to obey the Lord God of Israel." 24 The people said, "The Lord is our God, and we will worship and obey only him."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Nay: Exodus 19:8, Exodus 20:19, Exodus 24:3, Exodus 24:7, Deuteronomy 5:27, Deuteronomy 5:28, Deuteronomy 26:17, Isaiah 44:5

Reciprocal: Exodus 15:25 - a statute Exodus 23:25 - And ye Judges 2:20 - transgressed 2 Chronicles 23:16 - that they should Psalms 119:57 - I have

Cross-References

Genesis 24:1
Abraham was now a very old man. The Lord had made him rich, and he was successful in everything he did.
Genesis 24:6
"No!" Abraham answered. "Don't ever do that, no matter what.
Genesis 24:7
The Lord who rules heaven brought me here from the land where I was born and promised that he would give this land to my descendants forever. When you go back there, the Lord will send his angel ahead of you to help you find a wife for my son.
Genesis 24:12
The servant prayed: You, Lord , are the God my master Abraham worships. Please keep your promise to him and let me find a wife for Isaac today.
Genesis 24:18
"I'll be glad to," she answered. Then she quickly took the jar from her shoulder and held it while he drank.
Genesis 24:56
But he said, "Don't make me stay any longer. The Lord has already helped me find a wife for my master's son. Now let us return."
Psalms 107:1
Shout praises to the Lord ! He is good to us, and his love never fails.
Psalms 107:8
You should praise the Lord for his love and for the wonderful things he does for all of us.
Psalms 107:15
You should praise the Lord for his love and for the wonderful things he does for all of us.
Psalms 107:43
Be wise! Remember this and think about the kindness of the Lord .

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the people said unto Joshua, nay,.... We will not serve strange gods:

but we will serve the Lord; according to his revealed will, and him only.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 24:21. And the people said - Nay; but we will serve, &c. — So they understood the words of Joshua to imply no moral impossibility on their side: and had they earnestly sought the gracious assistance of God, they would have continued steady in his covenant.


 
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