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Saturday, June 7th, 2025
Eve of Pentacost
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Easy-to-Read Version

Joshua 24:27

Then Joshua said to all the people, "This stone will help you remember what we said today. This stone was here when the Lord was speaking to us today. So this stone will be something that helps you remember what happened today. The stone will be a witness against you. It will stop you from turning against your God."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Backsliders;   Covenant;   Pillar;   Shechem;   Thompson Chain Reference - Memorials;   Remembrance-Forgetfulness;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Joshua;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Shechem;   Witness;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Denial;   Word;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Stone;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ed;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Covenant;   Deny;   Ebal;   Joshua;   Joshua, the Book of;   Temple of Jerusalem;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Covenant;   Pillar;   Shechem;   Witness;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Quotations;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Witness;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Deny;   Joshua, Book of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Shechem;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone—it will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the Lord said to us, and it will be a witness against you, so that you will not deny your God.”
Hebrew Names Version
Yehoshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the LORD which he spoke to us: it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deny your God.
King James Version
And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.
Lexham English Bible
And Joshua said to all the people, "Look, this stone will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of Yahweh that he spoke with us. It will be as a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God."
English Standard Version
And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God."
New Century Version
Joshua said to all the people, "See this stone! It will remind you of what we did today. It was here the Lord spoke to us today. It will remind you of what happened so you will not turn against your God."
New English Translation
Joshua said to all the people, "Look, this stone will be a witness against you, for it has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness against you if you deny your God."
Amplified Bible
Joshua then said to all the people, "Look, this stone shall serve as a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us; so it shall be a witness against you, so that [afterward] you do not deny your God."
New American Standard Bible
Then Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, because it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us; so it shall be a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Ioshua saide vnto all the people, Beholde, this stone shall be a witnesse vnto vs: for it hath heard all the wordes of the Lord which he spake with vs: it shall be therefore a witnesse against you, lest yee denie your God.
Legacy Standard Bible
And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be for a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of Yahweh which He spoke to us; thus it shall be for a witness against you, lest you deny your God."
Contemporary English Version
and told the people, "Look at this stone. It has heard everything that the Lord has said to us. Our God can call this stone as a witness if we ever reject him."
Complete Jewish Bible
Y'hoshua said to all the people, "See, this stone will be a witness against us; because it has heard all the words of Adonai which he said to us; therefore it will be a witness against you, in case you deny your God."
Darby Translation
And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us, for it hath heard all the words of Jehovah which he spoke unto us; and it shall be a witness against you, lest ye deny your God.
George Lamsa Translation
And Joshua said to all the people. Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the LORD which he spoke to us; it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deal treacherously with the LORD your God.
Good News Translation
He said to all the people, "This stone will be our witness. It has heard all the words that the Lord has spoken to us. So it will be a witness against you, to keep you from rebelling against your God."
Literal Translation
And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the sayings of Jehovah which He has spoken with us. And it shall be against you for a witness, that you not lie against your God.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and sayde vnto all the people: Beholde, this stone shall be witnesse ouer you: For it hath herde all the wordes of the LORDE, which he hath spoken vnto vs, and shall be a witnesse ouer you, that ye denye not youre God.
American Standard Version
And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it hath heard all the words of Jehovah which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest ye deny your God.
Bible in Basic English
And Joshua said to all the people, See now, this stone is to be a witness against us; for all the words of the Lord have been said to us in its hearing: so it will be a witness against you if you are false to the Lord your God.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Iosuah sayde vnto al the people: Behold, this stone shalbe a witnesse vnto vs, for it hath hearde al the wordes of the Lorde whiche he spake with vs, it shalbe therfore a witnesse vnto you, lest ye denie your God.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Joshua said unto all the people: 'Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke unto us; it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest ye deny your God.'
King James Version (1611)
And Ioshua saide vnto all the people, Behold, this stone shalbe a witnesse vnto vs; for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which hee spake vnto vs; it shall be there for a witnesse vnto you, lest ye deny your God.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Joshua said to the people, Behold, this stone shall be among you for a witness, for it has heard all the words that have been spoken to it by the Lord; for he has spoken to you this day; and this stone shall be among you for a witness in the last days, whenever ye shall deal falsely with the Lord my God.
English Revised Version
And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest ye deny your God.
Berean Standard Bible
And Joshua said to all the people, "You see this stone. It will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us, and it will be a witness against you if you ever deny your God."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide to al the puple, Lo! this stoon schal be to you in to witnessing, that ye herden alle the wordis of the Lord, whiche he spak to you, lest perauenture ye wolden denye aftirward, and lye to youre Lord God.
Young's Literal Translation
And Joshua saith unto all the people, `Lo, this stone is against us for a witness, for it hath heard all the sayings of Jehovah which He hath spoken with us, and it hath been against you for a witness, lest ye lie against your God.'
Update Bible Version
And Joshua said to all the people, Look, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of Yahweh which he spoke to us: it shall therefore be a witness against you, in case you deny your God.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spoke to us, it shall be therefore a witness to you, lest ye deny your God.
World English Bible
Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of Yahweh which he spoke to us: it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deny your God.
New King James Version
And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God."
New Living Translation
Joshua said to all the people, "This stone has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God."
New Life Bible
Joshua said to all the people, "See, this stone will be here to speak against us. For it has heard all the words the Lord spoke to us. So it will be here to speak against you, if you do not stay true to your God."
New Revised Standard
Joshua said to all the people, "See, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us; therefore it shall be a witness against you, if you deal falsely with your God."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Joshua said unto all the people - Lo! this stone, shall serve against us as a witness, for, it, hath heard all the sayings of Yahweh, which he hath spoken with us, - so shall it serve against you as a witness, lest ye should act deceptively against your God.
Douay-Rheims Bible
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.
Revised Standard Version
And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the LORD which he spoke to us; therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God."
THE MESSAGE
Joshua spoke to all the people: "This stone is a witness against us. It has heard every word that God has said to us. It is a standing witness against you lest you cheat on your God."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be for a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us; thus it shall be for a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God."

Contextual Overview

15 "But maybe you don't want to serve the Lord . You must choose for yourselves today. Today you must decide who you will serve. Will you serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River? Or will you serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land? You must choose for yourselves. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord ." 16 Then the people answered, "We will never stop following the Lord . We will never serve other gods! 17 We know that it was the Lord God who brought our people out of Egypt. We were slaves in that land, but he did great things for us there. He brought us out of that land and protected us while we traveled through other lands. 18 The Lord helped us defeat the people living in these lands. He helped us defeat the Amorites who lived in this land where we are now. So we will continue to serve the Lord , because he is our God." 19 Then Joshua said, "You will not be able to continue serving the Lord . God is holy. And God hates his people worshiping other gods. He will not forgive you if you turn against him like that. 20 If you leave the Lord and serve other gods, he will cause terrible things to happen to you. He will destroy you. He has been good to you, but if you turn against him he will destroy you." 21 Then the people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve the Lord !" 22 Then Joshua said, "Look around at yourselves and the people with you. Do you all know and agree that you have chosen to serve the Lord ? Are you all witnesses to this?" The people answered, "Yes, it is true. We all see that we have chosen to serve the Lord ." 23 Then Joshua said, "So throw away the false gods that you have among you. Love the Lord , the God of Israel, with all your heart." 24 Then the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

A curious coincidence of circumstances is related by Livy, the Roman historian: he writes that "when three ambassadors were sent from Rome to complain of the perfidious conduct of the Aqui, the General informed them, that they might deliver their message to an oak which shaded his tent." On this one of the ambassadors turning away, said, "This venerable oak, and all the gods, shall know that you have violated the peace; they shall now hear our complaints; and may they also soon be witnesses, when we revenge with our arms the violation of divine and human rights." It is worthy of remark that Joshua merely set up a pillar under an oak - the one, perhaps, to protect the other; while the General directed the ambassadors to address the oak, perhaps with an idolatrous feeling that they were addressing one of the gods, who would aid his cause; while the Roman ambassadors caught the feeling, and really invoked the aid of the oak and the gods. Joshua 22:27, Joshua 22:28, Joshua 22:34, Genesis 31:44-52, Deuteronomy 4:26, Deuteronomy 30:19, Deuteronomy 31:19, Deuteronomy 31:21, Deuteronomy 31:26, 1 Samuel 7:12

it hath: Deuteronomy 32:1, Isaiah 1:2, Habakkuk 2:11, Luke 19:40

deny: Job 31:23, Proverbs 30:9, Matthew 10:33, 2 Timothy 2:12, 2 Timothy 2:13, Titus 1:16, Revelation 3:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:30 - a witness Genesis 28:18 - set it Genesis 31:48 - This heap Genesis 49:33 - had made Exodus 24:4 - twelve pillars Joshua 4:3 - twelve stones Joshua 22:10 - built Job 31:28 - for Isaiah 19:20 - for a James 5:3 - a witness

Cross-References

Genesis 9:26
Noah also said, "May the Lord , the God of Shem, be praised! May Canaan be Shem's slave.
Genesis 13:8
So Abram said to Lot, "There should be no arguing between you and me or between your people and my people. We are all brothers.
Genesis 14:20
And we praise God Most High, who helped you defeat your enemies." Abram gave Melchizedek one-tenth of everything he had taken during the battle.
Genesis 24:4
Go back to my country, to my own people, to find a wife for my son Isaac. Bring her here to him."
Genesis 24:10
The servant took ten of Abraham's camels and left that place. The servant carried with him many different kinds of beautiful gifts. He went to Mesopotamia, to Nahor's city.
Genesis 24:11
In the evening, when the women come out to get water, he went to the water well outside the city. He made the camels kneel down at the well.
Genesis 24:12
The servant said, " Lord , you are the God of my master Abraham. Please show your kindness to my master by helping me find a wife for his son Isaac.
Genesis 24:13
Here I am, standing by this well of water, and the young women from the city are coming out to get water.
Genesis 24:18
Rebekah quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and gave him a drink. She said, "Drink this, sir."
Genesis 24:19
As soon as she finished giving him something to drink, Rebekah said, "I will also pour some water for your camels."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Joshua said unto all the people,.... The chief of them now gathered together, and who represented the whole body:

behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; of the covenant now made, and the agreement entered into, as the heap of stones were between Jacob and Laban, Genesis 31:45;

for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us; this is said by a figure called "prosopopaeia", frequent in Scripture, by which inanimate creatures are represented as hearing, seeing, and speaking, and may signify, that should the Israelites break this covenant, and disobey the commands of the Lord they had promised to keep, they would be as stupid and senseless as this stone, or more so, which would rise in judgment against them. Nachmanides d a Jewish commentator, interprets this stone of the Messiah, the same as in

Genesis 49:24;

it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God; for a memorial and testimony to prevent them from going into atheism, a denying of the true God, or into apostasy from him, and into idolatry and false worship. The Targum of which is,

"behold, this stone shall be to us as the two tables of stone of the covenant, for we made it for a testimony; for the words which are written upon it are the sum of all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us, and it shall be unto you for a memorial, and for a testimony, lest ye lie before the Lord.''

d Apud Masium in loc.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 24:27. This stone - hath heard all the words — That is, the stone itself, from its permanency, shall be in all succeeding ages as competent and as substantial a witness as one who had been present at the transaction, and heard all the words which on both sides were spoken on the occasion.


 
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