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Read the Bible

Hebrew Names Version

Joshua 24:16

The people answered, Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Shechem;   Zeal, Religious;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Forsaking God;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Shechem;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Pillars;   Shechem (1);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Confessions and Credos;   Covenant;   Ebal;   Joshua;   Joshua, the Book of;   Shechem;   Sign;   Temple of Jerusalem;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Shechem;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Forbid;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Shechem;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The people replied, “We will certainly not abandon the Lord to worship other gods!
King James Version
And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord , to serve other gods;
Lexham English Bible
And the people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we would forsake Yahweh to serve other gods,
English Standard Version
Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods,
New Century Version
Then the people answered, "We will never stop following the Lord to serve other gods!
New English Translation
The people responded, "Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can worship other gods!
Amplified Bible
The people answered, "Far be it from us to abandon (reject) the LORD to serve other gods;
New American Standard Bible
The people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we would abandon the LORD to serve other gods;
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the people answered and saide, God forbid, that we shoulde forsake the Lord, to serue other gods.
Legacy Standard Bible
And the people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we should forsake Yahweh to serve other gods;
Contemporary English Version
The people answered: We could never worship other gods or stop worshiping the Lord .
Complete Jewish Bible
The people answered, "Far be it from us that we would abandon Adonai to serve other gods;
Darby Translation
And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods;
Easy-to-Read Version
Then the people answered, "We will never stop following the Lord . We will never serve other gods!
George Lamsa Translation
And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;
Good News Translation
The people replied, "We would never leave the Lord to serve other gods!
Literal Translation
And the people replied and said, Far be it from us to forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then answered the people, and saide: God forbidde, that we shulde forsake the LORDE, & serue other goddes.
American Standard Version
And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods;
Bible in Basic English
Then the people in answer said, Never will we give up the Lord to be the servants of other gods;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The people aunswered and sayd: God forbyd, that we should forsake the Lord, and serue straunge goddes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the people answered and said: 'Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
King James Version (1611)
And the people answered and said, God forbid that wee should forsake the Lord, to serue other gods.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the people answered and said, Far be it from us to forsake the Lord, so as to serve other gods.
English Revised Version
And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
Berean Standard Bible
The people replied, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And al the puple answeride and seide, Fer be it fro vs that we forsake the Lord, and serue alien goddis.
Young's Literal Translation
And the people answer and say, `Far be it from us to forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods;
Update Bible Version
And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake Yahweh, to serve other gods;
Webster's Bible Translation
And the people answered, and said, Be it far from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
World English Bible
The people answered, Far be it from us that we should forsake Yahweh, to serve other gods;
New King James Version
So the people answered and said: "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;
New Living Translation
The people replied, "We would never abandon the Lord and serve other gods.
New Life Bible
The people answered, "May it never be that we turn away from the Lord and serve other gods.
New Revised Standard
Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then responded the people, and said, Far be it from us, that we should forsake Yahweh, - to serve other gods;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the people answered, and said, God forbid we should leave the Lord, and serve strange gods.
Revised Standard Version
Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
THE MESSAGE
The people answered, "We'd never forsake God ! Never! We'd never leave God to worship other gods.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;

Contextual Overview

15 If it seem evil to you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amori, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. 16 The people answered, Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; 17 for the LORD our God, he it is who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Mitzrayim, from the house of bondage, and who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way in which we went, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed; 18 and the LORD drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amori who lived in the land: therefore we also will serve the LORD; for he is our God. 19 Yehoshua said to the people, You can't serve the LORD; for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your disobedience nor your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD, and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after that he has done you good. 21 The people said to Yehoshua, No; but we will serve the LORD. 22 Yehoshua said to the people, You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. They said, We are witnesses. 23 Now therefore put away, [said he], the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Yisra'el. 24 The people said to Yehoshua, the LORD our God will we serve, and to his voice will we listen.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 Samuel 12:23, Romans 3:6, Romans 6:2, Hebrews 10:38, Hebrews 10:39

Reciprocal: Joshua 22:29 - God forbid 1 Samuel 20:2 - God forbid 1 Kings 21:3 - The Lord Jeremiah 2:20 - and thou saidst

Cross-References

Genesis 4:1
The man knew Havah his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Kayin, and said, "I have gotten a man with the LORD's help."
Genesis 24:17
The servant ran to meet her, and said, "Please give me a drink, a little water from your pitcher."
Genesis 24:18
She said, "Drink, my lord." She hurried, and let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him drink.
Genesis 26:7
The men of the place asked him about his wife. He said, "She is my sister," for he was afraid to say, "My wife," lest, he thought, the men of the place might kill me for Rivka, because she was beautiful to look on.
Genesis 39:6
He left all that he had in Yosef's hand. He didn't concern himself with anything, except for the food which he ate. Yosef was well-built and handsome.
Song of Solomon 5:2
I was asleep, but my heart was awake. It is the voice of my beloved who knocks: Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; For my head is filled with dew, My hair with the dampness of the night.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the people answered and said,.... To Joshua, upon his proposal to them, the option he gave them to serve the Lord or idols, and which was only done to try them:

God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods; they speak with the utmost abhorrence of idolatry, as a thing far from their hearts and thoughts, as the most abominable and execrable that could be thought or spoken of; to forsake the word, and worship, and ordinances of God, and serve the idols of the Gentiles, strange gods, whether more ancient or more recent, such as their fathers worshipped in former times, or the inhabitants of the land they now dwelt in, for which they were spewed out of it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 24:16. God forbid that we should forsake the Lord — That they were now sincere cannot be reasonably doubted, for they served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and the elders that outlived him, Joshua 24:31; but afterwards they turned aside, and did serve other gods. "It is ordinary," says Mr. Trapp, "for the many-headed multitude to turn with the stream - to be of the same religion with their superiors: thus at Rome, in DIOCLETIAN'S time, they were pagans; in CONSTANTINE'S Christians; in CONSTANTIUS'S, Arians; in JULIAN'S apostates, and in JOVINIAN'S, Christians again! And all this within less than the age of a man. It is, therefore, a good thing that the heart be established with grace."


 
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