Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, August 16th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Read the Bible

New King James Version

Joshua 24:16

So the people answered and said: "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!
Hebrew Names Version
The people answered, Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve 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 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 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." 16 So the people answered and said: "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; 17 for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed. 18 And the LORD drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God." 19 But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good." 21 And the people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve the LORD!" 22 So Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD for yourselves, to serve Him." And they said, "We are witnesses!" 23 "Now therefore," he said, "put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD God of Israel." 24 And the people said to Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!"

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
Luke 11:51; Hebrews 11:4; 12:24">[xr] Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD."
Genesis 24:17
And the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher."
Genesis 24:18
So she said, "Drink, my lord." Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink.
Genesis 26:7
And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, "She is my sister"; for he was afraid to say, "She is my wife," because he thought, "lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold."
Genesis 39:6
Thus he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
Song of Solomon 5:2
I sleep, but my heart is awake; It is the voice of my beloved! He knocks, saying, "Open for me, my sister, my love, My dove, my perfect one; For my head is covered with dew, My locks with the drops 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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