Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, April 12th, 2026
Second Sunday after Easter
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Young's Literal Translation

Joshua 24:21

And the people saith unto Joshua, `No, but Jehovah we do serve.'

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."
Contemporary English Version
But the people shouted, "We won't worship any other gods. We will worship and obey only the Lord !"
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.
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 and if wrong in your eyes to serve Jehovah -- choose for you to-day whom ye do serve; -- whether the gods whom your fathers served, which [are] beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorite in whose land ye are dwelling; and I and my house -- we serve Jehovah.' 16 And the people answer and say, `Far be it from us to forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods; 17 for Jehovah our God [is] He who is bringing us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a house of servants, and who hath done before our eyes these great signs, and doth keep us in all the way in which we have gone, and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed; 18 and Jehovah casteth out the whole of the peoples, even the Amorite inhabiting the land, from our presence; we also do serve Jehovah, for He [is] our God.' 19 And Joshua saith unto the people, `Ye are not able to serve Jehovah, for a God most holy He [is]; a zealous God He [is]; He doth not bear with your transgression and with your sins. 20 When ye forsake Jehovah, and have served gods of a stranger, then He hath turned back and done evil to you, and consumed you, after that He hath done good to you.' 21 And the people saith unto Joshua, `No, but Jehovah we do serve.' 22 And Joshua saith unto the people, `Witnesses ye are against yourselves, that ye have chosen for you Jehovah to serve Him (and they say, `Witnesses!') 23 and, now, turn aside the gods of the stranger which [are] in your midst, and incline your heart unto Jehovah, God of Israel.' 24 And the people say unto Joshua, `Jehovah our God we serve, and to His voice we hearken.'

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
And Abraham [is] old, he hath entered into days, and Jehovah hath blessed Abraham in all [things];
Genesis 24:6
And Abraham saith unto him, `Take heed to thyself, lest thou cause my son to turn back thither;
Genesis 24:7
Jehovah, God of the heavens, who hath taken me from the house of my father, and from the land of my birth, and who hath spoken to me, and who hath sworn to me, saying, To thy seed I give this land, He doth send His messenger before thee, and thou hast taken a wife for my son from thence;
Genesis 24:12
And he saith, `Jehovah, God of my lord Abraham, cause to meet, I pray Thee, before me this day -- (and do kindness with my lord Abraham;
Genesis 24:18
and she saith, `Drink, my lord;' and she hasteth, and letteth down her pitcher upon her hand, and giveth him drink.
Genesis 24:20
and she hasteth, and emptieth her pitcher into the drinking-trough, and runneth again unto the well to draw, and draweth for all his camels.
Genesis 24:56
And he saith unto them, `Do not delay me, seeing Jehovah hath prospered my way; send me away, and I go to my lord;'
Psalms 107:1
`Give ye thanks to Jehovah, For good, for to the age [is] His kindness:'
Psalms 107:8
They confess to Jehovah His kindness, And His wonders to the sons of men.
Psalms 107:15
They confess to Jehovah His kindness, And His wonders to the sons of men.

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.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile