YuēShūyàjì 24

1 Yuēshūyà jiāng Yǐsèliè de zhòng zhīpaì jùjí zaì Shìjiàn , zhào le Yǐsèliè de zhǎnglǎo , zúzhǎng , shĕnpàn guān , bìng guān zhǎng lái , tāmen jiù zhàn zaì shén miànqián .

2 Yuēshūyà duì zhòng mín shuō , Yēhéhuá Yǐsèliè de shén rúcǐ shuō , gǔ shí nǐmen de lièzǔ , jiù shì Yàbólāhǎn hé Náhè de fùqin Tālā , zhù zaì dà hé nàbiān shìfèng bié shén ,

3 Wǒ jiāng nǐmen de zǔzong Yàbólāhǎn cóng dà hé nàbiān daì lái , lǐng tā zǒu biàn Jiānán quán dì , yòu shǐ tāde zǐsūn zhòngduō , bǎ Yǐsā cìgĕi tā .

4 Yòu bǎ Yǎgè hé Yǐsǎo cìgĕi Yǐsā , jiāng Xīĕrshān cìgĕi Yǐsǎo wèi yè . hòulái Yǎgè hé tāde zǐsūn xià dào Āijí qù le .

5 Wǒ chāiqiǎn Móxī , Yàlún , bìng zhào wǒ zaì Āijí zhōng suǒ xíng de jiàng zāi yǔ Āijí , ránhòu bǎ nǐmen lǐng chūlai .

6 Wǒ lǐng nǐmen lièzǔ chū Āijí , tāmen jiù dào le Hónghǎi . Āijí rén daìlǐng chēliàng mǎ bīng zhuīgǎn nǐmen lièzǔ dào Hónghǎi .

7 Nǐmen lièzǔ āi qiú Yēhéhuá , tā jiù shǐ nǐmen hé Āijí rén zhōngjiān hēiàn le , yòu shǐ hǎi shuǐ yānmò Āijí rén . wǒ zaì Āijí suǒ xíng de shì , nǐmen qīnyǎn jiàn guō . nǐmen zaì kuàngyĕ yĕ zhù le xǔduō nián rì .

8 Wǒ lǐng nǐmen dào Yuēdànhé dōng Yàmólìrén suǒ zhù zhī dì . tāmen yǔ nǐmen zhēng zhàn , wǒ jiāng tāmen jiāo zaì nǐmen shǒu zhōng , nǐmen biàn dé le tāmende dì wèi yè . wǒ yĕ zaì nǐmen miànqián jiāng tāmen mièjué .

9 Nàshí , Móyē wáng xī bō de érzi bā lè qǐlai gōngjī Yǐsèliè rén , dǎfa rén zhào le Bǐĕr de érzi Bālán lái zhòuzǔ nǐmen .

10 Wǒ bù kĕn tīng Bālán de huà , suǒyǐ tā dǎo wèi nǐmen liánlián zhùfú . zhèyàng , wǒ biàn jiù nǐmen tuōlí bā lè de shǒu .

11 Nǐmen guō le Yuēdànhé , dào le Yēlìgē . Yēlìgē rén , Yàmólìrén , Bǐlìxǐrén , Jiānán rén , Hèrén , Géjiāsārén , Xīwèirén , Yēbùsīrén dōu yǔ nǐmen zhēng zhàn . wǒ bǎ tāmen jiāo zaì nǐmen shǒu lǐ .

12 Wǒ dǎfa huángfēng fēi zaì nǐmen qiánmian , jiāng Yàmólìrén de èr wáng cóng nǐmen miànqián niǎn chū , bìng bú shì yòng nǐde dāo , yĕ bú shì yòng nǐde gōng .

13 Wǒ cìgĕi nǐmen dì tǔ , fēi nǐmen suǒ xiū zhì de . wǒ cìgĕi nǐmen chéngyì , fēi nǐmen suǒ jiànzào de . nǐmen jiù zhù zaì qízhōng , yòu dé chī fēi nǐmen suǒ zāizhòng de pútaóyuán , gǎnlǎn yuán de guǒzi .

14 Xiànzaì nǐmen yào jìngwèi Yēhéhuá , chéng xīn shí yì dì shìfèng tā , jiāng nǐmen lièzǔ zaì dà hé nàbiān hé zaì Āijí suǒ shìfèng de shén chúdiào , qù shìfèng Yēhéhuá .

15 Ruò shì nǐmen yǐ shìfèng Yēhéhuá wèi bù hǎo , jīnrì jiù kĕyǐ xuǎnzé suǒ yào shìfèng de , shì nǐmen lièzǔ zaì dà hé nàbiān suǒ shìfèng de shén ne . shì nǐmen suǒ zhù zhè dì de Yàmólìrén de shén ne . zhìyú wǒ hé wǒ jiā , wǒmen bìdéng shìfèng Yēhéhuá .

16 Bǎixìng huídá shuō , wǒmen duàn bù gǎn lí qì Yēhéhuá qù shìfèng bié shén .

17 Yīn Yēhéhuá wǒmen de shén céng jiāng wǒmen hé wǒmen lièzǔ cóng Āijí dì de wèi nú zhī jiā lǐng chūlai , zaì wǒmen yǎnqián xíng le nàxiē dà shénjī , zaì wǒmen suǒ xíng de dào shàng , suǒ jīngguò de zhū guó , dōu bǎohù le wǒmen .

18 Yēhéhuá yòu bǎ zhù cǐ dì de Yàmólìrén dōu cóng wǒmen miànqián gǎn chū qù . suǒyǐ , wǒmen bì shìfèng Yēhéhuá , yīnwei tā shì wǒmen de shén .

19 Yuēshūyà duì bǎixìng shuō , nǐmen bùnéng shìfèng Yēhéhuá . yīnwei tā shì shèngjié de shén , shì jì xié de shén , bì bù shèmiǎn nǐmen de guō fàn zuìè .

20 Nǐmen ruò lí qì Yēhéhuá qù shìfèng waì bāng shén , Yēhéhuá zaì jiàng fú zhī hòu , bì zhuǎn ér jiàng huò yǔ nǐmen , bǎ nǐmen mièjué .

21 Bǎixìng huídá Yuēshūyà shuō , bù rán , wǒmen déng yào shìfèng Yēhéhuá .

22 Yuēshūyà duì bǎixìng shuō , nǐmen xuǎn déng Yēhéhuá , yào shìfèng tā , nǐmen zìjǐ zuò jiànzhèng ba . tāmen shuō , wǒmen yuànyì zuò jiànzhèng .

23 Yuēshūyà shuō , nǐmen xiànzaì yào chúdiào nǐmen zhōngjiān de waì bāng shén , zhuān xīn guī xiàng Yēhéhuá Yǐsèliè de shén .

24 Bǎixìng huídá Yuēshūyà shuō , wǒmen bì shìfèng Yēhéhuá wǒmen de shén , tīng cóng tāde huà .

25 Dāng rì , Yuēshūyà jiù yǔ bǎixìng lì yuē , zaì Shìjiàn wèi tāmen lìdéng lǜ lì diǎnzhāng .

26 Yuēshūyà jiāng zhèxie huà dōu xiĕ zaì shén de lǜfǎ shū shàng , yòu jiāng yī kuaì dà shítou lì zaì xiàngshù xià Yēhéhuá de shèng suǒ pángbiān .

27 Yuēshūyà duì bǎixìng shuō , kàn nǎ , zhè shítou kĕyǐ xiàng wǒmen zuò jiànzhèng . yīnwei shì tīngjian le Yēhéhuá suǒ fēnfu wǒmen de yīqiè huà , tǎnghuò nǐmen beìqì nǐmen de shén , zhè shítou jiù kĕyǐ xiàng nǐmen zuò jiànzhèng .

28 Yúshì Yuēshūyà dǎfa bǎixìng gè guī zìjǐ de dì yè qù le .

29 Zhèxie shì yǐhòu , Yēhéhuá de púrén nèn de érzi Yuēshūyà , zhēng yī bǎi yī shí suì , jiù sǐ le .

30 Yǐsèliè rén jiāng tā zàng zaì tā dì yè de jìng neì , jiù shì zaì Yǐfǎlián shān dì de Tíngná Xīlā , zaì jiā shí shān de bĕibiān .

31 Yuēshūyà zaì shì hé Yuēshūyà sǐ hòu , nàxiē zhīdào Yēhéhuá wèi Yǐsèliè rén suǒ xíng zhū shì de zhǎnglǎo hái zaì de shíhou , Yǐsèliè rén shìfèng Yēhéhuá .

32 Yǐsèliè rén cóng Āijí suǒ daì lái Yūesè de háigǔ , zàng mán zaì Shìjiàn , jiù shì zaì Yǎgè cóng qián yòng yī bái kuaì yínzi xiàng Shìjiàn de fùqin , Hāmā de zǐsūn suǒ mǎi de nà kuaì dì lǐ . zhè jiù zuò le Yūesè zǐsūn de chǎnyè .

33 Yàlún de érzi YǐlìYàsā yĕ sǐ le , jiù bǎ tā zàng zaì tā érzi Fēiníhā suǒ dé , Yǐfǎlián shān dì de xiǎo shān shàng .

YuēShūyàjì 24 Commentary

Chapter 24

God's benefits to their fathers. (1-14) Joshua renews the covenant between the people and God. (15-28) Joshua's death, Joseph's bones buried, The state of Israel. (29-33)

Verses 1-14 We must never think our work for God done, till our life is done. If he lengthen out our days beyond what we expected, like those of Joshua, it is because he has some further service for us to do. He who aims at the same mind which was in Christ Jesus, will glory in bearing the last testimony to his Saviour's goodness, and in telling to all around, the obligations with which the unmerited goodness of God has bound him. The assembly came together in a solemn religious manner. Joshua spake to them in God's name, and as from him. His sermon consists of doctrine and application. The doctrinal part is a history of the great things God had done for his people, and for their fathers before them. The application of this history of God's mercies to them, is an exhortation to fear and serve God, in gratitude for his favour, and that it might be continued.

Verses 15-28 It is essential that the service of God's people be performed with a willing mind. For LOVE is the only genuine principle whence all acceptable service of God can spring. The Father seeks only such to worship him, as worship him in spirit and in truth. The carnal mind of man is enmity against God, therefore, is not capable of such spiritual worship. Hence the necessity of being born again. But numbers rest in mere forms, as tasks imposed upon them. Joshua puts them to their choice; but not as if it were indifferent whether they served God or not. Choose you whom ye will serve, now the matter is laid plainly before you. He resolves to do this, whatever others did. Those that are bound for heaven, must be willing to swim against the stream. They must not do as the most do, but as the best do. And no one can behave himself as he ought in any station, who does not deeply consider his religious duties in family relations. The Israelites agree with Joshua, being influenced by the example of a man who had been so great a blessing to them; We also will serve the Lord. See how much good great men do, by their influence, if zealous in religion. Joshua brings them to express full purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord. They must come off from all confidence in their own sufficiency, else their purposes would be in vain. The service of God being made their deliberate choice, Joshua binds them to it by a solemn covenant. He set up a monument of it. In this affecting manner Joshua took his last leave of them; if they perished, their blood would be upon their own heads. Though the house of God, the Lord's table, and even the walls and trees before which we have uttered our solemn purposes of serving him, would bear witness against us if we deny him, yet we may trust in him, that he will put his fear into our hearts, that we shall not depart from him. God alone can give grace, yet he blesses our endeavours to engage men to his service.

Verses 29-33 Joseph died in Egypt, but gave commandment concerning his bones, that they should not rest in their grave till Israel had rest in the land of promise. Notice also the death and burial of Joshua, and of Eleazar the chief priest. The most useful men, having served their generation, according to the will of God, one after another, fall asleep and see corruption. But Jesus, having spent and ended his life on earth more effectually than either Joshua or Joseph, rose from the dead, and saw no corruption. And the redeemed of the Lord shall inherit the kingdom he prepared for them from the foundation of the world. They will say in admiration of the grace of Jesus, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 24

This chapter gives us an account of another summons of the tribes of Israel by Joshua, who obeyed it, and presented themselves before the Lord at Shechem, Jos 24:1; when Joshua in the name of the Lord rehearsed to them the many great and good things the Lord had done for them, from the time of their ancestor Abraham to that day, Jos 24:2-13; and then exhorted them to fear and serve the Lord, and reject idols, Jos 24:14; and put them upon making their choice, whether they would serve the true God, or the gods of the Canaanites; and they choosing the former, he advised them to abide by their choice, Jos 24:15-24; and made a covenant with them to that purpose, and then dismissed them, Jos 24:25-28; and the chapter is concluded with an account of the death and burial of Joshua and Eleazar, and of the interment of the bones of Joseph, Jos 24:29-33.