8. “ ‘Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you, but I handed them over to you. You possessed their land, and I annihilated them before you.
9. Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you,
10. but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he repeatedly blessed you, and I delivered you from his hand.
11. “ ‘You then crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho — as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites — fought against you, but I handed them over to you.
12. I sent the hornet ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings before you. It was not by your sword or bow.
13. I gave you a land you did not labor for, and cities you did not build, though you live in them; you are eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’
14. “Therefore, fear the Lord and worship Him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship Yahweh.
15. But if it doesn’t please you to worship Yahweh, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh.”
16. The people replied, “We will certainly not abandon the Lord to worship other gods!
17. For the Lord our God brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected us all along the way we went and among all the peoples whose lands we traveled through.
18. The Lord drove out before us all the peoples, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will worship the Lord, because He is our God.”
19. But Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to worship Yahweh, because He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not remove your transgressions and sins.
20. If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, He will turn against you, harm you, and completely destroy you, after He has been good to you.”
21. “No! ” the people answered Joshua. “We will worship the Lord.”
22. Joshua then told the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you yourselves have chosen to worship Yahweh.”“We are witnesses,” they said.
23. “Then get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and offer your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24. So the people said to Joshua, “We will worship the Lord our God and obey Him.”