The Bible, Douay-Rheims Part 144

22:17. Is it a small thing to you that you sinned with Beelphegor, and the stain of that crime remaineth in us to this day? and many of the people perished.

22:18. And you have forsaken the Lord to day, and to morrow his wrath will rage against all Israel.

22:19. But if you think the land of your possession to be unclean, pa.s.s over to the land wherein is the tabernacle of the Lord, and dwell among us: only depart not from the Lord, and from our society, by building an altar beside the altar of the Lord our G.o.d.

22:20. Did not Achan the son of Zare transgress the commandment of the Lord, and his wrath lay upon all the people of Israel? And he was but one man, and would to G.o.d he alone had perished in his wickedness.

22:21. And the children of Ruben, and of Gad, and of the half tribe of Mana.s.ses answered the princes of the emba.s.sage of Israel:

22:22. The Lord the most mighty G.o.d, the Lord the most mighty G.o.d, he knoweth, and Israel also shall understand: If with the design of transgression we have set up this altar, let him not save us, but punish us immediately:

22:23. And if we did it with that mind, that we might lay upon it holocausts, and sacrifice, and victims of peace offerings, let him require and judge:

22:24. And not rather with this thought and design, that we should say: To morrow your children will say to our children: What have you to do with the Lord the G.o.d of Israel?

22:25. The Lord hath put the river Jordan for a border between us and you, O ye children of Ruben, and ye children of Gad: and therefore you have no part in the Lord. And by this occasion your children shall turn away our children from the fear of the Lord. We therefore thought it best,

22:26. And said: Let us build us an altar, not for holocausts, nor to offer victims,

22:27. But for a testimony between us and you, and our posterity and yours, that we may serve the Lord, and that we may have a right to offer both holocausts, and victims and sacrifices of peace offerings: and that your children to morrow may not say to our children: You have no part in the Lord.

22:28. And if they will say so, they shall answer them: Behold the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for holocausts, nor for sacrifice, but for a testimony between us and you.

22:29. G.o.d keep us from any such wickedness that we should revolt from the Lord, and leave off following his steps, by building an altar to offer holocausts, and sacrifices, and victims, beside the altar of the Lord our G.o.d, which is erected before his tabernacle.

22:30. And when Phinees the priest, and the princes of the emba.s.sage, who were with him, had heard this, they were satisfied: and they admitted most willingly the words of the children of Ruben, and Gad, and of the half tribe of Mana.s.ses,

22:31. And Phinees the priest the son of Eleazar said to them: Now we know that the Lord is with us, because you are not guilty of this revolt, and you have delivered the children of Israel from the hand of the Lord.

22:32. And he returned with the princes from the children of Ruben and Gad, out of the land of Galaad, into the land of Chanaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.

22:33. And the saying pleased all that heard it. And the children of Israel praised G.o.d, and they no longer said that they would go up against them, and fight, and destroy the land of their possession.

22:34. And the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad called the altar which they had built, Our testimony, that the Lord is G.o.d,

Josue Chapter 23

Josue being old admonisheth the people to keep G.o.d's commandments: and to avoid marriages and all society with the Gentiles for fear of being brought to idolatry.

23:1. And when a long time was pa.s.sed, after that the Lord had given peace to Israel, all the nations round about being subdued and Josue being now old, and far advanced in years:

23:2. Josue called for all Israel, and for the elders, and for the princes, and for the judges, and for the masters, and said to them: I am old, and far advanced in years,

23:3. And you see all that the Lord your G.o.d hath done to all the nations round about, how he himself hath fought for you:

23:4. And now since he hath divided to you by lot all the land, from the east of the Jordan unto the great sea, ant many nations yet remain:

23:5. The Lord your G.o.d will destroy them, and take them away from before your face, and you shall possess the land as he hath promised you.

23:6. Only take courage, and be careful to observe all things that are written in the book of the law of Moses: and turn not aside from them neither to the right hand nor to the left:

23:7. Lest after that you are come in among the Gentiles, who will remain among you, you should swear by the name of their G.o.ds, and serve them, and adore them:

23:8. But cleave ye unto the Lord your G.o.d, as you have done until this day.

23:9. And then the Lord G.o.d will take away before your eyes nations that are great and very strong, and no man shall be able to resist you.

23:10. One of you shall chase a thousand men of the enemies: because the Lord your G.o.d himself will fight for you, as he hath promised.

23:11. This only take care of with all diligence, that you love the Lord your G.o.d.

23:12. But if you will embrace the errors of these nations that dwell among you, and make marriages with them, and join friends.h.i.+ps:

23:13. Know ye for a certainty that the Lord your G.o.d will not destroy them before your face, but they shall be a pit and a snare in your way, and a stumbling-block at your side, and stakes in your eyes, till he take you away and destroy you from off this excellent land, which he hath given you.

23:14. Behold this day I am going into the way of all the earth, and you shall know with all your mind that of all the words which the Lord promised to perform for you, not one hath failed,

23:15. Therefore as he hath fulfilled in deed, what he promised, and all things prosperous have come: so will he bring upon you all the evils he hath threatened, till he take you away and destroy you from off this excellent land, which he hath given you,

23:16. When you shall have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your G.o.d, which he hath made with you, and shall have served strange G.o.ds, and adored them: then shall the indignation of the Lord rise up quickly and speedily against you, and you shall be taken away from this excellent land, which he hath delivered to you.

Josue Chapter 24

Josue a.s.sembleth the people, and reneweth the covenant between them and G.o.d. His death and burial.

24:1. And Josue gathered together all the tribes of Israel in Sichem, and called for the ancients, and the princes and the judges, and the masters: and they stood in the sight of the Lord:

24:2. And he spoke thus to the people: Thus saith the Lord the G.o.d of Israel: Your fathers dwelt of old on the other side of the river, Thare the father of Abraham, and Nachor: and they served strange G.o.ds.

Of the river... The Euphrates.

24:3. And I took your father Abraham from the borders of Mesopotamia: and brought him into the land of Chanaan: and I multiplied his seed,

24:4. And gave him Isaac: and to him again I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave to Esau mount Seir for his possession: but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

24:5. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt with many signs and wonders.

24:6. And I brought you and your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea: and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and hors.e.m.e.n, as far as the Red Sea.

24:7. And the children of Israel cried to the Lord: and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them. Your eyes saw all that I did in Egypt, and you dwelt in the wilderness a long time.

24:8. And I brought you into the land of the Amorrhite, who dwelt beyond the Jordan. And when they fought against you, I delivered them into your hands, and you possessed their land, and slew them.

24:9. And Balac son of Sephor king of Moab arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and called for Balaam son of Beor, to curse you:

24:10. And I would not hear him, but on the contrary I blessed you by him, and I delivered you out of his hand.

24:11. And you pa.s.sed over the Jordan, and you came to Jericho. And the men of that city fought against you, the Amorrhite, and the Pherezite, and the Chanaanite, and the Hethite, and the Gergesite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite: and I delivered them into your hands.