“ Now then,” said Joshua,“ throw away the statues of the gods that are among you. People from other lands serve those gods. Give yourselves completely to the Lord. He is the God of Israel.”

约书亚说：“你们现在要除掉你们中间的外邦神，专心归向耶和华以色列的神。”

“现在，你们要除掉你们中间外邦的神明，专心归向耶和华—以色列的上帝。”

“现在，你们要除掉你们中间外邦的神明，专心归向耶和华—以色列的神。”

约书亚说：“这样，你们现在就要摒弃你们中间的外族神明，专心归向以色列的上帝耶和华。”

约书亚说：“现在你们要除掉在你们中间外族人的神，一心归向耶和华以色列的神。”

約書亞說：「你們現在要除掉你們中間的外邦神，專心歸向耶和華－以色列的神。」

「現在，你們要除掉你們中間外邦的神明，專心歸向耶和華－以色列的上帝。」

「現在，你們要除掉你們中間外邦的神明，專心歸向耶和華－以色列的神。」

約書亞說：「這樣，你們現在就要摒棄你們中間的外族神明，專心歸向以色列的上帝耶和華。」

約書亞說：“現在你們要除掉在你們中間外族人的神，一心歸向耶和華以色列的神。”

約書亞說：那麼『現在你們要除掉你們中間外族人的神，傾心歸向永恆主以色列的上帝。』

曰、爾中所有異族之神、今當去之、專心歸從以色列之上帝耶和華、

曰汝中所有他人之上帝、今當去之、誠心相從以色列族上帝耶和華。

曰、爾中所有異邦之神、今當除之、一心歸向主以色列之天主、

“ Now then,” said Joshua,“ throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

He said,“ Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

“ All right then,” Joshua said,“ destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

“ Then get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

“ Now then, do away with the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

“ Now therefore,” he said,“ put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.”

Now therefore put away, said he, the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto Jehovah, the God of Israel.

“ Then get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and offer your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

Now therefore put away,[ said he], the strange gods which[ are] among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.

Joshua said,“ Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to the LORD God of Israel.”

“ Now therefore put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to Yahweh, the God of Israel.”

“ So have respect for the Lord. Serve him. Be completely faithful to him. Throw away the gods your people worshiped east of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord.

Do I mean that food sacrificed to a statue of a god is anything? Do I mean that a statue of a god is anything?No! But what is sacrificed by those who worship statues of gods is really sacrificed to demons. It is not sacrificed to God. I don’t want you to be sharing with demons.You can’t drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too. You can’t have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.

How can the temple of the true God and the statues of other gods agree? We are the temple of the living God. God has said,“ I will live with them. I will walk among them. I will be their God. And they will be my people.”( Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27)So,“ Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch anything that is not pure and‘ clean.’ Then I will receive you.”( Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34, 41)And,“ I will be your Father. You will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord who rules over all.”( 2 Samuel 7:14; 7:8)

So Samuel spoke to all the Israelites. He said,“ Do you really want to return to the Lord with all your hearts? If you do, get rid of your false gods. Get rid of your statues of female gods that are named Ashtoreth. Commit yourselves to the Lord. Serve him only. Then he will save you from the power of the Philistines.”So the Israelites put away their statues of gods that were named Baal. They put away their statues of female gods that were named Ashtoreth. They served the Lord only.

We are receiving a kingdom that can’t be shaken. So let us be thankful. Then we can worship God in a way that pleases him. Let us worship him with deep respect and wonder.Our“ God is like a fire that burns everything up.”( Deuteronomy 4:24)

So Jacob spoke to his family and to everyone with him. He said,“ Get rid of the statues of false gods you have with you. Make yourselves pure by washing and changing your clothes.Come, let’s go up to Bethel. There I’ll build an altar to honor God. He answered me when I was in trouble. He’s been with me everywhere I’ve gone.”So they gave Jacob all the statues of false gods they had. They also gave him their earrings. Jacob buried those things under the oak tree at Shechem.

But the Israelites replied to the Lord,“ We have sinned. Do to us what you think is best. But please save us now.”Then they got rid of the false gods that were among them. They served the Lord. And he couldn’t stand to see Israel suffer anymore.

Do not put any other gods in place of me. Do not make silver or gold statues of them for yourselves.

Make me want to follow your covenant laws instead of wanting to gain things only for myself.

Don’t let my heart be drawn to what is evil. Don’t let me join with people who do evil. Don’t let me eat their fancy food.

Let your ears listen to wisdom. Apply your heart to understanding.

Tell the Lord you are turning away from your sins. Return to him. Say to him,“ Forgive us for all our sins. Please be kind to us. Welcome us back to you. Then our lips will offer you our praise.Assyria can’t save us. We won’t trust in our war horses. Our own hands have made statues of gods. But we will never call them our gods again. We are like children whose fathers have died. But you show us your tender love.”

May he turn our hearts to him. Then we will live the way he wants us to. We’ll obey the commands, rules and directions he gave our people of long ago.

Ephraim will have nothing more to do with other gods. I will answer the prayers of my people. I will take good care of them. I will be like a healthy juniper tree to them. All the fruit they bear will come from me.”