2 Joshua said to all the people, "The Lord, the God of Israel, says this: ‘Long, long ago your forefathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods. 3 I brought your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and led him through all the land of Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac. 4 I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau. I gave to Esau the hill country of Seir to own, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.
5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought plagues on the people of Egypt, and I brought you24:5. The story uses "your forefathers" and "you" interchangeably, perhaps to enhance the involvement of the audience. out. 6 Yes, I brought your forefathers out, but when you arrived at the Red Sea the Egyptians were chasing after your forefathers with chariots and horsemen. 7 Your forefathers called out to the Lord for help, and he placed darkness between you and the Egyptians. Then he brought the sea back over them and they drowned. You saw what I did with your own eyes in Egypt. Then you lived for many years in the wilderness.
8 After that I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought against you but I handed them over to you to defeat and you took over their land. I destroyed them before you.
9 When Balak, son of Zippor, the king of Moab, wanted to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam, son of Beor, to come and curse you. 10 But I wasn’t willing to listen to Balaam, so instead he blessed you repeatedly, and saved you from Balak.
11 You crossed the Jordan and arrived at Jericho where the men of Jericho fought against you. So did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 12 But I handed them over to you to defeat. And I sent the hornet24:12. Or "panic." See similar statements in Exodus 23:28 and Deuteronomy 7:20. before you to drive out the two kings of the Amorites. You did not win using your swords or your bows! 13 I gave you a land you didn’t work for and towns you didn’t build. Now you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves you didn’t plant.’