Be very strong, then, so that you can keep and obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, not turning aside from it to the right or to the left.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that you not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left;
- KJV Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;
- NKJV Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left,
- NASB Be very determined, then, to keep and do everything that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, so that you will not turn aside from it to the right or to the left,
- NLT “So be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction. Do not deviate from it, turning either to the right or to the left.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Joshua urges them to be courageous in obeying all the law of Moses without turning aside. It is the heart of his farewell charge.
Overview
Echoing the command given to him at the start of the book, Joshua calls Israel to wholehearted obedience to God's written word. Courage is needed not only for battle but for steadfast faithfulness amid temptation. This enduring summons to keep God's word shapes the life of His covenant people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Deut 28:14Do not turn aside to the right or to the left from any of the words I command you today, and do not go after other gods to serve them.
- Deut 5:32So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.
- Heb 12:4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
- Eph 6:10–19Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
- Deut 17:20Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, and he will not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or to the left, in order that he and his sons may reign many years over his kingdom in Israel.
- Deut 12:32See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.
- Josh 1:7–9Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go.
- Prov 4:26–27Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure.
- Rev 21:8But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
- Jer 9:3“They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD.
- 1 Cor 16:13Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 23:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.