And the people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods; for the Lord our God, he it is that brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and that did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in an the way wherein we went, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed; and the Lord drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites that dwelt in the land: therefore we also will serve the Lord; for he is our God." {312} And Joshua said unto the people, "Ye are not able to serve the Lord; for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgression nor your sins. If ye forsake the Lord, and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after that he hath done you good." And the people said unto Joshua, "Nay; but we will serve the Lord." And Joshua said unto the people, "Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him." And they said, "We are witnesses." THE DEATH OF JOSHUA. _The Great Captain Is Laid at Rest_. And after many years of fighting, and many victories, Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash. And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, and had known all the work of the Lord, that he had wrought for Israel. {313} The Judges After the death of Joshua there followed a long period of unrest and fighting. The land was by no means conquered. Many times the Israelites were opposed by the neighboring people, and all but wiped out of existence. But each time a hero arose who overthrew the oppressor, and became the leader or judge, as the office was called, of the people. These leaders were not all of the highest character, but they served to hold the nation together, and to preserve it from extinction, during this period of trouble and unrest. {314} {315} EHUD The Story of the Young Man Who Killed a King.