Joshua 24:15
If it seems evil to you to serve Yahweh, choose today whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh.”
Context and meaning
These are practically Joshua's last public words, when he is already old, at an assembly in Shechem. He has just retold the people's history since Abraham and now sets a choice before them.
The tone is surprisingly free: "choose today whom you will serve". He does not impose; he presents real alternatives, including the gods their ancestors served beyond the River.
The famous line is his own personal decision, spoken after giving the others the option. And it is a decision that includes the household — in the ancient world, the whole domestic unit, not just the nuclear family.
It is worth noting what follows: when the people promise to serve the Lord, Joshua answers with skepticism ("you can't serve the Lord"), forcing them to take the promise seriously.
It is the verse most chosen for plaques and wall art in homes — and the context suggests it is more a conscious decision than a decoration.
Related verses
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
This verse appears in
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