Joshua 24:20 (DRB)

Passage

If you leave the Lord, and serve strange gods, he will turn, and will afflict you, and will destroy you after all the good he hath done you.

Nearby Context

Joshua 24:18 And he hath cast out all the nations, the Amorrhite the inhabitant of the land into which we are come. Therefore we will serve the Lord, for he is our God.

Joshua 24:19 And Joshua said to the people: You will not be able to serve the Lord: for he is a holy God, and mighty and jealous, and will not forgive your wickedness and sins.

Joshua 24:20 If you leave the Lord, and serve strange gods, he will turn, and will afflict you, and will destroy you after all the good he hath done you.

Joshua 24:21 And the people said to Joshua: No, it shall not be so as thou sayest, but we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:22 And Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses, that you yourselves have chosen you the Lord to serve him. And they answered: We are witnesses.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "leave", "lord", "serve", "strange", "gods", "turn", "afflict", and "destroy". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "leave" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And Joshua said to the people You..." into verse 21's "And the people said to Joshua No...", so "leave" and "lord" belong inside that flow. In Joshua context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "leave" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.