Joshua summons all the Israelites, with all the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the officers (see 23.2), and they come to him at Shechem (see 8.30), gathering around the sanctuary or the Covenant Box (which is what is meant by the presence of God).

At initial glance the text seems simple enough, but it does cause some confusion because of the number of events listed: (1) Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel, (2) he called the elders and others, and (3) they came into the presence of God. Then event (4) is catalogued in verse 2: Joshua said to all the people. It is possible, of course, that the writer has used more than one source in the telling of the story. But the translator is concerned with how the text is to be understood as it stands now. Since the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the officers are representative of all the people of Israel, it is possible to join the text together as follows:

• Joshua told all the tribes of Israel to come together at the city of Shechem. When they got there, he called the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the officers to come and stand before the LORD’s Tent (or, the Covenant Box). 2 Then Joshua said to all the people….

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .