Paragraph 24:27–28

24:27a

And: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And introduces the next event in the storyline. Introduce the next event in a way that is natural in your language.

24:27b

You see: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as You see calls attention to the next statement. Some languages may have grammatical markers that fulfill this function.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

Look
-or-
Look at this stone

this stone. It will be a witness against us: In verse 24:22 Joshua told the Israelites that they would be witnesses against themselves in the future. In this verse he told them that the stone he had set up would also be a witness. He said it was a witness against us because he was including himself with the other Israelites.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

Look. This stone will be a witness against us (incl.)
-or-
Look at this stone. It will give evidence against us.
-or-
Look at this stone. ⌊If it could speak⌋ it would testify against us.

24:27c

for it has heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us: Yahweh had spoken to the people of Israel through Joshua, and the stone had been a witness to all the words he said.

This does not mean that the stone had magical powers, or that there were spirits who lived in the stone. If it sounds strange in your language to have a stone be able to hear, you could use a simile.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

because it has heard all the words that Yahweh spoke to us
-or-

⌊It is as though⌋ it has heard all the words that Yahweh has spoken to us.

24:27d

and: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and connects sentences. Many English versions do not translate this word here. Use a connecting word if there is a natural one in your language.

it will be a witness against you: This sentence uses almost the same words as in part b of this verse. Joshua repeated his statement to emphasize it. However, in this part of the verse he used the pronoun you instead of “us.”

if you ever deny your God: The Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deny can also be translated “betray” or “be unfaithful.”

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

So it will be a witness against you (plur.), if you are not faithful to your God.
-or-
It could give evidence against you if you betray God.

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