The lengthy “if” clause at the beginning of this verse may cause considerable difficulty for the reader, and it may be advisable to break it into several shorter units. For example:

• If you are not willing to obey the LORD, then decide today what god you will obey. You will have to choose between the gods which your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia and the gods which the Amorites worship in the land where you are now living.

As for my family and me is literally “as for me and my house” (Revised Standard Version). The word “house” would include not only Joshua’s immediate family and all relatives who lived with him, but his slaves and servants as well. One may translate “But my family and I have decided to obey the LORD.” Or, since this is a patriarchal society, “I have decided to obey the LORD, and everyone in my family and all my slaves will also obey the LORD,” or “I will obey the LORD, and I will require my family and all my slaves to obey the LORD.”

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 .