Deuteronomy 31
31
Joshua is appointed the leader of Israel
1Moses again spoke to the whole nation of Israel:
2I am a hundred and twenty years old, and I am no longer able to be your leader. And besides that, the LORD your God has told me that he won't let me cross the River Jordan.#Nu 20.12. 3-5But he has promised that he and Joshua will lead you across the Jordan to attack the nations that live on the other side. The LORD will destroy those nations just as he destroyed Sihon and Og, those two Amorite kings. Just remember—whenever you capture a place, kill everyone who lives there.#Nu 21.21-35.
6Be brave and strong! Don't be afraid of the nations on the other side of the Jordan. The LORD your God will always be at your side, and he will never abandon you.
7Then Moses called Joshua up in front of the crowd and said:
Joshua, be brave and strong as you lead these people into their land. The LORD made a promise long ago to Israel's ancestors that this land would some day belong to Israel. That time has now come, and you must divide up the land among the people. 8The LORD will lead you into the land. He will always be with you and help you, so don't ever be afraid of your enemies.#Js 1.5; He 13.5.
Read these laws
9Moses wrote down all these laws and teachings and gave them to the priests and the leaders of Israel. The priests were from the Levi tribe, and they carried the sacred chest that belonged to the LORD. 10-11Moses told these priests and leaders:#Dt 15.12; Dt 16.13-15.
Each year the Israelites must come together to celebrate the Festival of Shelters at the place where the LORD chooses to be worshipped. You must read these laws and teachings to the people at the festival every seventh year, the year when loans do not need to be repaid.#31.10,11 every seventh year…repaid: See 15.1,2 and the note there. 12-13Everyone must come—men, women, children, and even the foreigners who live in your towns. And each new generation will listen and learn to worship the LORD their God with fear and trembling and to do exactly what is said in God's Law.
Israel will reject the Lord
14The LORD told Moses, “You will soon die, so bring Joshua to the sacred tent, and I will appoint him the leader of Israel.”
Moses and Joshua went to the sacred tent, 15and the LORD appeared in a thick cloud right over the entrance to the tent. 16The LORD said:
Moses, you will soon die. But Israel is going into a land where other gods are worshipped, and Israel will reject me and start worshipping these gods. The people will break the agreement I made with them, 17and I will be so furious that I will abandon them and ignore their prayers. I will send disasters and suffering that will nearly wipe them out. Finally, they will realize that the disasters happened because I abandoned them. 18They will pray to me, but I will ignore them because they were evil and started worshipping other gods.
19Moses and Joshua, I am going to give you the words to a new song. Write them down and teach the song to the Israelites. If they learn it, they will know what I want them to do, and so they will have no excuse for not obeying me. 20I am bringing them into the land that I promised their ancestors. It is a land rich with milk and honey, and the Israelites will have more than enough food to eat. But they will get fat and turn their backs on me and start worshipping other gods. The Israelites will reject me and break the agreement that I made with them.
21When I punish the Israelites and their descendants with suffering and disasters, I will remind them that they know the words to this song, so they have no excuse for not obeying me.
I will give them the land that I promised, but I know the way they are going to live later on.
22Moses wrote down the words to the song#31.22 the words to the song: See 32.1-43. straight away, and he taught it to the Israelites.
23The LORD told Joshua, “Be brave and strong! I will help you lead the people of Israel into the land that I have promised them.”#Nu 27.23; Js 1.6.
24Moses wrote down all these laws and teachings in a book, 25then he went to the Levites who carried the sacred chest and said:
26This is The Book of God's Law. Keep it beside the sacred chest that holds the agreement the LORD your God made with Israel. This book is proof that you know what the LORD wants you to do. 27I know how stubborn and rebellious you and the rest of the Israelites are. You have rebelled against the LORD while I have been alive, and it will only get worse after I am gone. 28So call together the leaders and officials of the tribes of Israel. I will bring this book and read every word of it to you, and I will call the sky and the earth as witnesses that all of you know what you are supposed to do.
29I am going to die soon, and I know that in the future you will stop caring about what is right and what is wrong, and so you will disobey the LORD and stop living the way I told you to live. The LORD will be angry, and terrible things will happen to you.
The song of Moses
30Moses called a meeting of all the people of Israel, so he could teach them the words to the song that the LORD had given him. And here are the words:
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Deuteronomy 31: CEVUK
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Deuteronomy 31
31
1And Moses went, and spoke all these words to all Israel.
2And he said to them: I am this day a hundred and twenty years old. I can no longer go out and come in, especially as the Lord also hath said to me: Thou shalt not pass over this Jordan.
3The Lord thy God then will pass over before thee: he will destroy all these nations in thy sight, and thou shalt possess them. And this Josue shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath spoken.
4And the Lord shall do to them as he did to Sehon and Og the kings of the Amorrhites, and to their land: and shall destroy them.
5Therefore when the Lord shall have delivered these also to you, you shall do in like manner to them as I have commanded you.
6Do manfully and be of good heart: fear not, nor be ye dismayed at their sight. For the Lord thy God he himself is thy leader, and will not leave thee nor forsake thee.
7And Moses called Josue, and said to him before all Israel: Take courage, and be valiant. For thou shalt bring this people into the land which the Lord swore he would give to their fathers, and thou shalt divide it by lot.
8And the Lord who is your leader, he himself will be with thee: he will not leave thee, nor forsake thee. Fear not, neither be dismayed.
9And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the ancients of Israel.
10And he commanded them, saying: After seven years, in the year of remission, in the feast of tabernacles.
11When all Israel come together, to appear in the sight of the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose, thou shalt read the words of this law before all Israel, in their hearing.
12And the people being all assembled together, both men and women, children and strangers, that are within thy gates: that hearing they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and keep, and fulfil all the words of this law:
13That their children also, who now are ignorant, may hear, and fear the Lord their God, all the days that they live in the land whither you are going over the Jordan to possess it.
14And the Lord said to Moses: Behold the days of thy death are nigh: call Josue, and stand ye in the tabernacle of the testimony, that I may give him a charge. So Moses and Josue went and stood in the tabernacle of the testimony:
15And the Lord appeared there in the pillar of a cloud, which stood in the entry of the tabernacle.
16And the Lord said to Moses: Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and this people rising up will go a-fornicating after strange gods in the land, to which it goeth in to dwell. There will they forsake me, and will make void the covenant, which I have made with them,
17And my wrath shall be kindled against them in that day: and I will forsake them, and will hide my face from them: and they shall be devoured. All evils and afflictions shall find them, so that they shall say in that day: In truth it is because God is not with me, that these evils have found me.
18But I will hide, and cover my face in that day, for all the evils which they have done, because they have followed strange gods.
19Now therefore write you this canticle, and teach the children of Israel: that they may know it by heart, and sing it by mouth, and this song may be unto me for a testimony among the children of Israel.
20For I will bring them into the land, for which I swore to their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey. And when they have eaten, and are full and fat, they will turn away after strange gods, and will serve them: and will despise me, and make void my covenant.
21And after many evils and afflictions shall have come upon them, this canticle shall answer them for a testimony, which no oblivion shall take away out of the mouth of their seed. For I know their thoughts, and what they are about to do this day, before that I bring them into the land which I have promised them.
22Moses therefore wrote the canticle: and taught it to the children of Israel.
23And the Lord commanded Josue the son of Nun, and said: Take courage, and be valiant: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I have promised, and I will be with thee.
24Therefore after Moses had wrote the words of this law in a volume, and finished it:
25He commanded the Levites, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying:
26Take this book, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God: that it may be there for a testimony against thee.
27For I know thy obstinacy, and thy most stiff neck. While I am yet living, and going in with you, you have always been rebellious against the Lord. How much more when I shall be dead?
28Gather unto me all the ancients of your tribes, and your doctors, and I will speak these words in their hearing: and will call heaven and earth to witness against them.
29For I know that, after my death, you will do wickedly, and will quickly turn aside from the way that I have commanded you: and evils shall come upon you in the latter times, when you shall do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him by the works of your hands.
30Moses therefore spoke, in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel, the words of this canticle, and finished it even to the end.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.