Deuteronomy 31
31
Joshua Becomes Moses' Successor
(Num 27.12–23)
1Moses continued speaking to the people of Israel, 2#Num 20.12and said, “I am now 120 years old and am no longer able to be your leader. And besides this, the LORD has told me that I will not cross the Jordan. 3The LORD your God himself will go before you and destroy the nations living there, so that you can occupy their land; and Joshua will be your leader, as the LORD has said. 4#Num 21.21–35The LORD will destroy those people, just as he defeated Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites, and destroyed their country. 5The LORD will give you victory over them, and you are to treat them exactly as I have told you. 6Be determined and confident. Do not be afraid of them. Your God, the LORD himself, will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.”
7Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the presence of all the people of Israel, “Be determined and confident; you are the one who will lead these people to occupy the land that the LORD promised to their ancestors. 8#Josh 1.5; Heb 13.5The LORD himself will lead you and be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you, so do not lose courage or be afraid.”
The Law is to be Read Every Seven Years
9So Moses wrote down God's Law and gave it to the levitical priests, who were in charge of the LORD's Covenant Box, and to the leaders of Israel. 10#Deut 15.1; 16.13–15He commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, when the year that debts are cancelled comes round, read this aloud at the Festival of Shelters. 11Read it to the people of Israel when they come to worship the LORD your God at the one place of worship. 12Call together all the men, women, and children, and the foreigners who live in your towns, so that everyone may hear it and learn to honour the LORD your God and to obey his teachings faithfully. 13In this way your descendants who have never heard the Law of the LORD your God will hear it. And so they will learn to obey him as long as they live in the land that you are about to occupy across the Jordan.”
The LORD's Last Instruction to Moses
14Then the LORD said to Moses, “You haven't much longer to live. Call Joshua and bring him to the Tent, so that I may give him his instructions.” Moses and Joshua went to the Tent, 15and the LORD appeared to them there in a pillar of cloud that stood by the door of the Tent.
16The LORD said to Moses, “You will soon die, and after your death the people will become unfaithful to me and break the covenant that I made with them. They will abandon me and worship the pagan gods of the land they are about to enter. 17When that happens, I will become angry with them; I will abandon them, and they will be destroyed. Many terrible disasters will come upon them, and then they will realize that these things are happening to them because I, their God, am no longer with them. 18And I will refuse to help them then, because they have done evil and worshipped other gods.
19“Now, write down this song. Teach it to the people of Israel, so that it will stand as evidence against them. 20I will take them into this rich and fertile land, as I promised their ancestors. There they will have all the food they want, and they will live comfortably. But they will turn away and worship other gods. They will reject me and break my covenant, 21and many terrible disasters will come on them. But this song will still be sung, and it will stand as evidence against them. Even now, before I take them into the land that I promised to give them, I know what they are thinking.”
22That same day Moses wrote down the song and taught it to the people of Israel.
23 #
Num 27.23; Josh 1.6 Then the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun and said to him, “Be confident and determined. You will lead the people of Israel into the land that I promised them, and I will be with you.”
24Moses wrote God's Law in a book, taking care not to leave out anything. 25When he finished, he said to the levitical priests, who were in charge of the LORD's Covenant Box, 26“Take this book of God's Law and place it beside the Covenant Box of the LORD your God, so that it will remain there as a witness against his people. 27I know how stubborn and rebellious they are. They have rebelled against the LORD during my lifetime, and they will rebel even more after I am dead. 28Assemble all your tribal leaders and officials before me, so that I can tell them these things; I will call heaven and earth to be my witnesses against them. 29I know that after my death the people will become wicked and reject what I have taught them. And in time to come they will meet with disaster, because they will have made the LORD angry by doing what he has forbidden.”
The Song of Moses
30Then Moses recited the entire song while all the people of Israel listened.
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Deuteronomy 31: GNBUK
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
Deuteronomy 31
31
Joshua to Succeed Moses
1Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2#Dt 34:7; Nu 27:17; 1Ki 3:7He said to them, “I am a hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer come and go. Also, the Lord has said to me, ‘You may not cross over the Jordan.’ 3#Dt 9:3; 3:28The Lord your God will cross over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, you will possess them, and Joshua will cross over before you, just as the Lord has said. 4#Dt 2:33The Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, which He destroyed. 5#Dt 7:2The Lord will give them up before you, so that you may do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you. 6#Jos 10:25; 1Ch 22:13Be strong and of a good courage. Fear not, nor be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, it is He who goes with you. He will not fail you, nor forsake you.”
7#Dt 3:28; 1:38; 31:6Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you will enable them to inherit it. 8#Ex 33:14; Dt 31:6The Lord, He goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Do not fear, nor be dismayed.”
9#Nu 4:15; Jos 3:3Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10#Dt 15:1–2Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of the cancellation of debts, at the Feast of Tabernacles, 11#2Ki 23:2; Jos 8:34–35when all Israel has come to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He will choose, you must read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12#Dt 4:10Gather the people together, men, women, children, and your foreigner who is within your towns, so that they may hear and learn and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law. 13#Dt 11:2Their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.”
Prediction of Israel’s Rebellion
14#Nu 27:13; Dt 31:23The Lord said to Moses, “Indeed, your days draw near when you must die. Call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, so that I may commission him.” So Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tent of meeting.
15The Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the tent. 16#Jdg 2:12; 10:6The Lord said to Moses, “You are about to lie down with your fathers, and this people will rise up and begin to prostitute themselves after the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they are going to be among them, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17#Nu 14:42; Jdg 6:13Then My anger will burn against them on that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they will be devoured, and many disasters and troubles will befall them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not among us?’ 18And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil things which they shall have done, in that they turned to other gods.
19#Dt 6:7; 31:21–22“Now therefore write yourself this song and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it on their mouths, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel. 20#Ne 9:25–26; Dt 6:10–12For when I have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten, and filled themselves, and become fat, then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and provoke Me, and break My covenant. 21#Hos 5:3; Jn 2:24–25Then when many disasters and troubles have fallen on them, this song will testify against them as a witness, for it must not be forgotten from the mouths of their descendants. For I know their intention which they are developing even now, before I have brought them into the land which I promised.” 22#Dt 31:19Therefore, Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel.
23#Dt 31:7–8; 31:14He gave Joshua, the son of Nun, an exhortation, and said, “Be strong and of a good courage, for you will bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”
24#Dt 31:9When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, until they were completed, 25then Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, 26#Dt 31:19“Take this Book of the Law, and put it inside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, so that it may be there for a witness against you. 27#Dt 9:24; 32:20For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. Even now, while I am yet alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the Lord. How much more after my death? 28#Dt 4:26; 32:1Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, so that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29#Jdg 2:19; Ge 49:1For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you, and disaster will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”
The Song of Moses
30Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel:
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