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.
Currently Selected:
Deuteronomy 31: DRC1752
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
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.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
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.