Deuteronomy - Chapter 31

¹ Moses went and spoke to all Israel as follows,

² 'Today, I am one hundred and twenty years old, and can no longer act as leader. Yahweh has told me, "You shall not cross this Jordan."

³ Yahweh your God himself will lead you across, he himself will destroy and dispossess these nations confronting you; Joshua too will lead you across, as Yahweh has said.

⁴ Yahweh will treat them as he has treated Sihon and Og the Amorite kings and their country -- he destroyed them.

⁵ Yahweh will put them at your mercy, and you will deal with them exactly as prescribed by the commandments which I have laid down for you.

⁶ Be strong, stand firm, have no fear, do not be afraid of them, for Yahweh your God is going with you; he will not fail you or desert you.'

⁷ Moses then summoned Joshua and, in the presence of all Israel, said to him, 'Be strong, stand firm; you will be the one to go with this people into the country which Yahweh has sworn to their ancestors that he would give them; you are to be the one who puts them into possession of it.

⁸ Yahweh himself will lead you; he will be with you; he will not fail you or desert you. Have no fear, do not be alarmed.'

⁹ Moses committed this Law to writing and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of Yahweh's covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.

¹⁰ And Moses gave them this command, 'At the end of every seven years, at the time fixed for the year of remission, at the feast of Shelters,

¹¹ when all Israel assembles in the presence of Yahweh your God in the place chosen by him, you must proclaim this Law in the hearing of all Israel.

¹² Call the people together, men, women, children, and the foreigner residing with you, so that, hearing it, they may learn to fear Yahweh your God and keep and observe all the words of this Law.

¹³ Their children, who as yet do not know it, will hear it and learn to fear Yahweh your God, all the time you live in the country which you are crossing the Jordan to possess.'

¹⁴ Yahweh said to Moses, 'And now the time is near when you must die. Summon Joshua and take your places at the Tent of Meeting, so that I can give him his orders.' Moses and Joshua went and took their places at the Tent of Meeting,

¹⁵ and Yahweh showed himself at the Tent in a pillar of cloud; the pillar of cloud stood at the door of the Tent.

¹⁶ Yahweh said to Moses, 'You will soon be sleeping with your ancestors, and this people is about to play the harlot by following the gods of the foreigners of the country, among whom they are going to live. They will desert me and break my covenant, which I have made with them.

¹⁷ That very day, my anger will blaze against them; I shall desert them and hide my face from them. A host of disasters and misfortunes will overtake them to devour them, and when that day comes they will say, "If such disasters overtake me, surely Yahweh my God cannot be with me?"

¹⁸ Yes indeed, I shall hide my face that day, on account of all the evil which they will have done by turning to other gods.

¹⁹ 'Now write down this song for you to use; teach it to the Israelites, put it into their mouths, for it to be a witness on my behalf against the Israelites:

²⁰ against Israel, whom I am bringing into the country which I swore to his ancestors that I would give him, a country flowing with milk and honey: against Israel, who will eat to his heart's content and grow fat, and will then turn to other gods and serve them, despising me and breaking my covenant.

²¹ When a host of disasters and misfortunes overtakes him, this song, like a witness, will give evidence against him, since his descendants will not have forgotten it. Yes, even today, before I have brought him to the country which I have promised him on oath, I know what plans he has in mind.'

²² So, that day, Moses wrote out this song and taught it to the Israelites.

²³ To Joshua son of Nun, Yahweh gave this order, 'Be strong and stand firm, for you are to be the one to bring the Israelites into the country which I have promised them on oath, and I myself shall be with you.'

²⁴ When Moses had completely finished writing the words of this Law in a book,

²⁵ he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of Yahweh's covenant:

²⁶ 'Take the book of this Law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God. Let it lie there as evidence against you.

²⁷ For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If today, while I am still alive and with you, you rebel against Yahweh, how much more will you rebel against him after my death!

²⁸ 'Gather all your tribal elders and scribes round me, so that I may be sure that they hear these words, as I call heaven and earth to witness against them.

²⁹ For I know that after my death you are certain to grow corrupt; you will leave the way which I have marked out for you; in the final days disaster will befall you for having done what is evil in Yahweh's eyes, for having provoked his anger by your behaviour.'

³⁰ In the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel, Moses then recited the words of this song to the end:

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