Deuteronomy 1

1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—in the Arabah opposite Suph—between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

These are the words, which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan, in the plain wilderness, over against the Red Sea, between Pharan and Thophel and Laban and Haseroth, where there is very much gold:

2 It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir.

Eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Cadesbarne.

3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them.

In the fortieth year, the eleventh month, the first day of the month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel all that the Lord had commanded him to say to them:

4 This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.

After that he had slain Sehon king of the Amorrhites, who dwelt in Hesebon: and Og king of Basan who abode in Astaroth, and in Edrai,

5 On the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:

Beyond the Jordan in the land of Moab. And Moses began to expound the law, and to say:

6 The LORD our God said to us at Horeb: “You have stayed at this mountain long enough.

The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: You have stayed long enough in this mountain:

7 Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the foothills, in the Negev, and along the seacoast to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great River Euphrates.

Turn you, and come to the mountain of the Amorrhites, and to the other places that are next to it, the plains and the hills and the vales towards the south, and by the sea shore, the land of the Chanaanites, and of Libanus, as far as the great river Euphrates.

8 See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess the land that the LORD swore He would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.”

Behold, said he, I have delivered it to you: go in and possess it, concerning which the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would give it to them, and to their seed after them.

9 At that time I said to you, “I cannot carry the burden for you alone.

And I said to you at that time:

10 The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky.

I alone am not able to bear you: for the Lord your God hath multiplied you, and you are this day as the stars of heaven, for multitude.

11 May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He has promised.

(The Lord God of your fathers add to this number many thousands, and bless you as he hath spoken.)

12 But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself?

I alone am not able to bear your business, and the charge of you and your differences.

13 Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.”

Let me have from among you wise and understanding men, and such whose conversation is approved among your tribes, that I may appoint them your rulers.

14 And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.”

Then you answered me: The thing is good which thou meanest to do.

15 So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes.

And I took out of your tribes men wise and honourable, and appointed them rulers, tribunes, and centurions, and officers over fifties, and over tens, who might teach you all things.

16 At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident.

And I commanded them, saying: Hear them, and judge that which is just: whether he be one of your country, or a stranger.

17 Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”

There shall be no difference of persons, you shall hear the little as well as the great: neither shall you respect any man’s person, because it is the judgment of God. And if any thing seem hard to you, refer it to me, and I will hear it.

18 And at that time I commanded you all the things you were to do.

And I commanded you all things that you were to do.

19 And just as the LORD our God had commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites, through all the vast and terrifying wilderness you have seen. When we reached Kadesh-barnea,

And departing from Horeb, we passed through the terrible and vast wilderness, which you saw, by the way of the mountain of the Amorrhite, as the Lord our God had commanded us. And when we were come into Cadesbarne,

20 I said: “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.

I said to you: You are come to the mountain of the Amorrhite, which the Lord our God will give to us.

21 See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

See the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord our God hath spoken to thy fathers: fear not, nor be any way discouraged.

22 Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.”

And you came all to me, and said: Let us send men who may view the land, and bring us word what way we shall go up, and to what cities we shall go.

23 The plan seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from among you, one from each tribe.

And because the saying pleased me, I sent of you twelve men, one of every tribe:

24 They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied out the land.

Who, when they had set forward and had gone up to the mountains, came as far as the valley of the cluster: and having viewed the land,

25 They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us word: “It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.”

Taking of the fruits thereof, to shew its fertility, they brought them to us, and said: The land is good, which the Lord our God will give us.

26 But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God.

And you would not go up, but being incredulous to the word of the Lord our God,

27 You grumbled in your tents and said, “Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be annihilated.

You murmured in your tents, and said: The Lord hateth us, and therefore he hath brought us out of the land of Egypt, that he might deliver us into the hand of the Amorrhite, and destroy us.

28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’”

Whither shall we go up? the messengers have terrified our hearts, saying: The multitude is very great, and taller than we: the cities are great, and walled up to the sky, we have seen the sons of the Enacims there.

29 So I said to you: “Do not be terrified or afraid of them!

And I said to you: Fear not, neither be ye afraid of them:

30 The LORD your God, who goes before you, will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt

The Lord God, who is your leader, himself will fight for you, as he did in Egypt in the sight of all.

31 and in the wilderness, where the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way by which you traveled until you reached this place.”

And in the wilderness (as thou hast seen) the Lord thy God hath carried thee, as a man is wont to carry his little son, all the way that you have come, until you came to this place.

32 But in spite of all this, you did not trust the LORD your God,

And yet for all this you did not believe the Lord your God,

33 who went before you on the journey, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, to seek out a place for you to camp and to show you the road to travel.

Who went before you in the way, and marked out the place, wherein you should pitch your tents, in the night shewing you the way by fire, and in the day by the pillar of a cloud.

34 When the LORD heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath, saying,

And when the Lord had heard the voice of your words, he was angry and swore, and said:

35 “Not one of the men of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your fathers,

Not one of the men of this wicked generation shall see the good land, which I promised with an oath to your fathers:

36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”

Except Caleb the son of Jephone: for he shall see it, and to him I will give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath followed the Lord.

37 The LORD was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land.

Neither is his indignation against the people to be wondered at, since the Lord was angry with me also on your account, and said: Neither shalt thou go in thither.

38 Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit the land.

But Josue the son of Nun, thy minister, he shall go in for thee: exhort and encourage him, and he shall divide the land by lot to Israel.

39 And the little ones you said would become captives—your children who on that day did not know good from evil—will enter the land that I will give them, and they will possess it.

Your children, of whom you said that they should be led away captives, and your sons who know not this day the difference of good and evil, they shall go in: and to them I will give the land, and they shall possess it.

40 But you are to turn back and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.”

But return you and go into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.

41 “We have sinned against the LORD,” you replied. “We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God has commanded us.” Then each of you put on his weapons of war, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.

And you answered me: We have sinned against the Lord: we will go up and fight, as the Lord our God hath commanded. And when you went ready armed unto the mountain,

42 But the LORD said to me, “Tell them not to go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from defeat by your enemies.”

The Lord said to me: Say to them: Go not up, and fight not, for I am not with you: lest you fall before your enemies.

43 So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country.

I spoke, and you hearkened not: but resisting the commandment of the Lord, and swelling with pride, you went up into the mountain.

44 Then the Amorites who lived in the hills came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from Seir all the way to Hormah.

And the Amorrhite that dwelt in the mountains coming out, and meeting you, chased you, as bees do: and made slaughter of you from Seir as far as Horma.

45 And you returned and wept before the LORD, but He would not listen to your voice or give ear to you.

And when you returned and wept before the Lord, he heard you not, neither would he yield to; your voice.

46 For this reason you stayed in Kadesh for a long time—a very long time.

So you abode in Cadesbarne a long time.