Deuteronomy 31

1 And so, Moses went out, and he spoke all these words to all of Israel.

And Moses finished speaking all these words to all the children of Israel;

2 And he said to them: “Today, I am one hundred and twenty years old. I am no longer able to go out and return, especially since the Lord has also said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’

and said to them, I am this day a hundred and twenty years [old]; I shall not be able any longer to come in or go out; and the Lord said to me, You shall not go over this Jordan.

3 Therefore, the Lord your God will go across before you. He himself will abolish all these nations in your sight, and you shall possess them. And this man Joshua shall go across before you, just as the Lord has spoken.

The Lord your God who goes before you, he shall destroy these nations before you, and you shall inherit them: and [it shall be] Joshua that goes before your face, as the Lord has spoken.

4 And the Lord will do to them just as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, and he will wipe them away.

And the Lord your God shall do to them as he did to Seon and Og the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond Jordan, and to their land, as he destroyed them.

5 Therefore, when the Lord will have delivered these to you also, you shall act similarly toward them, just as I have instructed you.

And the Lord has delivered them to you; and you shall do to them, as I charged you.

6 Act manfully and be strengthened. Do not be afraid, and do not dread at the sight of them. For the Lord your God himself is your commander, and he will neither dismiss nor abandon you.”

Be courageous and strong, fear not, neither be cowardly neither be afraid before them; for [it is] the Lord your God that advances with you in the midst of you, neither will he by any means forsake you, nor desert you.

7 And Moses called Joshua, and, before all of Israel, he said to him: ‘Be strong and valiant. For you shall lead this people into the land which the Lord swore that he would give to their fathers, and you shall divide it by lot.

And Moses called Joshua, and said to him before all Israel, Be courageous and strong; for you shall go in before this people into the land which the Lord sware to your fathers to give to them, and you shall give it to them for an inheritance.

8 And the Lord, who is your commander, will himself be with you. He will neither renounce nor abandon you. Do not be afraid, and do not dread.”

And the Lord that goes with you shall not forsake you nor abandon you; fear not, neither be afraid.

9 And so, Moses wrote this law, and he handed it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.

And Moses wrote the words of this law in a book, and gave it to the priests the sons of Levi who bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to the elders of the sons of Israel.

10 And he instructed them, saying: “After seven years, in the year of remission, at the solemnity of the Feast of Tabernacles,

And Moses charged them in that day, saying, After seven years, in the time of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,

11 when all of Israel has convened in order to appear in the sight of the Lord your God, in the place which the Lord will choose, you shall read the words of this law before all of Israel, in their hearing.

when all Israel come together to appear before the Lord your God, in the place which the Lord shall choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their ears,

12 And when the people have gathered together, men as well as women and little children, and the new arrivals who are within your gates, they shall listen so that they may learn, and may fear the Lord your God, and may keep and fulfill all the words of this law,

having assembled the people, the men, and the women, and the children, and the stranger that is in your cities, that they may hear, and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God; and they shall listen to do all the words of this law.

13 and also so that their sons, who are now ignorant, may be able to listen, and may fear the Lord their God all the days that they live in the land to which you will travel, crossing the Jordan in order to obtain it.”

And their sons who have not known shall hear, and shall learn to fear the Lord your God all the days that they live upon the land, into which you go over Jordan to inherit it.

14 And the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, the days of your death draw near. Call Joshua, and stand in the tabernacle of the testimony, so that I may instruct him.” Therefore, Moses and Joshua went and stood in the tabernacle of the testimony.

And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, the days of your death are at hand; call Joshua, and stand you by the doors of the tabernacle of testimony, and I will give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went to the tabernacle of testimony, and stood by the doors of the tabernacle of testimony.

15 And the Lord appeared there, in a pillar of cloud, which stood at the entrance of the tabernacle.

And the Lord descended in a cloud, and stood by the doors of the tabernacle of testimony; and the pillar of the cloud stood by the doors of the tabernacle of testimony.

16 And the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers, and this people will rise up and will fornicate after foreign gods, in the land which they will enter so that they may live in it. In that place, they will forsake me, and they will make void the covenant that I have formed with them.

And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers, and this people will arise and go a whoring after the strange gods of the land, into which they are entering: and they will forsake me, and break my covenant, which I made with them.

17 And my fury will be enraged against them in that day. And I will abandon them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured. Every evil and affliction will find them, so much so that they will say in that day: ‘Truly, it is because God is not with me that these evils have found me.’

And I will be very angry with them in that day, and I will leave them and turn my face away from them, and they shall be devoured; and many evils and afflictions shall come upon them; and they shall say in that day, Because the Lord my God is not with me, these evils have come upon me.

18 But I will hide myself, and I will conceal my face in that day, because of all the evils that they have done, because they have followed strange gods.

And I will surely turn away my face from them in that day, because of all their evil doings which they have done, because they turned aside after strange gods.

19 And so, write this canticle now, and teach it to the sons of Israel, so that they may retain it in memory, and may chant it by mouth, and so that this verse may be a testimony to me among the sons of Israel.

And now write the words of this song, and teach it to the children of Israel, and you shall put it into their mouth, that this song may witness for me among the children of Israel to their face.

20 For I will lead them into the land, about which I swore to their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. And when they have eaten, and have been satiated and fattened, they will turn aside to foreign gods, and they will serve them. And they will disparage me, and they will nullify my covenant.

For I will bring them into the good land, which I sware to their fathers, to give to them a land flowing with milk and honey: and they shall eat and be filled and satisfy [themselves]; then will they turn aside after other gods, and serve them, and they will provoke me, and break my covenant.

21 And after many evils and afflictions have overwhelmed them, this canticle will answer them as a testimony; it shall never pass into oblivion, away from the mouths of their offspring. For I know their thoughts and what they are about to do today, even before I lead them into the land which I have promised to them.”

And this song shall stand up to witness against them; for they shall not forget it out of their mouth, or out of the mouth of their seed; for I know their wickedness, what they are doing here this day, before I have brought them into the good land, which I sware to their fathers.

22 Therefore, Moses wrote the canticle, and he taught it to the sons of Israel.

And Moses wrote this song in that day, and taught it to the children of Israel.

23 And the Lord instructed Joshua, the son of Nun, and he said: “Be strong and valiant. For you shall lead the sons of Israel into the land which I have promised, and I will be with you.”

And he charged Joshua, and said, Be courageous and strong, for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land, which the Lord sware to them, and he shall be with you.

24 Therefore, after Moses had written the words of this law in a volume, and had finished it,

And when Moses finished writing all the words of this law in a book, even to the end,

25 he instructed the Levites, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying:

then he charged the Levites who bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying,

26 “Take this book, and place it inside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, so that it may be there as a testimony against you.

Take the book of this law, and you shall put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God; and it shall be there among you for a testimony.

27 For I know your contentiousness and your very stiff neck. Even while I am still living and entering with you, you have always acted with contention against the Lord. How much more so when I will be dead?

For I know your provocation, and your stiff neck; for yet during my life with you at this day, you have been provoking in your conduct toward God: how shall you not also be so after my death?

28 Gather to me all those greater by birth throughout your tribes, as well as your teachers, and I will speak these words in their hearing, and I will call heaven and earth as witnesses against them.

Gather together to me the heads of your tribes, and your elders, and your judges, and your officers, that I may speak in their ears all these words; and I call both heaven and earth to witness against them.

29 For I know that, after my death, you will act with iniquity, and you will quickly depart from the way that I have instructed to you. And so, evils will meet you in the end time, when you will have done evil in the sight of the Lord so as to provoke him through the works of your hands.”

For I know that after my death you will utterly transgress, and turn aside out of the way which I have commanded you; and evils shall come upon you in the latter days, because you will do evil before the Lord, to provoke him to anger by the works of your hands. And Moses spoke all the words of this song even to the end, in the ears of the whole assembly.

30 Thus did Moses speak, in the hearing of the entire assembly of Israel, the words of this canticle, and he completed it to its very end.