Deuteronomy 1
1 This is the record of what Moses told all the Israelites during their time in the desert to the east of the Jordan. They were in the Arabah near Suph, between Paran on the one side and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab on the other.
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 takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by the road that passes Mount Seir.)
Eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Cadesbarne.
3 On the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year, Moses recounted to the Israelites everything that the Lord had instructed him to tell 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 happened after he defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and then at Edrei after he defeated Og king of Bashan, who ruled 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 Speaking on the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain these instructions, saying:
Beyond the Jordan in the land of Moab. And Moses began to expound the law, and to say:
6 The Lord our God told us at Horeb: “You have remained here beside this mountain for long enough.
The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: You have stayed long enough in this mountain:
7 Continue your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites and all their neighbors, into the Jordan Valley, into the hill country, into the foothills, into the Negev, and along the coast to the country of the Canaanites up 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 Look, I'm giving this land to you. Go and take ownership of the land that the Lord promised he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants who would follow 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 That's when I told you, “I can't take responsibility for all of you by myself.
And I said to you at that time:
10 The Lord your God has increased your numbers so much that today there are as many of you as there are 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 forefathers, multiply you a thousand times 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 take on all your troubles, burdens, and arguments just by myself?
I alone am not able to bear your business, and the charge of you and your differences.
13 You must choose for yourselves wise, experienced men with good judgment from each of your tribes, and I will put them in charge 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 You replied to me, saying, “Your proposal is a good one.”
Then you answered me: The thing is good which thou meanest to do.
15 So I summoned your tribal leaders, men with good judgment, and put them in charge of you, as commanders and officials for your tribes. Some were responsible for thousands, some for hundreds, some for fifties, and some for tens.
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 the same time I gave strict instructions to your judges: “Hear the cases brought between your brothers, and make sure you are fair when you judge between a man and his brother or a foreigner living among you.
And I commanded them, saying: Hear them, and judge that which is just: whether he be one of your country, or a stranger.
17 Don't show any favoritism when you judge—treat the powerful and the common people just the same. Don't let anyone intimidate you, because judgment is done on God's behalf. Bring me any case that is too hard 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 This was also the time I instructed you about everything you had to do.
And I commanded you all things that you were to do.
19 Following the orders of the Lord our God, we left Horeb and set off towards the hill country of the Amorites, passing through the whole of the large and terrifying desert that you yourselves have experienced. 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 explained to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving to us.
I said to you: You are come to the mountain of the Amorrhite, which the Lord our God will give to us.
21 Look, the Lord your God has given you the land! Go and take ownership of the land as the Lord, the God of your forefathers, has told you. Don't be frightened or terrified.”
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 you all came to me and suggested, “Let's send men on ahead to explore the land and report back to us about what route to take and which towns we'll come across.”
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 It seemed like a good plan to me, so I chose twelve of your men, one from each tribe.
And because the saying pleased me, I sent of you twelve men, one of every tribe:
24 They set off and went up into the hill country as far as the Valley of Eshcol, exploring 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 brought back some of the country's fruit, carrying it down to us, and gave us the report: “The Lord our God is giving us good land.”
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 didn't want to go. You rebelled against the instructions of the Lord your God.
And you would not go up, but being incredulous to the word of the Lord our God,
27 You complained while you were in your tents and said, “It's because the Lord hates us that he led us out of Egypt in order to hand us over to the Amorites to be wiped out.
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 are we going? Our brothers terrified us because they told us: ‘The people are bigger and taller than us; the towns are large, with high walls that reach the sky. We even saw the descendants of the giant Anak 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 told you, “Don't be frightened or scared of them!
And I said to you: Fear not, neither be ye afraid of them:
30 The Lord your God who leads your way will fight for you in the same way 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 He did the same in the desert—you saw how the Lord your God carried you like a father carries his son during your whole journey until you arrived here.”
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 Despite all this, you didn't trust the Lord your God,
And yet for all this you did not believe the Lord your God,
33 who led you on the journey, present in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, looking to find a place for you to camp and to show you the way to go.
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 what you were saying, he got angry and swore an oath:
And when the Lord had heard the voice of your words, he was angry and swore, and said:
35 “Not a single one of this evil generation will see the good land I promised to give your forefathers,
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 he explored, because he was completely committed to the Lord.”
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 also got angry with me because of you. He told me, “Even you won't enter the country.
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 However, Joshua, son of Nun, your assistant, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will help Israel to occupy 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 Your small children that you claimed would become prisoners, your children who at the time didn't know good from evil, they will be the ones to enter the land that I will give them, and they will occupy 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 now turn around and head back into the desert on the road that leads to the Red Sea.”
But return you and go into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.
41 But you answered and told me, “We have sinned against the Lord! We will go and we will fight and we will do everything the Lord our God has ordered us to do.” Then you all picked up your weapons and prepared for battle thinking it would be easy to go and fight in 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 instructed me, “Order them not to go and fight because I won't be with you to prevent you from being defeated 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 I told you this, but you refused to listen. You defied the instructions of the Lord and arrogantly went to fight in 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 living there in the hills came and attacked you. They chased after you like a swarm of bees, killing you all the way from Seir 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 You came back to camp and wept before the Lord, but he refused to listen to what you said or to pay attention to you.
And when you returned and wept before the Lord, he heard you not, neither would he yield to; your voice.
46 You stayed there in Kadesh for a long time.
So you abode in Cadesbarne a long time.
