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 be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel beyond Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah over against Suph, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab.

2 (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by the road that passes Mount Seir.)

It is eleven days’ [journey] from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.

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.

And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto 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 he had smitten Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt in Ashtaroth, at Edrei:

5 Speaking on the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain these instructions, saying:

beyond Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,

6 The Lord our God told us at Horeb: “You have remained here beside this mountain for long enough.

The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt 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 take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and unto all [the places] nigh thereunto, in the Arabah, in the hill country, and in the lowland, and in the South, and by the sea shore, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the 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, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto 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 spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:

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.

The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye 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, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!

12 But how can I take on all your troubles, burdens, and arguments just by myself?

How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?

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.”

Take you wise men, and understanding, and known, according to your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.

14 You replied to me, saying, “Your proposal is a good one.”

And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good [for us] 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.

So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers, according to your tribes.

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 charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear [the causes] between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.

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.”

Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring unto 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 at that time all the things which ye should 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 we journeyed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which ye saw, by the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.

20 I explained to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving to us.

And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God giveth unto 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.”

Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath spoken unto thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.

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 ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto which we shall come.

23 It seemed like a good plan to me, so I chose twelve of your men, one from each tribe.

And the thing pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe:

24 They set off and went up into the hill country as far as the Valley of Eshcol, exploring the land.

and they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.

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.”

And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God giveth unto us.

26 But you didn't want to go. You rebelled against the instructions of the Lord your God.

Yet ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your 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.

and ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to 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 are we going up? our brethren have made our heart to melt, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fenced up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.

29 So I told you, “Don't be frightened or scared of them!

Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be 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 your God who goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;

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, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place.

32 Despite all this, you didn't trust the Lord your God,

Yet in this thing ye 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, to seek you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in the cloud by day.

34 When the Lord heard what you were saying, he got angry and swore an oath:

And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,

35 “Not a single one of this evil generation will see the good land I promised to give your forefathers,

Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see the good land, which I sware to give unto 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.”

save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, he shall see it; and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children: because he hath wholly followed the LORD.

37 The Lord also got angry with me because of you. He told me, “Even you won't enter the country.

Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not 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.

Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage thou him; for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

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.

Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which this day have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, 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 as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way to 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.

Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And ye girded on every man his weapons of war, and were forward to go up into 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.”

And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten 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.

So I spake unto you, and ye hearkened not; but ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and were presumptuous, and 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 Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even unto Hormah.

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 ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD hearkened not to your voice, nor gave ear unto you.

46 You stayed there in Kadesh for a long time.

So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode [there].