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 that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain of the Jordan River valley over against Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
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 to 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.
It happened in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the people of Israel, telling them all that Yahweh commanded him concerning 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.
This was after Yahweh had attacked Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived 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 the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to announce these instructions, saying,
6 The Lord our God told us at Horeb: “You have remained here beside this mountain for long enough.
“Yahweh our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, 'You have lived long enough in this hill country.
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 and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the places near there in the plain of the Jordan River valley, in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Negev, and by the seashore—the land of the Canaanites, and in Lebanon as far as the great river, the 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.”
Look, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land that Yahweh swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give to them and to their descendants after them.'
9 That's when I told you, “I can't take responsibility for all of you by myself.
I spoke to you at that time, saying, 'I am not able to carry 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.
Yahweh your God has multiplied you, and, look, you are today as the multitude of the stars of heaven.
11 May the Lord, the God of your forefathers, multiply you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised.
May Yahweh, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are, and bless you, as he has promised you!
12 But how can I take on all your troubles, burdens, and arguments just by myself?
But how can I myself alone carry your loads, your burdens, and your disputes?
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 wise men, understanding men, and men of good repute from each tribe, and I will make them heads over you.'
14 You replied to me, saying, “Your proposal is a good one.”
You answered me and said, 'The thing that you have 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 men of good repute, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, captains of tens, and officers, tribe by tribe.
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.
I commanded your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the foreigner who 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.”
You will not show partiality to anyone in a dispute; you will hear the small and the great alike. You will not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's. The dispute that is too hard for you, you will bring to me, and I will hear it.'
18 This was also the time I instructed you about everything you had to do.
I commanded you at that time all the things that you 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,
We journeyed away from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness that you saw, on our way to the hill country of the Amorites, as Yahweh our God had 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.
I said to you, 'You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which Yahweh our God is giving 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.”
Look, Yahweh your God has set the land before you; go up, take possession, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you; do not be afraid, neither be 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.”
Every one of you came to me and said, 'Let us send men ahead of us, so that they may search out the land for us, and bring us word about the way by which we should attack, and about the cities to which we will come.'
23 It seemed like a good plan to me, so I chose twelve of your men, one from each tribe.
The advice pleased me well; 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.
They turned and went up into the hill country, came to the Valley of Eshkol, and scouted it.
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.”
They took some of the produce of the land in their hands and brought it down to us. They also brought us word and said, 'It is a good land that Yahweh our God is giving to us.'
26 But you didn't want to go. You rebelled against the instructions of the Lord your God.
Yet you refused to attack, but rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh 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.
You complained in your tents and said, “It is because Yahweh hated us that he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give 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!’”
Where can we go now? Our brothers have made our heart to melt, saying, 'Those people are bigger and taller than we are; their cities are large and are fortified up to the heavens; 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 to you, 'Do not be terrified, 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.
Yahweh your God, who goes before you, he will fight for you, like everything 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 also in the wilderness, where you have seen how Yahweh your God carried you, as a man carries his son, everywhere you went until you came to this place.'
32 Despite all this, you didn't trust the Lord your God,
Yet in spite of this word you did not believe Yahweh 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 on the way to find a place for you to make camp, in fire by night and in a cloud by day.
34 When the Lord heard what you were saying, he got angry and swore an oath:
Yahweh heard the sound of your words and was angry; he swore and said,
35 “Not a single one of this evil generation will see the good land I promised to give your forefathers,
'Surely not one of these men of this evil generation will see the good land that I swore to give to your ancestors,
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 son of Jephunneh; he will see it. To him I will give the land that he has stepped on, and to his children, because he has wholly followed Yahweh.'
37 The Lord also got angry with me because of you. He told me, “Even you won't enter the country.
Also Yahweh was angry with me because of you, saying, 'You also will not go in there;
38 However, Joshua, son of Nun, your assistant, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will help Israel to occupy the land.
Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, he will go in there; encourage him, for he will lead 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 children, the ones you said would be victims, who today have no knowledge of good or evil—they will go in there. To them I will give it, and they will 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 and take your journey into the wilderness along the way to the Sea of Reeds.'
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 you answered and said to me, 'We have sinned against Yahweh; we will go up and fight, and we will follow all that Yahweh our God has commanded us to do.' Every man among you put on his weapons of war, and you were ready to attack the hill country.
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.”
Yahweh said to me, 'Say to them, “Do not attack and do not fight, for I will not be with you, and you will be defeated by 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 to you in this way, but you did not listen. You rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh; you were arrogant and attacked the hill country.
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.
But the Amorites, who lived in that hill country, came out against you and chased you like bees, and struck you down in Seir, as far as 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.
You returned and wept before Yahweh; but Yahweh did not listen to your voice, nor did he pay attention to you.
46 You stayed there in Kadesh for a long time.
So you stayed in Kadesh many days, all the days that you stayed there.
