Deuteronomy 1

1 These [be] the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red [sea], between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

These are the words which Moses spoke to all of Israel, across the Jordan, in the plain of the wilderness opposite the Red Sea, between Paran and Tophel and Laban and Hazeroth, where gold is very plentiful,

2 ([There are] eleven days’ [journey] from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)

eleven days from Horeb, by way of Mount Seir as far as Kadesh-barnea.

3 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;

In the fortieth year, on the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, Moses told the sons of Israel all that the Lord had instructed him. And so he spoke to them,

4 After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:

after he had struck down Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon, and Og, the king of Bashan, who resided at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,

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

across the Jordan in the land of Moab. And so, Moses began to explain the law, and to say:

6 The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:

“The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying: ‘You have remained long enough on this mountain.

7 Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all [the places] nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.

Turn back and go to the mountain of the Amorites, and to the other places which are near it: the plains as well as the mountainous regions, and the low-lying places opposite the south and along the shore of the sea, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river Euphrates.’

8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.

‘Lo,’ he said, ‘I have delivered it to you. Enter and possess that which the Lord swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would give it to them, and to their offspring after them.’

9 And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:

And I said to you, at that time:

10 The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye [are] this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.

‘I alone am not able to sustain you. For the Lord, your God, has multiplied you, and you are today like the stars of heaven, very many.

11 (The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye [are], and bless you, as he hath promised you!)

May the Lord, the God of your fathers, add to this number many thousands more, and may he bless you, just as he has said.

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

Alone, I do not have the strength to endure your arbitrations and judgments and disputes.

13 Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.

Offer, from among you, wise and experienced men, those whose conversation has been proven within your tribes, so that I may appoint them as your rulers.’

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

Then you responded to me: ‘What you intend to do is a good thing.’

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

And so, I took from your tribes men, wise and noble, and I appointed them as rulers, as tribunes and centurions, and as leaders over fifty and over ten, who would teach you each thing.

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

And I instructed them, saying: ‘Listen to them, and judge what is just, whether he is one of your citizens or a sojourner.

17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; [but] ye shall hear the small as well as the great; 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, bring [it] unto me, and I will hear it.

There shall be no favoritism to any persons. So you shall listen to the little as well as to the great. And you shall not accept anyone’s reputation, for this is the judgment of God. But if anything seems difficult to you, then refer it to me, and I will hear it.’

18 And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.

And I instructed you in all that you were obliged to do.

19 And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.

Then, setting out from Horeb, we crossed through a terrible and great wasteland, which you saw along the way of the mountain of the Amorite, just as the Lord our God had instructed us. And when we had arrived at Kadesh-barnea,

20 And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.

I said to you: ‘You have arrived at the mountain of the Amorite, which the Lord our God will give to us.

21 Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up [and] possess [it], as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

Gaze upon the land that the Lord your God gives to you. Ascend and possess it, just as the Lord our God has spoken to your fathers. Do not be afraid, and do not become terrified by anything.’

22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

And you all approached me and said: ‘Let us send men who may consider the land, and who may report as to the way by which we ought to ascend, and as to which cities we ought to travel.’

23 And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:

And since the word was pleasing to me, I sent from among you twelve men, one from each tribe.

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

These, when they had set out and had ascended the mountains, arrived as far as the valley of the cluster of grapes. And having considered the land,

25 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 doth give us.

having taken from its fruits in order to show its fertility, they brought these to us, and they said: ‘The land that the Lord our God will give to us is good.’

26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:

Yet you were not willing to go there. Instead, being incredulous to the word of the Lord our God,

27 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.

you murmured in your tents, and you said: ‘The Lord hates us, and therefore he has led us away from the land of Egypt, so that he might deliver us into the hand of the Amorite and destroy us.

28 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people [is] greater and taller than we; the cities [are] great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

To where should we ascend? The messengers have terrified our heart by saying: “The multitude is very great, and taller than us. And the cities are great, and the walls extend even to the sky. We have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’

29 Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

And I said to you: ‘Do not be apprehensive, nor should you fear them.

30 The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;

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

31 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 into this place.

And in the wilderness (as you yourselves saw), the Lord your God carried you, like a man who is accustomed to carrying his little son, along all the way that you walked, until you arrived at this place.’

32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,

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

33 Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents [in], in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.

who went before you on the way, and who marked out the place where you should pitch your tents, showing you the way by fire in the night, and by a pillar of cloud in the day.

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

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

35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,

‘None of the men of this wicked generation will see the good land, which I have promised by oath to your fathers,

36 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.

except Caleb the son of Jephuneh. For he himself will see it, and I will give the land on which he has walked to him and to his sons, because he has followed the Lord.’

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

Neither is his indignation with the people a wonder, since the Lord also became angry with me because of you, and so he said: ‘Neither will you enter into that place.

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

But Joshua, the son of Nun, your minister, shall himself enter on your behalf. Exhort and strengthen this man, and he himself shall divide the land by lot to Israel.

39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

Your little ones, about whom you said that they would be led away as captives, and your sons, who to this day are ignorant of the difference between good and evil, they shall enter. And I will give the land to them, and they will possess it.

40 But [as for] you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

But as for you, turn back and go out to the wilderness, by way of the Red Sea.’

41 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 when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.

And you responded to me: ‘We have sinned against the Lord. We will ascend and fight, just as the Lord our God has instructed.’ And having been equipped with weapons, when you were setting out for the mountain,

42 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.

the Lord said to me: ‘Say to them: Do not ascend and do not fight. For I am not with you. Otherwise, you may fall in the sight of your enemies.’

43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.

I spoke, and you did not listen. But, opposing the order of the Lord, and swelling with pride, you ascended onto the mountain.

44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, [even] unto Hormah.

And so, having gone forth, the Amorite, who was living in the mountains, came against you and pursued you, just as a swarm of bees would do. And he struck you down from Seir all the way to Hormah.

45 And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.

And when you returned and were weeping in the sight of the Lord, he would not hear you, nor was he willing to agree to your voice.

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

Therefore, you camped at Kadesh-barnea for a long time.”