Deuteronomy 1
1 These [are] the words which Moses has spoken to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain opposite Suph, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-Zahab.
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 [It takes] eleven days [to go] from Horeb, the way of Mount Seir, to Kadesh-Barnea.
eleven days from Horeb, by way of Mount Seir as far as Kadesh-barnea.
3 And it comes to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, Moses has spoken to the sons of Israel according to all that YHWH has commanded him concerning 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 his striking Sihon king of the Amorite who is dwelling in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan who is dwelling in Ashtaroth 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 Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses has begun to explain this law, saying,
across the Jordan in the land of Moab. And so, Moses began to explain the law, and to say:
6 “Our God YHWH has spoken to us in Horeb, saying, For you dwell at this mountain long enough;
“The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying: ‘You have remained long enough on this mountain.
7 turn and journey for yourselves, and go to the mountain of the Amorite, and to all its neighboring places in the plain, in the hill-country, and in the low country, and in the south, and in the haven of the sea, the land of the Canaanite, and of Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates River;
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 see, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which YHWH has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to 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 speak to you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you by myself;
And I said to you, at that time:
10 your God YHWH has multiplied you, and behold, today you [are] as the stars of the heavens 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 YHWH, God of your fathers, is adding to you, as you [are], one thousand times, and blesses you as He has spoken to 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 do I bear your pressure, and your burden, and your strife by myself?
Alone, I do not have the strength to endure your arbitrations and judgments and disputes.
13 Provide wise and understanding men for yourselves that are known to your tribes, and I set them for your heads;
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 you answer me and say, The thing which you have spoken [is] good to do.
Then you responded to me: ‘What you intend to do is a good thing.’
15 And I take the heads of your tribes, wise men that are known, and I appoint them [as] heads over you, princes of thousands, and princes of hundreds, and princes of fifties, and princes of tens, and authorities for 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 command your judges at that time, saying, Listen between your brothers—then you have judged [in] righteousness between a man, and his brother, and his sojourner;
And I instructed them, saying: ‘Listen to them, and judge what is just, whether he is one of your citizens or a sojourner.
17 you do not discern faces in judgment; you hear the little as well as the great; you are not afraid of the face of any, for the judgment is God’s, and the thing which is too hard for you, you bring near to me, and I have heard 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 command you at that time all the things which you do.
And I instructed you in all that you were obliged to do.
19 And we journey from Horeb, and go [through] all that great and fearful wilderness which you have seen, the way of the hill-country of the Amorite, as our God YHWH has commanded us, and we come 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 say to you, You have come to the hill-country of the Amorite, which our God YHWH is giving to us;
I said to you: ‘You have arrived at the mountain of the Amorite, which the Lord our God will give to us.
21 see, your God YHWH has set the land before you; go up, possess, as YHWH, God of your fathers, has spoken to you; do not fear, nor be frightened.
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 you come near to me, all of you, and say, Let us send men before us, and they search the land for us, and they bring us back word [concerning] the way in which we go up into it, and the cities to which we come in;
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 thing is good in my eyes, and I take twelve men from you, one man for the tribe.
And since the word was pleasing to me, I sent from among you twelve men, one from each tribe.
24 And they turn and go up to the hill-country, and come to the Valley of Eshcol, and spy 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 take in their hand from the fruit of the land, and bring [it] down to us, and bring us back word, and say, The land is good which our God YHWH is giving to 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 And you have not been willing to go up, and you provoke the mouth of your God YHWH,
Yet you were not willing to go there. Instead, being incredulous to the word of the Lord our God,
27 and murmur in your tents, and say, In YHWH’s hating us He has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorite—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 to where are we going up? Our brothers have melted our heart, saying, [The] people [are] greater and taller than we; [the] cities [are] great and fortified up to the heavens, and we have also seen sons of Anakim 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 And I say to you, Do not be terrified, nor be afraid of them;
And I said to you: ‘Do not be apprehensive, nor should you fear them.
30 your God YHWH, who is going before you—He fights for you, according to all that He has done with 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 you have seen that your God YHWH has carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have gone until your coming to 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 And in this thing you are not steadfast in your God YHWH,
And yet, despite all of this, you did not believe the Lord your God,
33 who is going before you in the way to search out for you a place for your encamping, in fire by night, to show you in the way in which you 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 YHWH hears the voice of your words, and is angry, and swears, saying,
And when the Lord had heard the voice of your words, becoming angry, he swore and said:
35 Not one of these men of this evil generation sees the good land which I have sworn to give to 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 except Caleb son of Jephunneh—he sees it, and to him I give the land on which he has trodden, and to his sons, because that he has been fully after YHWH.
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 Moreover, YHWH has been angry with me for your sake, saying, Indeed, you do not go in there;
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 Joshua son of Nun, who is standing before you, he goes in there; strengthen him, for he causes 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 And your infants, of whom you have said, They are for a prey, and your sons who today have not known good and evil, they go in there, and I give it to them, and they 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 you, turn and journey for yourselves toward the wilderness, 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 And you answer and say to me, We have sinned against YHWH; we go up and we have fought, according to all that which our God YHWH has commanded us; and you each gird on his weapons of war, and you are ready to go up into the hill-country;
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 YHWH says to me, Say to them, You do not go up, nor fight, for I am not in your midst, and you are not struck 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 And I speak to you, and you have not listened, and provoke the mouth of YHWH, and act proudly, and go up into the hill-country;
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 Amorite who is dwelling in that hill-country comes out to meet you, and they pursue you as the bees do, and strike you in Seir, even to 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 you return and weep before YHWH, and YHWH has not listened to your voice, nor has He given ear to 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 and you dwell in Kadesh [for] many days, according to the days which you had dwelt.”
Therefore, you camped at Kadesh-barnea for a long time.”
