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 that Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—in the Arabah opposite Suph—between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
2 [It takes] eleven days [to go] from Horeb, the way of Mount Seir, to Kadesh-Barnea.
It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir.
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 first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning 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.
This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.
5 Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses has begun to explain this law, saying,
On the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:
6 “Our God YHWH has spoken to us in Horeb, saying, For you dwell at this mountain long enough;
The LORD our God said to us at Horeb: “You have stayed at this mountain long enough.
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;
Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the foothills, in the Negev, and along the seacoast to the land of the Canaanites and to 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.
See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess the land that the LORD swore He would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.”
9 And I speak to you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you by myself;
At that time I said to you, “I cannot carry the burden for you alone.
10 your God YHWH has multiplied you, and behold, today you [are] as the stars of the heavens for multitude;
The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky.
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, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He has promised.
12 How do I bear your pressure, and your burden, and your strife by myself?
But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself?
13 Provide wise and understanding men for yourselves that are known to your tribes, and I set them for your heads;
Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.”
14 and you answer me and say, The thing which you have spoken [is] good to do.
And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.”
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.
So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes.
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;
At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident.
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.
Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”
18 And I command you at that time all the things which you do.
And at that time I commanded you all the things you were 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.
And just as the LORD our God had commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites, through all the vast and terrifying wilderness you have seen. When we reached 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: “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving 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.
See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
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;
Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.”
23 and the thing is good in my eyes, and I take twelve men from you, one man for the tribe.
The plan seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from among you, 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,
They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied out 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.
They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us word: “It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.”
26 And you have not been willing to go up, and you provoke the mouth of your God YHWH,
But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your 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 grumbled in your tents and said, “Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be annihilated.
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.
Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’”
29 And I say to you, Do not be terrified, nor be afraid of them;
So I said to you: “Do not be terrified or afraid of 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 your God, who goes before you, will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt
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, where the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way by which you traveled until you reached this place.”
32 And in this thing you are not steadfast in your God YHWH,
But in spite of all this, you did not trust 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 journey, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, to seek out a place for you to camp and to show you the road to travel.
34 And YHWH hears the voice of your words, and is angry, and swears, saying,
When the LORD heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath, saying,
35 Not one of these men of this evil generation sees the good land which I have sworn to give to your fathers,
“Not one of the men of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give 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 son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”
37 Moreover, YHWH has been angry with me for your sake, saying, Indeed, you do not go in there;
The LORD was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land.
38 Joshua son of Nun, who is standing before you, he goes in there; strengthen him, for he causes Israel to inherit [it].
Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit the land.
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;
And the little ones you said would become captives—your children who on that day did not know good from evil—will enter the land that I will give them, and they will possess it.
40 but you, turn and journey for yourselves toward the wilderness, the way of the Red Sea.
But you are to turn back and head for the wilderness along the route to 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;
“We have sinned against the LORD,” you replied. “We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God has commanded us.” Then each of you put on his weapons of war, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
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.
But the LORD said to me, “Tell them not to go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from defeat by 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;
So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country.
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.
Then the Amorites who lived in the hills came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you 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 you returned and wept before the LORD, but He would not listen to your voice or give ear to you.
46 and you dwell in Kadesh [for] many days, according to the days which you had dwelt.”
For this reason you stayed in Kadesh for a long time—a very long time.
