Deuteronomy 31

1 And Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel.

And so, Moses went out, and he spoke all these words to all of Israel.

2 He said to them, "I am one hundred twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: and Jehovah has said to me, 'You shall not go over this Jordan.'

And he said to them: “Today, I am one hundred and twenty years old. I am no longer able to go out and return, especially since the Lord has also said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’

3 Jehovah your God, he will go over before you; he will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua shall go over before you, as Jehovah has spoken.

Therefore, the Lord your God will go across before you. He himself will abolish all these nations in your sight, and you shall possess them. And this man Joshua shall go across before you, just as the Lord has spoken.

4 Jehovah will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land; whom he destroyed.

And the Lord will do to them just as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, and he will wipe them away.

5 Jehovah will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.

Therefore, when the Lord will have delivered these to you also, you shall act similarly toward them, just as I have instructed you.

6 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, nor be scared of them: for Jehovah your God is he who is going with you; he will not leave you nor forsake you."

Act manfully and be strengthened. Do not be afraid, and do not dread at the sight of them. For the Lord your God himself is your commander, and he will neither dismiss nor abandon you.”

7 Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous: for you shall go with this people into the land which Jehovah has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it.

And Moses called Joshua, and, before all of Israel, he said to him: ‘Be strong and valiant. For you shall lead this people into the land which the Lord swore that he would give to their fathers, and you shall divide it by lot.

8 Jehovah, he it is who does go before you; he will be with you, he will not fail you, neither forsake you: do not be afraid, neither be dismayed."

And the Lord, who is your commander, will himself be with you. He will neither renounce nor abandon you. Do not be afraid, and do not dread.”

9 Moses wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and to all the elders of Israel.

And so, Moses wrote this law, and he handed it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.

10 Moses commanded them, saying, "At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of tents,

And he instructed them, saying: “After seven years, in the year of remission, at the solemnity of the Feast of Tabernacles,

11 when all Israel has come to appear before Jehovah your God in the place which he shall choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

when all of Israel has convened in order to appear in the sight of the Lord your God, in the place which the Lord will choose, you shall read the words of this law before all of Israel, in their hearing.

12 Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and your foreigner who is within your gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear Jehovah your God, and observe to do all the words of this law;

And when the people have gathered together, men as well as women and little children, and the new arrivals who are within your gates, they shall listen so that they may learn, and may fear the Lord your God, and may keep and fulfill all the words of this law,

13 and that their children, who have not known, may hear, and learn to fear Jehovah your God, as long as you live in the land where you go over the Jordan to possess it."

and also so that their sons, who are now ignorant, may be able to listen, and may fear the Lord their God all the days that they live in the land to which you will travel, crossing the Jordan in order to obtain it.”

14 Jehovah said to Moses, "Look, your days approach that you must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, that I may commission him." Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the Tent of Meeting.

And the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, the days of your death draw near. Call Joshua, and stand in the tabernacle of the testimony, so that I may instruct him.” Therefore, Moses and Joshua went and stood in the tabernacle of the testimony.

15 Jehovah appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud: and the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the Tent.

And the Lord appeared there, in a pillar of cloud, which stood at the entrance of the tabernacle.

16 Jehovah said to Moses, "Look, you shall sleep with your fathers; and this people will rise up, and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land, where they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

And the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers, and this people will rise up and will fornicate after foreign gods, in the land which they will enter so that they may live in it. In that place, they will forsake me, and they will make void the covenant that I have formed with them.

17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, 'Haven't these evils come on us because our God is not among us?'

And my fury will be enraged against them in that day. And I will abandon them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured. Every evil and affliction will find them, so much so that they will say in that day: ‘Truly, it is because God is not with me that these evils have found me.’

18 I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they shall have worked, in that they are turned to other gods.

But I will hide myself, and I will conceal my face in that day, because of all the evils that they have done, because they have followed strange gods.

19 "Now therefore write the words of this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

And so, write this canticle now, and teach it to the sons of Israel, so that they may retain it in memory, and may chant it by mouth, and so that this verse may be a testimony to me among the sons of Israel.

20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat; then will they turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.

For I will lead them into the land, about which I swore to their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. And when they have eaten, and have been satiated and fattened, they will turn aside to foreign gods, and they will serve them. And they will disparage me, and they will nullify my covenant.

21 It shall happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants: for I know their imagination which they frame this day, before I have brought them into the land which I swore."

And after many evils and afflictions have overwhelmed them, this canticle will answer them as a testimony; it shall never pass into oblivion, away from the mouths of their offspring. For I know their thoughts and what they are about to do today, even before I lead them into the land which I have promised to them.”

22 So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.

Therefore, Moses wrote the canticle, and he taught it to the sons of Israel.

23 He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, "Be strong and courageous; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them: and I will be with you."

And the Lord instructed Joshua, the son of Nun, and he said: “Be strong and valiant. For you shall lead the sons of Israel into the land which I have promised, and I will be with you.”

24 It happened, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law on a scroll, until they were finished,

Therefore, after Moses had written the words of this law in a volume, and had finished it,

25 that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, saying,

he instructed the Levites, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying:

26 "Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.

“Take this book, and place it inside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, so that it may be there as a testimony against you.

27 For I know your rebellion, and your stiff neck: look, while I am yet alive with you this day, you have been rebellious against God; and how much more after my death?

For I know your contentiousness and your very stiff neck. Even while I am still living and entering with you, you have always acted with contention against the Lord. How much more so when I will be dead?

28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes, and your elders and your judges and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them.

Gather to me all those greater by birth throughout your tribes, as well as your teachers, and I will speak these words in their hearing, and I will call heaven and earth as witnesses against them.

29 For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will happen to you in the latter days; because you will do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands."

For I know that, after my death, you will act with iniquity, and you will quickly depart from the way that I have instructed to you. And so, evils will meet you in the end time, when you will have done evil in the sight of the Lord so as to provoke him through the works of your hands.”

30 Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished.

Thus did Moses speak, in the hearing of the entire assembly of Israel, the words of this canticle, and he completed it to its very end.