Deuteronomy 31

1 And Moses went, and spake these words unto all Israel;

Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.

2 and said unto them—A hundred and twenty years old, am I to-day, I can no more go out and come in, —Yahweh indeed hath said unto me, Thou shall not pass over this Jordan.

He said to them, “I am one hundred twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’

3 Yahweh thy God, is passing over before thee, he, will destroy these nations from before thee so shalt thou dispossess them, —Joshua is passing over before thee, as Yahweh hath spoken.

The LORD your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua will go over before you, as the LORD has spoken.

4 So will Yahweh do unto them as he did unto Sihon and unto Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them whom he destroyed.

The LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them.

5 So will Yahweh deliver them up before you, —and ye shall do unto them—according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.

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

6 Be firm and bold, do not fear nor tremble because of them, —for Yahweh thy God, it is who is going with thee, he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or scared of them, for the LORD your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”

7 And Moses called for Joshua, and said unto him, in the sight of all Israel. Be firm and bold, for, thou, shalt go with this people into the land which Yahweh sware unto their fathers to give unto them, and, thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

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 the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it.

8 But, Yahweh, it is who is going before thee, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee nor forsake thee, —thou must not fear nor be dismayed.

The LORD himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.”

9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, who were bearing the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, —and unto all the elders of Israel.

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

10 And Moses commanded them, saying, —At the end of seven years in the appointed season of the year of release, during the festival of booths;

Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of booths,

11 when all Israel cometh in to see the face of Yahweh thy God, in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel, in their hearing.

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

12 Call together the people—the men and the women and the little ones, and thy sojourner who is within thy gates, —that they may hear, and that they may learn, so shall they revere Yahweh your God, and observe to do all the words of this law;

Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and the foreigners who are within your gates, that they may hear, learn, fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law,

13 and that their children who know not, may hear and learn, that they may revere Yahweh your God, —all the days that ye are living upon the soil, which ye are passing over the Jordan to possess.

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

14 Then said Yahweh unto Moses: Lo! thy days have drawn near that thou must die. Call Joshua and station yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may command him. So Moses went, with Joshua, and they took their station in the tent of meeting.

The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, 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.

15 And Yahweh appeared in the tent, in a pillar of cloud, —and the pillar of cloud stood, at the entrance of the tent.

The LORD appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the Tent’s door.

16 Then said Yahweh unto Moses, Lo! thou art about to sleep with thy fathers, —and this people will rise up, and go away unchastely after the gods of the foreigners of the land into the midst of whom they are entering, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I solemnised with them.

The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. 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.

17 Then will mine anger kindle upon them in that day, and I will forsake them and will hide my face from them and they shall be consumed, and many calamities and misfortunes shall find them out, —and they will say, in that day, Is it not because my God is not in my midst, that these calamities have found me out?

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, ‘Have not these evils come on us because our God is not among us?’

18 But, I, will utterly, hide, my face, in that day, because of all the wickedness which they have done, in that they have turned away unto other gods.

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

19 Now, therefore write ye for you this Song, and teach it unto the sons of Israel put it in their mouths, —that this Song may become for me a witness against the sons of Israel.

“Now therefore write 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.

20 When I bring them upon the soil which I sware unto their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they shall eat and be filled and wax fat, then will they turn away unto other gods and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.

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

21 And it shall come to pass, when many calamities and misfortunes shall find them out, then shall this Song respond to their face, as a witness, for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouth of their seed, for I know their imagination, which they are forming to-day, ere yet I bring them into the land of which I sware unto their fathers.

It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I promised them.”

22 Moses therefore wrote this Song on that day, —and taught it unto the sons of Israel.

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

23 And he commanded Joshua, son of Nun, and said—Be firm and bold, for, thou shalt bring the sons of Israel into the land which I have sworn to them, —and, I, will be with thee.

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. I will be with you.”

24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law, upon a scroll, —until he had finished them,

When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,

25 then Moses commanded the Levites, who were bearing the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, saying:

Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, saying,

26 Take this scroll of the law, and put it at the side of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, —so shall it be there in thy midst as a witness.

“Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the LORD your God’s covenant, that it may be there for a witness against you.

27 For, I, know thy perverseness, and thy stiff neck, —lo! while I am yet alive with you to-day, ye are, quarrelling, with Yahweh, and how much more after my death?

For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. Behold, while I am yet alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD. How much more after my death?

28 Call together unto me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, —and let me speak in their hearing these words, and let me take to witness against them the heavens and the earth.

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

29 For I know that after my death, ye will break faith, and turn aside out of the way which I have commanded you, —and calamity will befall you in the afterpart of the days, because ye will do the thing that is wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, to provoke him with the work of your own hands.

For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn away 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 LORD’s sight, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.”

30 So Moses spake in the hearing of all the convocation of Israel the words of this Song, until they were ended: —

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