Deuteronomy 31

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

When Moses had finished speaking 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 now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the 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 cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will dispossess them. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as the LORD has said.

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.

And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He destroyed them along with their land.

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 over to you, and you must do to them exactly as 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 terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave 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.

Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.

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 goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or 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.

So Moses wrote down this law and gave 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 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;

Then Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of remission of debt, during the Feast of Tabernacles,

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 comes before the LORD your God at the place He will choose, you are to read this law in the hearing of all Israel.

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—men, women, children, and the foreigners within your gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and to follow carefully 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.

Then their children who do not know the law will listen and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

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.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the time of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, so that I may commission him.” So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at 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.

Then the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.

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.

And the LORD said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant 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?

On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with 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.

And on that day I will surely hide My face because of all the evil they have done by turning 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 down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites; have them recite it, so that it may be a witness for Me against them.

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.

When I have brought them into the land that I swore to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. Then they will turn to other gods and worship them, and they will reject 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.

And when many troubles and afflictions have come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants. For I know their inclination, even before I bring them into the land that I swore to give them.”

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

So that very day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites.

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.

Then the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them, and 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 in a book the words of this law from beginning to end,

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

he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD:

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 place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as 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 how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are already rebelling against the LORD while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel 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 before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officers so that I may speak these words in their hearing 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 become utterly corrupt and turn from the path I have commanded you. And in the days to come, disaster will befall you because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger by 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: —

Then Moses recited aloud to the whole assembly of Israel the words of this song from beginning to end: