Deuteronomy 9

1 Hear O Israel you [are] about to pass over this day the Jordan to go to dispossess nations great and mighty more than you cities large and fortified in the heavens.

“You people of Israel, listen to me! You will soon [HYP] cross the Jordan [River]. In the land that you will enter, there are large cities that have very high walls [around them] that [seem to] [HYP] extend up to the sky. There are people-groups in that land that are more numerous and more powerful than you are.

2 A people great and lofty [the] descendants of [the] Anakites whom you you know and you you have heard who? will he stand before [the] descendants of Anak.

Those people are very tall and strong. [Some of them] are giants who are descendants of Anak. You know about them, and you have heard people say that no one [RHQ] can defeat the descendants of Anak.

3 And you will know this day that Yahweh God your he [is] the [one who] is about to pass over before you a fire consuming he he will destroy them and he he will subdue them before you and you will dispossess them and you will destroy them quickly just as he spoke Yahweh to you.

But I want you to know that Yahweh our God will go ahead of you. He will be like a raging/roaring fire. While you advance, he will defeat and destroy them. As a result, you will quickly be able to expel some of them and kill the others, which is what Yahweh promised that you would do.

4 May not you say in heart your when drives out Yahweh God your them - from to before you saying in righteousness my he has brought me Yahweh to take possession of the land this and in [the] wickedness of the nations these Yahweh [is] dispossessing them from before you.

“After Yahweh our God has expelled them for you, do not say to yourselves, ‘It is because we are righteous that Yahweh has enabled us to capture this land.’ The truth is that it is because the people in that land are wicked that Yahweh will expel them as you advance.

5 Not in righteousness your and in [the] uprightness of heart your you [are] about to go to take possession of land their for in [the] wickedness of - the nations these Yahweh God your [is] dispossessing them from before you and so as to carry out the word which he swore Yahweh to ancestors your to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob.

[I say again that] it is not because you are righteous or because you do things that are righteous that you will enter and capture that land. It is because those people-groups are very wicked that Yahweh our God will expel them as you advance, and because he intends to do what he vowed to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would do.

6 And you will know that not in righteousness your Yahweh God your [is] about to give to you the land good this to take possession of it for [are] a people stiff of neck you.

I want you to know that it is not because you are righteous that Yahweh our God is giving you this good/fertile land. I say that because [you are not righteous]; you are a very stubborn [IDM] people.”

7 Remember may not you forget this: you provoked to anger Yahweh God your in the wilderness from the day when you came out - from [the] land of Egypt until came you to the place this rebelling you have been with Yahweh.

“Never forget what your ancestors did in the desert that caused Yahweh our God to become angry. From the day that we left Egypt until the day that we arrived here, you and your ancestors have continually rebelled against him.

8 And at Horeb you provoked to anger Yahweh and he was angry Yahweh with you to destroy you.

Even at Sinai [Mountain] your ancestors caused Yahweh to become angry. Because he was very angry, he was ready to get rid of [all of] them.

9 When went up I the mountain towards to receive [the] tablets of stone [the] tablets of the covenant which he had made Yahweh with you and I remained on the mountain forty day[s] and forty night[s] food not I ate and water not I drank.

When I climbed the mountain to receive from him the stone tablets on which he had written the Ten Commandments that he was giving to them, I stayed there 40 days and nights, and [during that time] I did not eat or drink anything.

10 And he gave Yahweh to me [the] two [the] tablets of stone inscribed by [the] finger of God and [were] on them like all the words which he had spoken Yahweh with you on the mountain from [the] middle of the fire on [the] day of the assembly.

Yahweh gave me the two stone tablets on which he had written [the commandments] with his own fingers. They were the words/commandments that he had spoken to your ancestors from the fire on that mountain, when they were gathered together [at the bottom of the mountain].

11 And it was from [the] end of forty day[s] and forty night[s] he gave Yahweh to me [the] two [the] tablets of stone [the] tablets of the covenant.

“At the end of those 40 days and nights, Yahweh gave me those two stone tablets on which he had written those commandments.

12 And he said Yahweh to me arise go down quickly from here for it has acted corruptly people your which you brought out from Egypt they have turned aside quickly from the way which I commanded them they have made for themselves a molten image.

But then he said to me, ‘Go down the mountain immediately, because [the people whom you are leading], the people whom you led out of Egypt, have committed a terrible sin! They have very quickly done what I commanded them not to do. They have made for themselves a metal statue [of a calf to worship].’

13 And he said Yahweh to me saying I have seen the people this and there! [is] a people stiff of neck it.

Then Yahweh said to me, ‘I have been watching these people, and I see that they are very stubborn.

14 Refrain from me so I may destroy them and I may wipe out name their from under the heavens so I may make you into a nation mighty and great more than it.

So do not try to stop me. I am going to destroy all of them, with the result that no one anywhere will remember (their names [MTY]/that they ever existed). Then I will enable you to become [the ancestor of] a nation that will be more numerous and more powerful than they are.’

15 And I turned and I went down from the mountain and the mountain [was] burning with fire and [the] two [the] tablets of the covenant [were] on [the] two hands my.

So I turned and went down the mountain, carrying in my hands the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were [written]. Fire was burning all over the mountain.

16 And I saw and there! you had sinned to Yahweh God your you had made for yourselves a calf of molten metal you had turned aside quickly from the way which he had commanded Yahweh you.

I looked, and I was shocked to see that your ancestors had committed a [great] sin against Yahweh. They very quickly had begun to do what Yahweh our God had commanded them not to do. They had [requested Aaron to] make for them [a metal image of] a calf [to worship].

17 And I seized [the] two the tablets and I threw them from on [the] two hands my and I broke them to eyes your.

So while they were watching, I lifted up those two stone tablets and threw them [on the ground], and they broke into pieces.

18 And I prostrated myself before Yahweh like the former [time] forty day[s] and forty night[s] food not I ate and water not I drank on all sin your which you had sinned by doing the evil in [the] eyes of Yahweh to provoke to anger him.

Then I (prostrated myself/lay) on the ground in Yahweh’s presence as I had done before, and I did not eat or drink anything for 40 days and nights. I did that because your ancestors had sinned against Yahweh and caused him to become very angry.

19 For I was afraid of the anger and the rage which he was angry Yahweh towards you to destroy you and he listened Yahweh to me also at the time that.

I was afraid/worried that because Yahweh was very angry with them, he would get rid of all of them. [But again I prayed that he would not do that], and again he listened to me [and answered my prayer].

20 And with Aaron he was angry Yahweh exceedingly to destroy him and I prayed also for Aaron at the time (that *L(abh)*)

Yahweh was also very angry with Aaron [for making that golden calf] and was ready to kill Aaron. But at the same time I prayed for Aaron also, [and Yahweh answered my prayer].

21 and sin your which you had made the calf I took and I burned it - with fire and I crushed it grinding [it] well until that it was fine dust and I threw dust its into the wadi which was coming down from the mountain.

Your ancestors had sinned by [requesting Aaron to] make [a metal statue of] a calf. So I took that statue and [I melted it] in a fire and crushed it and ground it into very tiny pieces [HYP]. Then I threw those tiny pieces into the stream that flowed down the mountain.

22 And at Taberah and at Massah and at Kibroth Hattaavah provoking to anger you were Yahweh.

Your ancestors also caused Yahweh to become very angry [by what they did] at [places which they named] Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth-Hattaavah.

23 And when sent Yahweh you from Kadesh Barnea saying go up and take possession of the land which I have given to you and you rebelled against [the] mouth of Yahweh God your and not you believed him and not you listened to voice his.

And when we were at Kadesh-Barnea, Yahweh said to your ancestors, ‘Go up and capture the land that I am about to give to you!’ But they rebelled against him. They did not trust him, and they did not obey what he told [MTY] them to do.

24 Rebelling you have been with Yahweh from [the] day knew I you.

Your ancestors rebelled against Yahweh from the first day that I knew them, [in Egypt].

25 And I prostrated myself before Yahweh [the] forty the day[s] and [the] forty the night[s] which I prostrated myself for he had said Yahweh to destroy you.

So, [as I said], I lay on the ground in Yahweh’s presence for 40 days and nights, because Yahweh had said that he would get rid of your ancestors.

26 And I prayed to Yahweh and I said O Lord Yahweh may not you destroy people your and inheritance your which you redeemed by greatness your which you brought out from Egypt by a hand strong.

And I prayed to Yahweh, saying, ‘Lord God, these people belong to you; do not destroy them. They are people whom you rescued and brought out of Egypt by your very great power. [DOU, MTY]

27 Remember servants your Abraham Isaac and Jacob may not you turn to [the] stubbornness of the people this and to wickedness its and to sin its.

Do not forget [what you promised to] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Please ignore these stubborn and wicked people and the sin that they have committed.

28 Lest they should say the land where you brought out us from there because not was able Yahweh to bring them into the land which he spoke to them and from hatred his them he led out them to put to death them in the wilderness.

If you do not do that, [and if you get rid of them], the people of Egypt will [hear about it and] say that you were not able to bring them into the land that you promised to give to them. They will say that you took them into the desert only to kill them there because you hated them.

29 And they [are] people your and inheritance your which you brought out by strength your great and by arm your outstretched.

[Do not forget that] they are your people. [You chose them to] belong to you. You brought them out [from Egypt] by your very great power [DOU, MTY].’”