Deuteronomy 1
1 In this book is written what Moses/I said to the Israeli people. He/I told them these things when they/we were in the desert, on the east side of the Jordan [River]. They/We had set up our tents near [a place named] Suph, between Paran [town on the one side of the river] and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab [towns on the other side of the river].
These, are the words, which Moses spake unto all Israel, over the Jordan, —in the wilderness in the waste plain over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban and Hazeroth and Di-zahab:
2 To walk from Sinai [Mountain] to the Kadesh-Barnea [oasis], people usually travel for only eleven days, going by way of the hilly area named Edom.
eleven days from Horeb, by way of Mount Seir, as far as Kadesh-barnea.
3 Forty years after (the Israelis/we) left Egypt, in the middle of January, Moses/I told the Israeli people everything that Yahweh had commanded him/me to tell them.
And it came to pass, in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, that Moses spake unto the sons of Israel, according to all that Yahweh had given him in charge for them;
4 This was after they/we had defeated Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group, who lived in Heshbon [city], and Og, the king of the Bashan [region] who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei [towns].
after he had smitten Sihon, king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, —and Og, king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth, in Edrei:
5 Moses/I told them these things while the people were in the Moab region, on the east side of the Jordan [River]. He/I (explained to them/enabled them to understand) God’s laws. This is what he/I said to them:
over the Jordan, in the land of Moab, did Moses take in hand to expound this law, saying: —
6 “Yahweh our God said to us when we were at Sinai [Mountain], ‘You have stayed for a very long time at [the bottom of] this mountain.
Yahweh our God, spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Long enough, have ye dwelt in this mountain:
7 So now continue traveling. Go to the hilly area where the Amor people-group lives and to the nearby areas—to the Jordan [River] Valley, to the hilly region, to the western (foothills/hills at the bottom of the mountains), to the desert area to the south, to the [Mediterranean] Seacoast, to all of Canaan land, to the Lebanon [Mountains], and [northeast] to the great Euphrates River.
Turn ye and set yourselves forward, and enter into the hill country of the Amorites, and into all the places near, in the plain, in the mountain, and in the lowland, and in the south, and in the coast of the sea, —the land of Canaan and the Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.
8 Note that I will give that land to you. I, Yahweh, promised to your ancestors Abraham and Isaac and Jacob that I would give it to them and to their descendants. So now go and occupy it.’”
See! I have set before you the land, —enter and possess the land, which, Yahweh sware unto your fathers to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto them, and unto their seed, after them.
9 Moses/I also said to the people, “When [we were still at Sinai Mountain], I told your ancestors ‘It is a very big burden/responsibility for me to govern all of you. So I cannot do it by myself.
So I spake unto you, at that time saying, I am unable, by myself, to carry you.
10 Yahweh our God has caused us Israelis to now become as numerous as the stars in the sky.
Yahweh your God hath multiplied you, and here ye are to-day, like the stars of the heavens for multitude.
11 And I hope/desire that Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors [worshiped], will cause us to become 1,000 times as numerous as we are now and that he will bless us just like he promised to do.
Yahweh, the God of your fathers, be adding unto you the like of you, a thousand times, —and bless you, as he hath spoken unto you!
12 But I certainly cannot [RHQ] (solve/deal with) all of your complaints/problems.
How should I carry by myself the fatigue of you and the burden of you and your controversies?
13 So choose some men from your tribes who are wise and who have good sense and who are respected. Then I will appoint them to be your leaders.’
Set forth for you—men wise and discerning, and known to your tribes, —that I may appoint them to be heads over you.
14 Your ancestors replied, ‘What you have suggested is good for us to do.’
And ye answered me, —and said, Good, is the word which thou hast spoken to be done.
15 So I took the wise and respected men [that your ancestors chose] from your tribes, and I appointed them to be your leaders. I appointed some to (rule/have authority) over 1,000 people, some to have authority over 100 people, some to have authority over 50 people, and some to have authority over ten people. I also appointed other officers from throughout your tribes.
So I took heads for your tribes wise men and known, and placed them as heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties and captains of tens, and overseers for your tribes.
16 I instructed/told your leaders, ‘Listen to the disputes that occur among your people. Judge each dispute, including disputes between close relatives and quarrels between your people and people from other countries who live among you.
And I charged your judges, at that time, saying, —Ye are to hear between your brethren and shall judge righteously, between each man and his brother and his sojourner.
17 You must (be impartial/not favor one person more than another); you must treat poor people and important people equally. You must not worry about what anyone will think [about how you decide matters], because you will decide matters as God [wants you to]. If any quarrel/dispute is very difficult and you are unable to decide it, bring it to me, and I will decide.’
Ye shall not take note of faces in judgment—so the small as the great, shall ye hear, ye shall not shrink from the face of any man, for judgment, unto God, belongeth, —but the thing which is too hard for you, shall ye bring near unto me, and I will hear it.
18 At that time I also told you other things that you should do.”
So I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.
19 “Then, just like Yahweh our God commanded us, we left Sinai [Mountain] and went through that huge desert that was very (dangerous/difficult to travel through), on the road to the hilly area where the Amor people-group live. We arrived at Kadesh-Barnea.
And when we brake up from Horeb, we came through all that great and terrible desert which ye saw, by way of the hill-country of the Amorites, as Yahweh our God commanded us, —and we entered in as far as Kadesh-barnea.
20 I said to your ancestors, ‘We have now come to the hilly area where the Amor people-group live. This is part of the area that Yahweh our God, the one whom our ancestors [worshiped], is giving to us.
Then said I unto you, —Ye are come in as far as the hill-country of the Amorites, which Yahweh our God, is giving unto us.
21 Note that Yahweh our God is giving this land to us. So go and occupy it as he commanded. Do not be (at all/even a little bit) afraid.’
See thou—Yahweh thy God hath set before thee the land, —go up—take possession as Yahweh the God of thy fathers hath spoken unto thee, do not fear, neither be dismayed.
22 But all of your ancestors came to me and said, ‘Before we go, we should [first] send some men there to explore the land, in order that they can return and tell us which will be the best road to go there and what kind of towns are there.’
And ye came near unto me all of you, and said Let us send men before us, that they may search out for us the land, —and bring us back word, the way by which we must go up, and the cities whereinto we must enter,
23 I thought that it would be good to do that, so I chose twelve men, one man from each tribe.
And the thing, was good in mine eyes, —so I took from among you twelve men, one man for each tribe.
24 They went up into the hilly area as far as Eshcol Valley, and they explored all that area.
And they turned and went up the hill-country, and entered in as far as the ravine of Eshcol, and explored it.
25 They picked some of the fruit that they found there and brought it to us. They reported that the land that Yahweh our God was giving to us is very good/fertile.”
And they took in their hand of the fruit of the country, and bare it down unto us, and brought us back word, and said, Good is the land, which Yahweh our God, is giving unto us.
26 “But your ancestors refused to go [and conquer that land]. They rebelled against what Yahweh our God had commanded them to do, and they would not go into that land.
Nevertheless ye were not willing to go up, —but rebelled against the bidding of Yahweh, your God;
27 Your ancestors [stayed] in their tents and complained saying ‘Yahweh hates us. So he has brought us here from Egypt just to allow the Amor people-group to destroy us.
and murmured in your tents and said, Because Yahweh hated us, hath he brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, —to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
28 (Why should we go there?/We do not want to go there.) [RHQ] The men whom we sent there have caused us to become very discouraged/afraid. They have told us that the people there are much stronger and taller than we are and that there are extremely high [HYP] walls around their towns. Also they reported that they saw [giants there that are] descendants of Anak.’
Whither, are, we, to go up? Our own brethren, have made our heart melt saying—A people greater and taller than we, cities large and walled-up into the heavens, —yea, moreover sons of Anakim, have we seen there.
29 Then I said to your ancestors, ‘Do not be afraid (at all/even a little bit) [DOU] of those people!
Then I said unto you, —Ye must not tremble, nor be afraid of them:
30 Yahweh our God will go ahead of you, and he will fight for you, just like you saw him do for you in Egypt
Yahweh your God, who is going before you, he, will fight for you, —according to all that he did with you in Egypt, before your eyes;
31 and in the desert. You saw how he brought you safely here, like a man would carry his son. [SIM]’
also in the desert which thou hast seen, where Yahweh thy God carried thee as a man will carry his son, throughout all the way that ye journeyed, until ye entered as far as, this place.
32 [I reminded them that] he always went ahead of them while they traveled [in the desert]. He directed them by [a pillar of] fire during the night and a [pillar of] cloud during the day. He showed them places to set up their tents. But in spite of what I said, your ancestors would not trust Yahweh our God.
But in this thing, ye were putting no trust in Yahweh your God;
who was going before you in the way—to search out for you a place, where ye might encamp, —in the fire by night, that ye might get sight of the way wherein ye should go, and in the cloud, by day.
34 Yahweh heard what they said, and he became angry. He solemnly declared,
And Yahweh heard the voice of your words, —and was wroth and sware—saying:
35 ‘Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, will enter the land. He has obeyed me completely. So I will give to him and to his descendants [some of] the land that he explored. He is the only one of all you people who will enter that land. None of these evil people will ever see that good land which I solemnly promised to give to your ancestors.’
Surely, not one of these men, this wicked generation, —shall see the good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers:
saving Caleb son of Jephunneh, he, shall see it, and unto him, will I give the land through which he hath trodden, and unto his sons, —because he hath wholly followed Yahweh.
37 But because of [what] your ancestors [did], Yahweh was also angry with me. He said to me, ‘You also will not enter that land.
Even with me, did Yahweh show himself angry, for your sakes, saying, —Even thou, shalt not enter therein.
38 Joshua, the son of Nun, who is your helper, will enter it. Encourage him, because he is the one who will enable you Israeli people to occupy that land.’
Joshua son of Nun, who standeth before thee, he, shall enter in thither, him, strengthen thou, for he, shall cause Israel to inherit it.
39 Then Yahweh said to all of us, ‘You said that your children would be captured by your enemies. Because they are very young, they do not yet know what is good and what is evil. But they are the ones to whom I will give that land, and they will enter it and occupy it.
And your little ones, of whom ye said they should become, a prey, and your sons who to-day know not good and evil, they, shall enter in thither, —and unto them, will I give it, and they, shall possess it.
40 But as for you, turn around and go back into the desert, toward the (Red Sea/Gulf of Aqaba).’
But as for you, turn ye, for your part, —and set forward towards the desert, by way of the Red Sea.
41 Then your ancestors replied, ‘We have sinned; we have disobeyed Yahweh. So we will go and attack [the people who live in] that land, just like Yahweh our God commanded us to do.’ And each of their men put on his weapons, and they thought that it would be easy to invade the hilly region.
Then responded ye and said unto me—We have sinned against Yahweh, We, ourselves, will go up, and fight, according to all that Yahweh our God hath commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye foolishly went up towards the hill-country.
42 But Yahweh said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up there and attack those people, because I will not go with you. If you go, your enemies will defeat you.”’
Then said Yahweh unto me—Say unto them Ye shall not go up, nor fight, for I am not in your midst, —lest ye should be smitten before your enemies.
43 So I told that to your ancestors, but they would not heed what I said. They [again] rebelled against what Yahweh commanded them to do. Their soldiers proudly/arrogantly marched up into that hilly region.
So I spake unto you howbeit ye hearkened not, —but rebelled against the bidding of Yahweh, and presumptuously went up the hill-country.
44 Then the men of the Amor people-group who lived in that region came out [of their towns] and attacked those soldiers. They pursued your ancestors’ soldiers like [a swarm of] bees pursues people, and they pursued them [south] from the Edom area and defeated them at Hormah [city].
Then came forth the Amorites who were dwelling in that country, to meet you, and they chased you, as do, bees; and struck you down in Seir, as far as Hormah.
45 So your ancestors went back [to Kadesh-Barnea] and cried out to request Yahweh [to help them], but he did not heed them. He did not pay any attention to them [DOU].
So then ye returned and wept before Yahweh, —but Yahweh hearkened not unto your voice, nor gave ear unto you.
46 So we stayed there at Kadesh-Barnea for a long time.”
And ye abode in Kadesh many days, —how many were the days that ye abode [there]!
