Deuteronomy 1

1 These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suf, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

These are the words, which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan, in the plain wilderness, over against the Red Sea, between Pharan and Thophel and Laban and Haseroth, where there is very much gold:

2 It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.

Eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Cadesbarne.

3 In the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him in commandment to them,

In the fortieth year, the eleventh month, the first day of the month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel all that the Lord had commanded him to say to them:

4 after he had struck Sihon the king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei.

After that he had slain Sehon king of the Amorrhites, who dwelt in Hesebon: and Og king of Basan who abode in Astaroth, and in Edrai,

5 Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to declare this law, saying,

Beyond the Jordan in the land of Moab. And Moses began to expound the law, and to say:

6 “The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying, ‘You have lived long enough at this mountain.

The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: You have stayed long enough in this mountain:

7 Turn, and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the places near there: in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the lowland, in the South, by the seashore, in the land of the Canaanites, and in Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.

Turn you, and come to the mountain of the Amorrhites, and to the other places that are next to it, the plains and the hills and the vales towards the south, and by the sea shore, the land of the Chanaanites, and of Libanus, as far as the great river Euphrates.

8 Behold, I have set the land before you. Go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give to them and to their offspring after them.’”

Behold, said he, I have delivered it to you: go in and possess it, concerning which the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would give it to them, and to their seed after them.

9 I spoke to you at that time, saying, “I am not able to bear you myself alone.

And I said to you at that time:

10 The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as the stars of the sky for multitude.

I alone am not able to bear you: for the Lord your God hath multiplied you, and you are this day as the stars of heaven, for multitude.

11 May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you!

(The Lord God of your fathers add to this number many thousands, and bless you as he hath spoken.)

12 How can I myself alone bear your problems, your burdens, and your strife?

I alone am not able to bear your business, and the charge of you and your differences.

13 Take wise men of understanding who are respected amongst your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.”

Let me have from among you wise and understanding men, and such whose conversation is approved among your tribes, that I may appoint them your rulers.

14 You answered me, and said, “The thing which you have spoken is good to do.”

Then you answered me: The thing is good which thou meanest to do.

15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and respected men, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, captains of tens, and officers, according to your tribes.

And I took out of your tribes men wise and honourable, and appointed them rulers, tribunes, and centurions, and officers over fifties, and over tens, who might teach you all things.

16 I commanded your judges at that time, saying, “Hear cases between your brothers and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the foreigner who is living with him.

And I commanded them, saying: Hear them, and judge that which is just: whether he be one of your country, or a stranger.

17 You shall not show partiality in judgement; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgement is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.”

There shall be no difference of persons, you shall hear the little as well as the great: neither shall you respect any man’s person, because it is the judgment of God. And if any thing seem hard to you, refer it to me, and I will hear it.

18 I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.

And I commanded you all things that you were to do.

19 We travelled from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw, by the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh Barnea.

And departing from Horeb, we passed through the terrible and vast wilderness, which you saw, by the way of the mountain of the Amorrhite, as the Lord our God had commanded us. And when we were come into Cadesbarne,

20 I said to you, “You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God gives to us.

I said to you: You are come to the mountain of the Amorrhite, which the Lord our God will give to us.

21 Behold, the LORD your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the LORD the God of your fathers has spoken to you. Don’t be afraid, neither be dismayed.”

See the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord our God hath spoken to thy fathers: fear not, nor be any way discouraged.

22 You came near to me, everyone of you, and said, “Let’s send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we must go up, and the cities to which we shall come.”

And you came all to me, and said: Let us send men who may view the land, and bring us word what way we shall go up, and to what cities we shall go.

23 The thing pleased me well. I took twelve of your men, one man for every tribe.

And because the saying pleased me, I sent of you twelve men, one of every tribe:

24 They turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.

Who, when they had set forward and had gone up to the mountains, came as far as the valley of the cluster: and having viewed the land,

25 They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us, and brought us word again, and said, “It is a good land which the LORD our God gives to us.”

Taking of the fruits thereof, to shew its fertility, they brought them to us, and said: The land is good, which the Lord our God will give us.

26 Yet you wouldn’t go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God.

And you would not go up, but being incredulous to the word of the Lord our God,

27 You murmured in your tents, and said, “Because the LORD hated us, he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.

You murmured in your tents, and said: The Lord hateth us, and therefore he hath brought us out of the land of Egypt, that he might deliver us into the hand of the Amorrhite, and destroy us.

28 Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our heart melt, saying, ‘The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to the sky. Moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there!’”

Whither shall we go up? the messengers have terrified our hearts, saying: The multitude is very great, and taller than we: the cities are great, and walled up to the sky, we have seen the sons of the Enacims there.

29 Then I said to you, “Don’t be terrified. Don’t be afraid of them.

And I said to you: Fear not, neither be ye afraid of them:

30 The LORD your God, who goes before you, he will fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

The Lord God, who is your leader, himself will fight for you, as he did in Egypt in the sight of all.

31 and in the wilderness where you have seen how that the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went, until you came to this place.”

And in the wilderness (as thou hast seen) the Lord thy God hath carried thee, as a man is wont to carry his little son, all the way that you have come, until you came to this place.

32 Yet in this thing you didn’t believe the LORD your God,

And yet for all this you did not believe the Lord your God,

33 who went before you on the way, to seek out a place for you to pitch your tents in: in fire by night, to show you by what way you should go, and in the cloud by day.

Who went before you in the way, and marked out the place, wherein you should pitch your tents, in the night shewing you the way by fire, and in the day by the pillar of a cloud.

34 The LORD heard the voice of your words and was angry, and swore, saying,

And when the Lord had heard the voice of your words, he was angry and swore, and said:

35 “Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land which I swore to give to your fathers,

Not one of the men of this wicked generation shall see the good land, which I promised with an oath to your fathers:

36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it. I will give the land that he has trodden on to him and to his children, because he has wholly followed the LORD.”

Except Caleb the son of Jephone: for he shall see it, and to him I will give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath followed the Lord.

37 Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, “You also shall not go in there.

Neither is his indignation against the people to be wondered at, since the Lord was angry with me also on your account, and said: Neither shalt thou go in thither.

38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

But Josue the son of Nun, thy minister, he shall go in for thee: exhort and encourage him, and he shall divide the land by lot to Israel.

39 Moreover your little ones, whom you said would be captured or killed, your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, shall go in there. I will give it to them, and they shall possess it.

Your children, of whom you said that they should be led away captives, and your sons who know not this day the difference of good and evil, they shall go in: and to them I will give the land, and they shall possess it.

40 But as for you, turn, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”

But return you and go into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.

41 Then you answered and said to me, “We have sinned against the LORD. We will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us.” Every man of you put on his weapons of war, and presumed to go up into the hill country.

And you answered me: We have sinned against the Lord: we will go up and fight, as the Lord our God hath commanded. And when you went ready armed unto the mountain,

42 The LORD said to me, “Tell them, ‘Don’t go up and don’t fight; for I am not amongst you, lest you be struck before your enemies.’”

The Lord said to me: Say to them: Go not up, and fight not, for I am not with you: lest you fall before your enemies.

43 So I spoke to you, and you didn’t listen; but you rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and were presumptuous, and went up into the hill country.

I spoke, and you hearkened not: but resisting the commandment of the Lord, and swelling with pride, you went up into the mountain.

44 The Amorites, who lived in that hill country, came out against you and chased you as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even to Hormah.

And the Amorrhite that dwelt in the mountains coming out, and meeting you, chased you, as bees do: and made slaughter of you from Seir as far as Horma.

45 You returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD didn’t listen to your voice, nor turn his ear to you.

And when you returned and wept before the Lord, he heard you not, neither would he yield to; your voice.

46 So you stayed in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you remained.

So you abode in Cadesbarne a long time.