Deuteronomy 31

1 Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.

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

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

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.

3 Yahweh 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 Yahweh has spoken.

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.

4 Yahweh 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.

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.

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

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

6 Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them, for Yahweh your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”

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.

7 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 Yahweh has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it.

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.

8 Yahweh himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged.”

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.

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

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.

10 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,

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;

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

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.

12 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 Yahweh your God, and observe to do all the words of this law,

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;

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

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.

14 Yahweh 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.

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.

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

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

16 Yahweh 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.

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.

17 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, ‘Haven’t these evils come on us because our God is not among us?’

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?

18 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.

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.

19 “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.

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.

20 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.

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.

21 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.”

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.

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

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

23 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.”

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.

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

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,

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

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

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

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.

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

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?

28 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.

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.

29 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 Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.”

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.

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

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