Deuteronomy 31

1 And so Moises yede, and spak alle these wordis to al Israel,

Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.

2 and seide to hem, Y am to dai of an hundrid and twenti yeer, Y may no ferthere go out and go yn, moost sithen also the Lord seide to me, Thou schalt not passe this Jordan.

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

3 Therfor thi Lord God schal passe bifore thee; he schal do awei these folkis in thi siyt, and thou schalt welde hem; and this Josue schal go bifor thee, as the Lord spak.

The LORD 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 the LORD has spoken.

4 And the Lord schal do to hem as he dide to Seon, and Og kyng of Ammorreis, and to `the lond of hem; and he schal do hem awey.

The LORD 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.

5 Therfor whanne the Lord hath bitake to you also hem, ye schulen do in lijk maner to hem, as Y comaundide to you.

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

6 Do ye manli, and be ye coumfortid; nyle ye drede in herte, nethir drede ye at the siyt of hem, for thi Lord God hym silf is thi ledere, and he schal not leeue, nether schal forsake thee.

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

7 And Moyses clepid Josue, and seide to hym bifor al the multitude of the sones of Israel, Be thou coumfortid, and be thou strong; for thou schalt lede this puple in to the lond which the Lord swoor that he schal yyue to `the fadris of hem; and thou schalt departe it bi lot.

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 the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it.

8 And the Lord hym silf whiche is youre ledere, schal be with thee, he schal not leeue, nether schal forsake thee; nyle thou drede, nether drede thou in herte.

The LORD 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.”

9 Therfor Moyses wroot this lawe, and bitook it to the preestis, sones of Leuy, that baren the arke of the bond of pees of the Lord, and to alle the eldere men of Israel.

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

10 And Moyses comaundide to hem, and seide, Aftir seuen yeer, in the yeer of remyssioun, in the solempnete of tabernaclis,

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,

11 whanne alle men of Israel schulen come togidere, that thei appere in the siyt of her Lord God, in the place `which the Lord chees, thou schalt rede the wordis of this lawe bifor al Israel,

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

12 while thei heren, and while al the puple is gaderid to gidere, as wel to men, as to wymmen, to litle children, and comelyngis that ben with ynne thi yatis; that thei here, and lerne, and drede youre Lord God, and kepe and fille alle the wordis of this lawe;

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

13 also that the sones of hem, that now knowen not, moun here, and that thei drede her Lord God in alle daies in whiche thei lyuen in the lond to whiche ye schulen go to gete, whanne Jordan is passid.

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

14 And the Lord seide to Moises, Lo! the daies of thi deeth ben nyy; clepe thou Josue, and stonde ye in the tabernacle of witnessyng, that Y comaunde to hym. Therfor Moises and Josue yeden, and stooden in the tabernacle of witnessyng;

The LORD 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.

15 and the Lord apperide there in a pilere of cloude, that stood in the entryng of the tabernacle.

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

16 And the Lord seide to Moises, Lo! thou schalt slepe with thi fadris, and this puple schal rise, and schal do fornycacioun aftir alien goddis in the lond, to which lond it schal entre, that it dwelle ther ynne; there it schal forsake me, and schal make void the boond of pees, which Y couenauntide with it.

The LORD 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 amongst them, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them.

17 And my strong veniaunce schal be wrooth ayens that puple in that dai, and Y schal forsake it, and Y schal hide my face fro it, and it schal be in to deuouryng; alle yuels and turmentyngis schulen fynde it, so that it seie in that dai, Verili for the Lord is not with me, these yuelis han founde me.

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 amongst us?’

18 Forsothe Y schal hide, and schal hile `my face in that dai, for alle the yuels `whiche it dide, for it suede alien goddis.

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.

19 Now therfor write ye to you this song, and `teche ye the sones of Israel, that thei holde it in mynde, and synge bi mouth; and that this song be to me for a witnessyng among the sones of Israel.

“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.

20 For Y schal lede hym in to the lond, for which Y swoor to hise fadris, flowynge with mylk and hony; and whanne thei han ete, and ben fillid, and ben maad fat, thei schulen turne to alien goddis, and thei schulen serue hem; and thei schulen bacbite me, and schulen make voide my couenaunt.

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.

21 Aftir that many yuels and turmentyngis han founde hym, this song schal answere hym for witnessing, which song no foryetyng schal do awey fro the mouth of thi seed. For Y knowe the thouytis therof to day, what thingis it schal do, bifore that Y bringe it in to the lond which Y bihiyte to it.

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.”

22 Therfor Moises wroot the song, and tauyte the sones of Israel.

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

23 And the Lord comaundide to Josue, the sone of Nun, and seide, Be thou coumfortid, and be thou strong; for thou schalt lede the sones of Israel in to the lond which Y bihiyte, and Y schal be with thee.

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.”

24 Therfor aftir that Moises wroot the wordis of this lawe in a book, and fillide,

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

25 he comaundide to Leuytis that baren the ark of boond of pees of the Lord,

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

26 and seide, Take ye this book, and putte ye it in the side of the arke of boond of pees of youre Lord God, that it be there ayens thee in to witnessyng.

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

27 For Y knowe thi stryuyng, and thin hardest nol; yit while Y lyuede and entride with you, ye diden euere stryuyngli ayens the Lord; hou myche more whanne Y schal be deed.

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

28 Gadere ye to me all the grettere men in birthe, and techeris, bi youre lynagis, and Y schal speke to hem, herynge these wordis, and Y schal clepe ayens hem heuene and erthe.

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.

29 For Y knowe, that aftir my deeth ye schulen do wickidli, and schulen bowe awei soone fro the weie which Y comaundide to you; and yuels schulen come to you in the laste tyme, whanne ye `han do yuel in the siyt of the Lord, that ye terre hym to ire bi the werkis of youre hondis.

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

30 Therfor while al the cumpeny of the sones of Israel herde, Moises spak the wordis of this song, and fillide `til to the ende.

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