Deuteronomy 9
English Standard Version
Not Because of Righteousness
9 “Hear, O Israel: you are (A)to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations (B)greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified up to heaven, 2 a people great and tall, (C)the sons of the Anakim, (D)whom you know, and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’ 3 Know therefore today that he who (E)goes over before you (F)as a consuming fire is the Lord your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. (G)So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the Lord has promised you.
4 (H)“Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is (I)because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you. 5 (J)Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm (K)the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
6 “Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are (L)a stubborn people. 7 Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. (M)From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord. 8 Even (N)at Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath, and the Lord was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you. 9 (O)When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain (P)forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. 10 And (Q)the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words that the Lord had spoken with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire (R)on the day of the assembly. 11 And at the end of forty days and forty nights the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. 12 Then the Lord said to me, (S)‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly. They have (T)turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them; they have made themselves a metal image.’
The Golden Calf
13 (U)“Furthermore, the Lord said to me, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is (V)a stubborn people. 14 (W)Let me alone, that I may destroy them and (X)blot out their name from under heaven. And (Y)I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’ 15 (Z)So I turned and came down from the mountain, and (AA)the mountain was burning with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. 16 And (AB)I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the Lord your God. You had made yourselves a golden[a] calf. (AC)You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes. 18 Then I (AD)lay prostrate before the Lord (AE)as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, (AF)in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger. 19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the Lord bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. (AG)But the Lord listened to me that time also. 20 And the Lord was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him. And I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. 21 Then (AH)I took the sinful thing, the calf that you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw the dust of it into the brook that ran down from the mountain.
22 “At (AI)Taberah also, and at (AJ)Massah and at (AK)Kibroth-hattaavah you provoked the Lord to wrath. 23 And (AL)when the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, ‘Go up and take possession of the land that I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God and (AM)did not believe him or obey his voice. 24 (AN)You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you.
25 (AO)“So I lay prostrate before the Lord for these forty days and forty nights, because the Lord had said he would destroy you. 26 (AP)And I prayed to the Lord, ‘O Lord God, do not destroy your people and your heritage, whom you have redeemed through your greatness, whom you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27 Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not regard the stubbornness of this people, or their wickedness or their sin, 28 lest the land from which you brought us say, (AQ)“Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land that he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.” 29 (AR)For they are your people and your heritage, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.’
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 9:16 Hebrew cast metal
Devarim 9
Orthodox Jewish Bible
9 Shema, Yisroel: Thou art to pass over Yarden today, to go in to possess Goyim greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and walled up to Shomayim,
2 A people great and tall, the Bnei Anakim, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the Bnei Anak!
3 Understand therefore this day, that Hashem Eloheicha is He which goeth over before thee; as a consuming eish He shall destroy them, and He shall bring them down before thy face; so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as Hashem hath said unto thee.
4 Speak not thou in thine lev, after that Hashem Eloheicha hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my tzedakah (righteousness) Hashem hath brought me in to possess this land; but for the wickedness of these Goyim Hashem doth drive them out from before thee.
5 Not for thy tzedakah, or for the yosher (uprightness) of thine lev, dost thou go to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these Goyim Hashem Eloheicha doth drive them out from before thee, and that He may perform the word which Hashem swore unto Avoteicha, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya’akov.
6 Understand therefore, that Hashem Eloheicha giveth thee not this ha’aretz hatovah to possess it for thy tzedakah; for thou art an Am Kesheh Oref (a stiffnecked people).
7 Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst Hashem Eloheicha to wrath in the midbar; from the yom that thou didst depart out of Eretz Mitzrayim, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against Hashem.
8 Also in Chorev ye provoked Hashem to wrath, so that Hashem was angry with you to have destroyed you.
9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the luchot ha’avanim, even the luchot HaBrit which Hashem cut with you, then I abode in the mount arba’im yom and arba’im lailah; I neither did eat lechem nor drink mayim;
10 And Hashem delivered unto me shnei luchot ha’avanim written with the etzba Elohim (finger of G-d); and on them was written according to all the words, which Hashem spoke with you in the mount out of the midst of the eish in the Yom HaKahal.
11 And it came to pass at the end of arba’im yom and arba’im lailah, Hashem gave me the shnei luchot ha’avanim, even the Luchot HaBrit.
12 And Hashem said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Mitzrayim have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a massekhah (molten image).
13 Furthermore Hashem spoke unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is an Am Kesheh Oref (stiffnecked people):
14 Let Me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their shem from under Shomayim; and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.
15 So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with eish; and the shnei Luchot HaBrit were in my two hands.
16 And I looked, and, hinei, ye had sinned against Hashem Eloheicha, and had made you an egel massekhah (a molten calf); ye had turned aside quickly out of HaDerech (The Way) which Hashem had commanded you.
17 And I took the shnei haluchot, and cast them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes.
18 And I fell down before Hashem, as at the first, arba’im yom and arba’im lailah; I did neither eat lechem, nor drink mayim, because of kol chattatchem ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of Hashem, to provoke Him to anger.
19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith Hashem was angry against you to destroy you. But Hashem listened unto me at that time also.
20 And Hashem was very angry with Aharon to have made him shmad; and I davened on behalf of Aharon also at that time.
21 And I took your sin, the egel which ye had made, and burned it with eish, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust; and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.
22 And at Taverah, and at Massah, and at Kivrot Hattaavah, ye provoked Hashem to wrath.
23 Likewise when Hashem sent you from Kadesh-Barnea, saying, Go up and possess ha’aretz which I have given you; then ye rebelled against the commandment of Hashem Eloheichem, and ye believed Him not, nor gave heed to His voice.
24 Ye have been rebellious against Hashem from the yom that I knew you.
25 Thus I fell down before Hashem arba’im hayom and arba’im halailah, as I fell down at the first; because Hashem had said He would destroy you.
26 I davened therefore unto Hashem, and said, Adonoi Hashem, destroy not Thy people and Thine inheritance, which Thou hast redeemed through Thy greatness, which Thou hast brought forth out of Mitzrayim with a yad chazakah.
27 Remember Thy avadim, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya’akov; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin;
28 Lest ha’aretz whence Thou broughtest us out say, Because Hashem was not able to bring them into ha’aretz which He promised them, and because He hated them, He hath brought them out to slay them in the midbar.
29 Yet they are Thy people and Thine nachalah, which Thou broughtest out by Thy koach hagadol and by Thy outstretched zero’a.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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