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以色列啊,你当听!你今日要过约旦河,进去赶出比你强大的国民,得着广大坚固、高得顶天的城邑。 那民是亚衲族的人,又大又高,是你所知道的,也曾听见有人指着他们说:‘谁能在亚衲族人面前站立得住呢?’ 你今日当知道,耶和华你的神在你前面过去,如同烈火,要灭绝他们,将他们制伏在你面前。这样,你就要照耶和华所说的赶出他们,使他们速速灭亡。 耶和华你的神将这些国民从你面前撵出以后,你心里不可说:‘耶和华将我领进来得这地,是因我的义。’其实,耶和华将他们从你面前赶出去,是因他们的恶。 你进去得他们的地,并不是因你的义,也不是因你心里正直,乃是因这些国民的恶,耶和华你的神将他们从你面前赶出去;又因耶和华要坚定他向你列祖亚伯拉罕以撒雅各起誓所应许的话。

复述耶和华赐法版

“你当知道,耶和华你神将这美地赐你为业,并不是因你的义,你本是硬着颈项的百姓。 你当记念不忘,你在旷野怎样惹耶和华你神发怒。自从你出了埃及地的那日,直到你们来到这地方,你们时常悖逆耶和华。 你们在何烈山又惹耶和华发怒,他恼怒你们,要灭绝你们。 我上了山,要领受两块石版,就是耶和华与你们立约的版。那时我在山上住了四十昼夜,没有吃饭,也没有喝水。 10 耶和华把那两块石版交给我,是神用指头写的,版上所写的是照耶和华在大会的日子,在山上、从火中对你们所说的一切话。 11 过了四十昼夜,耶和华把那两块石版,就是约版,交给我。

民铸犊像

12 “对我说:‘你起来,赶快下去!因为你从埃及领出来的百姓已经败坏了自己。他们快快地偏离了我所吩咐的道,为自己铸成了偶像。’ 13 耶和华又对我说:‘我看这百姓是硬着颈项的百姓。 14 你且由着我,我要灭绝他们,将他们的名从天下涂抹,使你的后裔比他们成为更大更强的国。’ 15 于是我转身下山,山被火烧着,两块约版在我两手之中。 16 我一看见你们得罪了耶和华你们的神,铸成了牛犊,快快地偏离了耶和华所吩咐你们的道, 17 我就把那两块版从我手中扔下去,在你们眼前摔碎了。 18 因你们所犯的一切罪,行了耶和华眼中看为恶的事,惹他发怒,我就像从前俯伏在耶和华面前四十昼夜,没有吃饭,也没有喝水。 19 我因耶和华向你们大发烈怒,要灭绝你们,就甚害怕,但那次耶和华又应允了我。 20 耶和华也向亚伦甚是发怒,要灭绝他,那时我又为亚伦祈祷。 21 我把那叫你们犯罪所铸的牛犊用火焚烧,又捣碎磨得很细,以致细如灰尘,我就把这灰尘撒在从山上流下来的溪水中。

22 “你们在他备拉玛撒基博罗哈他瓦又惹耶和华发怒。 23 耶和华打发你们离开加低斯巴尼亚,说:‘你们上去得我所赐给你们的地!’那时你们违背了耶和华你们神的命令,不信服他,不听从他的话。 24 自从我认识你们以来,你们常常悖逆耶和华!

民众悖逆摩西为之祈祷

25 “我因耶和华说要灭绝你们,就在耶和华面前照旧俯伏四十昼夜。 26 我祈祷耶和华说:‘主耶和华啊,求你不要灭绝你的百姓!他们是你的产业,是你用大力救赎的,用大能从埃及领出来的。 27 求你记念你的仆人亚伯拉罕以撒雅各,不要想念这百姓的顽梗、邪恶、罪过, 28 免得你领我们出来的那地之人说:“耶和华因为不能将这百姓领进他所应许之地,又因恨他们,所以领他们出去,要在旷野杀他们。” 29 其实他们是你的百姓、你的产业,是你用大能和伸出来的膀臂领出来的。’

Not Because of Israel’s Righteousness

Hear, Israel: You are now about to cross the Jordan(A) to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you,(B) with large cities(C) that have walls up to the sky.(D) The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?”(E) But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you(F) like a devouring fire.(G) He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly,(H) as the Lord has promised you.

After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself,(I) “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness(J) of these nations(K) that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity(L) that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness(M) of these nations,(N) the Lord your God will drive them out(O) before you, to accomplish what he swore(P) to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.(Q) Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.(R)

The Golden Calf

Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger(S) of the Lord your God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious(T) against the Lord.(U) At Horeb you aroused the Lord’s wrath(V) so that he was angry enough to destroy you.(W) When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant(X) that the Lord had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days(Y) and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water.(Z) 10 The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.(AA) On them were all the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.(AB)

11 At the end of the forty days and forty nights,(AC) the Lord gave me the two stone tablets,(AD) the tablets of the covenant. 12 Then the Lord told me, “Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt.(AE) They have turned away quickly(AF) from what I commanded them and have made an idol for themselves.”

13 And the Lord said to me, “I have seen this people(AG), and they are a stiff-necked people indeed! 14 Let me alone,(AH) so that I may destroy them and blot out(AI) their name from under heaven.(AJ) And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.”

15 So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was ablaze with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands.(AK) 16 When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf.(AL) You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes.

18 Then once again I fell(AM) prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water,(AN) because of all the sin you had committed,(AO) doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and so arousing his anger. 19 I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you.(AP) But again the Lord listened to me.(AQ) 20 And the Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too. 21 Also I took that sinful thing of yours, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust(AR) and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain.(AS)

22 You also made the Lord angry(AT) at Taberah,(AU) at Massah(AV) and at Kibroth Hattaavah.(AW)

23 And when the Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea,(AX) he said, “Go up and take possession(AY) of the land I have given you.” But you rebelled(AZ) against the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust(BA) him or obey him. 24 You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you.(BB)

25 I lay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights(BC) because the Lord had said he would destroy you.(BD) 26 I prayed to the Lord and said, “Sovereign Lord, do not destroy your people,(BE) your own inheritance(BF) that you redeemed(BG) by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.(BH) 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness(BI) of this people, their wickedness and their sin. 28 Otherwise, the country(BJ) from which you brought us will say, ‘Because the Lord was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them,(BK) he brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.’(BL) 29 But they are your people,(BM) your inheritance(BN) that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.(BO)

Theological Justification of the Conquest

Listen, Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan so you can dispossess the nations there, people greater and stronger than you who live in large cities with extremely high fortifications.[a] They include the Anakites,[b] a numerous[c] and tall people whom you know about and of whom it is said, “Who is able to resist the Anakites?” Understand today that the Lord your God who goes before you is a devouring fire; he will defeat and subdue them before you. You will dispossess and destroy them quickly just as he[d] has told you. Do not think to yourself after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, “Because of my own righteousness the Lord has brought me here to possess this land.” It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you. It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness,[e] that you have come here to possess their land. Instead, because of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to confirm the promise he[f] made on oath to your ancestors,[g] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is about to give you this good land as a possession, for you are a stubborn[h] people!

The History of Israel’s Stubbornness

Remember—don’t ever forget[i]—how you provoked the Lord your God in the wilderness; from the time you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place you were constantly rebelling against him.[j] At Horeb you provoked him and he was angry enough with you to destroy you. When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained there[k] forty days and nights, eating and drinking nothing. 10 The Lord gave me the two stone tablets, written by the very finger[l] of God, and on them was everything[m] he[n] said to you at the mountain from the midst of the fire at the time of that assembly. 11 Now at the end of the forty days and nights the Lord presented me with the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 12 And he said to me, “Get up, go down at once from here because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have sinned! They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for themselves a cast metal image.”[o] 13 Moreover, he said to me, “I have taken note of these people; they are a stubborn[p] lot! 14 Stand aside[q] and I will destroy them, obliterating their very name from memory,[r] and I will make you into a stronger and more numerous nation than they are.”

15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it[s] was blazing with fire; the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 16 When I looked, you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God and had cast for yourselves a metal calf;[t] you had quickly turned aside from the way he[u] had commanded you! 17 I grabbed the two tablets, threw them down,[v] and shattered them before your very eyes. 18 Then I again fell down before the Lord for forty days and nights; I ate and drank nothing because of all the sin you had committed, doing such evil before the Lord as to enrage him. 19 For I was terrified at the Lord’s intense anger[w] that threatened to destroy you. But he[x] listened to me this time as well. 20 The Lord was also angry enough at Aaron to kill him, but at that time I prayed for him[y] too. 21 As for your sinful thing[z] that you had made, the calf, I took it, melted it down,[aa] ground it up until it was as fine as dust, and tossed the dust into the stream that flows down the mountain. 22 Moreover, you continued to provoke the Lord at Taberah,[ab] Massah,[ac] and Kibroth Hattaavah.[ad] 23 And when he[ae] sent you from Kadesh Barnea and told you, “Go up and possess the land I have given you,” you rebelled against the Lord your God[af] and would neither believe nor obey him. 24 You have been rebelling against him[ag] from the very first day I knew you!

Moses’ Plea on Behalf of God’s Reputation

25 I lay flat on the ground before the Lord for forty days and nights,[ah] for he[ai] had said he would destroy you. 26 I prayed to him:[aj] O, Sovereign Lord,[ak] do not destroy your people, your valued property[al] that you have powerfully redeemed,[am] whom you brought out of Egypt by your strength.[an] 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; ignore the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people. 28 Otherwise the people of the land[ao] from which you brought us will say, “The Lord was unable to bring them to the land he promised them, and because of his hatred for them he has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.” 29 They are your people, your valued property,[ap] whom you brought out with great strength and power.[aq]

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 9:1 tn Heb “fortified to the heavens” (so NRSV); NLT “cities with walls that reach to the sky.” This is hyperbole.
  2. Deuteronomy 9:2 sn Anakites. See note on this term in Deut 1:28.
  3. Deuteronomy 9:2 tn Heb “great and tall.” Many English versions understand this to refer to physical size or strength rather than numbers (cf. “strong,” NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT).
  4. Deuteronomy 9:3 tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style to avoid redundancy.
  5. Deuteronomy 9:5 tn Heb “uprightness of your heart” (so NASB, NRSV). The Hebrew word צְדָקָה (tsedaqah, “righteousness”), though essentially synonymous here with יֹשֶׁר (yosher, “uprightness”), carries the idea of conformity to an objective standard. The term יֹשֶׁר has more to do with an inner, moral quality (cf. NAB, NIV “integrity”). Neither, however, was grounds for the Lord’s favor. As he states in both vv. 4-5, the main reason he allowed Israel to take this land was the sinfulness of the Canaanites who lived there (cf. Gen 15:16).
  6. Deuteronomy 9:5 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.
  7. Deuteronomy 9:5 tn Heb “fathers.”
  8. Deuteronomy 9:6 tn Heb “stiff-necked” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).sn The Hebrew word translated stubborn means “stiff-necked.” The image is that of a draft animal that is unsubmissive to the rein or yoke and refuses to bend its neck to draw the load. This is an apt description of OT Israel (Exod 32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9; Deut 9:13).
  9. Deuteronomy 9:7 tn By juxtaposing the positive זְכֹר (zekhor, “remember”) with the negative אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח (ʾal tishkakh, “do not forget”), Moses makes a most emphatic plea.
  10. Deuteronomy 9:7 tn Heb “the Lord” (likewise in the following verse with both “him” and “he”). See note on “he” in 9:3.
  11. Deuteronomy 9:9 tn Heb “in the mountain.” The demonstrative pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  12. Deuteronomy 9:10 sn The very finger of God. This is a double figure of speech (1) in which God is ascribed human features (anthropomorphism) and (2) in which a part stands for the whole (synecdoche). That is, God, as Spirit, has no literal finger nor, if he had, would he write with his finger. Rather, the sense is that God himself—not Moses in any way—was responsible for the composition of the Ten Commandments (cf. Exod 31:18; 32:16; 34:1).
  13. Deuteronomy 9:10 tn Heb “according to all the words.”
  14. Deuteronomy 9:10 tn Heb “the Lord” (likewise at the beginning of vv. 12, 13). See note on “he” in 9:3.
  15. Deuteronomy 9:12 tc Heb “a casting.” The MT reads מַסֵּכָה (massekhah, “a cast thing”) but some mss and Smr add עֵגֶל (ʿegel, “calf”), “a molten calf” or the like (Exod 32:8). Perhaps Moses here omits reference to the calf out of contempt for it.
  16. Deuteronomy 9:13 tn Heb “stiff-necked.” See note on the word “stubborn” in 9:6.
  17. Deuteronomy 9:14 tn Heb “leave me alone.”
  18. Deuteronomy 9:14 tn Heb “from under heaven.”
  19. Deuteronomy 9:15 tn Heb “the mountain.” The translation uses a pronoun for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
  20. Deuteronomy 9:16 tn On the phrase “metal calf,” see note on the term “metal image” in v. 12.
  21. Deuteronomy 9:16 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.
  22. Deuteronomy 9:17 tn The Hebrew text includes “from upon my two hands,” but as this seems somewhat obvious and redundant, it has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
  23. Deuteronomy 9:19 tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” Although many English versions translate as two terms, this construction is a hendiadys which serves to intensify the emotion (cf. NAB, TEV “fierce anger”).
  24. Deuteronomy 9:19 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.
  25. Deuteronomy 9:20 tn Heb “Aaron.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid redundancy.
  26. Deuteronomy 9:21 tn Heb “your sin.” This is a metonymy in which the effect (sin) stands for the cause (the metal calf).
  27. Deuteronomy 9:21 tn Heb “burned it with fire.”
  28. Deuteronomy 9:22 sn Taberah. By popular etymology this derives from the Hebrew verb בָעַר (baʿar, “to burn”), thus, here, “burning.” The reference is to the Lord’s fiery wrath against Israel because of their constant complaints against him (Num 11:1-3).
  29. Deuteronomy 9:22 sn Massah. See note on this term in Deut 6:16.
  30. Deuteronomy 9:22 sn Kibroth Hattaavah. This place name means in Hebrew “burial places of appetite,” that is, graves that resulted from overindulgence. The reference is to the Israelites stuffing themselves with the quail God had provided and doing so with thanklessness (Num 11:31-35).
  31. Deuteronomy 9:23 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.
  32. Deuteronomy 9:23 tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord your God,” that is, against the commandment that he had spoken.
  33. Deuteronomy 9:24 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.
  34. Deuteronomy 9:25 tn The Hebrew text includes “when I prostrated myself.” Since this is redundant, it has been left untranslated.
  35. Deuteronomy 9:25 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.
  36. Deuteronomy 9:26 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.
  37. Deuteronomy 9:26 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh” (אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, ʾadonay yehvih). The phrase is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God” (אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהִים, ʾadonay ʾelohim).
  38. Deuteronomy 9:26 tn Heb “your inheritance”; NLT “your special (very own NRSV) possession.” Israel is compared to landed property that one would inherit from his ancestors and pass on to his descendants.
  39. Deuteronomy 9:26 tn Heb “you have redeemed in your greatness.”
  40. Deuteronomy 9:26 tn Heb “by your strong hand.”
  41. Deuteronomy 9:28 tc The MT reads only “the land.” Smr supplies עַם (ʿam, “people”) and LXX and its dependents supply “the inhabitants of the land.” The truncated form found in the MT is adequate to communicate the intended meaning; the words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  42. Deuteronomy 9:29 tn Heb “your inheritance.” See note at v. 26.
  43. Deuteronomy 9:29 tn Heb “an outstretched arm.”