Deuteronomy 31:9-18

New American Standard Bible 1995

⁹ So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi ^(A)who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. ¹⁰ Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of ^(B)the year of remission of debts, at the ^(C)Feast of Booths, ¹¹ when all Israel comes ^(D)to appear before the Lord your God at ^(E)the place which He will choose, ^(F)you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing. ¹² Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and ^[a]the alien who is in your ^[b]town, so that they may hear and ^(G)learn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law. ¹³ Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live on the land ^[c]which you are about to cross the Jordan to ^[d]possess.”

Israel Will Fall Away

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, ^[e](H)the time for you to die is near; call Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.” ^(I)So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. ^15 (J)The Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the doorway of the tent. ¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, ^(K)you are about to lie down with your fathers; and ^(L)this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and ^(M)will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. ^17 (N)Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and ^(O)I will forsake them and ^(P)hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will come upon them; so that they will say in that day, ‘^(Q)Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?’ ¹⁸ But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods.