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Gods trouw

In dit boek staan de toespraken van Mozes tot het volk Israël tijdens het verblijf in de woestijn aan de oostkant van de Jordaan, in de omgeving van Suf, Paran, Tofel, Laban, Chaserot en Di-Zahab. De afstand van de berg Horeb naar Kades-Barnea kan te voet in elf dagen worden afgelegd.

Op de eerste dag van de elfde maand, in het veertigste jaar van hun omzwervingen door de woestijn, gaf Mozes het volk Israël nog eens al de woorden door die de Here tot hem had gesproken. De Israëlieten hadden onder leiding van Mozes toen al koning Sichon van de Amorieten verslagen bij Chesbon. Ook hadden zij koning Og van Basan, die in Astarot woonde, bij Edreï een zware nederlaag toegebracht. Daar, aan de overzijde van de Jordaan in het land Moab, legde Mozes de wetten en voorschriften die de Here hem had gegeven, uit aan het volk. Hij zei: ‘De Here, onze God, heeft bij de berg Horeb tegen ons gezegd: “U bent hier lang genoeg geweest. Vertrek nu en verover het gebergte van de Amorieten, het dal van de Araba, de Negev en al het land van Kanaän en van de Libanon, het hele gebied tussen de Middellandse Zee en de rivier de Eufraat. Ik geef het helemaal aan u! Trek er naar toe en neem het in bezit, want de Here heeft het beloofd aan uw voorouders Abraham, Isaak en Jakob en al hun nakomelingen”. Ik heb toen tegen u gezegd: “Ik heb hulp nodig! Ik kan de hele last van dit volk niet alleen dragen, 10 want de Here heeft u vermenigvuldigd als de sterren! 11 Ik hoop dat Hij u nog duizendmaal zal vermenigvuldigen en zegenen, zoals Hij heeft beloofd. 12 Maar ik, één man, kan niet al uw problemen en ruzies oplossen. 13 Kies daarom uit elke stam wijze en ervaren mannen die ik zal aanstellen tot leiders over u.” 14 U was het ermee eens. 15 Ik heb van elke stam enkele mannen die u uitkoos, benoemd tot leiders over u met de zorg voor duizend, honderd, vijftig of tien mensen. Zij moesten meningsverschillen oplossen en u op allerlei manieren terzijde staan. 16 Ik drukte hen op het hart altijd rechtvaardig en onbevooroordeeld te zijn, niet alleen voor hun eigen mensen maar ook tegenover de buitenlanders! 17 “Wanneer u een beslissing neemt,” zei ik hun, “bevoordeel dan nooit iemand omdat hij rijk is, wees rechtvaardig voor groot en klein. Wees niet bang voor hun reactie, want u handelt namens God. Als u een zaak wordt voorgelegd die te moeilijk is, leg die dan aan mij voor.” 18 Ik gaf hun daarbij ook nog andere instructies.

19-21 Toen verlieten wij de berg Horeb en reisden door die grote en vreselijke woestijn tot wij het Amoritische bergland bereikten, waarheen de Here, onze God, ons had gestuurd. Wij verbleven toen bij Kades-Barnea (aan de grens van het beloofde land) en ik zei tegen u: “De Here God heeft ons dit land gegeven. Vooruit, laten wij het in bezit nemen, zoals Hij ons heeft opgedragen. Wees niet bang! U mag zelfs niet twijfelen!” 22 Maar u zei: “Laten wij eerst spionnen vooruit sturen. Die kunnen bepalen welke route wij het best kunnen volgen en welke steden wij het eerst moeten veroveren.” 23 Dit leek mij een goed idee en ik koos twaalf spionnen uit, van elke stam één. 24,25 Zij trokken over de heuvels, verkenden het dal Eskol en kwamen terug met vruchten die daar groeiden. Eén blik was genoeg om ons ervan te overtuigen dat het inderdaad een goed land was dat de Here, onze God, zou geven. Ook hun verslag bevestigde dat. 26 Maar u weigerde het land binnen te trekken en het bevel van de Here te gehoorzamen. 27 U mopperde en klaagde in uw tenten en zei: “De Here moet ons haten, anders had Hij ons niet hierheen gebracht vanuit Egypte om ons door de Amorieten te laten afslachten. 28 Wat gaat er met ons gebeuren? De spionnen hebben ons bang gemaakt met hun verhalen over de grote en sterke bewoners van dat land en over de hoge, sterke muren rond hun steden! Zij hebben zelfs reuzen gezien, afstammelingen van Enak!” 29 Maar ik zei tegen u: “Wees niet bang! 30 De Here God is uw leider en Hij zal voor u strijden met zijn machtige wonderen, net zoals u Hem in Egypte hebt zien doen. 31 U weet allemaal hoe goed Hij voor ons heeft gezorgd in de woestijn. Hij zorgde toch heel de weg als een vader voor zijn kind!” 32 Maar wat ik ook zei, het hielp niets. U weigerde de Here, onze God, te geloven. 33 Hoewel Hij u de hele weg had geleid en de beste kampplaatsen voor u had uitgezocht. Overdag ging Hij voorop in een wolk en ʼs nachts in een zuil van vuur. 34,35 Toen de Here uw klachten hoorde, werd Hij toornig. Hij zei: “Ik zweer dat geen mens van deze generatie in leven zal blijven om het goede land te zien, dat Ik hun vaders heb beloofd. 36 De enige uitzondering is Kaleb, de zoon van Jefunne. Hij krijgt vanwege zijn trouw aan de Here een stuk van het beloofde land dat hij eerder als spion heeft verkend, als erfdeel.” 37 Ook op mij werd de Here vertoornd wegens uw gedrag. Hij zei: “Ook u mag het beloofde land niet in! 38 In uw plaats zal Jozua, de zoon van Nun, het volk het land binnenleiden. Bereid hem goed voor op zijn leiders-taak. 39 Ik zal het land aan uw kinderen geven, van wie u zei dat zij in de woestijn zouden sterven. 40 Maar voor de oudere generatie geldt: keer u nu om en ga terug door de woestijn in de richting van de Rietzee.”

41 Toen gaf het volk toe: “Wij hebben gezondigd! Wij zullen het land wel binnentrekken en ervoor vechten, zoals de Here, onze God, ons heeft opgedragen.” Zij maakten zich klaar voor de strijd en dachten dat het een gemakkelijke verovering zou worden. 42 Maar de Here zei tegen mij: “Houd hen tegen, want Ik ga niet met hen mee. Als zij gaan, worden zij door hun vijanden verslagen.” 43 Ik heb het u toen gezegd, maar u wilde niet luisteren. Integendeel, u trotseerde het bevel van de Here en trok toch het bergland in om strijd te voeren. 44 Maar de Amorieten die daar woonden, sloegen terug. Zij achtervolgden u als bijen en doodden de Israëlieten van Seïr tot Chorma. 45 Toen u terugkeerde en huilde voor het aangezicht van de Here, wilde Hij niet meer naar u luisteren. 46 Daarom zijn wij een lange tijd in Kades gebleven.’

Introduction

These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan in the wilderness,(A) in the Arabah opposite Suph,[a] between Paran(B) and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth,(C) and Di-zahab. It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir. In the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, Moses told the Israelites everything the Lord had commanded him to say to them. This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei.(D) Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:

Departure from Horeb

“The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb: ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough. Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites and their neighbors in the Arabah, the hill country, the Judean foothills,[b] the Negev and the sea coast—to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon as far as the Euphrates River.[c] See, I have set the land before you. Enter and take possession of the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers(E) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their future descendants.’(F)

Leaders for the Tribes

“I said to you at that time: I can’t bear the responsibility for you on my own. 10 The Lord your God has so multiplied you that today you are as numerous as the stars of the sky.(G) 11 May Yahweh, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times more, and bless you as He promised you. 12 But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes by myself? 13 Appoint for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will make them your leaders.

14 “You replied to me, ‘What you propose to do is good.’

15 “So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and set them over you as leaders: officials for thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and officers for your tribes. 16 I commanded your judges at that time: Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge rightly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. 17 Do not show partiality when deciding a case;(H) listen to small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God.(I) Bring me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it. 18 At that time I commanded you about all the things you were to do.(J)

Israel’s Disobedience at Kadesh-barnea

19 “We then set out from Horeb and went across all the great and terrible wilderness you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, just as the Lord our God had commanded us. When we reached Kadesh-barnea, 20 I said to you: You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21 See, the Lord your God has set the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

22 “Then(K) all of you approached me and said, ‘Let’s send men ahead of us, so that they may explore the land for us and bring us back a report about the route we should go up and the cities we will come to.’ 23 The plan seemed good to me, so I selected 12 men from among you, one man for each tribe. 24 They left and went up into the hill country and came to the Valley of Eshcol, scouting the land. 25 They took some of the fruit from the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us back a report: ‘The land the Lord our God is giving us is good.’(L)

26 “But you were not willing to go up, rebelling against the command of the Lord your God. 27 You grumbled in your tents(M) and said, ‘The Lord brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites so they would destroy us, because He hated us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have discouraged us,(N) saying: The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, fortified to the heavens.(O) We also saw the descendants of the Anakim(P) there.’

29 “So I said to you: Don’t be terrified or afraid of them!(Q) 30 The Lord your God who goes before you(R) will fight for you,(S) just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt. 31 And you saw in the wilderness how the Lord your God carried you as a man carries his son all along the way you traveled until you reached this place. 32 But in spite of this you did not trust the Lord your God, 33 who went before you on the journey to seek out a place for you to camp. He went in the fire by night and in the cloud by day to guide you on the road you were to travel.

34 “When the Lord heard your[d] words, He grew angry and swore an oath: 35 ‘None of these men in this evil generation will see the good land I swore to give your fathers,(T) 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the Lord completely.’

37 “The Lord was angry with me also because of you and said: ‘You will not enter there either.(U) 38 Joshua son of Nun, who attends you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit it.(V) 39 Your little children, whom you said would be plunder, your sons who[e] don’t know good from evil, will enter there. I will give them the land, and they will take possession of it. 40 But you are to turn back and head for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea.’(W)

41 “You answered me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ Then each of you put on his weapons of war and thought it would be easy to go up into the hill country.

42 “But the Lord said to me, ‘Tell them: Don’t go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from being defeated by your enemies.’(X) 43 So I spoke to you, but you didn’t listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and defiantly went up into the hill country. 44 Then the Amorites who lived there came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from Seir as far as Hormah.(Y) 45 When you returned, you wept before the Lord, but He didn’t listen to your requests or pay attention to you. 46 For this reason you stayed in Kadesh as long as you did.[f]

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 1:1 LXX, Tg, Vg read the Red Sea
  2. Deuteronomy 1:7 Or the Shephelah
  3. Deuteronomy 1:7 Lit the great river, the river Euphrates
  4. Deuteronomy 1:34 Lit the sound of your
  5. Deuteronomy 1:39 Lit who today
  6. Deuteronomy 1:46 Lit Kadesh for many days, according to the days you stayed

These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel [still] on the [east] side of the Jordan [River] in the wilderness, in the Arabah [the deep valley running north and south from the eastern arm of the Red Sea to beyond the Dead Sea], over near Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

It is [only] eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea [on Canaan’s border; yet Israel took forty years to get beyond it].

And in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the Israelites according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment to them,

After He had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth [and] Edrei.

Beyond (east of) the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying,

The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, You have dwelt long enough on this mountain.

Turn and take up your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the lowland, in the South (the Negeb), and on the coast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.

Behold, I have set the land before you; go in and take possession of the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after them.

I said to you at that time, I am not able to bear you alone.

10 The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day as the stars of the heavens for multitude.

11 May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you as He has promised you!

12 How can I bear alone the weariness and pressure and burden of you and your strife?

13 Choose wise, understanding, experienced, and respected men according to your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.

14 And you answered me, The thing which you have spoken is good for us to do.

15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise, experienced, and respected men, and made them heads over you, commanders of thousands, and hundreds, and fifties, and tens, and officers according to your tribes.

16 And I charged your judges at that time: Hear the cases between your brethren and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger or sojourner who is with him.

17 You shall not be partial in judgment; but you shall hear the small as well as the great. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.

18 And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.

19 And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us, and we came to Kadesh-barnea.

20 And I said to you, You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God gives us.

21 Behold, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has said to you. Fear not, neither be dismayed.

22 Then you all came near to me and said, Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us and bring us word again by what way we should go up and the cities into which we shall come.

23 The thing pleased me well, and I took twelve men of you, one for each tribe.

24 And they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out.

25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the Lord our God gives us.

26 Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God.

27 You were peevish and discontented in your tents, and said, Because the Lord hated us, He brought us forth out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.

28 To what are we going up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, The people are bigger and taller than we are; the cities are great and fortified to the heavens. And moreover we have seen the [giantlike] sons of the Anakim there.

29 Then I said to you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

30 The Lord your God Who goes before you, He will fight for you just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

31 And in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God bore you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.

32 Yet in spite of this word you did not believe (trust, rely on, and remain steadfast to) the Lord your God,

33 Who went in the way before you to search out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night, to show you by what way you should go, and in the cloud by day.

34 And the Lord heard your words, and was angered and He swore,

35 Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land which I swore to give to your fathers,

36 Except [Joshua, of course, and] Caleb son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land upon which he has walked, because he has wholly followed the Lord.

37 The Lord was angry with me also for your sakes, and said, You also shall not enter Canaan.

38 But Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

39 Moreover, your little ones whom you said would become a prey, and your children who at this time cannot discern between good and evil, they shall enter Canaan, and to them I will give it and they shall possess it.

40 But as for you, turn and journey into the wilderness by way of the Red Sea.

41 Then you said to me, We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us. And you girded on every man his battle weapons, and thought it a simple matter to go up into the hill country.

42 And the Lord said to me, Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not among you—lest you be dangerously hurt by your enemies.

43 So I spoke to you, and you would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, and were presumptuous and went up into the hill country.

44 Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do and struck you down in Seir as far as Hormah.

45 And you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord would not heed your voice or listen to you.

46 So you remained in Kadesh; many days you remained there.