Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close ISV

Deuteronomy 1
International Standard Version

The Setting of the Covenant

1 These are the words that Moses spoke to the assembly of[a] Israel east[b] of the Jordan River,[c] in the Arabah desert, opposite Suph between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. 2 It takes eleven days to travel[d] from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea via Mount Seir.[e] 3 On the first day of the eleventh month,[f] in the fortieth year, Moses spoke to the Israelis about everything that the Lord had commanded him concerning them. 4 This took place[g] after he defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon and Og, king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth at Edrei.

Moses Reviews God’s Instructions

5 East of the Jordan River, in the land of Moab, Moses began to expound this Law: 6 “The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb. He said, ‘You have been at this mountain long enough. 7 Break camp,[h] get going, and proceed to the hill country of the Amorites and all the nearby places in the Arabah desert, the highlands, the foothills, the Negev,[i] the coastal plains, all of the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8 Look! I’ve given you the land that lies ahead. Go in and possess the land that I, the Lord, promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as to their descendants.’”

Moses Reviews the Selected Officials

9 “I also told you at that time that I won’t be able to sustain you on my own. 10 The Lord your God greatly multiplied your numbers, and today you are like the stars in the sky. 11 May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase your numbers a thousand times more, and may he bless you, as he promised you. 12 How can I bear the burden of you and your bickering all by myself? 13 Choose for yourselves wise and discerning men, known to your tribes, and appoint them as your leaders. 14 You answered by saying that this plan is a good thing. 15 So I chose leaders from your tribes, wise and respected men, and I appointed them over you—commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 16 I charged your judges at that time, ‘When you hold a hearing between brothers, judge fairly between a man and his brother or between foreigners. 17 When you hold a hearing, don’t be partial[j] in judgment toward the least important or toward the great. Never fear men, because judgment belongs to God. If the matter is difficult for you, bring it to me for a hearing.’ 18 I charged you at that time that you must do all of these things.”

Moses Reviews the Sending of the Scouts(A)

19 “Then we set out from Horeb and walked through that vast and dreadful desert, where you observed the road to the Amorite hill country. Just as the Lord our God ordained for us, we finally arrived at Kadesh-barnea. 20 I told you at that time, ‘You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is about to give us. 21 Look! The Lord your God has given the land that lies[k] before you. Go and possess it, just as the Lord God of your ancestors commanded you. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.’

22 “Then all of you approached me and said: ‘Let’s send out men in advance of us so they can survey the land and bring back a report to us on how we’ll go up to their cities.’ 23 Because this suggestion[l] seemed good to me, I chose twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. 24 Then these men set out,[m] went up to the hill county, reached the Eshcol Valley, and surveyed it. 25 They hand-picked some of the fruit of the land, brought it down to us, and gave a report that said, ‘The land which the Lord is about to give us is good.’”

Israel Rebels

26 “However, your ancestors didn’t go up. Instead, they rebelled against the command[n] of the Lord your God. 27 You murmured in your tents, ‘The Lord hates us. He brought us out of the land of Egypt in order to deliver us to[o] the Amorites so he could destroy us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers discouraged us when they said that the people are bigger and taller than we are. Their cities are tall and fortified to the sky, and we also saw the Anakim[p] there.’

29 “Then I told you, ‘Don’t be terrified or afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God is the One who will be going ahead of you. He’ll fight for you just as he did in Egypt before your eyes. 31 In the desert you saw that the Lord carried you like a man carries his son, on every road you traveled until you reached this place.’ 32 But despite this, you didn’t trust in the Lord your God, 33 who walked ahead of you along the way to scout a place for you to pitch camp—by fire at night and cloud by day—to lead you on the way you should go.”

Entrance is Denied

34 “When the Lord heard your complaints, he became angry and declared, 35 ‘I swear that not one man of this evil generation will see the good land that I promised to give to your ancestors, 36 except Jephunneh’s son Caleb. He will see it and I will give to him and to his descendants the land on which he has walked because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord.’

37 “The Lord was also furious with me because of you. He said: ‘You will not enter the land.[q] 38 However, Nun’s son Joshua, your assistant, will go there. Encourage him, for he will cause Israel to take possession of it. 39 Your little ones—whom you said would be taken captive—and your children who do not yet[r] know right from wrong will enter the land.[s] I will give it to them and they themselves will possess it. 40 But as for you, prepare to set out for the desert on the way to the Reed[t] Sea.’

41 “You responded to me and said, ‘We have sinned against the Lord. We will now go up and fight according to what the Lord our God commanded.’ So each man put on his weapon for battle and recklessly started out for the hill country.”

The Amorites Defeat Israel

42 “Then the Lord told me: ‘Tell them not to go up and fight because I will not be in their midst, or else you will be defeated before your enemies.’

43 “I spoke to you but you didn’t listen. Instead you rebelled against the command[u] of the Lord and went up to the hill country. 44 The Amorites who lived in the hill country came out to engage you in battle. They pursued you like bees do and crushed you from Seir to Hormah. 45 You returned and cried out in the Lord’s presence, but the Lord didn’t hear your voice or listen to you. 46 You remained in Kadesh for many days. It was a long time, indeed.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 1:1 Lit. to all
  2. Deuteronomy 1:1 Lit. Israel on the other side; and so throughout the book
  3. Deuteronomy 1:1 The Heb. lacks River; and so throughout the book
  4. Deuteronomy 1:2 The Heb. lacks to travel
  5. Deuteronomy 1:2 This mountain, the modern Jebel esh-sherá, is located in the mountain range that extends south of the Dead Sea toward the Gulf of Aqaba, and is bordered by the Arabah Valley to the west.
  6. Deuteronomy 1:3 I.e. the month of Shebat in the Hebrew calendar
  7. Deuteronomy 1:4 The Heb. lacks This took place
  8. Deuteronomy 1:7 Lit. Turn
  9. Deuteronomy 1:7 I.e. the southern region of Israel; cf. Josh 10:40
  10. Deuteronomy 1:17 Lit. don’t recognize faces
  11. Deuteronomy 1:21 The Heb. lacks that lies
  12. Deuteronomy 1:23 Lit. word
  13. Deuteronomy 1:24 Lit. Then they turned
  14. Deuteronomy 1:26 Lit. mouth
  15. Deuteronomy 1:27 Lit. to give us into the hands of
  16. Deuteronomy 1:28 I.e. a race of giants that formerly populated Canaan; cf. Num 13:22, 33; Deut 9:2
  17. Deuteronomy 1:37 Lit. land there
  18. Deuteronomy 1:39 Lit. this day
  19. Deuteronomy 1:39 Lit. land there
  20. Deuteronomy 1:40 So MT; LXX reads Red
  21. Deuteronomy 1:43 Lit. mouth
Close LEB

Deuteronomy 1
Lexham English Bible

Preamble

1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all of Israel on the other side of[a] the Jordan in the desert,[b] in the desert plateau[c] opposite Suph, between Paran and between Tophel and Laban and Hazeroth and Dizahab. 2 It is a journey of eleven days[d] from Herob by the way of Mount Seir[e] up to Kadesh Barnea.

3 And it was[f] in the fortieth year, on the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, Moses spoke to the Israelites[g] according to all that Yahweh had instructed him to speak to them. 4 This happened after defeating[h] Sihon king of the Amorites, who was reigning[i] in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who was reigning[j] in Ashtaroth in Edrei. 5 On the other side of [k] the Jordan in the land of Moab Moses began to explain this law,[l] saying:[m]

Historical Prologue

6 “Yahweh our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying,[n] ‘You have stayed long enough[o] at this mountain. 7 Turn now and move on,[p] and go into the hill of the Amorites[q] and to all of the neighboring regions[r] in the Jordan Valley[s] in the hill country and in the Negev and in the coastal area along the sea, into the land of the Canaanites[t] and into the Lebanon, as far as the great river Euphrates. 8 Look, I have set the land before you;[u] go and take possession of the land that Yahweh swore to your ancestors,[v] to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give it to them and to their offspring after them.’

9 “And I spoke to them at that time, saying,[w] ‘I am not able to bear you alone. 10 Yahweh your God has multiplied you, and look; you are today as the stars of the heaven in number.[x] 11 Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,[y] may he add to you as you are now a thousand times, and may he bless you just as he promised you.[z] 12 How can I bear you by myself,[aa] your burden and your load and your strife? 13 Choose for yourselves wise and discerning and knowledgeable men[ab] for each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.’

14 “And you answered me, and you said, ‘The thing you have said to do is good.’ 15 And so I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and then I appointed them as leaders over you as commanders of groups of thousands and commanders of groups of hundreds and commanders of groups of fifties and commanders of groups of tens as officials for your tribes. 16 And at that time I instructed your judges, saying, ‘hear out your fellow men,[ac] and then judge fairly[ad] between a man and between his brother and between his opponent who is a resident alien.[ae] 17 You must not be partial[af] in your judgment; [ag] hear out the small person as also the great person; do not be intimidated by any person,[ah] because the judgment is God’s; and the case that is too difficult[ai] for you, bring it to me, and I will hear it out.’ 18 And so I instructed you at that time concerning all of the things that you should do.

19 “Then we set out from Horeb, and we went through the whole of that great and terrible desert that you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites[aj] as Yahweh our God had commanded us, and so we came up to Kadesh Barnea. 20 I said to you, ‘You have reached[ak] the hill country of the Amorites[al] that Yahweh our God is giving to us. 21 See, Yahweh your God has set before you the land; go up and possess it as Yahweh the God of your ancestors[am] said to you; do not fear and do not be dismayed.’

22 “Then all of you approached me, and you said, ‘Let us send men before us,[an] and let them explore the land for us, and let them bring back a report[ao] to us concerning the way that we should take[ap] and concerning the cities that we shall come to.’ 23 The plan was good in my opinion,[aq] and so I took from among you twelve men, one from each tribe.[ar] 24 And they set out[as] and went up into the hill country,[at] and they went up to the wadi[au] of Eschol, and they spied out the land. 25 They took in their hands[av] some of the fruit[aw] of the land, and they brought it down to us, and they brought to us back a report,[ax] and they said, ‘The land that Yahweh our God is giving to us is good.’ 26 But you were not willing to go up, and you rebelled against the command[ay] of Yahweh your God. 27 And you grumbled in your tents, and you said, ‘Because of the hatred of Yahweh toward us he has brought us out from the land of Egypt to give us into the hand of the Amorites[az] to destroy us. 28 Where can we go up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt,[ba] saying,[bb] “The people are greater[bc] and taller than we are,[bd] and there are great fortified cities reaching up to heaven, and we saw the sons of the Anakites living there.”’

29 “And so I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, and do not fear them. 30 Yahweh your God, who is going before you,[be] will himself[bf] fight for you, just as[bg] he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and just as he did in the wilderness[bh] when[bi] you saw that[bj] Yahweh your God carried you, just as someone[bk] carries his son, all along the way that you traveled until you reached[bl] this place.’ 32 But through all of this you did not trust in Yahweh your God, 33 who goes[bm] before you[bn] on your[bo] way, seeking a place for your encampment, in fire at night and in a cloud by day, to show you the way that you should go.[bp]

34 “Then Yahweh heard the sound of your words, and he was angry, and he swore, saying,[bq] 35 ‘No one of these men[br] of this evil generation will see the good land that I swore to give to your ancestors,[bs] 36 except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh; he himself[bt] shall see it, and to him I will give the land upon which he has trodden and to his sons[bu] because he followed Yahweh unreservedly.’[bv] 37 Even with me Yahweh was angry because of you, saying, ‘Not even you shall enter there. 38 Joshua, the son of Nun, your assistant,[bw] will go there; encourage him because he will cause Israel to inherit it. 39 And your little children, who you thought shall become plunder, and your sons, who do not today know good or bad, shall themselves[bx] go there, and I will give it to them, and they shall take possession of it. 40 But you turn and set out in the direction of the wilderness by way of the Red Sea.’[by]

41 “You replied and said to me, ‘We have sinned against Yahweh, and now we will go up and fight according to all that Yahweh our God commanded us’; and so each man fastened on his battle gear,[bz] and you regarded it as easy to go up into the hill country. 42 So Yahweh said to me, ‘Say to them, “You shall not go up, and you shall not fight because I am not in your midst; you will be defeated before[ca] your enemies.”’ 43 So I spoke to you, but you did not listen; you rebelled against the command of Yahweh;[cb] you behaved presumptuously, and you went up into the hill country. 44 The Amorites living in the hill country went out to oppose you[cc] and chased you as a swarm of wild honey bees do; and so they beat[cd] you down in Seir as far as Hormah. 45 So you returned and wept before Yahweh;[ce] but Yahweh did not listen to your voice and did not pay any attention to you. 46 You stayed in Kadesh many days; such were the days that you stayed there.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 1:1 Literally “in the beyond of”
  2. Deuteronomy 1:1 Or “the wilderness”
  3. Deuteronomy 1:1 Or “desert plain”; others render this as a named location, “Arabah”
  4. Deuteronomy 1:2 Literally “one and ten days”
  5. Deuteronomy 1:2 Literally “by the mountain of Seir”
  6. Deuteronomy 1:3 Literally “and it happened” or “and then”
  7. Deuteronomy 1:3 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  8. Deuteronomy 1:4 Literally “after he had struck down”
  9. Deuteronomy 1:4 Or “dwelling,” and in this context “reigning”
  10. Deuteronomy 1:4 Or “dwelling,” and in this context “reigning”
  11. Deuteronomy 1:5 Literally “in the beyond of”
  12. Deuteronomy 1:5 Hebrew torah
  13. Deuteronomy 1:5 Literally “to say”
  14. Deuteronomy 1:6 Literally “to say”
  15. Deuteronomy 1:6 Literally “much time”
  16. Deuteronomy 1:7 Literally “journey on with respect to yourselves” or “move yourselves out”
  17. Deuteronomy 1:7 Hebrew “Amorite”
  18. Deuteronomy 1:7 Or “peoples”
  19. Deuteronomy 1:7 Literally “Arabah,” arid stretches of land.
  20. Deuteronomy 1:7 Hebrew “Canaanite”
  21. Deuteronomy 1:8 Literally “before your face”
  22. Deuteronomy 1:8 Or “fathers”
  23. Deuteronomy 1:9 Literally “to say”
  24. Deuteronomy 1:10 Literally “with respect to multitude/abundance”
  25. Deuteronomy 1:11 Or “fathers”
  26. Deuteronomy 1:11 Literally “spoke to you”
  27. Deuteronomy 1:12 Literally “to me alone”
  28. Deuteronomy 1:13 Literally “men wise and discerning and knowledgeable”
  29. Deuteronomy 1:16 Literally “hear between your brothers,” with the idea of listening carefully in this context
  30. Deuteronomy 1:16 Or “righteously”
  31. Deuteronomy 1:16 Literally “between his resident alien/non-Israelite who dwells temporarily among Israel”
  32. Deuteronomy 1:17 Literally “recognize faces”
  33. Deuteronomy 1:17 Literally “in the process of rendering a judgment”
  34. Deuteronomy 1:17 Literally “do not fear before the faces of any man”
  35. Deuteronomy 1:17 Or “hard”
  36. Deuteronomy 1:19 Hebrew “Amorite”
  37. Deuteronomy 1:20 Literally “You have come up to”
  38. Deuteronomy 1:20 Hebrew “Amorite”
  39. Deuteronomy 1:21 Or “fathers”
  40. Deuteronomy 1:22 Literally “before our faces” or “ahead of us”
  41. Deuteronomy 1:22 Literally “a word”
  42. Deuteronomy 1:22 Literally “we should go up by it”
  43. Deuteronomy 1:23 Literally “in my eyes”
  44. Deuteronomy 1:23 Literally “man one from the tribe”
  45. Deuteronomy 1:24 Literally “turned”
  46. Deuteronomy 1:24 Literally “went up toward the hill country mountain”
  47. Deuteronomy 1:24 A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season
  48. Deuteronomy 1:25 Hebrew “hand”
  49. Deuteronomy 1:25 Literally “from the fruit”
  50. Deuteronomy 1:25 Literally “a word”
  51. Deuteronomy 1:26 Literally “mouth”
  52. Deuteronomy 1:27 Hebrew “Amorite”
  53. Deuteronomy 1:28 Literally “caused to melt our hearts”
  54. Deuteronomy 1:28 Literally “to say”
  55. Deuteronomy 1:28 Or “bigger”
  56. Deuteronomy 1:28 Hebrew “than us”
  57. Deuteronomy 1:30 Literally “to your faces”
  58. Deuteronomy 1:30 The Hebrew pronoun indicates emphasis
  59. Deuteronomy 1:30 Literally “like all that”
  60. Deuteronomy 1:31 Or “desert”
  61. Deuteronomy 1:31 Or “where”
  62. Deuteronomy 1:31 Or “how”
  63. Deuteronomy 1:31 Or “a man”
  64. Deuteronomy 1:31 Literally “you came”
  65. Deuteronomy 1:33 Literally “is the one going”
  66. Deuteronomy 1:33 Literally “before your faces”
  67. Deuteronomy 1:33 Hebrew “the”
  68. Deuteronomy 1:33 Literally “you should go in it”
  69. Deuteronomy 1:34 Literally “to say”
  70. Deuteronomy 1:35 The beginning of an oath in Hebrew; the text emphatically denies anyone of that evil generation the privilege of seeing the promised land
  71. Deuteronomy 1:35 Or “fathers”
  72. Deuteronomy 1:36 Emphatic use of the pronoun
  73. Deuteronomy 1:36 Or “descendants”
  74. Deuteronomy 1:36 Literally “he filled his hands after Yahweh”
  75. Deuteronomy 1:38 Literally “the one standing before you”
  76. Deuteronomy 1:39 The Hebrew pronoun is used for emphasis
  77. Deuteronomy 1:40 Literally “sea of reeds”
  78. Deuteronomy 1:41 Literally “his vessels of battle”
  79. Deuteronomy 1:42 Literally “in the faces of your enemies”
  80. Deuteronomy 1:43 Literally “mouth of Yahweh”
  81. Deuteronomy 1:44 Literally “to meet you”
  82. Deuteronomy 1:44 Literally “cut”
  83. Deuteronomy 1:45 Literally “before the faces of Yahweh”
Next
Numbers 36
Deuteronomy 2
Next
dropdown
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

ISV Bible
Lexham English Bible (LEB)

2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software