Deuteronomy 31
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
31 And Moses went, and spoke all these words to all Israel,
2 And he said to them: I am this day a hundred and twenty years old, I can no longer go out and come in, especially as the Lord also hath said to me: O Thou shalt not pass over this Jordan.
3 The Lord thy God then will pass over before thee: he will destroy all these nations in thy sight, and thou shalt possess them: and this Josue shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath spoken.
4 And the Lord shall do to them as he did to Sehon and Og the kings of the Amorrhites, and to their land, and shall destroy them.
5 Therefore when the Lord shall have delivered these also to you, you shall do in like manner to them as I have commanded you,
6 Do manfully and be of good heart: fear not, nor be ye dismayed at their sight: for the Lord thy God he himself is thy leader, and will not leave thee nor forsake thee.
7 And Moses called Josue, and said to him before all Israel: Take courage, and be valiant: for thou shalt bring this people into the land which the Lord swore he would give to their fathers, and thou shalt divide it by lot.
8 And the Lord who is your leader, he himself will be with thee: he will not leave thee, nor forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the ancients of Israel.
10 And he commanded them, saying: After seven years, in the year of remission, in the feast of tabernacles,
11 When all Israel come together, to appear in the sight of the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose, thou shalt read the words of this law before all Israel, in their hearing,
12 And the people being all assembled together, both men and women, children and strangers, that are within thy gates: that hearing they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and keep, and fulfill all the words of this law:
13 That their children also, who now are ignorant, may hear, and fear the Lord their God, all the days that they live in the land whither you are going over the Jordan to possess it.
14 And the Lord said to Moses: Behold the days of thy death are nigh: call Josue, and stand ye in the tabernacle of the testimony, that I may give him a charge. So Moses and Josue went and stood in the tabernacle of the testimony:
15 And the Lord appeared there in the pillar of a cloud, which stood in the entry of the tabernacle.
16 And the Lord said to Moses: Behold thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and this people rising up will go a fornicating after strange gods in the land, to which it goeth in to dwell: there will they forsake me, and will make void the covenant, which I have made with them,
17 And my wrath shall be kindled against them in that day: and I will forsake them, and will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured: all evils and afflictions shall find them, so that they shall say in that day: In truth it is because God is not with me, that these evils have found me.
18 But I will hide, and cover my face in that day, for all the evils which they have done, because they have followed strange gods.
19 Now therefore write you this canticle, and teach the children of Israel: that they may know it by heart, and sing it by mouth, and this song may be unto me for a testimony among the children of Israel.
20 For I will bring them into the land, for which I swore to their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey. And when they have eaten, and are full and fat, they will turn away after strange gods, and will serve them: and will despise me, and make void my covenant.
21 And after many evils and afflictions shall have come upon them, this canticle shall answer them for a testimony, which no oblivion shall take away out of the mouth of their seed. For I know their thoughts, and what they are about to do this day, before that I bring them into the land which I have promised them.
22 Moses therefore wrote the canticle and taught it to the children of Israel.
23 And the Lord commanded Josue the son of Nun, and said: Take courage, and be valiant: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I have promised, and I will be with thee.
24 Therefore after Moses had wrote the words of this law in a volume, and finished it:
25 He commanded the Levites, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. saying:
26 Take this book, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God: that it may be there for a testimony against thee.
27 For I know thy obstinacy, and thy most stiff neck, While I am yet living, and going in with you, you have always been rebellious against the Lord: how much more when I shall be dead?
28 Gather unto me all the ancients of your tribes, and your doctors, and I will speak these words in their hearing, and will call heaven and earth to witness against them.
29 For I know that, after my death, you will do wickedly, and will quickly turn aside from the way that I have commanded you: and evils shall come upon you in the latter times, when you shall do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him by the works of your hands.
30 Moses therefore spoke, in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel, the words of this canticle, and finished it even to the end,
Deuteronomy 31
King James Version
31 And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.
2 And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the Lord hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
3 The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said.
4 And the Lord shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
5 And the Lord shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.
6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
8 And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and unto all the elders of Israel.
10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
11 When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
12 Gather the people together, men and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:
13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.
15 And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.
16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?
18 And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
19 Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.
20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
21 And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.
22 Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.
24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
25 That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying,
26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the Lord; and how much more after my death?
28 Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.
29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
30 And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.
Deuteronomy 31
English Standard Version
Joshua to Succeed Moses
31 So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, “I am (A)120 years old today. I am no longer able to (B)go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, (C)‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ 3 The Lord your God (D)himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, (E)as the Lord has spoken. 4 And the Lord will do to them (F)as he did to Sihon (G)and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. 5 And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them (H)according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. 6 (I)Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, (J)for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. (K)He will not leave you or forsake you.”
7 Then (L)Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, (M)“Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the Lord (N)who goes before you. He will be with you; (O)he will not leave you or forsake you. (P)Do not fear or be dismayed.”
The Reading of the Law
9 Then Moses (Q)wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, (R)who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, (S)“At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at (T)the Feast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes (U)to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, (V)you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 (W)Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, (X)who have not known it, (Y)may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, (Z)as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”
Joshua Commissioned to Lead Israel
14 And the Lord said to Moses, (AA)“Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that (AB)I may commission him.” And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 15 And (AC)the Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. And the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent.
16 And the Lord said to Moses, (AD)“Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and (AE)whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will (AF)forsake me and (AG)break my covenant that I have made with them. 17 Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and (AH)I will forsake them and (AI)hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, (AJ)‘Have not these evils come upon us because (AK)our God is not among us?’ 18 And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because (AL)they have turned to other gods.
19 “Now therefore write (AM)this song and (AN)teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be (AO)a witness for me against the people of Israel. 20 For when I have brought them into the land (AP)flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and (AQ)grown fat, (AR)they will turn to other gods and serve them, and (AS)despise me and (AT)break my covenant. 21 And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as (AU)a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For (AV)I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.” 22 So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel.
23 (AW)And the Lord[a] commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, (AX)“Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. (AY)I will be with you.”
24 When Moses had finished (AZ)writing the words of this law in a book to the very end, 25 Moses commanded (BA)the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 26 “Take this Book of the Law (BB)and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for (BC)a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and (BD)stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, (BE)you have been rebellious against the Lord. How much more after my death! 28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak (BF)these words in their ears and (BG)call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death (BH)you will surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And (BI)in the days to come (BJ)evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, (BK)provoking him to anger through the work of your hands.”
The Song of Moses
30 Then Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the ears of all the assembly of Israel:
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 31:23 Hebrew he
Deuteronomy 31
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 31
The Lord’s Leadership. 1 When Moses had finished speaking these words to all Israel, 2 he said to them, I am now one hundred and twenty years old(A) and am no longer able to go out and come in; besides, the Lord has said to me, Do not cross this Jordan. 3 It is the Lord, your God, who will cross before you; he will destroy these nations before you, that you may dispossess them.(B) (It is Joshua who will cross before you, as the Lord promised.) 4 (C)The Lord will deal with them just as he dealt with Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and with their country, when he destroyed them. 5 When, therefore, the Lord delivers them up to you, you shall deal with them according to the whole commandment which I have given you.(D) 6 Be strong and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them, for it is the Lord, your God, who marches with you; he will never fail you or forsake you.(E)
Call of Joshua. 7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel said to him,(F) “Be strong and steadfast, for you shall bring this people into the land which the Lord swore to their ancestors he would give them; it is you who will give them possession of it. 8 It is the Lord who goes before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed.”(G)
The Reading of the Law. 9 (H)When Moses had written down this law, he gave it to the levitical priests who carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.(I) 10 Moses commanded them, saying, On the feast of Booths,(J) at the prescribed time in the year for remission[a] which comes at the end of every seven-year period, 11 when all Israel goes to appear before the Lord, your God, in the place which he will choose, you shall read this law aloud in the presence of all Israel. 12 Assemble the people—men, women and children, as well as the resident aliens who live in your communities—that they may hear and so learn to fear the Lord, your God, and to observe carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children also, who do not know it yet, shall hear and learn to fear the Lord, your God, as long as you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.
Commission to Joshua. 14 (K)The Lord said to Moses, The time is now approaching for you to die. Summon Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting that I may commission him. So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. 15 And the Lord appeared at the tent in a column of cloud; the column of cloud stood at the entrance of the tent.
A Command to Moses. 16 The Lord said to Moses, Soon you will be at rest with your ancestors, and then this people will prostitute themselves[b] by following the foreign gods among whom they will live in the land they are about to enter.(L) They will forsake me and break the covenant which I have made with them. 17 (M)At that time my anger will flare up against them; I will forsake them and hide my face from them; they will become a prey to be devoured, and much evil and distress will befall them. At that time they will indeed say, “Is it not because our God is not in our midst that these evils have befallen us?” 18 Yet I will surely hide my face at that time because of all the evil they have done in turning to other gods. 19 Now, write out this song(N) for yourselves. Teach it to the Israelites and have them recite it, so that this song may be a witness for me against the Israelites. 20 For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey which I promised on oath to their ancestors, and they have eaten and are satisfied and have grown fat, if they turn to other gods and serve them, despising me and breaking my covenant, 21 then, when great evil and distress befall them, this song will speak to them as a witness, for it will not be forgotten if their descendants recite it. For I know what they are inclined to do even at the present time, before I have brought them into the land which I promised on oath. 22 So Moses wrote this song that same day, and he taught it to the Israelites.
Commission of Joshua. 23 Then he commissioned Joshua, son of Nun, and said to him, Be strong and steadfast, for it is you who will bring the Israelites into the land which I promised them on oath.(O) I myself will be with you.
The Law Placed in the Ark. 24 When Moses had finished writing out on a scroll the words of this law in their entirety, 25 Moses gave the Levites(P) who carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord this order: 26 Take this book of the law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord, your God, that there it may be a witness against you.(Q) 27 For I already know how rebellious and stiff-necked you will be. Why, even now, while I am alive among you, you have been rebels against the Lord! How much more, then, after I am dead!(R) 28 (S)Assemble all your tribal elders and your officials before me, that I may speak these words for them to hear and so may call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 (T)For I know that after my death you are sure to act corruptly and to turn aside from the way along which I commanded you, so that evil will befall you in time to come because you have done what is evil in the Lord’s sight, and provoked him by your deeds.
The Song of Moses. 30 Then Moses recited the words of this song in their entirety, for the whole assembly of Israel to hear:
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