Deuteronomy 31
1599 Geneva Bible
31 2, 7 Moses preparing himself to die, appointeth Joshua to rule the people. 9 He giveth the law to the Levites, that they should read it to the people. 19 God giveth them a song as a witness between him and them. 23 God confirmeth Joshua. 29 Moses showeth them that they will rebel after his death.
1 Then Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel,
2 And said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day: I [a]can no more go out and in: also the Lord hath said unto me, (A)Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
3 The Lord thy God he will go over before thee: he will destroy these nations before thee, and thou shalt possess them. (B)Joshua, he shall go before thee, as the Lord hath said.
4 And the Lord shall do unto them, as he did to (C)Sihon and to Og kings of the Amorites, and unto their land whom he destroyed.
5 And the Lord shall give them [b]before you, that ye may do unto them according unto every (D)commandment which I have commanded you.
6 Pluck [c]up your hearts therefore, and be strong: dread not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God himself doth go with thee: he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
7 ¶ And Moses called Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be [d]of a good courage and strong: for thou shalt go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers, to give them, and thou shalt give it them to inherit.
8 And the Lord himself doth [e]go before thee: he will be with thee: he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not therefore, nor be discomforted.
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, (E)Every seventh year (F)when the year of freedom shall be in the feast of the Tabernacles:
11 When all Israel shall come to appear [f]before the Lord thy God, and the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this Law before all Israel that they may hear it.
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 keep and observe all the words of this Law,
13 And that their children which [g]have not known it, may hear it, 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 ¶ Then the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy days are come, that thou must die: Call Joshua, and stand ye in the Tabernacle of the Congregation that I may give him a [h]charge. So Moses and Joshua went, and stood in the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
15 And the Lord appeared in the Tabernacle in the pillar of a [i]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 a strange land (whither they go to dwell therein) and will forsake me: and break my covenant which I have made with them.
17 Wherefore my wrath will wax hot against them at that day, and I will forsake them, and will [j]hide my face from them: then they shall be consumed, and many adversities and tribulations shall come upon them: so then they will say, Are not these troubles come upon me, because God is not with me?
18 But I will surely hide my face in that day, because of all the evil which they shall commit, in that they are turned unto other gods.
19 Now therefore write ye this [k]song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be my witness against the children of Israel.
20 For I will bring them into the land (which I sware unto their fathers) that floweth with milk and honey: and they shall eat and fill themselves, and wax fat: [l]then shall they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and contemn me, and break my covenant.
21 And then when many adversities and tribulations shall come upon them, this song shall [m]answer them to their faces as a witness: for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their posterity: 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 God gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, (G)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 when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this Law in a book until he had finished them,
25 Then Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the Ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying,
26 Take the book of this Law, and put ye it in the side of the Ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a [n]witness against thee.
27 For I know thy rebellion and thy stiff neck: behold, I being yet alive with you this day, ye are rebellious against the Lord: how much more then after my death?
28 Gather unto me all the Elders of your tribes, and your [o]officers, that I may speak these words in their audience, and call heaven and earth to record against them.
29 For I am sure that after my death, ye will utterly be corrupt and turn from the way which I have commanded you: therefore evil will come upon you at the length, because ye will commit evil in the sight of the Lord, by provoking him to anger through the [p]work of your hands.
30 Thus Moses spake in the audience of all the Congregation of Israel the words of this song, until he had ended them.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 31:2 I can no longer execute mine office.
- Deuteronomy 31:5 Into your hands.
- Deuteronomy 31:6 Or, be of good courage.
- Deuteronomy 31:7 For he that must govern the people, hath need to be valiant to repress vice, and constant to maintain virtue.
- Deuteronomy 31:8 Signifying that man can never be of good courage, except he be persuaded of God’s favor and assistance.
- Deuteronomy 31:11 Before the Ark of the covenant, which was the sign of God’s presence, and the figure of Christ.
- Deuteronomy 31:13 Which were not born when the law was given.
- Deuteronomy 31:14 Or, commandment.
- Deuteronomy 31:15 In a cloud that was fashioned like a pillar.
- Deuteronomy 31:17 That is, I will take my favor from them: as to turn his face toward us, is to show us his favor.
- Deuteronomy 31:19 To preserve you and your children from idolatry, by remembering God’s benefits.
- Deuteronomy 31:20 For this is the nature of flesh, no longer to obey God, than it is under the rod.
- Deuteronomy 31:21 That these evils are come upon them, because they forsook me.
- Deuteronomy 31:26 Of thine infidelity, when thou shalt turn away from the doctrine contained therein.
- Deuteronomy 31:28 As governors, judges and magistrates.
- Deuteronomy 31:29 By idolatry, and worshipping images, which are the work of your hands.
Deuteronomy 31
Evangelical Heritage Version
Joshua Will Follow Moses
31 Moses came and spoke the following words to all Israel. 2 He said to them:
“I am now one hundred twenty years old. I can no longer go out and come back.[a] The Lord has said to me, ‘You will not cross over this Jordan.’
3 “The Lord your God himself will cross over before you. He will destroy those nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua is the one who will cross over before you, as the Lord promised. 4 The Lord will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites, and as he did to their lands when he destroyed them. 5 The Lord will hand them over to you, and you are to deal with them according to the whole set of commands that I gave you.
6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be terrified before them, because the Lord your God is going with you. He will not abandon you and he will not forsake you.”
7 Moses called Joshua and said to him in the view of all Israel:
“Be strong and courageous, because you will go with this people into the land that the Lord promised to your fathers with an oath, and you will divide it among them as their possession. 8 The Lord himself will go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will not abandon you, and he will not forsake you. Do not be afraid and do not be overwhelmed.”
Reading the Law
9 Then Moses wrote down this law, and he gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Moses commanded them:
“At the end of seven years, at the appointed time of the year of the release, at the Festival of Shelters, 11 when all Israel comes to appear in the presence of the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you are to read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people—the men, the women, the children, and the alien who resides within your gates—so that they may hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God and to be careful to carry out all the words of this law. 13 Their children also, who do not know the law, are to hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God all the time that you live on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
The Transition to Joshua
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The time is approaching for you to die. Summon Joshua and stand at the Tent of Meeting, and I will commission him.”
So Moses and Joshua went and stood at the Tent of Meeting. 15 Then the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance to the tent. 16 The Lord said to Moses:
“You are about to lie down with your fathers, but this people will rise up and prostitute themselves to the foreign gods among them in the land they are about to enter. They will forsake me and break my covenant that I made with them. 17 My anger will burn against them on that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them. They will be on the verge of being devoured, and many evils and distresses will find them. They will say on that day, ‘Haven’t these evil things found us because our God is not among us?’ 18 Yet I will hide my face on that day because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.
19 “So now, write down this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths so this song will be my witness against the people of Israel. 20 When I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey that I promised by oath to their fathers, and they eat and are satisfied and grow fat, and they then turn to other gods and serve them, when they despise me and break my covenant, 21 and many evils and distresses find them, then this song will testify against them as a witness, because it will not be forgotten or gone from the mouths of their descendants. I certainly know the inclination that they are developing today before I bring them to the land that I have promised on oath.”
22 So Moses wrote down this song on that day and taught it to the people of Israel.
23 Then the Lord commissioned Joshua son of Nun and said to him:
“Be strong and courageous, because you will bring the people of Israel into the land that I have promised to them with an oath, and I will be with you.”
24 When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, 25 he gave this command to the Levites, who carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord:
26 “Take this Book of the Law, and place it beside the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, and let it remain there as a witness against you. 27 I certainly know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Even while I am still alive and among you today, you are rebels against the Lord. So how much more after my death! 28 Assemble all the elders of your tribes and your officials before me, and I will speak all these words in their hearing, and I will call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. 29 I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way that I have commanded you, and that evil will come on you in future days when you do evil in the sight of the Lord by provoking him to anger by the work of your hands.”
Moses’ Song
30 Then Moses spoke the words of this song in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel, from beginning to end:
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 31:2 That is, he could no longer lead them on their campaigns.
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