Joshua Takes Moses’s Place

31 Then Moses continued to speak these[a] words to all Israel, saying, “I am now 120 years old;(A) I can no longer act as your leader.[b] The Lord has told me, ‘You will not cross the Jordan.’(B) The Lord your God is the one who will cross ahead of you.(C) He will destroy these nations before you, and you will drive them out. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, as the Lord has said.(D) The Lord will deal with them as he did Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and their land when he destroyed them.(E) The Lord will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous;(F) don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you;(G) he will not leave you or abandon you.”(H)

Moses then summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with[c] this people into the land the Lord swore to give to their ancestors.(I) You will enable them to take possession of it. The Lord is the one who will go before you.(J) He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.(K) Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

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Footnotes

  1. 31:1 Some Hb mss, DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg read all these
  2. 31:2 Lit no longer go out or come in
  3. 31:7 Some Hb mss, Sam, Syr, Vg read you will bring

Succession of Moses by Joshua

31 Then Moses went[a] and spoke these words[b] to all Israel. He said to them, “Today I am 120 years old. I am no longer able to get about,[c] and the Lord has said to me, ‘You will not cross the Jordan.’ As for the Lord your God, he is about to cross over before you; he will destroy these nations before you, and you will dispossess them. As for Joshua, he is about to cross before you just as the Lord has said. The Lord will do to them just what he did to Sihon and Og, the Amorite kings, and to their land, which he destroyed. The Lord will deliver them over to you, and you will do to them according to the whole commandment I have given you. Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or abandon you!” Then Moses called out to Joshua[d] in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will accompany these people to the land that the Lord promised to give their ancestors,[e] and you will enable them to inherit it. The Lord is indeed going before you—he will be with you; he will not fail you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!”

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 31:1 tc For the MT reading וַיֵּלֶךְ (vayyelekh, “he went”), the LXX and Qumran have וַיְכַל (vayekhal, “he finished”): “So Moses finished speaking,” etc. The difficult reading of the MT favors its authenticity.
  2. Deuteronomy 31:1 tn In the MT this refers to the words that follow (cf. NIV, NCV).
  3. Deuteronomy 31:2 tn Or “am no longer able to lead you” (NIV, NLT); Heb “am no longer able to go out and come in.”
  4. Deuteronomy 31:7 tn The Hebrew text includes “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  5. Deuteronomy 31:7 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 20).