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.”