Deuteronomy 31:14-23
English Standard Version
Joshua Commissioned to Lead Israel
14 And the Lord said to Moses, (A)“Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that (B)I may commission him.” And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 15 And (C)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, (D)“Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and (E)whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will (F)forsake me and (G)break my covenant that I have made with them. 17 Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and (H)I will forsake them and (I)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, (J)‘Have not these evils come upon us because (K)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 (L)they have turned to other gods.
19 “Now therefore write (M)this song and (N)teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be (O)a witness for me against the people of Israel. 20 For when I have brought them into the land (P)flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and (Q)grown fat, (R)they will turn to other gods and serve them, and (S)despise me and (T)break my covenant. 21 And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as (U)a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For (V)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 (W)And the Lord[a] commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, (X)“Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. (Y)I will be with you.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Deuteronomy 31:23 Hebrew he
Deuteronomy 31:14-23
International Standard Version
Moses and Joshua Present Themselves to the Lord
14 Then the Lord told Moses: “Look! Because your time to die is approaching, call Joshua, present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, and then I will commission him.” Moses and Joshua complied[a] and presented[b] themselves at the Tent of Meeting. 15 So the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud that stood above the entrance.[c]
16 Then the Lord told Moses, “Look! You are about to join your ancestors.[d] Afterwards, this people will rebel[e] and commit prostitution with the foreign gods of the land that they are about to enter to possess. They will abandon me and break my covenant that I made with them.[f] 17 When that happens,[g] my anger will burn against them,[h] because they will have abandoned me. I’ll hide my face from them, they will be consumed, and many evils and distresses will find them. When this happens,[i] they[j] will say, ‘These troubles have happened to us because God isn’t among us.’ 18 I’ll surely hide my face in that day on account of the evil that they[k] will have done, because they[l] will have turned to other gods.”
Moses Instructed to Teach a Song
19 “Now write this song and teach it to the Israelis. Put this song in their very mouths, so that it will be a witness for me against the Israelis, 20 because after I’ve brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey that I promised to their ancestors by an oath, they’ll eat, grow fat, and then they’ll turn to other gods and serve them, while despising me and breaking my covenant. 21 Then, when many evils and troubles will have come upon them, this song will serve as a witness against them, since their descendants won’t fail to sing it. I know the plan that they are devising even before I bring them into the land that I promised them[m] by an oath.”
22 So Moses wrote the song that very day and taught it to the Israelis. 23 Then the Lord charged Nun’s son Joshua, “Be strong and courageous, because you’ll bring the Israelis to the land that I promised to them by an oath. I’ll be with you.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Deuteronomy 31:14 Lit. walked
- Deuteronomy 31:14 Or stood
- Deuteronomy 31:15 Lit. above the Tent of Meeting
- Deuteronomy 31:16 Lit. to lie down with
- Deuteronomy 31:16 Heb. rise up
- Deuteronomy 31:16 Lit. him
- Deuteronomy 31:17 Lit. On that day
- Deuteronomy 31:17 Lit. him
- Deuteronomy 31:17 On that day
- Deuteronomy 31:17 Lit. he
- Deuteronomy 31:18 Lit. he
- Deuteronomy 31:18 Lit. he
- Deuteronomy 31:21 The Heb. lacks them
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
