Prediction of Israel’s Rebellion

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(A)“Behold, the days approach when you must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of meeting, that ^(B)I may ^[a]inaugurate him.”

So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tabernacle of meeting. ¹⁵ Now ^(C)the Lord appeared at the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood above the door of the tabernacle.

¹⁶ And the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, you will ^[b]rest with your fathers; and this people will ^(D)rise and ^(E)play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will ^(F)forsake Me and ^(G)break My covenant which I have made with them. ¹⁷ Then My anger shall be ^(H)aroused against them in that day, and ^(I)I will forsake them, and I will ^(J)hide My face from them, and they shall be ^[c]devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, ^(K)‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is ^(L)not among us?’ ¹⁸ And ^(M)I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.

¹⁹ “Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be ^(N)a witness for Me against the children of Israel. ²⁰ When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves ^(O)and grown fat, ^(P)then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant. ²¹ Then it shall be, ^(Q)when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for ^(R)I know the inclination ^(S)of their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the land of which I swore to give them.”

²² Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel. ^23 (T)Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, ^(U)“Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”