Deuteronomy 31:14-23
World English Bible
14 Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, your days approach that you must die. Call Joshua, and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, that I may commission him.”
Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the Tent of Meeting.
15 Yahweh appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the Tent’s door. 16 Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land where they go to be among them, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Haven’t these evils come on us because our God is not among us?’ 18 I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.
19 “Now therefore write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. 20 For when I have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant. 21 It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I promised them.”
22 So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel.
23 He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and courageous; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them. I will be with you.”
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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
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