²⁴ When Moses had finished writing the words of this Law in a book, ²⁵ he^[a] gave this^[b] charge to the descendants of Levi who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord: ²⁶ “Take the book of this Law and set it beside the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God. Let it remain there with you as a witness against you, ²⁷ because indeed I know your rebellion and stubbornness. Note that even while I’m still alive, you’ve been rebelling against the Lord—how much more so after my death! ²⁸ Gather together the leaders^[c] of your tribes and your foremen so I can speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and the earth as witnesses against them, ²⁹ because I know that after my death, you’ll surely act wickedly and turn from the road that I’ve instructed you. As a result, evil will fall on you in days to come, because you’ll act wickedly in the sight of the Lord, causing him to become angry due to your behavior.”