But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses addressed the people of Israel, telling them everything the Lord had commanded him to say.

But you are such a heavy load to carry! How can I deal with all your problems and bickering?

“But you all came to me and said, ‘First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best route to take and which towns we should enter.’

Israel’s Rebellion against the Lord

“But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God and refused to go in.

“But I said to you, ‘Don’t be shocked or afraid of them!

“But even after all he did, you refused to trust the Lord your God,

I will give the land to your little ones—your innocent children. You were afraid they would be captured, but they will be the ones who occupy it.

“But the Lord told me to tell you, ‘Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by your enemies.’

“This is what I told you, but you would not listen. Instead, you again rebelled against the Lord’s command and arrogantly went into the hill country to fight.

But the Amorites who lived there came out against you like a swarm of bees. They chased and battered you all the way from Seir to Hormah.

Then you returned and wept before the Lord, but he refused to listen.

In earlier times the Horites had lived in Seir, but they were driven out and displaced by the descendants of Esau, just as Israel drove out the people of Canaan when the Lord gave Israel their land.)

and enter the land of the Ammonites, the descendants of Lot. But do not bother them or start a war with them. I have given the land of Ammon to them as their property, and I will not give you any of their land.’”

They were also as strong and numerous and tall as the Anakites. But the Lord destroyed them so the Ammonites could occupy their land.

“But King Sihon of Heshbon refused to allow us to pass through, because the Lord your God made Sihon stubborn and defiant so he could help you defeat him, as he has now done.

But the Lord our God handed him over to us, and we crushed him, his sons, and all his people.

But the Lord told me, ‘Do not be afraid of him, for I have given you victory over Og and his entire army, and I will give you all his land. Treat him just as you treated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.’

But we kept all the livestock for ourselves and took plunder from all the towns.

But I also gave part of Gilead to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. The area I gave them extended from the middle of the Arnon Gorge in the south to the Jabbok River on the Ammonite frontier.

“But the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. ‘That’s enough!’ he declared. ‘Speak of it no more.

But go up to Pisgah Peak, and look over the land in every direction. Take a good look, but you may not cross the Jordan River.

But all of you who were faithful to the Lord your God are still alive today—every one of you.

“But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.

And the Lord spoke to you from the heart of the fire. You heard the sound of his words but didn’t see his form; there was only a voice.

A Warning against Idolatry

“But be very careful! You did not see the Lord’s form on the day he spoke to you from the heart of the fire at Mount Sinai.

“But the Lord was angry with me because of you. He vowed that I would not cross the Jordan River into the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession.

You will cross the Jordan to occupy the land, but I will not. Instead, I will die here on the east side of the river.

But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.

and as they camped in the valley near Beth-peor east of the Jordan River. (This land was formerly occupied by the Amorites under King Sihon, who ruled from Heshbon. But Moses and the Israelites destroyed him and his people when they came up from Egypt.

The Lord did not make this covenant with our ancestors, but with all of us who are alive today.

“You must not have any other god but me.

But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do.

Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.

“But when you heard the voice from the heart of the darkness, while the mountain was blazing with fire, all your tribal leaders and elders came to me.

But now, why should we risk death again? If the Lord our God speaks to us again, we will certainly die and be consumed by this awesome fire.

But you stand here with me so I can give you all my commands, decrees, and regulations. You must teach them to the people so they can obey them in the land I am giving them as their possession.’”

“Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand.

But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him.

And the Lord will protect you from all sickness. He will not let you suffer from the terrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all your enemies!

But don’t be afraid of them! Just remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt.

But the Lord your God will hand them over to you. He will throw them into complete confusion until they are destroyed.

“But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.

“But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed.

But recognize today that the Lord your God is the one who will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them. He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them and drive them out, just as the Lord has promised.

I feared that the furious anger of the Lord, which turned him against you, would drive him to destroy you. But again he listened to me.

The Lord was so angry with Aaron that he wanted to destroy him, too. But I prayed for Aaron, and the Lord spared him.

And at Kadesh-barnea the Lord sent you out with this command: ‘Go up and take over the land I have given you.’ But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God and refused to put your trust in him or obey him.

But they are your people and your special possession, whom you brought out of Egypt by your great strength and powerful arm.’

When your ancestors went down into Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky!

But you have seen the Lord perform all these mighty deeds with your own eyes!

“But be careful. Don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the Lord and serve and worship other gods.

But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.

But you will soon cross the Jordan River and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you. When he gives you rest from all your enemies and you’re living safely in the land,

“But you may butcher your animals and eat their meat in any town whenever you want. You may freely eat the animals with which the Lord your God blesses you. All of you, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you now eat gazelle and deer.

But you must not consume the blood. You must pour it out on the ground like water.

“But you may not eat your offerings in your hometown—neither the tithe of your grain and new wine and olive oil, nor the firstborn of your flocks and herds, nor any offering to fulfill a vow, nor your voluntary offerings, nor your sacred offerings.

But never consume the blood, for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the lifeblood with the meat.

You must offer the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat.

But do not give in or listen. Have no pity, and do not spare or protect them.

but if the animal doesn’t have both, it may not be eaten. So you may not eat the camel, the hare, or the hyrax. They chew the cud but do not have split hooves, so they are ceremonially unclean for you.

And you may not eat the pig. It has split hooves but does not chew the cud, so it is ceremonially unclean for you. You may not eat the meat of these animals or even touch their carcasses.

But you may eat any winged bird or insect that is ceremonially clean.

“You must not eat anything that has died a natural death. You may give it to a foreigner living in your town, or you may sell it to a stranger. But do not eat it yourselves, for you are set apart as holy to the Lord your God. “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

The Lord your God will bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they will not rule over you.

“But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them.

“But suppose your servant says, ‘I will not leave you,’ because he loves you and your family, and he has done well with you.

But if this firstborn animal has any defect, such as lameness or blindness, or if anything else is wrong with it, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.

But you must not consume the blood. You must pour it out on the ground like water.

“Each year every man in Israel must celebrate these three festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. On each of these occasions, all men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he chooses, but they must not appear before the Lord without a gift for him.

But never put a person to death on the testimony of only one witness. There must always be two or three witnesses.

But you must be blameless before the Lord your God.

The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things.”

But any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my name or who speaks in the name of another god must die.’

“But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord?’

If the prophet speaks in the Lord’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared.

“But suppose someone is hostile toward a neighbor and deliberately ambushes and murders him and then flees to one of the cities of refuge.

“Then the officers of the army must address the troops and say, ‘Has anyone here just built a new house but not yet dedicated it? If so, you may go home! You might be killed in the battle, and someone else would dedicate your house.

Has anyone here just planted a vineyard but not yet eaten any of its fruit? If so, you may go home! You might die in battle, and someone else would eat the first fruit.

Has anyone here just become engaged to a woman but not yet married her? Well, you may go home and get married! You might die in the battle, and someone else would marry her.’

But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town.

But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder. You may enjoy the plunder from your enemies that the Lord your God has given you.

“But these instructions apply only to distant towns, not to the towns of the nations in the land you will enter.

“When you are attacking a town and the war drags on, you must not cut down the trees with your axes. You may eat the fruit, but do not cut down the trees. Are the trees your enemies, that you should attack them?

and change the clothes she was wearing when she was captured. She will stay in your home, but let her mourn for her father and mother for a full month. Then you may marry her, and you will be her husband and she will be your wife.

But if you marry her and she does not please you, you must let her go free. You may not sell her or treat her as a slave, for you have humiliated her.

Rights of the Firstborn

“Suppose a man has two wives, but he loves one and not the other, and both have given him sons. And suppose the firstborn son is the son of the wife he does not love.

You may take the young, but let the mother go, so that you may prosper and enjoy a long life.

Regulations for Sexual Purity

“Suppose a man marries a woman, but after sleeping with her, he turns against her

He has accused her of shameful conduct, saying, “I discovered that your daughter was not a virgin.” But here is the proof of my daughter’s virginity.’ Then they must spread her bed sheet before the elders.

“But suppose the man’s accusations are true, and he can show that she was not a virgin.

“But if the man meets the engaged woman out in the country, and he rapes her, then only the man must die.

Since the man raped her out in the country, it must be assumed that she screamed, but there was no one to rescue her.

“Suppose a man has intercourse with a young woman who is a virgin but is not engaged to be married. If they are discovered,

But the Lord your God refused to listen to Balaam. He turned the intended curse into a blessing because the Lord your God loves you.

You may charge interest to foreigners, but you may not charge interest to Israelites, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything you do in the land you are about to enter and occupy.

But once you have voluntarily made a vow, be careful to fulfill your promise to the Lord your God.

“When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not carry any away in a basket.

And when you enter your neighbor’s field of grain, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but you must not harvest it with a sickle.

“Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house.

But if the second husband also turns against her, writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away, or if he dies,

But never give more than forty lashes; more than forty lashes would publicly humiliate your neighbor.

“But if the man refuses to marry his brother’s widow, she must go to the town gate and say to the elders assembled there, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel—he refuses to fulfill the duties of a brother-in-law by marrying me.’

“You must then say in the presence of the Lord your God, ‘My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live as a foreigner in Egypt. His family arrived few in number, but in Egypt they became a large and mighty nation.

“The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!

The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them.

Curses for Disobedience

“But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you:

“The Lord will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You will attack your enemies from one direction, but you will scatter from them in seven! You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

You will grope around in broad daylight like a blind person groping in the darkness, but you will not find your way. You will be oppressed and robbed continually, and no one will come to save you.

“You will be engaged to a woman, but another man will sleep with her. You will build a house, but someone else will live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will never enjoy its fruit.

Your ox will be butchered before your eyes, but you will not eat a single bite of the meat. Your donkey will be taken from you, never to be returned. Your sheep and goats will be given to your enemies, and no one will be there to help you.

You will watch as your sons and daughters are taken away as slaves. Your heart will break for them, but you won’t be able to help them.

“You will plant much but harvest little, for locusts will eat your crops.

You will plant vineyards and care for them, but you will not drink the wine or eat the grapes, for worms will destroy the vines.

You will grow olive trees throughout your land, but you will never use the olive oil, for the fruit will drop before it ripens.

You will have sons and daughters, but you will lose them, for they will be led away into captivity.

They will lend money to you, but you will not lend to them. They will be the head, and you will be the tail!

Then the Lord will send you back to Egypt in ships, to a destination I promised you would never see again. There you will offer to sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves, but no one will buy you.”

But to this day the Lord has not given you minds that understand, nor eyes that see, nor ears that hear!

You ate no bread and drank no wine or other alcoholic drink, but he provided for you so you would know that he is the Lord your God.

“When we came here, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them.

“But you are not the only ones with whom I am making this covenant with its curses.

“The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.

“But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods,

But the Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy the nations living there, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua will lead you across the river, just as the Lord promised.

For I will bring them into the land I swore to give their ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey. There they will become prosperous, eat all the food they want, and become fat. But they will begin to worship other gods; they will despise me and break my covenant.

“But they have acted corruptly toward him; when they act so perversely, are they really his children? They are a deceitful and twisted generation.

“But Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed! Then they abandoned the God who had made them; they made light of the Rock of their salvation.

But I feared the taunt of Israel’s enemy, who might misunderstand and say, “Our own power has triumphed! The Lord had nothing to do with this!”’

“But Israel is a senseless nation; the people are foolish, without understanding.

But the rock of our enemies is not like our Rock, as even they recognize.

Look now; I myself am he! There is no other god but me! I am the one who kills and gives life; I am the one who wounds and heals; no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!

So you will see the land from a distance, but you may not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.”

The Lord buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place.