The Command to Leave Horeb

These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—that is, in the Arabah—opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab.

and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them.

Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need.

There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you.

Let them live among you wherever they like and in whatever town they choose. Do not oppress them.

Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression.

The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.

At midday you will grope about like a blind person in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you.

A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression all your days.

If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name—the Lord your God—

The Lord will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed.

The Lord will never be willing to forgive them; his wrath and zeal will burn against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the Lord will blot out their names from under heaven.

The Lord will single them out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.

Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book.

if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end,

“Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. There it will remain as a witness against you.

He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.