Beginning
The Israelites Will Return
30 When all these blessings and curses I have described happen to you, and the Lord your God has ·sent [driven] you away to other nations [2 Kin. 25:1–21; 2 Chr. 36:17–20; Jer. 39:1–10; 52:1–30], ·think about [call to mind; meditate on] these things. 2 Then you and your children will return to the Lord your God, and you will ·obey him [listen to his voice] with ·your whole being [L all your heart/mind and all your soul] in everything I am commanding you today. 3 Then the Lord your God will ·give you back your freedom [restore your fortunes]. He will ·feel sorry for [have mercy on] you, and he will bring you back again from the nations where he scattered you [2 Chr. 36:22–23; Ezra 1:1—2:70]. 4 He may ·send [drive] you to the ends of the ·earth [L heavens], but he will gather you and bring you back from there, 5 back to the land that belonged to your ·ancestors [fathers]. It will be yours. He will give you success, and there will be more of you than there were of your ·ancestors [fathers]. 6 The Lord your God will ·prepare you and your descendants [L circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed] to love him with ·your whole being [L all your heart/mind and all your soul] so that you will live. 7 The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies, who hate you and ·are cruel to [persecute] you. 8 And you will again ·obey [listen to the voice of] the Lord, keeping all his commands that I ·give [command] you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you ·successful [prosperous] in ·everything you do [L all the work of your hands]. ·You will have many children, your cattle will have many calves, and your fields will produce good crops [L …in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your land], because the Lord will again be ·happy [pleased; delighted] with you, just as he was with your ·ancestors [fathers]. 10 But you must ·obey [listen to the voice of] the Lord your God by keeping all his commands and ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] that are written in this ·Book [Scroll] of the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions]. You must return to the Lord your God with ·your whole being [L all your heart/mind and all your soul].
Choose Life or Death
11 This command I ·give [command] you today is not too hard for you; it is not ·beyond what you can do [far away]. 12 It is not up in heaven. You do not have to ask, “Who will go up to heaven and get it for us so we can obey it and keep it?” 13 It is not on the other side of the sea. You do not have to ask, “Who will go across the sea and get it? Who will tell it to us so we can keep it?” 14 No, the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it [Rom. 10:6–8].
15 Look, today I offer you life and ·success [prosperity; good things], death and ·destruction [failure; bad things]. 16 I command you today to love the Lord your God, to ·do what he wants you to do [L walk in his ways/paths], and to keep his commands, his ·rules [statutes; ordinances, requirements], and his laws. Then you will live and ·grow in number [multiply], and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to take as your ·own [possession].
17 But if you turn away from the Lord and do not ·obey [listen to] him, if you are led to bow and serve other gods, 18 I tell you today that you will surely be destroyed. And you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to enter and ·take as your own [possess].
19 Today I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses. I am offering you life or death, blessings or curses. Now, choose life! Then you and your ·children [L seed] may live. 20 To choose life is to love the Lord your God, ·obey him [listen to his voice], and ·stay close [cling] to him. He is your life, and he will let you live many years in the land, the land he ·promised [swore] to give your ·ancestors [fathers] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [Gen. 12:1–3; 15:17–20].
Joshua Takes Moses’ Place
31 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all the Israelites: 2 “I am now one hundred twenty years old, and I cannot lead you anymore. The Lord told me I would not cross the Jordan River [Num. 20:12]; 3 the Lord your God will lead you across himself. He will destroy those nations for you, and you will take ·over [possession of] their land. Joshua will also lead you across, as the Lord has said [1:37; Num. 27:18–22; Josh. 1]. 4 The Lord will do to those nations what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when he destroyed them and their land [Num. 21:21–35]. 5 The Lord will give those nations to you; do to them ·everything [L according to all the commandments] I ·told [commanded] you. 6 Be strong and ·brave [courageous; Josh. 1:6–9]. Don’t be afraid of them and don’t be frightened, because the Lord your God will go with you. He will not ·leave [fail] you or ·forget [abandon; forsake] you.”
7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in front of the people, “Be strong and ·brave [courageous], because you will lead these people into the land the Lord ·promised [swore] to give their ·ancestors [fathers], and help them take it as their own. 8 The Lord himself will go before you. He will be with you; he will not ·leave [fail] you or ·forget [abandon; forsake] you. Don’t be afraid and don’t worry.”
Moses Writes the Teachings
9 So Moses wrote down these ·teachings [laws; instructions] and gave them to the priests and all the elders of Israel. (The priests are the sons of Levi, who carry the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 25:10] with the Lord.)
The Lord Calls Moses and Joshua
14 The Lord said to Moses, “·Soon you will [L Look, the day is approaching for you to] die. ·Get [Call] Joshua and ·come [present him] to the Meeting Tent so that I may command him.” So Moses and Joshua ·went to [presented themselves at] the Meeting Tent.
15 The Lord appeared at the Meeting Tent in a pillar of cloud; the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the Tent [C representing the presence of God; Ex. 13:21; 40:34–38]. 16 And the Lord said to Moses, “You will soon ·die [L lie down/T sleep with your fathers]. Then these people will ·not be loyal to me but will worship [L prostitute themselves with] the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will ·leave [abandon; forsake] me, breaking the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] I ·made [L cut] with them. 17 ·Then [L On that day] I will become very angry at them, and I will ·leave [abandon; forsake] them. I will ·turn away [L hide my face] from them, and they will be ·destroyed [devoured; consumed]. Many terrible things will happen to them. ·Then [L On that day] they will say, ‘·It is [L Is it not…?] because God is not with us that these terrible things are happening.’ 18 I will surely ·turn away [L hide my face] from them ·then [L on that day], because they have done wrong and have turned to other gods.
19 “Now write down this song and teach it to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. ·Then have them sing it [L Place it in their mouth], because it will be my witness against ·them [L the sons/T children of Israel]. 20 When I bring them into the land I ·promised [swore] to their ·ancestors [fathers], a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; Ex. 3:8], they will eat as much as they want and get fat. Then they will turn to other gods and serve them. They will ·reject [despise] me and break my ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty]. 21 Then when many troubles and terrible things happen to them, this song will testify against them, because the song will not be forgotten by their ·descendants [L seed]. I know what they ·plan [incline; Gen. 6:5; 8:21] to do, even before I take them into the land I ·promised [swore to] them.” 22 So Moses wrote down the song that day, and he taught it to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel].
23 Then the Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and ·brave [courageous; Josh. 1:6–9], because you will lead the people of Israel to the land I promised them, and I will be with you [Ex. 3:12].”
24 After Moses finished writing all the words of the ·teachings [laws; instructions] in a ·book [scroll], 25 he gave a command to the Levites, who carried the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 25:10] with the Lord. 26 He said, “Take this ·Book [Scroll] of the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions] and put it beside the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 25:10] with the Lord your God. It must stay there as a witness against you. 27 I know how ·stubborn [L stiff-necked] and ·disobedient [rebellious] you are. You have ·disobeyed [rebelled against] the Lord while I am alive and with you, and you will ·disobey [rebel against me] even more after I die! 28 ·Gather [Assemble] all the elders of your tribes and all your ·officers [scribes] to me so that I may say these things ·for them to hear [L in their ears], and so that I may ask heaven and earth to ·testify [witness] against them [30:19]. 29 I know that after I die you will become completely ·evil [corrupt]. You will turn away from the ·commands I have given [L way I commanded] you. Terrible things will happen to you in the future when you do what the Lord says is evil, and you will make him angry with the ·idols you have made [L work of your hands].”
Moses’ Song
30 And Moses spoke this whole song ·for all the people of Israel to hear [L in the ears of the whole assembly of Israel]:
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