Chronological
Chapter 30
Compassion for the Repentant. 1 [a](A)When all these things, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, come upon you,(B) and you take them to heart in any of the nations where the Lord, your God, has dispersed you, 2 (C)and return to the Lord, your God, obeying his voice, according to all that I am commanding you today, you and your children, with your whole heart and your whole being, 3 the Lord, your God, will restore your fortunes and will have compassion on you; he will again gather you from all the peoples where the Lord, your God, has scattered you. 4 Though you may have been dispersed to the farthest corner of the heavens, even from there will the Lord, your God, gather you; even from there will he bring you back.(D) 5 The Lord, your God, will then bring you into the land your ancestors once possessed, that you may possess it; and he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors.(E) 6 The Lord, your God, will circumcise your hearts[b] and the hearts of your descendants,(F) so that you will love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart and your whole being, in order that you may live. 7 The Lord, your God, will put all those curses on your enemies and the foes who pursued you.(G) 8 You, however, shall again obey the voice of the Lord and observe all his commandments which I am giving you today. 9 Then the Lord, your God, will generously increase your undertakings, the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil;(H) for the Lord, your God, will again take delight in your prosperity, just as he took delight in your ancestors’, 10 because you will obey the voice of the Lord, your God, keeping the commandments and statutes that are written in this book of the law, when you return to the Lord, your God, with your whole heart and your whole being.
11 (I)For this command which I am giving you today is not too wondrous or remote for you. 12 It is not in the heavens, that you should say, “Who will go up to the heavens to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may do it?” 13 Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may do it?” 14 No, it is something very near to you, in your mouth[c] and in your heart, to do it.
The Choice Before Israel. 15 See, I have today set before you life and good, death and evil.(J) 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I am giving you today, loving the Lord, your God, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and ordinances, you will live and grow numerous, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.(K) 17 (L)If, however, your heart turns away and you do not obey, but are led astray and bow down to other gods and serve them, 18 I tell you today that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth today to witness against you:(M) I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, 20 by loving the Lord, your God, obeying his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the Lord swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them.(N)
Chapter 31
The Lord’s Leadership. 1 When Moses had finished speaking these words to all Israel, 2 he said to them, I am now one hundred and twenty years old(O) and am no longer able to go out and come in; besides, the Lord has said to me, Do not cross this Jordan. 3 It is the Lord, your God, who will cross before you; he will destroy these nations before you, that you may dispossess them.(P) (It is Joshua who will cross before you, as the Lord promised.) 4 (Q)The Lord will deal with them just as he dealt with Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and with their country, when he destroyed them. 5 When, therefore, the Lord delivers them up to you, you shall deal with them according to the whole commandment which I have given you.(R) 6 Be strong and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them, for it is the Lord, your God, who marches with you; he will never fail you or forsake you.(S)
Call of Joshua. 7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel said to him,(T) “Be strong and steadfast, for you shall bring this people into the land which the Lord swore to their ancestors he would give them; it is you who will give them possession of it. 8 It is the Lord who goes before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed.”(U)
The Reading of the Law. 9 (V)When Moses had written down this law, he gave it to the levitical priests who carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.(W) 10 Moses commanded them, saying, On the feast of Booths,(X) at the prescribed time in the year for remission[d] which comes at the end of every seven-year period, 11 when all Israel goes to appear before the Lord, your God, in the place which he will choose, you shall read this law aloud in the presence of all Israel. 12 Assemble the people—men, women and children, as well as the resident aliens who live in your communities—that they may hear and so learn to fear the Lord, your God, and to observe carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children also, who do not know it yet, shall hear and learn to fear the Lord, your God, as long as you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.
Commission to Joshua. 14 (Y)The Lord said to Moses, The time is now approaching for you to die. Summon Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting that I may commission him. So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. 15 And the Lord appeared at the tent in a column of cloud; the column of cloud stood at the entrance of the tent.
A Command to Moses. 16 The Lord said to Moses, Soon you will be at rest with your ancestors, and then this people will prostitute themselves[e] by following the foreign gods among whom they will live in the land they are about to enter.(Z) They will forsake me and break the covenant which I have made with them. 17 (AA)At that time my anger will flare up against them; I will forsake them and hide my face from them; they will become a prey to be devoured, and much evil and distress will befall them. At that time they will indeed say, “Is it not because our God is not in our midst that these evils have befallen us?” 18 Yet I will surely hide my face at that time because of all the evil they have done in turning to other gods. 19 Now, write out this song(AB) for yourselves. Teach it to the Israelites and have them recite it, so that this song may be a witness for me against the Israelites. 20 For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey which I promised on oath to their ancestors, and they have eaten and are satisfied and have grown fat, if they turn to other gods and serve them, despising me and breaking my covenant, 21 then, when great evil and distress befall them, this song will speak to them as a witness, for it will not be forgotten if their descendants recite it. For I know what they are inclined to do even at the present time, before I have brought them into the land which I promised on oath. 22 So Moses wrote this song that same day, and he taught it to the Israelites.
Commission of Joshua. 23 Then he commissioned Joshua, son of Nun, and said to him, Be strong and steadfast, for it is you who will bring the Israelites into the land which I promised them on oath.(AC) I myself will be with you.
The Law Placed in the Ark. 24 When Moses had finished writing out on a scroll the words of this law in their entirety, 25 Moses gave the Levites(AD) who carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord this order: 26 Take this book of the law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord, your God, that there it may be a witness against you.(AE) 27 For I already know how rebellious and stiff-necked you will be. Why, even now, while I am alive among you, you have been rebels against the Lord! How much more, then, after I am dead!(AF) 28 (AG)Assemble all your tribal elders and your officials before me, that I may speak these words for them to hear and so may call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 (AH)For I know that after my death you are sure to act corruptly and to turn aside from the way along which I commanded you, so that evil will befall you in time to come because you have done what is evil in the Lord’s sight, and provoked him by your deeds.
The Song of Moses. 30 Then Moses recited the words of this song in their entirety, for the whole assembly of Israel to hear:
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.