1 T hese be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan, in the desert, in the Arabah beside Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab.

2 ( There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)

It takes eleven days to travel from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea.

3 A nd it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them;

On the first day of the eleventh month in the fortieth year, Moses spoke to the children of Israel. He told them all the Lord said they must do.

4 a fter he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:

This was after he had won the war against Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.

5 o n this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,

On the other side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses talked to the people about this Law. He said,

6 T he Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:

“The Lord our God spoke to us at Mount Sinai, saying, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain.

7 t urn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.

Get ready to travel now. Go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the valley, in the Negev and by the sea, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the big river, the river Euphrates.

8 B ehold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.

See, I have set the land in front of you. Go in and take for your own the land which the Lord promised to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to their children after them.’ Leaders of Family Groups

9 A nd I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:

“At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to take care of you alone.

10 t he Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.

The Lord your God has made you become many people. Now you are as many as the stars of heaven.

11 ( The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)

May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you 1, 000 times as many as you are. May He bring good to you just as He has promised you!

12 H ow can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?

How can I alone carry the weight of your troubles?

13   Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.

Choose wise, understanding and able men from your family groups. And I will make them leaders over you.’

14 A nd ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.

You answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have spoken is good for us to do.’

15 S o I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.

So I took the leaders of your family groups, wise and able men. I made them leaders over you, leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens, and rulers of your family groups.

16 A nd I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.

“Then I said to your judges at that time, ‘Listen to the problems between your brothers. And be right in what you decide between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him.

17 Y e shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.

Do not show favor as you judge. Listen to the small and the great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, because you are judging for God. Bring to me any problem that is too hard for you, and I will hear it.’

18 A nd I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.

I told you at that time all the things you should do. Men Are Sent to Spy Out the Land

19 A nd when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.

“Then we left Mount Sinai. We went through the big desert you saw which fills people with fear, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, just as the Lord our God had told us. And we came to Kadesh-barnea.

20 A nd I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us.

I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God will give us.

21 B ehold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

See, the Lord your God has set the land in front of you. Go and take it for your own, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or troubled.’

22 A nd ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

Then all of you came to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, to spy out the land for us. They will return and tell us which way we should go and which cities we will come to.’

23 A nd the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:

What you said pleased me. I took twelve of your men, one man for each family group.

24 a nd they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.

They went up into the hill country, came to the valley of Eshcol, and saw what was there.

25 A nd they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the Lord our God doth give us.

They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us. And they told us that it is a good land which the Lord our God is giving us.

26 N otwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God:

“Yet you would not go up. You went against what the Lord your God told you to do.

27 a nd ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the Lord hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

You complained in your tents, saying, ‘Because the Lord hates us He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to give us to the Amorites to destroy us.

28 W hither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

Where would we be going? Our brothers have made our hearts weak with fear, saying, ‘The people are bigger and taller than we. The cities are large, with walls as high as the heavens. And we have even seen the sons of the Anakim there.’”

29 T hen I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

Then I said to you, ‘Do not be afraid of them.

30 T he Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;

The Lord your God Who goes before you will Himself fight for you. He did this for you in Egypt in front of your eyes,

31 a nd in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

and in the desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way you have walked until you came to this place.’

32 Y et in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God,

But even so, you did not trust the Lord your God,

33 w ho went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.

Who goes before you on your way. He finds a place for you to set up your tents. He uses fire to show you the way to go during the night. During the day He uses a cloud to lead you. Israel’s Punishment

34 A nd the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,

“The Lord heard your words and was angry. He swore,

35 S urely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,

‘Not one of these men of these sinful people will see the good land I promised to give your fathers,

36 s ave Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the Lord.

except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He will see it. I will give the land on which he has walked to him and his children because he has always followed the Lord.’

37 A lso the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.

The Lord was angry with me because of you. He said, ‘Not even you will go in there.

38 B ut Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

Joshua the son of Nun, who stands in front of you, will go in there. Tell him to be strong, for he will bring Israel into their new land.

39 M oreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

And your little ones whom you said would be taken by strange hands, and your children who do not yet know the difference between good and bad, will go in there. I will give the land to them. It will be theirs.

40 B ut as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

But as for you, turn around and go into the desert by way of the Red Sea.’

41 T hen ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.

“Then you said to me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God told us.’ So every man of you put on his sword and thought it an easy thing to go up into the hill country.

42 A nd the Lord said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

The Lord said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up or fight. For I am not among you. You would be destroyed by those who hate you.”’

43 S o I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, and went presumptuously up into the hill.

So I spoke to you but you would not listen. You went against what the Lord told you. In your pride you went up into the hill country.

44 A nd the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.

Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you. They came at you like bees, and crushed you from Seir to Hormah.

45 A nd ye returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.

And you returned and cried before the Lord but the Lord did not listen to you.

46 S o ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.

So you stayed in Kadesh. Many days you stayed there.