1 T hese are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on the side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah, over near Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, 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 I t is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea.

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

3 A nd in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the Israelites according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment to 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 defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth 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 B eyond (east of) the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain 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 said to us in Horeb, You have dwelt long enough on this mountain.

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

7 T urn and take up your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the lowland, in the South (the Negeb), and on the coast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as 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 take possession of the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants 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 I said to you at that time, I am not able to bear you alone.

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

10 T he Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day as the stars of the heavens for multitude.

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

11 M ay the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you as He has 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 bear alone the weariness and pressure and burden of you and your strife?

How can I alone carry the weight of your troubles?

13 C hoose wise, understanding, experienced, and respected men according to your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.

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

14 A nd you answered me, The thing which you have 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 heads of your tribes, wise, experienced, and respected men, and made them heads over you, commanders of thousands, and hundreds, and fifties, and tens, and officers according to 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: Hear the cases between your brethren and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger or sojourner who 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 ou shall not be partial in judgment; but you shall hear the small as well as the great. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to 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 that you 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 you saw on the way to the hill country 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 to you, You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God gives 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 your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has said to you. Fear not, neither be dismayed.

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 T hen you all came near to me and said, Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us and bring us word again by what way we should go up and the cities into which 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 T he thing pleased me well, and I took twelve men of you, one for each 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 hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied 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 to us and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the Lord our God gives 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 Y et you 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 Y ou were peevish and discontented in your tents, and said, Because the Lord hated us, He 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 T o what are we going up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, The people are bigger and taller than we are; the cities are great and fortified to the heavens. And moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim 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 to 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 Who goes before you, He will fight for you just as 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 you have seen how the Lord your God bore you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to 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 spite of this word you did not believe (trust, rely on, and remain steadfast to) 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 out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night, to show you by what way you should go, and in the 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 your words, and was angered and He swore,

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

35 N ot one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land which I swore to give to your fathers,

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

36 E xcept Caleb son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land upon which he has walked, because he has 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 T he Lord was angry with me also for your sakes, and said, You also shall not enter Canaan.

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

38 B ut Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there. 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 whom you said would become a prey, and your children who at this time cannot discern between good and evil, they shall enter Canaan, and to them I will 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 and journey into the wilderness by 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 you said to me, We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us. And you girded on every man his battle weapons, and thought it a simple matter to go up into the hill country.

“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 to me, Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not among you—lest you be dangerously hurt by 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 spoke to you, and you would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, and were presumptuous and went up into the hill country.

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 T hen the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do and struck you down in Seir as far as 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 you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord would not heed your voice or listen to you.

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

46 S o you remained in Kadesh; many days you remained there.

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