1 T hese are the words which Moses spake unto all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah over against Suph, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab.

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 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 Jehovah 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 smitten Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth, at 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 the 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 J ehovah our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mountain:

“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 hill-country of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the Arabah, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and in the South, and by the sea-shore, 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 possess the land which Jehovah sware unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to 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 J ehovah 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 J ehovah, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many 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 T ake you wise men, and understanding, and known, 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 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 heads of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of 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, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the sojourner 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; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; 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 ye shall bring 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 we journeyed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which ye saw, by the way to the hill-country of the Amorites, as Jehovah 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 hill-country of the Amorites, which Jehovah our God giveth 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, Jehovah thy God hath set the land before thee: go up, take possession, as Jehovah, the God of thy fathers, hath spoken unto thee; 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 A nd ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto 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 A nd the thing pleased me well; and I took twelve men of you, one man for every 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 unto 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 unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which Jehovah our God giveth unto 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 ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of Jehovah 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 Jehovah 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 are we going up? our brethren have made our heart to melt, saying, The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; 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 unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

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

30 J ehovah your God who goeth before you, he will 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 Jehovah thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto 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 Jehovah your God,

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

33 w ho went before you in the way, to seek you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way ye 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 Jehovah 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 the 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 Jehovah.

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 Jehovah 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 J oshua the son of Nun, who standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage thou 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, that ye said should be a prey, and your children, that this day have no knowledge of good or 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 to 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 Jehovah, we will go up and fight, according to all that Jehovah our God commanded us. And ye girded on every man his weapons of war, and were forward 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 Jehovah 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 hearkened not; but ye rebelled against the commandment of Jehovah, 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 A nd the Amorites, that dwelt in that hill-country, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down 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 Jehovah; but Jehovah hearkened not to your voice, nor gave 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.