1 T hese are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain opposite Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

¶ These are the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

2 I t is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.

(There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.)

3 N ow it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the Lord had given him as commandments to them,

And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke unto the sons of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had commanded him regarding them;

4 a fter he had killed Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth in Edrei.

after he had slain Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og, the king of Bashan, who dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei;

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

on this side of the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses resolved to declare this law, saying,

6 “ The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain.

The LORD our God spoke unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount;

7 T urn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain, in the mountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates.

turn and take your journey and go to the mount of the Amorite and unto all the places nearby, in the plain, in the hills, and in the valleys and to the Negev and by the sea side to the land of the Canaanite and unto Lebanon unto the great river, the river Euphrates.

8 S ee, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to them and their descendants after them.’ Tribal Leaders Appointed

Behold, I have given the land in your presence; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would give unto them and to their seed after them.

9 “ And I spoke to you at that time, saying: ‘I alone am not able to bear you.

¶ And I spoke unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone;

10 T he Lord your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude.

the LORD your God has multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.

11 M ay the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you!

Let the LORD God of your fathers add upon you a thousand times so many more as ye are and bless you, as he has promised!

12 H ow can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints?

How can I myself alone bear your troubles and your burdens and your strife?

13 C hoose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.’

Give me from among you, of your tribes, wise and understanding and expert men, and I will make them the head over you.

14 A nd you answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have told us to do is good.’

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

15 S o I took the heads of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and made them heads over you, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens, and officers for your tribes.

So I took the principals of your tribes, wise men and experts, and made them princes over you, princes over thousands and princes over hundreds and princes over fifties and princes over tens and officers among your tribes.

16 “ Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him.

And 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.

17 Y ou shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.’

Ye 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.

18 A nd I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do. Israel’s Refusal to Enter the Land

And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.

19 “ So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the Lord our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea.

¶ And 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 Amorite, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.

20 A nd I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us.

Then I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorite, which the LORD our God gives unto us.

21 L ook, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’

Behold, the LORD thy God has given the land before thee; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers has said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

22 “ And every one of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.’

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

23 “ The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe.

And the saying seemed good unto me, and I took twelve men of you, one of each tribe.

24 A nd they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.

And they turned and went up into the mountain and came unto the valley of Eshcol and spied out the land.

25 T hey also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘ It is a good land which the Lord our God is giving us.’

And 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 gives us.

26 “ Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God;

Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God;

27 a nd you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

and ye murmured in your tents and said, Because the LORD hated us, he has brought us forth out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorite, to destroy us.

28 W here can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’

Where shall we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, This 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.

29 “ Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them.

Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

30 T he Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

The LORD your God who goes before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did with you in Egypt before your eyes;

31 a nd in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’

and in the wilderness thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bore thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went until ye came into this place.

32 Y et, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God,

Yet with all this ye did not believe in the LORD your God,

33 w ho went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day. The Penalty for Israel’s Rebellion

who went in the way before you to search you out a place to pitch your tents, with fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and with a cloud by day.

34 “ And the Lord heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying,

And the LORD heard the voice of your words and was angry and swore, saying,

35 ‘ Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers,

Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land, which I swore to give unto your fathers,

36 e xcept Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the Lord.’

except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he has trodden upon, and to his sons, because he has perfectly followed the LORD.

37 T he Lord was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there.

Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou shalt not go in there either.

38 J oshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

But Joshua, the son of Nun, who stands before thee, he shall go in there; encourage him; for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

39 ‘ Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.

Moreover your little ones, whom ye said should be a prey and your children who in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in there, and unto them will I give it, and they shall inherit it.

40 B ut as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.’

But as for you, return and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

41 “ Then you answered and said to me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord; we will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ And when everyone of you had girded on his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the mountain.

Then 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 has commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the mountain.

42 “ And the Lord said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.”

And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not among you, lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

43 S o I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the Lord, and presumptuously went up into the mountain.

So I spoke unto you, and ye would not hear but were rebels against the word of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.

44 A nd the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Seir to Hormah.

And the Amorite, who dwelt in that mountain, came out against you and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.

45 T hen you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.

And ye returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.

46 “ So you remained in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you spent there.

So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.