1 T hese are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah over against Suf, between Paran, 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 I n the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that Yahweh 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 struck Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived 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, Moses began 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 “ Yahweh our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying, ‘You have lived long enough at 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 your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all the places near there, in the Arabah, in the hill country, and in the lowland, and in the South, and by the seashore, 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 Yahweh swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring 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 spoke to 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 Y ahweh your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as the stars of the sky for multitude.

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

11 Y ahweh, 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 myself alone bear your problems, your burdens, and your strife?

How can I alone carry the weight of your troubles?

13 T ake wise men of understanding and well 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 Y ou answered me, and said, “The thing which you have spoken is good 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 I commanded your judges at that time, saying, “Hear cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the foreigner who is living 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 show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s. 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 I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.

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

19 W e traveled from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw, by the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as Yahweh 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 I said to you, “You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which Yahweh our God gives to 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, Yahweh your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you. Don’t be afraid, 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 Y ou came near to me, everyone 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 to 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. 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 T hey 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 T hey took some 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 Yahweh our God gives to 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 wouldn’t go up, but rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh your God.

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

27 Y ou murmured in your tents, and said, “Because Yahweh hated us, he has brought us 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 here are we going up? Our brothers have made our heart melt, saying, ‘The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to the sky. 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, “Don’t dread, neither be afraid of them.

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

30 Y ahweh your God who goes 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 you have seen how that Yahweh your God bore you, as a man does bear 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 this thing you didn’t believe Yahweh your God,

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

33 w ho went before you on the way, to seek out a place for you to pitch your tents in, 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 Y ahweh heard the voice of your words, and was angry, and swore, saying,

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

35 “ Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the 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 the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it. I will give the land that he has trodden on to him, and to his children, because he has wholly followed Yahweh.”

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 Yahweh was angry with me for your sakes, saying, “You also shall not go in there.

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 stands before you, shall go in 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 should be captured or killed, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there, and I will give it to, 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 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 you answered and said to me, “We have sinned against Yahweh, we will go up and fight, according to all that Yahweh our God commanded us.” Every man of you put on his weapons of war, and presumed 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 Y ahweh said to me, “Tell them, ‘Don’t go up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest you be struck 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 spoke to you, and you didn’t listen; but you rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh, 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 he Amorites, who lived in that hill country, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even to 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 Y ou returned and wept before Yahweh; but Yahweh didn’t listen to your voice, nor turn his ear to you.

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

46 S o you stayed in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you remained.

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