Deuteronomy, 1

1. These are the words which Moses addressed to all Israel beyond the Jordan, in the desert, in the Arabah facing Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab.

1. These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Haze'roth, and Di'-zahab.

2. It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-Barnea.

2. It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Se'ir to Ka'desh-bar'nea.

3. It was in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, that Moses told the Israelites everything that Yahweh had ordered him to tell them.

3. And in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him in commandment to them,

4. He had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who lived at Ashtaroth and Edrei.

4. after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ash'taroth and in Ed're-i.

5. There, in Moab beyond the Jordan, Moses resolved to expound this Law. He said:

5. Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law, saying,

6. 'Yahweh our God said to us at Horeb, "You have stayed long enough at this mountain.

6. "The LORD our God said to us in Horeb, `You have stayed long enough at this mountain;

7. Move on, continue your journey, go to the highlands of the Amorites, to all those who live in the Arabah, in the highlands, in the lowlands, in the Negeb and in the coastland; go into Canaan and to Lebanon as far as the great River Euphrates.

7. turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland, and in the Negeb, and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphra'tes.

8. Look, that is the country I have given you; go and take possession of the country that Yahweh promised on oath to give to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to their descendants after them."

8. Behold, 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.'

9. 'At the same time, I told you, "I cannot be responsible for you by myself.

9. "At that time I said to you, `I am not able alone to bear you;

10. Yahweh your God has increased your numbers, until you are now as numerous as the stars of heaven.

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

11. And Yahweh your God is going to increase you a thousand times more, and bless you as he has promised you.

11. May 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!

12. So how can I cope by myself with the bitter burden that you are, and with your bickering?

12. How can I bear alone the weight and burden of you and your strife?

13. From each of your tribes pick wise, shrewd and experienced men for me to make your leaders."

13. Choose wise, understanding, and experienced men, according to your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.'

14. You replied, "Your plan is good."

14. And you answered me, `The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.'

15. So I took your tribal leaders, wise, experienced men, and appointed them to lead you, as captains of thousands, hundreds, fifties, tens, and as scribes for your tribes.

15. So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes.

16. At that same time I told your judges, "You must give your brothers a fair hearing and see justice done between one person and his brother or the foreigner living with him.

16. And I charged your judges at that time, `Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien that is with him.

17. You must be impartial in judgement and give an equal hearing to small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any human person, for the verdict is God's. Should a case be too difficult, bring it for me to hear.

17. You shall not be partial 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; and the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.'

18. And on that occasion I gave you instructions about everything you were to do."

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

19. 'So, as Yahweh our God had ordered, we left Horeb and made our way through that vast and terrible desert, which you saw on the way to the Amorite highlands, and arrived at Kadesh-Barnea.

19. "And we set out from Horeb, and 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 Ka'desh-bar'nea.

20. I then said, "You have now reached the Amorite highlands, which Yahweh our God has given us.

20. And I said to you, `You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God gives us.

21. Look, Yahweh your God has given you this country. March in, take possession of it as Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, has said; do not be afraid or discouraged."

21. Behold, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you; do not fear or be dismayed.'

22. Then you all came to me and said, "Let us send men ahead of us to explore the country; they shall report to us which way we ought to take and what towns we shall come to."

22. Then all of you came near me, and said, `Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us, and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall come.'

23. This seemed good advice to me and I selected twelve men from among you, one from each tribe.

23. The thing seemed good to me, and I took twelve men of you, one man for each tribe;

24. These men made towards the highlands and went up into them; they reached the Valley of Eshcol and reconnoitred it.

24. and they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out.

25. They collected some of the produce of the country and brought it down to us; and they made us this report, "Yahweh our God has given us a fine country."

25. And they took in their hands some of the fruit of the land 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.'

26. You, however, refused to go up there and rebelled against the voice of Yahweh your God.

26. "Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God;

27. You muttered in your tents, saying, "Yahweh hates us, and that is why he has brought us out of Egypt, to put us into the Amorites' power and so destroy us.

27. and you murmured in your tents, and said, `Because the LORD hated us he has brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

28. What kind of place are we making for? Our brothers have discouraged us by saying that the people are stronger and taller than we are, the cities immense, with walls reaching to the sky. And we have seen Anakim there too."

28. Whither are we going up? Our brethren have made our hearts 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."'

29. 'And I said to you, "Do not take fright, do not be afraid of them.

29. Then I said to you, `Do not be in dread or afraid of them.

30. Yahweh your God goes ahead of you and will be fighting on your side, just as you saw him act in Egypt.

30. The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

31. You have seen him in the desert too: Yahweh your God continued to support you, as a man supports his son, all along the road you followed until you arrived here."

31. and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God bore you, as a man bears his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.'

32. But for all this, you put no faith in Yahweh your God,

32. Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your God,

33. going ahead of you on the journey to find you a camping ground, by night in the fire to light your path, and in the cloud by day.

33. who went before you in the way to seek you 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.

34. 'Yahweh heard what you were saying and in his anger swore this oath,

34. "And the LORD heard your words, and was angered, and he swore,

35. "Not one of these people, this perverse generation, will see the fine country I swore to give your ancestors,

35. `Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land which I swore to give to your fathers,

36. except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it. To him and to his children I shall give the land he has set foot on, for he has been perfectly obedient to Yahweh."

36. except Caleb the son of Jephun'neh; he shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land upon which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the LORD!'

37. Yahweh was angry with me too, because of you. "You will not go in either," he said.

37. The LORD was angry with me also on your account, and said, `You also shall not go in there;

38. "Your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will be the one to enter. Encourage him, since he is to bring Israel into possession of the country.

38. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter; encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

39. And your little ones too, who, you said, would be seized as booty, these children of yours who do not yet know good from evil, they will go in; I shall give it to them and they will own it.

39. Moreover your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall go in there, and to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.

40. But, as regards yourselves, turn round, go back into the desert, towards the Sea of Suph."

40. But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.'

41. 'In reply, you then said to me, "We have sinned against Yahweh our God. We shall go up and fight just as Yahweh our God has ordered us." And each one of you buckled on his arms and equipped himself to march up into the highlands.

41. "Then you answered me, `We have sinned against the LORD; we will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.' And every man of you girded on his weapons of war, and thought it easy to go up into the hill country.

42. But Yahweh said to me, "Tell them this: Do not go up and fight. I am not with you. Do not let yourselves be defeated by your enemies."

42. And the LORD said to me, `Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in the midst of you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.'

43. So I told you, but you would not listen, and you rebelled against the voice of Yahweh; presumptuously you marched into the highlands.

43. So I spoke to you, and you would not hearken; but you rebelled against the command of the LORD, and were presumptuous and went up into the hill country.

44. The Amorites, who live in that country of hills, came swarming out against you like bees, pursued you and beat you from Seir to Hormah.

44. Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do and beat you down in Se'ir as far as Hormah.

45. On your return, you wept in Yahweh's presence, but he would not listen to your cries or pay attention.

45. And you returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD did not hearken to your voice or give ear to you.

46. That was why you had to stay at Kadesh as long as you did.'

46. So you remained at Kadesh many days, the days that you remained there.