Category: Deuteronomy

Moses’ Last Counsel

1 So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.

2 And he said to them, “I ama hundred and twenty years old today; I am no longer able to come in and go out [as your spiritual and military leader], and the Lordhas said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’

3 It is the Lordyour God who will cross ahead of you; He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua is the one who will go across before you [to lead you], just as the Lordhas said.

4 The Lordwill do to them just as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them.

5 The Lordwill hand them over to you, and you shall do to them in accordance with all the commandments which I have commanded you.

6 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble in dread before them, for it is the Lordyour God who goes with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.”

7 Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all [the people of] Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land which the Lordhas sworn to their fathers to give them, and you will give it to them as an inheritance.

8 It is the Lordwho goes before you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

9 So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.

10 Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end ofeveryseven years, at the time of year when debts are forgiven, at the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles),

11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lordyour God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all [the people of] Israelso that they may hear.

12 Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the stranger (resident alien, foreigner) within your cities, so that they may hear and learn and fear the Lordyour God [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect], and be careful to obey all the words of this law.

13 Their children, who have not known [the law], will hear and learn to fear [and worship] the Lordyour God, as long as you live in the land which you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Israel Will Fall Away

14 Then the Lordsaid to Moses, “Behold, the time for you to die is near; call Joshua, and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, so that I may commission him.” So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting.

15 Then the Lordappeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood beside the doorway of the tent.

16 The Lordsaid to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down [in death] with your fathers; and this people will arise andplay the prostitute (commit apostasy) with the foreign gods [of the people] of the land, where they go to be among them. They will abandon (turn away from) Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.

17 Then My anger will be kindledandburn against them in that day, and I will abandon (turn away from) them and hide My face from them. They will be devoured, and many evils and troubles will come on them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come on us?’

18 But I will certainly hide My face [from them] in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods [to worship lifeless idols, to honor handmade relics].

19 “Now then, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it in their mouth, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel.

20 For when I bring them into the land which I have sworn to their fathers, a land [of plenty]flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despiseandreject Me and break My covenant.

21 Then it shall come about, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this [sacred] song will confront them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten from the mouth of their descendants. For I know their inclination which is developing even now, before I bring them into the land which I have swornto give them.”

22 So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel.

Joshua Is Commissioned

23 Then He commandedandcommissioned Joshua, the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the sons of Israel into the land which I have sworn to give them, and I will be with you.”

24 And when Moses completely finished writing the words of this law in a book,

25 he commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying,

26 “Take this Book of the Law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lordyour God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you.

27 For I know your rebellionandcontention and your stubbornness; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the Lord; how much more, then, after my death?

28 Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, so that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth as witnesses against them.

29 For I know that after my death you will behave corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will come upon you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands.”

30 Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended:

The Song of Moses

1 “Listen, O heavens, and I will speak;

And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

2 Let my teaching drop as the rain,

My speech distill as the dew,

As the light rain upon the tender grass,

And as the spring showers upon the herb.

3 For I proclaim the name [and presence] of the Lord;

Ascribe greatnessandhonor to our God!

4 The Rock! His work is perfect,

For all His ways are just;

A God of faithfulness without iniquity (injustice),

Just and upright is He.

5 They (Israel) have acted corruptly toward Him.

They are not His children, because of their [moral] defect;

But area perverse and crooked generation.

6 Do you thus repay the Lord,

O foolish and unwise people?

Is not He your Father who has acquired you [as His own]?

He has made you and established you [as a nation].

7 Remember the days of old,

Consider the years of many generations.

Ask your father, and he will inform you,

Your elders, and they will tell you.

8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,

When He separated the sons of man,

He set the boundaries of the peoples

According to the number of the sons of Israel.

9 For the Lord’sportionandchosen share is His people;

Jacob (Israel) is the allotment of His inheritance.

10 He found him in a desert land,

In the howling wasteland of a wilderness;

He kept circling him, He took care of him,

He protected him as theapple of His eye.

11 As an eagle that protects its nest,

That flutters over its young,

He spread out His wings and took them,

He carried them on His pinions.

12 So the Lordalone led him;

There was no foreign god with him.

13 He made him (Israel) ride on the high places of the earth,

And he ate the produce of the field;

And He made him suck honey from the rock,

And [olive] oil from the flinty rock,

14 Butterandcurds of cows, and milk of the flock,

With fat of lambs,

And rams, the breed of Bashan, and goats,

With the finest of the wheat;

And you drank wine, the blood of grapes.

15 “But Jeshurun (Israel) became fat and kicked [at God].

You became fat, thick, sleek,andobstinate!

Then he abandoned God who had made him,

And scorned the Rock of his salvation.

16 They provoked Him to jealousy with strangegods[by denying Him the honor and loyalty that is rightfully and uniquely His];

And with repulsive acts they provoked Him to anger.

17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God,

To gods whom they have not known,

Newgodswho came lately,

Whom your fathers never feared.

18 You were unmindful of the Rock who bore you,

And you forgot the God who gave you birth.

19 “The Lordsaw it, and rejected them,

Out of indignation with His sons and His daughters.

20 Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them,

I will see what their endshall be;

For they are a perverse generation,

Sons in whom there is no faithfulness.

21 They have made Mejealous with what is not God;

They have provoked Me to anger with their idols.

So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people;

I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

22 For a fire is kindled by My anger,

And it burns to the depths of Sheol (the place of the dead, the nether world),

It devours the earth with its yield,

And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 ‘I will heap misfortunes on them;

I will use My arrows on them.

24 They will be wasted by hunger, and consumed by plague

And a bitter destruction;

And I will send the teeth of beasts against them,

With the venom of crawling things of the dust.

25 Outside the sword will bereave,

And inside [the chambers] terror—

For both young man and virgin,

For the nursing child and the man of gray hair.

26 I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces [scattering them far away],

I will remove the memory of them from men,”

27 Had I not feared the provocation of the enemy,

That their adversaries would misjudge,

That they would say, “Our [own] hand has prevailed,

And the Lordhas not done all this.” ’

28 “For they are a nation devoid of counsel,

And there is no understanding in them.

29 O that they were wise, that they understood this,

That they could discern their futureandultimate fate!

30 How could one chase a thousand,

And two put ten thousand to flight,

Unless their Rock had sold them,

And the Lordhad given them up?

31 For their rock is not like our Rock,

Even our enemies themselves judge this.

32 For their vine is from the vine of Sodom,

And from the fields of Gomorrah;

Their grapes are grapes of poison,

Their clusters, bitter.

33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,

And the deadly poison of vipers.

34 ‘Is it not laid up in store with Me,

Sealed up in My treasuries?

35 Vengeance is Mine, and retribution,

In due time their foot will slip;

For the day of their disaster is at hand,

And their doom hurries to meet them.’

36 For the Lordwill vindicate His people,

And will have compassion on His servants,

When He sees that their strength (hand) is gone,

And none remains, whether bond or free.

37 And He will say, ‘Where are their gods,

The rock in which they took refuge?

38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices,

And drank the wine of their drink offering?

Let them rise up and help you,

Let them be your hiding place!

39 See now that I, I am He,

And there is no god besides Me;

It is I who put to death and I who give life.

I have wounded and it is I who heal,

And there is no one who can deliver from [the power of] My hand.

40 Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven,

And say (swear an oath), as I live forever,

41 If I sharpen the lightning of My sword,

And My hand takes hold of judgment,

I will render vengeance on My adversaries,

And I will repay those who hate Me.

42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood,

And My sword will devour flesh,

With the blood of the slain and the captives,

From the heads of the leaders of the enemy.’

43 Rejoice, O nations, with His people;

For He will avenge the blood of His servants,

And will render vengeance on His adversaries,

And will atone for His landandHis people.”

44 Then Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he andJoshua the son of Nun.

45 When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all [the people of] Israel,

46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words of warning which I am speaking to you today; and you shall command your children to observe them carefully—to do all the words of this law.

47 For it is not an emptyortrivial matter for you; indeed it is your [very] life. By [honoring and obeying] this word you will live long in the land, which you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

48 And the Lordsaid to Moses that very same day,

49 “Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel as a possession.

50 Then die on the mountain which you climb, and be gathered to your people [in death], just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people,

51 because you broke faith with Me among of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat Me as holy among of the sons of Israel.

52 For you shall see the land opposite you from a distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving to the children of Israel.”

The Blessing of Moses

1 This is the blessing with which Moses the man of Godblessed the sons of Israel before his death.

2 He said,

“The Lordcame from Sinai,

And dawned on them from Seir;

He shone forth from Mount Paran,

And He came from among ten thousand holy ones;

At His right hand was aflaming fire, a law, for them.

3 Indeed, He loves His people;

AllYour holy ones are in Your hand.

They followed in Your steps;

They acceptandreceive direction from You.

4 Moses commanded us with a law,

As a possession for the assembly of Jacob.

5 The Lordwas King in Jeshurun (Israel),

When the heads of the people were gathered,

The tribes of Israel together.

6 “May [the tribe of] Reuben live and not die out,

But let his men be few.”

7 And [Moses said] this ofJudah:

“Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah,

And bring him to his people.

With his hands he contended for them,

And may You be a help against his enemies.”

8 Of Levi he said,

“YourThummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man [Aaron],

Whom You testedandproved at Massah,

With whom You contended at the waters of Meribah;

9 Whosaid of his father and mother,

‘I did not consider them’;

Nor did he acknowledge his brothers,

Nor did he regard his own sons,

For the priests observed Your word,

And kept Your covenant.

10 The priests shall teach Your ordinances (judgments) to Jacob,

And Your law to Israel.

They shall put incensebefore You,

And whole burnt offerings on Your altar.

11 O Lord, bless Levi’s substance (ability),

And acceptandtake pleasure in the work of his hands;

Crushandshatter the loins of those who rise up against him,

And of those who hate him, so that they do not riseagain.”

12 Of Benjamin he said,

“May the beloved of the Lorddwell in safety by Him;

He shieldsandcovers him all the day long,

And he dwells between His shoulders.”

13 And ofJoseph he said,

“Blessed by the Lordbe his land,

With the precious things of heaven, with the dew,

And from the deepwaterthat lies beneath,

14 With the precious fruits of the sun,

And with the precious produce of the months.

15 With the best things of the ancient mountains,

And with the precious things of the everlasting hills,

16 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness,

And the favorandgoodwill of Him who dwelt in the bush.

Letthese blessingscome upon the head of Joseph,

And upon the crown of the head of him who was distinguished [as a prince] among his brothers.

17 His majesty is like a firstborn young bull,

And his horns like the horns of the wild ox;

With them he will gore the peoples,

All of them together, to the ends of the earth.

And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim,

And those are the thousands of Manasseh.”

18 Of Zebulun he said,

“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your interests abroad,

And, Issachar, in your tents [at home].

19 They will call the peoples to the mountain (Mount Carmel);

There they will offer sacrifices of righteousness;

For they will draw out the abundance of the seas,

And the hidden treasures of the sand.”

20 Of Gad he said,

“Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad;

He lurks like a lioness,

And tears the arm and the crown of the head.

21 He selected the best [land] for himself,

For there the leader’s portion was reserved;

Yet he came with the leaders of the people;

He carried out the justice (righteous will) of the Lord,

And His ordinances (judgments) with Israel.”

22 Of Dan he said,

“Dan is a lion’s cub,

That leaps forth from Bashan.”

23 Of Naphtali he said,

“O Naphtali, satisfied with favor,

And full of the blessing of the Lord,

Take possession of the sea [of Galilee] and the south.”

24 Of Asher he said,

“More blessed than sons is Asher;

May he be favored by his brothers,

And may he dip his foot in oil.

25 Your strongholds will be iron and bronze,

And as your days are, so will your strength, your restandsecurity be.

26 “There is none like the God of Jeshurun (Israel),

Who rides the heavens to your help,

And through the skies in His majestic glory.

27 The eternal God is your refugeanddwelling place,

And underneath are the everlasting arms;

He drove out the enemy from before you,

And said, ‘Destroy!’

28 So Israel dwells in safetyandsecurity,

The fountain of Jacob aloneandsecluded,

In a land of grain and new wine;

His heavens also drop down dew.

29 Happyandblessed are you, O Israel;

Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord,

The Shield of your help,

And the Sword of your majesty!

Your enemies will cringe before you,

And you will tread on their high places [tramping down their idolatrous altars].”

The Death of Moses

1 Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is opposite Jericho. And the Lordshowed him all the land, from Gilead to Dan,

2 and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah to the western sea (Mediterranean Sea),

3 and the Negev (South country) and the plain in the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.

4 Then the Lordsaid to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.”

5 So Moses the servant of the Lorddied there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.

6 And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows where his burial place is to this day.

7 Although Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eyesight was not dim, nor his natural strength abated.

8 So the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the sons of Israel listened to him and did as the Lordcommanded Moses.

10 Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lordknew face to face,

11 [none equal to him] in all the signs and wonders which the Lordsent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land,

12 and in all the mighty power and all the greatandterrible deeds which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.