Deuteronomy 1
1 This is the record of what Moses told all the Israelites during their time in the desert to the east of the Jordan. They were in the Arabah near Suph, between Paran on the one side and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab on the other.
These, are the words, which Moses spake unto all Israel, over the Jordan, —in the wilderness in the waste plain over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban and Hazeroth and Di-zahab:
2 (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by the road that passes Mount Seir.)
eleven days from Horeb, by way of Mount Seir, as far as Kadesh-barnea.
3 On the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year, Moses recounted to the Israelites everything that the Lord had instructed him to tell them.
And it came to pass, in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, that Moses spake unto the sons of Israel, according to all that Yahweh had given him in charge for them;
4 This happened after he defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and then at Edrei after he defeated Og king of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth.
after he had smitten Sihon, king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, —and Og, king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth, in Edrei:
5 Speaking on the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain these instructions, saying:
over the Jordan, in the land of Moab, did Moses take in hand to expound this law, saying: —
6 The Lord our God told us at Horeb: “You have remained here beside this mountain for long enough.
Yahweh our God, spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Long enough, have ye dwelt in this mountain:
7 Continue your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites and all their neighbors, into the Jordan Valley, into the hill country, into the foothills, into the Negev, and along the coast to the country of the Canaanites up to Lebanon, as far as the great River Euphrates.
Turn ye and set yourselves forward, and enter into the hill country of the Amorites, and into all the places near, in the plain, in the mountain, and in the lowland, and in the south, and in the coast of the sea, —the land of Canaan and the Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.
8 Look, I'm giving this land to you. Go and take ownership of the land that the Lord promised he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants who would follow them.”
See! I have set before you the land, —enter and possess the land, which, Yahweh sware unto your fathers to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto them, and unto their seed, after them.
9 That's when I told you, “I can't take responsibility for all of you by myself.
So I spake unto you, at that time saying, I am unable, by myself, to carry you.
10 The Lord your God has increased your numbers so much that today there are as many of you as there are stars in the sky.
Yahweh your God hath multiplied you, and here ye are to-day, like the stars of the heavens for multitude.
11 May the Lord, the God of your forefathers, multiply you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised.
Yahweh, the God of your fathers, be adding unto you the like of you, a thousand times, —and bless you, as he hath spoken unto you!
12 But how can I take on all your troubles, burdens, and arguments just by myself?
How should I carry by myself the fatigue of you and the burden of you and your controversies?
13 You must choose for yourselves wise, experienced men with good judgment from each of your tribes, and I will put them in charge as your leaders.”
Set forth for you—men wise and discerning, and known to your tribes, —that I may appoint them to be heads over you.
14 You replied to me, saying, “Your proposal is a good one.”
And ye answered me, —and said, Good, is the word which thou hast spoken to be done.
15 So I summoned your tribal leaders, men with good judgment, and put them in charge of you, as commanders and officials for your tribes. Some were responsible for thousands, some for hundreds, some for fifties, and some for tens.
So I took heads for your tribes wise men and known, and placed them as heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties and captains of tens, and overseers for your tribes.
16 At the same time I gave strict instructions to your judges: “Hear the cases brought between your brothers, and make sure you are fair when you judge between a man and his brother or a foreigner living among you.
And I charged your judges, at that time, saying, —Ye are to hear between your brethren and shall judge righteously, between each man and his brother and his sojourner.
17 Don't show any favoritism when you judge—treat the powerful and the common people just the same. Don't let anyone intimidate you, because judgment is done on God's behalf. Bring me any case that is too hard for you, and I will hear it.”
Ye shall not take note of faces in judgment—so the small as the great, shall ye hear, ye shall not shrink from the face of any man, for judgment, unto God, belongeth, —but the thing which is too hard for you, shall ye bring near unto me, and I will hear it.
18 This was also the time I instructed you about everything you had to do.
So I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.
19 Following the orders of the Lord our God, we left Horeb and set off towards the hill country of the Amorites, passing through the whole of the large and terrifying desert that you yourselves have experienced. When we reached Kadesh-barnea,
And when we brake up from Horeb, we came through all that great and terrible desert which ye saw, by way of the hill-country of the Amorites, as Yahweh our God commanded us, —and we entered in as far as Kadesh-barnea.
20 I explained to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving to us.
Then said I unto you, —Ye are come in as far as the hill-country of the Amorites, which Yahweh our God, is giving unto us.
21 Look, the Lord your God has given you the land! Go and take ownership of the land as the Lord, the God of your forefathers, has told you. Don't be frightened or terrified.”
See thou—Yahweh thy God hath set before thee the land, —go up—take possession as Yahweh the God of thy fathers hath spoken unto thee, do not fear, neither be dismayed.
22 Then you all came to me and suggested, “Let's send men on ahead to explore the land and report back to us about what route to take and which towns we'll come across.”
And ye came near unto me all of you, and said Let us send men before us, that they may search out for us the land, —and bring us back word, the way by which we must go up, and the cities whereinto we must enter,
23 It seemed like a good plan to me, so I chose twelve of your men, one from each tribe.
And the thing, was good in mine eyes, —so I took from among you twelve men, one man for each tribe.
24 They set off and went up into the hill country as far as the Valley of Eshcol, exploring the land.
And they turned and went up the hill-country, and entered in as far as the ravine of Eshcol, and explored it.
25 They brought back some of the country's fruit, carrying it down to us, and gave us the report: “The Lord our God is giving us good land.”
And they took in their hand of the fruit of the country, and bare it down unto us, and brought us back word, and said, Good is the land, which Yahweh our God, is giving unto us.
26 But you didn't want to go. You rebelled against the instructions of the Lord your God.
Nevertheless ye were not willing to go up, —but rebelled against the bidding of Yahweh, your God;
27 You complained while you were in your tents and said, “It's because the Lord hates us that he led us out of Egypt in order to hand us over to the Amorites to be wiped out.
and murmured in your tents and said, Because Yahweh hated us, hath he brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, —to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
28 Where are we going? Our brothers terrified us because they told us: ‘The people are bigger and taller than us; the towns are large, with high walls that reach the sky. We even saw the descendants of the giant Anak there!’”
Whither, are, we, to go up? Our own brethren, have made our heart melt saying—A people greater and taller than we, cities large and walled-up into the heavens, —yea, moreover sons of Anakim, have we seen there.
29 So I told you, “Don't be frightened or scared of them!
Then I said unto you, —Ye must not tremble, nor be afraid of them:
30 The Lord your God who leads your way will fight for you in the same way you saw him do for you in Egypt.
Yahweh your God, who is going before you, he, will fight for you, —according to all that he did with you in Egypt, before your eyes;
31 He did the same in the desert—you saw how the Lord your God carried you like a father carries his son during your whole journey until you arrived here.”
also in the desert which thou hast seen, where Yahweh thy God carried thee as a man will carry his son, throughout all the way that ye journeyed, until ye entered as far as, this place.
32 Despite all this, you didn't trust the Lord your God,
But in this thing, ye were putting no trust in Yahweh your God;
33 who led you on the journey, present in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, looking to find a place for you to camp and to show you the way to go.
who was going before you in the way—to search out for you a place, where ye might encamp, —in the fire by night, that ye might get sight of the way wherein ye should go, and in the cloud, by day.
34 When the Lord heard what you were saying, he got angry and swore an oath:
And Yahweh heard the voice of your words, —and was wroth and sware—saying:
35 “Not a single one of this evil generation will see the good land I promised to give your forefathers,
Surely, not one of these men, this wicked generation, —shall see the good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers:
36 except Caleb, son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he explored, because he was completely committed to the Lord.”
saving Caleb son of Jephunneh, he, shall see it, and unto him, will I give the land through which he hath trodden, and unto his sons, —because he hath wholly followed Yahweh.
37 The Lord also got angry with me because of you. He told me, “Even you won't enter the country.
Even with me, did Yahweh show himself angry, for your sakes, saying, —Even thou, shalt not enter therein.
38 However, Joshua, son of Nun, your assistant, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will help Israel to occupy the land.
Joshua son of Nun, who standeth before thee, he, shall enter in thither, him, strengthen thou, for he, shall cause Israel to inherit it.
39 Your small children that you claimed would become prisoners, your children who at the time didn't know good from evil, they will be the ones to enter the land that I will give them, and they will occupy it.
And your little ones, of whom ye said they should become, a prey, and your sons who to-day know not good and evil, they, shall enter in thither, —and unto them, will I give it, and they, shall possess it.
40 But now turn around and head back into the desert on the road that leads to the Red Sea.”
But as for you, turn ye, for your part, —and set forward towards the desert, by way of the Red Sea.
41 But you answered and told me, “We have sinned against the Lord! We will go and we will fight and we will do everything the Lord our God has ordered us to do.” Then you all picked up your weapons and prepared for battle thinking it would be easy to go and fight in the hill country.
Then responded ye and said unto me—We have sinned against Yahweh, We, ourselves, will go up, and fight, according to all that Yahweh our God hath commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye foolishly went up towards the hill-country.
42 But the Lord instructed me, “Order them not to go and fight because I won't be with you to prevent you from being defeated by your enemies.”
Then said Yahweh unto me—Say unto them Ye shall not go up, nor fight, for I am not in your midst, —lest ye should be smitten before your enemies.
43 I told you this, but you refused to listen. You defied the instructions of the Lord and arrogantly went to fight in the hill country.
So I spake unto you howbeit ye hearkened not, —but rebelled against the bidding of Yahweh, and presumptuously went up the hill-country.
44 Then the Amorites living there in the hills came and attacked you. They chased after you like a swarm of bees, killing you all the way from Seir to Hormah.
Then came forth the Amorites who were dwelling in that country, to meet you, and they chased you, as do, bees; and struck you down in Seir, as far as Hormah.
45 You came back to camp and wept before the Lord, but he refused to listen to what you said or to pay attention to you.
So then ye returned and wept before Yahweh, —but Yahweh hearkened not unto your voice, nor gave ear unto you.
46 You stayed there in Kadesh for a long time.
And ye abode in Kadesh many days, —how many were the days that ye abode [there]!
