Deuteronomy 31

1 Once Moses had finished giving these instructions to all the Israelites,

And Moses went, and spake these words unto all Israel;

2 he told them, I'm now a hundred and twenty years old. I can't get around like I used to, and the Lord has told me, “You are not to cross the Jordan.”

and said unto them—A hundred and twenty years old, am I to-day, I can no more go out and come in, —Yahweh indeed hath said unto me, Thou shall not pass over this Jordan.

3 The Lord your God himself is going to lead you across. He will destroy these nations as you advance, and you will take over their land. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as the Lord said.

Yahweh thy God, is passing over before thee, he, will destroy these nations from before thee so shalt thou dispossess them, —Joshua is passing over before thee, as Yahweh hath spoken.

4 The Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and their land when he destroyed them.

So will Yahweh do unto them as he did unto Sihon and unto Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them whom he destroyed.

5 The Lord will hand them over to you, and you will deal with them exactly as I've told you.

So will Yahweh deliver them up before you, —and ye shall do unto them—according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.

6 Be strong! Be brave! Don't be frightened or terrified of them, because the Lord your God will go with you. He won't ever leave you or abandon you.

Be firm and bold, do not fear nor tremble because of them, —for Yahweh thy God, it is who is going with thee, he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.

7 Moses called for Joshua and told him in front of all the Israelites, “Be strong! Be brave! You will accompany this people into the country that the Lord promised to give their forefathers, and you are to allocate it for them to own.

And Moses called for Joshua, and said unto him, in the sight of all Israel. Be firm and bold, for, thou, shalt go with this people into the land which Yahweh sware unto their fathers to give unto them, and, thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

8 The Lord himself goes ahead of you. He will be with you. He won't ever leave you or abandon you. Don't be afraid and don't be discouraged.”

But, Yahweh, it is who is going before thee, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee nor forsake thee, —thou must not fear nor be dismayed.

9 Moses wrote this law down and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the Ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the Israelite elders.

And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, who were bearing the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, —and unto all the elders of Israel.

10 Moses gave them these orders, At the end of every seven years, the year when debts are canceled during the Festival of Shelters,

And Moses commanded them, saying, —At the end of seven years in the appointed season of the year of release, during the festival of booths;

11 and when all the Israelites comes before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you must read this law in the for everyone to hear.

when all Israel cometh in to see the face of Yahweh thy God, in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel, in their hearing.

12 Have the people gather together—the men, women, children, and the foreigners living with you—so that they can listen and learn to respect the Lord your God and to carefully observe all the instructions of this law.

Call together the people—the men and the women and the little ones, and thy sojourner who is within thy gates, —that they may hear, and that they may learn, so shall they revere Yahweh your God, and observe to do all the words of this law;

13 Then their children who don't know the law will listen and learn to respect the Lord your God as the whole time you live in the country that you are going to take over after you cross the Jordan.

and that their children who know not, may hear and learn, that they may revere Yahweh your God, —all the days that ye are living upon the soil, which ye are passing over the Jordan to possess.

14 Then the Lord told Moses, “Listen, you are soon going to die. Tell Joshua to meet you, and then both of you are to come and stand before me at the Tent of Meeting, so that I may appoint him as leader.” Moses and Joshua went to stand before the Lord at the Tent of Meeting.

Then said Yahweh unto Moses: Lo! thy days have drawn near that thou must die. Call Joshua and station yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may command him. So Moses went, with Joshua, and they took their station in the tent of meeting.

15 The Lord appeared there at the tent in a pillar of cloud. The cloud stood at the entrance to the tent.

And Yahweh appeared in the tent, in a pillar of cloud, —and the pillar of cloud stood, at the entrance of the tent.

16 The Lord told Moses, “You will join your ancestors in death, and these people are going to prostitute themselves by worshiping the foreign gods of the country they are entering. They will abandon me and break the agreement I've made with them.

Then said Yahweh unto Moses, Lo! thou art about to sleep with thy fathers, —and this people will rise up, and go away unchastely after the gods of the foreigners of the land into the midst of whom they are entering, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I solemnised with them.

17 Then I will abandon them and turn away from them, so they will be destroyed, and they will experience many disasters and problems. At that time they'll say, ‘We're suffering these disasters because our God has abandoned us!’

Then will mine anger kindle upon them in that day, and I will forsake them and will hide my face from them and they shall be consumed, and many calamities and misfortunes shall find them out, —and they will say, in that day, Is it not because my God is not in my midst, that these calamities have found me out?

18 Then I will definitely ignore them because of all the evil they have done by worshiping other gods.

But, I, will utterly, hide, my face, in that day, because of all the wickedness which they have done, in that they have turned away unto other gods.

19 So write down this song and teach it to the Israelites. Help them learn to sing it, so it will provide evidence for me against them.

Now, therefore write ye for you this Song, and teach it unto the sons of Israel put it in their mouths, —that this Song may become for me a witness against the sons of Israel.

20 Once I've led them into the country that I promised to give their forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will have plenty to eat and will do well. Then they will go and worship other gods, and they will abandon me and break my agreement.

When I bring them upon the soil which I sware unto their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they shall eat and be filled and wax fat, then will they turn away unto other gods and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.

21 Once they've experienced plenty of trouble and suffering, this song will testify against them, because their descendants won't forget the words. I know what they're like, even before I lead them into the country that I promised to give them.”

And it shall come to pass, when many calamities and misfortunes shall find them out, then shall this Song respond to their face, as a witness, for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouth of their seed, for I know their imagination, which they are forming to-day, ere yet I bring them into the land of which I sware unto their fathers.

22 Right then Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites.

Moses therefore wrote this Song on that day, —and taught it unto the sons of Israel.

23 Then the Lord appointed Joshua son of Nun as leader, and told him, “Be strong! Be brave! For you are going to lead the Israelites into the country that I promised to give them, and I will be with you.”

And he commanded Joshua, son of Nun, and said—Be firm and bold, for, thou shalt bring the sons of Israel into the land which I have sworn to them, —and, I, will be with thee.

24 After Moses had finished writing down this Law in a book from start to finish,

And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law, upon a scroll, —until he had finished them,

25 he ordered the Levites who carried the Ark of the Lord's Agreement:

then Moses commanded the Levites, who were bearing the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, saying:

26 “Place this book of the Law beside the Ark of the Lord your God's Agreement, so that it will be kept there as a evidence against you.

Take this scroll of the law, and put it at the side of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, —so shall it be there in thy midst as a witness.

27 I know how stubborn and rebellious you are. If you've already started rebelling against the Lord while I'm still alive, how much worse will you get after I die?

For, I, know thy perverseness, and thy stiff neck, —lo! while I am yet alive with you to-day, ye are, quarrelling, with Yahweh, and how much more after my death?

28 Summon all the elders of your tribes and all your officers to gather here before me so that I can tell them this directly and call on heaven and earth as witnesses against them.

Call together unto me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, —and let me speak in their hearing these words, and let me take to witness against them the heavens and the earth.

29 I know that after my death you will become completely immoral, leaving the path I have ordered you to follow. In the future, evil things will happen to you because of the evil sins you commit in the sight of the Lord, making him angry by what you do.”

For I know that after my death, ye will break faith, and turn aside out of the way which I have commanded you, —and calamity will befall you in the afterpart of the days, because ye will do the thing that is wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, to provoke him with the work of your own hands.

30 Then Moses recited all the words of this song as the Israelites listened.

So Moses spake in the hearing of all the convocation of Israel the words of this Song, until they were ended: —