The Fifth Book of Moses: Deuteronomy

⭑ Geneva Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 31 -

(Numbers 27:18–23)

Then Moses went and spake these wordes vnto all Israel,

And said vnto them, I am an hundreth and twentie yeere olde this day: I can no more goe out and in: also the Lord hath saide vnto me, Thou shalt not goe ouer this Iorden.

The Lord thy God he will go ouer before thee: he will destroy these nations before thee, and thou shalt possesse them. Ioshua, he shall goe before thee, as the Lord hath said.

And the Lord shall doe vnto them, as he did to Sihon and to Og Kings of the Amorites: and vnto their lande whome he destroyed.

And the Lord shall giue them before you that ye may do vnto them according vnto euery commandement, which I haue comanded you.

Plucke vp your hearts therefore, and be strong: dread not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God him selfe doeth goe with thee: he will not faile thee, nor forsake thee.

And Moses called Ioshua, and said vnto him in the sight of all Israel, Be of a good courage and strong: for thou shalt go with this people vnto the lande which the Lord hath sworne vnto their fathers, to giue them, and thou shalt giue it them to inherite.

And the Lord him selfe doeth go before thee: he will be with thee: he will not faile thee, neither forsake thee: feare not therefore, nor be discomforted.

The Reading of the Law

(Nehemiah 8:1–8)

And Moses wrote this Lawe, and deliuered it vnto the Priestes the sonnes of Leui (which bare the Arke of the couenant of the Lord) and vnto all the Elders of Israel,

And Moses commanded them, saying, Euery seuenth yeere when the yeere of freedome shalbe in the feast of the Tabernacles:

When all Israel shall come to appeare before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall chuse, thou shalt reade this Lawe before all Israel that they may heare it.

Gather the people together: men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may heare, and that they may learne, and feare the Lord your God, and keepe and obserue all the wordes of this Lawe,

And that their children which haue not knowen it, may heare it, and learne to feare the Lord your God, as long as ye liue in the lande, whither ye goe ouer Iorden to possesse it.

God Commissions Joshua

Then the Lord saide vnto Moses, Beholde, thy dayes are come, that thou must die: Call Ioshua, and stande ye in the Tabernacle of the Congregation that I may giue him a charge. So Moses and Ioshua went, and stoode in the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

And the Lord appeared in the Tabernacle, in the pillar of a cloude: and the pillar of the cloude stoode ouer the doore of the Tabernacle.

And the Lord said vnto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleepe with thy fathers, and this people will rise vp, and goe a whoring after the gods of a strange land (whither they goe to dwell therein) and will forsake me, and breake my couenant which I haue made with them.

Wherefore my wrath will waxe hote against them at that day, and I will forsake them, and will hide my face from them: then they shalbe consumed, and many aduersities and tribulations shall come vpon them: so then they will say, Are not these troubles come vpon me, because God is not with me?

But I will surely hide my face in that day, because of all the euill, which they shall commit, in that they are turned vnto other gods.

Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouthes, that this song may be my witnesse against the children of Israel.

For I will bring them into the land (which I sware vnto their fathers) that floweth with milke and honie, and they shall eate, and fil them selues, and waxe fat: then shall they turne vnto other gods, and serue them, and contemne me, and breake my couenant.

And then when many aduersities and tribulations shall come vpon them, this song shall answere them to their face as a witnesse: for it shall not be forgotte out of the mouthes of their posteritie: for I knowe their imagination, which they goe about euen now, before I haue brought them into the lande which I sware.

Moses therefore wrote this song the same day and taught it the children of Israel.

And God gaue Ioshua the sonne of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong, and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the lande, which I sware vnto them, and I will be with thee.

The Law Placed in the Ark

And when Moses had made an ende of writing the wordes of this Lawe in a booke vntill he had finished them,

Then Moses commanded the Leuites, which bare the Arke of the couenant of the Lord, saying,

Take the booke of this Lawe, and put ye it in the side of the Arke of the couenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witnes against thee.

For I knowe thy rebellion and thy stiffe necke: beholde, I being yet aliue with you this day, ye are rebellious against the Lord: howe much more then after my death?

Gather vnto me all the Elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speake these wordes in their audience, and call heauen and earth to recorde against them.

For I am sure that after my death ye will vtterly be corrupt and turne from the way, which I haue commanded you: therefore euill will come vpon you at the length, because ye will comit euill in the sight of the Lord, by prouoking him to anger through the worke of your hands.

Moses Begins His Song

Thus Moses spake in the audience of all the congregation of Israel the wordes of this song, vntill he had ended them.

(Numbers 27:18–23)

Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.

He said to them, “I am one hundred twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’

The LORD your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua will go over before you, as the LORD has spoken.

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

The LORD will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.

Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them, for the LORD your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”

Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it.

The LORD himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged.”

The Reading of the Law

(Nehemiah 8:1–8)

Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.

Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of booths,

when all Israel has come to appear before the LORD your God in the place which he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and the foreigners who are within your gates, that they may hear, learn, fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law,

and that their children, who have not known, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land where you go over the Jordan to possess it.”

God Commissions Joshua

The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, your days approach that you must die. Call Joshua, and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, that I may commission him.” Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the Tent of Meeting.

The LORD appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the Tent’s door.

The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land where they go to be among them, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them.

Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Haven’t these evils come on us because our God is not among us?’

I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.

“Now therefore write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

For when I have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.

It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I promised them.”

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

He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and courageous; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them. I will be with you.”

The Law Placed in the Ark

When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,

Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, saying,

“Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the LORD your God’s covenant, that it may be there for a witness against you.

For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. Behold, while I am yet alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD. How much more after my death?

Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them.

For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn away from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will happen to you in the latter days, because you will do that which is evil in the LORD’s sight, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.”

Moses Begins His Song

Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished.