These are the words
which
Moses
spoke
to all
Israel
aacross
the Jordan
in the wilderness
, in the bArabah
opposite
1Suph
, between
Paran
and Tophel
and Laban
and Hazeroth
and Dizahab
.
It is eleven days'
journey from aHoreb
by the way
of Mount
bSeir
to cKadesh-barnea
.
In the afortieth year
, on the first
day of the eleventh
month
, Moses
spoke
to the children
of Israel
, baccording to all
that the LORD
had commanded
him to give to them,
after he had 1 adefeated
Sihon
the king
of the Amorites
, who
lived
in Heshbon
, and bOg
the king
of Bashan
, who
lived
in cAshtaroth
2and Edrei
.
Across the Jordan
in the land
of Moab
, Moses
undertook
to expound
this
law
, saying
,
"The LORD our God
aspoke
to us at Horeb
, saying
, `You have 1stayed
long
enough
at this
mountain
.
`Turn and set
your journey
, and go
to athe hill
country
of the Amorites
, and to all
their neighbors
in the Arabah
, in the hill
country
and in the lowland
and in bthe 1Negev
and by the seacoast
, the land
of the Canaanites
, and Lebanon
, as far
as the great
river
, the river
Euphrates
.
`See, I have placed
the land
before
you; go
in and possess
the land
which
the LORD
aswore
to give
to your fathers
, to Abraham
, to Isaac
, and to Jacob
, to them and their 1descendants
after
them.'
"I spoke to you at that time
, saying
, ` aI am not able
to bear
the burden of you alone
.
`The LORD your God
has amultiplied
you, and behold
, you are this day
like the stars
of heaven
in number
.
`May the LORD, the God
of your fathers
, increase
you a thousand-fold
more
than you are and bless
you, ajust
as He has 1promised
you!
`How can I alone
bear
the load
and burden
of you and your strife
?
` 1 aChoose wise
and discerning
and experienced
men
from your tribes
, and I will appoint
them as your heads
.'
"You answered me and said
, `The thing
which
you have said
to do
is good
.'
"So I took the heads
of your tribes
, wise
and experienced
men
, and 1appointed
them heads
over
you, leaders
of thousands
and 2of hundreds
, 2of fifties
and 2of tens
, and officers
for your tribes
.
"Then I charged your judges
at that time
, saying
, `Hear
the cases between
your 1fellow
countrymen
, and ajudge
righteously
between
a man
and his 2fellow
countryman
, or the alien
who is with him.
` aYou shall not show partiality
in judgment
; you shall hear
the small
and the great
alike. You shall bnot fear
1man
, for the judgment
is God's
. cThe case
that is too
hard
for you, you shall bring
to me, and I will hear
it.'
" aI commanded you at that time
all
the things
that you should do
.
"Then we set out from aHoreb
, and went
through all
that bgreat
and terrible
wilderness
which
you saw
on the way
to the chill
country
of the Amorites
, just
as the LORD
our God
had commanded
us; and we came
to aKadesh-barnea
.
"I said to you, `You have come
to the hill
country
of the Amorites
which
the LORD
our God
is about to give
us.
`See, the LORD
your God
has placed
the land
before
you; go
up, take
possession
, as the LORD
, the God
of your fathers
, has spoken
to you. aDo not fear
or be dismayed
.'
" aThen all of you approached
me and said
, `Let us send
men
before
us, that they may search
out the land
for us, and bring
back
to us word
of the way
by which
we should go
up and the cities
which
we shall enter
.'
"The thing pleased
me and I took
twelve
of your men
, one
man
for each tribe
.
" aThey turned and went
up into the hill
country
, and came
to the valley
of Eshcol
and spied
it out.
"Then they took some of the fruit
of the land
in their hands
and brought
it down
to us; and they brought
us back
a report
and said
, `It is a good
land
which
the LORD
our God
is about to give
us.'
" aYet you were not willing to go
up, but brebelled
against
the 1command
of the LORD
your God
;
and ayou grumbled in your tents
and said
, `Because the LORD
hates
us, He has brought
us out of the land
of Egypt
to deliver
us into the hand
of the Amorites
to destroy
us.
`Where can we go
up? Our brethren
have made our hearts
melt
, saying
, "The people
are bigger
and taller
than
we; the cities
are large
and fortified
to heaven
. And besides
, we saw
athe sons
of the Anakim
there
."'
"Then I said to you, `Do not be shocked
, nor
fear
them.
`The LORD your God
who goes
before
you will aHimself
fight
on your behalf, 1just
as He did
for you in Egypt
before your eyes
,
and in the wilderness where
you saw
how
athe LORD
your God
carried
you, just
as a man
carries
his son
, in all
the way
which
you have walked
until
you came
to this
place
.'
"But 1 afor all this, you did not trust
the LORD
your God
,
awho goes before
you on your way
, bto seek
out a place
for you to encamp
, in fire
by night
and cloud
by day
, to show
you the way
in which
you should go
.
"Then the LORD heard
the sound
of your words
, and He was angry
and atook
an oath
, saying
,
` aNot one of these
men
, this
evil
generation
, shall see
the good
land
which
I swore
to give
your fathers
,
except Caleb
the son
of Jephunneh
; he shall see
it, and ato him and to his sons
I will give
the land
on which
he has set
foot
, because
he has followed
the LORD
fully
.'
" aThe LORD was angry
with me also
on your account
, saying
, ` bNot even
you shall enter
there
.
`Joshua the son
of Nun
, who stands
before
you, ahe shall enter
there
; encourage
him, for bhe will cause Israel
to inherit
it.
`Moreover, ayour little ones
who
you said
would become
a prey
, and your sons
, who
this day
have
bno
knowledge
of good
or evil
, shall enter
there
, and I will give
it to them and they shall possess
it.
`But as for you, aturn around and set
out for the wilderness
by the way
to the 1Red
Sea
.'
" aThen you said to me, `We have sinned
against the LORD
; we will indeed go
up and fight
, just
as the LORD
our God
commanded
us.' And every
man
of you girded
on his weapons
of war
, and regarded
it as easy
to go
up into the hill
country
.
" aAnd the LORD said
to me, `Say
to them, "Do not go
up nor
fight
, for I am not among
you; otherwise
you will be 1defeated
before
your enemies
."'
"So I spoke to you, but you would not listen
. Instead ayou rebelled
against
the 1command
of the LORD
, and acted
presumptuously
and went
up into the hill
country
.
" aThe Amorites who 1lived
in that hill
country
came
out against
you and chased
you bas bees
do
, and crushed
you from Seir
to Hormah
.
"Then you returned and wept
before
the LORD
; but the aLORD
did not listen
to your voice
nor
give
ear
to you.
"So you remained in aKadesh
many
days
, 1the days
that you spent
there.