Deuteronomy Chapter 31
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
the great trials which thine eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders:
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but Jehovah hath not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
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And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxed old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxed old upon thy foot.
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Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink; that ye may know that I am Jehovah your God.
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And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them:
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and we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of the Manassites.
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Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.
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Ye stand this day all of you before Jehovah your God; your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel,
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your little ones, your wives, and thy sojourner that is in the midst of thy camps, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water;
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that thou mayest enter into the covenant of Jehovah thy God, and into his oath, which Jehovah thy God maketh with thee this day;
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that he may establish thee this day unto himself for a people, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he spake unto thee, and as he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
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Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath,
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but with him that standeth here with us this day before Jehovah our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day
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(for ye know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which ye passed;
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and ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them);
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lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from Jehovah our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;
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and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.
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Jehovah will not pardon him, but then the anger of Jehovah and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie upon him, and Jehovah will blot out his name from under heaven.
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And Jehovah will set him apart unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law.
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And the generation to come, your children that shall rise up after you, and the foreigner that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses wherewith Jehovah hath made it sick;
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and that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt,
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and a burning,
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that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which Jehovah overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:
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even all the nations shall say, Wherefore hath Jehovah done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?
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Then men shall say, Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt,
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and went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods that they knew not, and that he had not given unto them:
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therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curse that is written in this book;
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and Jehovah rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as at this day.
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The secret things belong unto Jehovah our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
30
And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither Jehovah thy God hath driven thee,
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
And Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel;
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and he said unto them, I am a hundred and twenty years old this day, I can no more go out and come in; and Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
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Jehovah thyGod, he will go over before thee, he will destroy these nations from before thee, that thou mayest take possession of them: Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as Jehovah hath said.
4
And Jehovah will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land; whom he destroyed.
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And when Jehovah giveth them up before you, ye shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.
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Be strong and courageous, fear them not, neither be afraid of them; for Jehovah thyGod, he it is that goeth with thee; he will not leave thee, nor forsake thee.
7
And Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and courageous, for thou must go with this people into the land which Jehovah hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
8
And Jehovah, he it is that goeth before thee: he will be with thee; he will not leave thee, nor forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.
9
And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and to all the elders of Israel.
10
And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, at the set time of the year of release, at the feast of tabernacles,
11
when all Israel cometh to appear before Jehovah thyGod in the place which he will choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their ears.
12
Gather the people together, the men, and the women, and the children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear Jehovah yourGod, and take heed to do all the words of this law;
13
and that their children who do not know it may hear it and learn, that they may fear Jehovah yourGod, as long as ye live in the land, whereunto ye pass over the Jordan to possess it.
14
And Jehovah said to Moses, Lo, the days are near for thee to die; call Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting.
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And Jehovah appeared at the tent in the pillar of cloud; and the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.
16
And Jehovah said to Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the strangegods of the land into which they enter, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
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And 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 befall them, and they will say in that day, Have not these evils befallen me because myGod is not in my midst?
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And I will entirely hide my face in that day for all the evils that they have wrought, because they turned unto othergods.
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And now, write ye this song, 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.
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For I shall bring them into the land which I swore unto their fathers, which floweth with milk and honey; and they will eat and fill themselves, and wax fat, and will turn unto othergods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.
21
And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles have befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed; for I know their imagination which they are forming already this day, before I bring them into the land which I have sworn [unto them].
22
And Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel.
23
And [Jehovah] commanded Joshua the son of Nun, and said, Be strong and courageous; for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I have sworn unto them; and I will be with thee.
24
And it came to pass, when Moses had ended writing the words of this law in a book, until their conclusion,
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that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, saying,
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Take this book of the law, and put it at the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah yourGod, that it may be there for a witness against thee;
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for I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck. Lo, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against Jehovah; and how much more after my death!
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Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and take heaven and earth to witness against them.
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For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and will turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and mischief will befall you at the end of days; because ye do evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
30
And Moses spoke in the ears of the whole congregation of Israel the words of this song, until their conclusion.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
And Moses finished speaking all these words to all the children of Israel;
2
and said to them, I am this day a hundred and twenty years [old]; I shall not be able any longer to come in or go out; and the Lord said to me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
3
The Lord thy God who goes before thee, he shall destroy these nations before thee, and thou shalt inherit them: and [it shall be] Joshua that goes before thy face, as the Lord has spoken.
4
And the Lord thy God shall do to them as he did to Seon and Og the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond Jordan, and to their land, as he destroyed them.
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And the Lord has delivered them to you; and ye shall do to them, as I charged you.
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Be courageous and strong, fear not, neither be cowardly, neither be afraid before them; for [it is] the Lord your God that advances with you in the midst of you, neither will he by any means forsake thee, nor desert thee.
7
And Moses called Joshua, and said to him before all Israel, Be courageous and strong; for thou shalt go in before this people into the land which the Lord sware to your fathers to give to them, and thou shalt give it to them for an inheritance.
8
And the Lord that goes with thee shall not forsake thee nor abandon thee; fear not, neither be afraid.
9
And Moses wrote the words of this law in a book, and gave it to the priests the sons of Levi who bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to the elders of the sons of Israel.
10
And Moses charged them in that day, saying, After seven years, in the time of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
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when all Israel come together to appear before the Lord your God, in the place which the Lord shall choose, ye shall read this law before all Israel in their ears,
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having assembled the people, the men, and the women, and the children, and the stranger that is in your cities, that they may hear, and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God; and they shall hearken to do all the words of this law.
13
And their sons who have not known shall hear, and shall learn to fear the Lord thy God all the days that they live upon the land, into which ye go over Jordan to inherit it.
14
And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, the days of thy death are at hand; call Joshua, and stand ye by the doors of the tabernacle of testimony, and I will give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went to the tabernacle of testimony, and stood by the doors of the tabernacle of testimony.
15
And the Lord descended in a cloud, and stood by the doors of the tabernacle of testimony; and the pillar of the cloud stood by the doors of the tabernacle of testimony.
16
And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and this people will arise and go a whoring after the strange gods of the land, into which they are entering: and they will forsake me, and break my covenant, which I made with them.
17
And I will be very angry with them in that day, and I will leave them and turn my face away from them, and they shall be devoured; and many evils and afflictions shall come upon them; and they shall say in that day, Because the Lord my God is not with me, these evils have come upon me.
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And I will surely turn away my face from them in that day, because of all their evil doings which they have done, because they turned aside after strange gods.
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And now write the words of this song, and teach it to the children of Israel, and ye shall put it into their mouth, that this song may witness for me among the children of Israel to their face.
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For I will bring them into the good land, which I sware to their fathers, to give to them a land flowing with milk and honey: and they shall eat and be filled and satisfy [themselves]; then will they turn aside after other gods, and serve them, and they will provoke me, and break my covenant.
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And this song shall stand up to witness against them; for they shall not forget it out of their mouth, or out of the mouth of their seed; for I know their wickedness, what they are doing here this day, before I have brought them into the good land, which I sware to their fathers.
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And Moses wrote this song in that day, and taught it to the children of Israel.
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And he charged Joshua, and said, Be courageous and strong, for thou shalt bring the sons of Israel into the land, which the Lord sware to them, and he shall be with thee.
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And when Moses finished writing all the words of this law in a book, even to the end,
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then he charged the Levites who bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying,
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Take the book of this law, and ye shall put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God; and it shall be there among you for a testimony.
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For I know thy provocation, and thy stiff neck; for yet during my life with you at this day, ye have been provoking in your conduct toward God: how shall ye not also be so after my death?
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Gather together to me the heads of your tribes, and your elders, and your judges, and your officers, that I may speak in their ears all these words; and I call both heaven and earth to witness against them.
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For I know that after my death ye will utterly transgress, and turn aside out of the way which I have commanded you; and evils shall come upon you in the latter days, because ye will do evil before the Lord, to provoke him to anger by the works of your hands.
30
And Moses spoke all the words of this song even to the end, in the ears of the whole assembly.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
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Abiit itaque Moyses, et locutus est omnia verba hæc ad universum Israel,
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et dixit ad eos: Centum viginti annorum sum hodie, non possum ultra egredi, et ingredi, præsertim cum et Dominus dixerit mihi: Non transibis Iordanem istum.
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Dominus ergo Deus tuus transibit ante te: ipse delebit omnes gentes has in conspectu tuo, et possidebis eas: et Iosue iste transibit ante te, sicut locutus est Dominus.
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Facietque Dominus eis sicut fecit Sehon et Og regibus Amorrhæorum, et terræ eorum, delebitque eos.
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Cum ergo et hos tradiderit vobis, similiter facietis eis sicut præcepi vobis.
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Viriliter agite, et confortamini: nolite timere, nec paveatis ad conspectum eorum: quia Dominus Deus tuus ipse est ductor tuus, et non dimittet, nec derelinquet te.
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Vocavitque Moyses Iosue, et dixit ei coram omni Israel: Confortare, et esto robustus: tu enim introduces populum istum in Terram, quam daturum se patribus eorum iuravit Dominus, et tu eam sorte divides.
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Et Dominus qui ductor est vester, ipse erit tecum: non dimittet, nec derelinquet te: noli timere, nec paveas.
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Scripsit itaque Moyses legem hanc, et tradidit eam sacerdotibus filiis Levi, qui portabant arcam fœderis Domini, et cunctis senioribus Israel.
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Præcepitque eis, dicens: Post septem annos, anno remissionis, in sollemnitate tabernaculorum,
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convenientibus cunctis ex Israel, ut appareant in conspectu Domini Dei tui in loco, quem elegerit Dominus, leges verba legis huius coram omni Israel, audientibus eis,
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et in unum omni populo congregato, tam viris quam mulieribus, parvulis, et advenis, qui sunt intra portas tuas: ut audientes discant, et timeant Dominum Deum vestrum, et custodiant, impleantque omnes sermones legis huius.
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filii quoque eorum qui nunc ignorant; ut audire possint, et timeant Dominum Deum suum cunctis diebus quibus versantur in Terra, ad quam vos, Iordane transmisso, pergitis obtinendam.
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Et ait Dominus ad Moysen: Ecce prope sunt dies mortis tuæ: voca Iosue, et state in tabernaculo testimonii, ut præcipiam ei. Abierunt ergo Moyses et Iosue, et steterunt in tabernaculo testimonii:
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apparuitque Dominus ibi in columna nubis, quæ stetit in introitu tabernaculi.
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Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Ecce tu dormies cum patribus tuis, et populus iste consurgens fornicabitur post deos alienos in Terra, ad quam ingreditur ut habitet in ea: ibi derelinquet me, et irritum faciet fœdus, quod pepigi cum eo.
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Et irascetur furor meus contra eum in die illo: et derelinquam eum, et abscondam faciem meam ab eo, et erit in devorationem: invenient eum omnia mala et afflictiones, ita ut dicat in illo die: Vere quia non est Deus mecum, invenerunt me hæc mala.
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Ego autem abscondam, et celabo faciem meam in die illo propter omnia mala, quæ fecit, quia secutus est deos alienos.
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Nunc itaque scribite vobis canticum istud, et docete filios Israel: ut memoriter teneant, et ore decantent, et sit mihi carmen istud pro testimonio inter filios Israel.
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Introducam enim eum in Terram, pro qua iuravi patribus eius, lacte et melle manantem. Cumque comederint, et saturati, crassique fuerint, avertentur ad deos alienos, et servient eis: detrahentque mihi, et irritum facient pactum meum.
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Postquam invenerint eum mala multa et afflictiones, respondebit ei canticum istud pro testimonio, quod nulla delebit oblivio ex ore seminis sui. Scio enim cogitationes eius, quæ facturus sit hodie, antequam introducam eum in Terram, quam ei pollicitus sum.
22
Scripsit ergo Moyses canticum, et docuit filios Israel.
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Præcepitque Dominus Iosue filio Nun, et ait: Confortare, et esto robustus: tu enim introduces filios Israel in Terram, quam pollicitus sum, et ego ero tecum.
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Postquam ergo scripsit Moyses verba legis huius in volumine, atque complevit:
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præcepit Levitis, qui portabant arcam fœderis Domini, dicens:
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Tollite librum istum, et ponite eum in latere arcæ fœderis Domini Dei vestri: ut sit ibi contra te in testimonium.
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Ego enim scio contentionem tuam, et cervicem tuam durissimam. Adhuc vivente me et ingrediente vobiscum, semper contentiose egistis contra Dominum: quanto magis cum mortuus fuero?
28
Congregate ad me omnes maiores natu per tribus vestras, atque doctores, et loquar audientibus eis sermones istos, et invocabo contra eos cælum et terram.
29
Novi enim quod post mortem meam inique agetis, et declinabitis cito de via, quam præcepi vobis: et occurrent vobis mala in extremo tempore, quando feceritis malum in conspectu Domini, ut irritetis eum per opera manuum vestrarum.
30
Locutus est ergo Moyses, audiente universo cœtu Israel, verba carminis huius, et ad finem usque complevit.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.
2
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.’
3
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.
4
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.
5
The LORD will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.
6
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.”
7
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.
8
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.”
9
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.
10
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,
11
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.
12
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,
13
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.”
14
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.
15
The LORD appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the Tent’s door.
16
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.
17
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?’
18
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.
19
“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.
20
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.
21
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.”
22
So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel.
23
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.”
24
When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
25
Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, saying,
26
“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.
27
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?
28
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.
29
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.”
30
Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished.
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
And Moses goeth and speaketh these words unto all Israel,
2
and he saith unto them, `A son of a hundred and twenty years <FI>am<Fi> I to-day; I am not able any more to go out and to come in, and Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou dost not pass over this Jordan,
3
`Jehovah thy God He is passing over before thee, He doth destroy these nations from before thee, and thou hast possessed them; Joshua--he is passing over before thee as Jehovah hath spoken,
4
and Jehovah hath done to them as he hath done to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorite, and to their land, whom He destroyed.
5
And Jehovah hath given them before your face, and ye have done to them according to all the command which I have commanded you;
6
be strong and courageous, fear not, nor be terrified because of them, for Jehovah thy God <FI>is<Fi> He who is going with thee; He doth not fail thee nor forsake thee.'
7
And Moses calleth for Joshua, and saith unto him before the eyes of all Israel, `Be strong and courageous, for thou--thou dost go in with this people unto the land which Jehovah hath sworn to their fathers to give to them, and thou--thou dost cause them to inherit it;
8
and Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> He who is going before thee, He himself is with thee; He doth not fail thee nor forsake thee; fear not, nor be affrighted.'
9
And Moses writeth this law, and giveth it unto the priests (sons of Levi, those bearing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah), and unto all the elders of Israel,
10
and Moses commandeth them, saying, `At the end of seven years, in the appointed time, the year of release, in the feast of booths,
11
in the coming in of all Israel to see the face of Jehovah in the place which He chooseth, thou dost proclaim this law before all Israel, in their ears.
12
`Assemble the people, the men, and the women, and the infants, and thy sojourner who <FI>is<Fi> within thy gates, so that they hear, and so that they learn, and have feared Jehovah your God, and observed to do all the words of this law;
13
and their sons, who have not known, do hear, and have learned to fear Jehovah your God all the days which ye are living on the ground whither ye are passing over the Jordan to possess it.'
14
And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Lo, thy days have drawn near to die; call Joshua, and station yourselves in the tent of meeting, and I charge him;' and Moses goeth--Joshua also--and they station themselves in the tent of meeting,
15
and Jehovah is seen in the tent, in a pillar of a cloud; and the pillar of the cloud standeth at the opening of the tent.
16
And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Lo, thou art lying down with thy fathers, and this people hath risen, and gone a-whoring after the gods of the stranger of the land into the midst of which it hath entered, and forsaken Me, and broken My covenant which I made with it;
17
and Mine anger hath burned against it in that day, and I have forsaken them, and hidden My face from them, and it hath been for consumption, and many evils and distresses have found it, and it hath said in that day, Is it not because that my God is not in my midst--these evils have found me?
18
and I certainly hide My face in that day for all the evil which it hath done, for it hath turned unto other gods.
19
`And now, write for you this song, and teach it the sons of Israel; put it in their mouths, so that this song is to Me for a witness against the sons of Israel,
20
and I bring them in unto the ground which I have sworn to their fathers--flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten, and been satisfied, and been fat, and have turned unto other gods, and they have served them, and despised Me, and broken My covenant.
21
`And it hath been, when many evils and distresses do meet it, that this song hath testified to its face for a witness; for it is not forgotten out of the mouth of its seed, for I have known its imagining which it is doing to-day, before I bring them in unto the land of which I have sworn.'
22
And Moses writeth this song on that day, and doth teach it the sons of Israel,
23
and He commandeth Joshua son of Nun, and saith, `Be strong and courageous, for thou dost bring in the sons of Israel unto the land which I have sworn to them, and I--I am with thee.'
24
And it cometh to pass, when Moses finisheth to write the words of this law on a book till their completion,
25
that Moses commandeth the Levites bearing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, saying,
26
`Take this Book of the Law, and thou hast set it on the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and it hath been there against thee for a witness;
27
for I--I have known thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck; lo, in my being yet alive with you to-day, rebellious ye have been with Jehovah, and also surely after my death.
28
`Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your authorities, and I speak in their ears these words, and cause to testify against them the heavens and the earth,
29
for I have known that after my death ye do very corruptly, and have turned aside out of the way which I commanded you, and evil hath met you in the latter end of the days, because ye do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, to make Him angry with the work of your hands.'
30
And Moses speaketh in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, till their completion: --
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).