5.Mose 31 | New International Reader’s Version

Joshua becomes the new leader

1 Here are the words Moses spoke to all the Israelites. 2 He said, ‘I am now 120 years old. I’m not able to lead you anymore. The LORD has said to me, “You will not go across the River Jordan.” 3 The LORD your God himself will go across ahead of you. He’ll destroy the nations there in order to make room for you. You will take over their land. Joshua will also go across ahead of you, just as the LORD said he would. 4 The LORD will do to those nations what he did to Sihon and Og. He destroyed those Amorite kings along with their land. 5 The LORD will hand those nations over to you. Then you must do to them everything I’ve commanded you to do. 6 Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid of them. Don’t be terrified because of them. The LORD your God will go with you. He will never leave you. He’ll never desert you.’ 7 Then Moses sent for Joshua. Moses spoke to him in front of all the Israelites. He said, ‘Be strong and brave. You must go with these people. They are going into the land the LORD promised to give to their people of long ago. You must divide it up among them. They will each receive their share. 8 The LORD himself will go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will never leave you. He’ll never desert you. So don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope.’

The law must be read to the people

9 Moses wrote down this law. He gave it to the priests, who are sons of Levi. They carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD. He also gave the law to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them, ‘You must read this law at the end of every seven years. Do it in the year when you forgive people what they owe. Read it during the Feast of Booths. 11 That’s when all the Israelites come to appear in front of the LORD your God at the holy tent. It will be at the place he will choose. You must read this law to them. 12 Gather the people together. Gather the men, women and children. Also bring together the outsiders living in your towns. Then they can listen and learn to have respect for the LORD your God. And they’ll be careful to obey all the words of this law. 13 Their children must hear it read too. They don’t know this law yet. They too must learn to have respect for the LORD your God. They must honour him as long as you live in the land. You are about to go across the River Jordan and take that land as your very own.’

The Israelites will refuse to obey the Lord

14 The LORD said to Moses, ‘The day when you will die is near. Have Joshua go to the tent of meeting. Join him there. That is where I will appoint him as the new leader.’ So Joshua and Moses went to the tent of meeting. 15 Then the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud. It stood over the entrance to the tent. 16 The LORD spoke to Moses. He said, ‘You are going to join the members of your family who have already died. The Israelites will not be faithful to me. They will soon join themselves to the false gods that are worshipped in the land they are entering. The people will desert me. They will break the covenant I made with them. 17 In that day I will become angry with them. I will desert them. I will turn my face away from them. And they will be destroyed. Many horrible troubles and hard times will come on them. On that day they will say, “Trouble has come on us. Our God isn’t with us!” 18 I will certainly turn away from them on that day. I will do it because they did a very evil thing when they turned to other gods. 19 ‘I want you to write down a song and teach it to the Israelites. Let them sing it. It will be my witness against them. 20 I will bring them into a land that has plenty of milk and honey. I promised the land to their people of long ago. In that land they will eat until they have had enough. They will get fat. When they do, they will turn to other gods and worship them. They will turn their backs on me. They will break my covenant. 21 Many horrible troubles and hard times will come on them. Then the song I am giving you will be a witness against them. That is because the song will not be forgotten by their children and their children’s children. I know what they are likely to do. I know it even before I bring them into the land I promised them.’ 22 So that day Moses wrote the song down. And Moses taught it to the Israelites. 23 The LORD gave a command to Joshua, the son of Nun. He said, ‘Be strong and brave. You will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them. I myself will be with you.’ 24 Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book. He wrote them down from beginning to end. 25 Then he gave a command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD. Moses said, 26 ‘Take this Book of the Law. Place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God. It will remain there as a witness against you. 27 I know how you refuse to obey the LORD. I know how stubborn you are. You have refused to obey him while I’ve been living among you. So you will certainly refuse to obey him after I’m dead! 28 Gather together all the elders of your tribes and all your officials. Bring them to me. Then I can speak these words to them. I can call for the heavens and the earth to be witnesses against them. 29 I know that after I’m dead you will certainly become very sinful. You will turn away from the path I’ve commanded you to take. In days to come, trouble will fall on you. That’s because you will do what is evil in the sight of the LORD. You will make him very angry because of the statues of gods your hands have made.’

The song of Moses

30 Moses spoke the words of this song from beginning to end. The whole community of Israel heard them. Here is what he said.

English Standard Version

Joshua to Succeed Moses

1 So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to 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 before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken. 4 And the Lord will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. 5 And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” 7 Then Moses summoned 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 that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

The Reading of the Law

9 Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

Joshua Commissioned to Lead Israel

14 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.” And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 15 And the Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. And the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent. 16 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. 17 Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ 18 And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods. 19 “Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. 20 For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. 21 And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.” 22 So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel. 23 And the Lord* commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.” 24 When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book to the very end, 25 Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 26 “Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, 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 surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands.”

The Song of Moses

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

5.Mose 31 | New International Reader’s Version English Standard Version