THE FIFTH BOOK OF
MOSES,
called
D E U T E R O N O M Y
Deuteronomy 31 ©
Moses tells the people that he shall soon die and not come into the land of Canaan, promising that God would bring them into it by Joshua, and by him destroy their enemies, v. 1, etc. He encourages and comforts Joshua, 7. Writes and delivers this book of the law unto the priests, Levites and elders, with a charge to read it every seven years before all the people, 9. God puts Joshua into his office, 14. And foretells unto Moses and Joshua the disobedience and backsliding of the people, together with the future judgments, 16. Enjoins Moses to write a song for admonition and conviction of the people, and to teach them the same, 19. Moses charges the Levites to place this book of the law beside the ark of the covenant, 24. Commands all the people to assemble together to hear the song, 28.
AND Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.
And he said unto them, I am an 1hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more 2go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thoua shalt not go over this Jordan.
The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, 3and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua,b he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihonc and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
And the LORD shall give them up 4before your face, that ye may do unto them 5according unto all the commandments whichd I have commanded you.
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; 6hee will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
¶And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fearf not, neither be dismayed.
¶And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the 7priests the sons of Levi, 8which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.
And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, 9in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of 10tabernacles,
When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, 11thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
12Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy 13gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:
And that their children, which have not 14known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
¶And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, 15thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.
And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a 16pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.
¶And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt 17sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a 18whoring after the gods 19of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among 20them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with 21them.
Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide 22my face from them, and they shall be 23devoured, and many 24evils and troubles shall befall 25them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils 26come upon us, because our God is not 27among us?
And I will 28surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
Now therefore write ye 29this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: 30put it in their mouths, that this song may be a 31witness for me against the children of Israel.
For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen 32them, 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 33imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I 34sware.
¶Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
And 35he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Beg strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.
¶And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this 36law in a book, until they were finished,
That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,
Take this bookh of the law, and put it 37in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against 38thee.
For I know thy rebellion, and thy 39stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, 40ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?
¶Gather unto 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 record against them.
For I know that after my death ye will 41utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and 42evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do 43evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.