Deuteronomy 31

¹ Moses went and spoke to all Israel as follows,

² 'Today, I am one hundred and twenty years old, and can no longer act as leader. Yahweh has toldme, "You shal not cross this Jordan."

³ Yahweh your God himself will lead you across, he himself wil destroy and dispossess these nationsconfronting you; Joshua too wil lead you across, as Yahweh has said.

⁴ Yahweh wil treat them as he has treated Sihon and Og the Amorite kings and their country -- hedestroyed them.

⁵ Yahweh wil put them at your mercy, and you wil deal with them exactly as prescribed by thecommandments which I have laid down for you.

⁶ Be strong, stand firm, have no fear, do not be afraid of them, for Yahweh your God is going with you;he wil not fail you or desert you.'

⁷ Moses then summoned Joshua and, in the presence of al Israel, said to him, 'Be strong, stand firm;you wil be the one to go with this people into the country which Yahweh has sworn to their ancestors that hewould give them; you are to be the one who puts them into possession of it.

⁸ Yahweh himself will lead you; he wil be with you; he will not fail you or desert you. Have no fear, donot be alarmed.'

⁹ Moses committed this Law to writing and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark ofYahweh's covenant, and to al the elders of Israel.

¹⁰ And Moses gave them this command, 'At the end of every seven years, at the time fixed for the yearof remission, at the feast of Shelters,

¹¹ when all Israel assembles in the presence of Yahweh your God in the place chosen by him, you mustproclaim this Law in the hearing of al Israel.

¹² Cal the people together, men, women, children, and the foreigner residing with you, so that, hearingit, they may learn to fear Yahweh your God and keep and observe al the words of this Law.

¹³ Their children, who as yet do not know it, wil hear it and learn to fear Yahweh your God, all the timeyou live in the country which you are crossing the Jordan to possess.'

¹⁴ Yahweh said to Moses, 'And now the time is near when you must die. Summon Joshua and takeyour places at the Tent of Meeting, so that I can give him his orders.' Moses and Joshua went and took theirplaces at the Tent of Meeting,

¹⁵ and Yahweh showed himself at the Tent in a pil ar of cloud; the pil ar of cloud stood at the door of theTent.

¹⁶ Yahweh said to Moses, 'You will soon be sleeping with your ancestors, and this people is about toplay the harlot by fol owing the gods of the foreigners of the country, among whom they are going to live. Theywil desert me and break my covenant, which I have made with them.

¹⁷ That very day, my anger wil blaze against them; I shal desert them and hide my face from them. Ahost of disasters and misfortunes will overtake them to devour them, and when that day comes they wil say, "Ifsuch disasters overtake me, surely Yahweh my God cannot be with me?"

¹⁸ Yes indeed, I shall hide my face that day, on account of al the evil which they wil have done byturning to other gods.

¹⁹ 'Now write down this song for you to use; teach it to the Israelites, put it into their mouths, for it to bea witness on my behalf against the Israelites:

²⁰ against Israel, whom I am bringing into the country which I swore to his ancestors that I would givehim, a country flowing with milk and honey: against Israel, who wil eat to his heart's content and grow fat, andwil then turn to other gods and serve them, despising me and breaking my covenant.

²¹ When a host of disasters and misfortunes overtakes him, this song, like a witness, wil give evidenceagainst him, since his descendants wil not have forgotten it. Yes, even today, before I have brought him to thecountry which I have promised him on oath, I know what plans he has in mind.'

²² So, that day, Moses wrote out this song and taught it to the Israelites.

²³ To Joshua son of Nun, Yahweh gave this order, 'Be strong and stand firm, for you are to be the oneto bring the Israelites into the country which I have promised them on oath, and I myself shall be with you.'

²⁴ When Moses had completely finished writing the words of this Law in a book,

²⁵ he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of Yahweh's covenant:

²⁶ 'Take the book of this Law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God. Let it liethere as evidence against you.

²⁷ For I know how rebel ious and stiff-necked you are. If today, while I am stil alive and with you, yourebel against Yahweh, how much more wil you rebel against him after my death!

²⁸ 'Gather al your tribal elders and scribes round me, so that I may be sure that they hear these words,as I cal heaven and earth to witness against them.

²⁹ For I know that after my death you are certain to grow corrupt; you wil leave the way which I havemarked out for you; in the final days disaster wil befal you for having done what is evil in Yahweh's eyes, forhaving provoked his anger by your behaviour.'

³⁰ In the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel, Moses then recited the words of this song to the end: