Deuteronomy 31

Revised Geneva Translation

31 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel,

² and said to them, “I am a hundred and twenty years old this day. I cannot go out and in anymore. Also, the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’

³ “The LORD your God, He will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you. And you shall possess them. Joshua, he shall go before you, as the LORD has said.

⁴ “And the LORD shall do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites (whom He destroyed), and to their land.

⁵ “And the LORD shall give them before you, so that you may do to them according to every Commandment which I have commanded you.

⁶ “Have courage, therefore, and be strong. Do not fear or be afraid of them. For the LORD your God Himself goes with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you.”

⁷ And Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be of a good courage and strong. For you shall go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers, to give them. And you shall give it to them to inherit.

⁸ “And the LORD Himself goes before you. He will be with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you. Do not fear or be discomforted.”

⁹ And Moses wrote this Law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi (who bore the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD) and to all the elders of Israel.

¹⁰ And Moses commanded them, saying, “Every seventh year, the year of freedom in the Feast of the Tabernacles,

¹¹ “when all Israel shall come to appear before the LORD your God and the place which He shall choose, you shall read this Law before all Israel so that they may hear it.

¹² “Gather the people together — men, women, children, and the stranger who is within your gates — so that they may hear, and that they may learn and fear the LORD your God, and keep and observe all the words of this Law,

¹³ “and that their children who have not known it may hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land to which you go over Jordan to possess.”

¹⁴ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the day has come that you must die. Call Joshua and stand in the Tabernacle of the Congregation so that I may give him a charge.” So, Moses and Joshua went and stood in the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

¹⁵ And the LORD appeared in the Tabernacle, in the pillar of a cloud. And the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the Tabernacle.

¹⁶ And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. And this people will rise up and go a whoring after the gods of a strange land (wherever they go in) and will forsake Me and break My Covenant which I have made with them.

¹⁷ “Therefore, My wrath will grow hot against them on that day. And I will forsake them and will hide My Face from them. Then they shall be consumed. And many adversities and tribulations shall come upon them. “So, then, they will say, ‘Have not these troubles come upon me because God is not with me?’

¹⁸ “But I will surely hide My Face on that day because of all the evil which they shall commit on the day they are 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, so that this song may be My witness against the children of Israel.

²⁰ “For I will bring them into the land which I swore to their fathers, that flows with milk and honey. And they shall eat, and fill themselves, and grow fat. Then they shall turn to other gods and serve them, and contemn Me and break My Covenant.

²¹ “And then, when many adversities and tribulations shall come upon them, this song shall answer them to their faces as a witness. For it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants. For I know the intent of their imagination even now, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.”

²² Moses, therefore, wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel,

²³ and gave Joshua, the son of Nun, a charge, and said, “Be strong and of a good courage. For you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them. And I will be with you.”

²⁴ And when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this Law in a Book — when he had finished them —

²⁵ then Moses commanded the Levites who bore the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD, saying,

²⁶ “Take the Book of this Law and put it inside of the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may be there for a witness against you.

²⁷ “For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. Behold, I am still alive with you this day and you are rebellious against the LORD. How much more so, then, after my death?

²⁸ “Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, so that I may speak these words in their audience and call Heaven and Earth to record against them.

²⁹ “For I am sure that after my death, you will be utterly corrupt and turn from the way which I have commanded you. Therefore, evil will come upon you in the end, because you will commit evil in the sight of the LORD by provoking Him to anger through the work of your hands.”

³⁰ Thus Moses spoke the words of this song in the audience of all the Congregation of Israel, until he had ended them.