Deuteronomy 31

Joshua to Succeed Moses

1 So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, "I am *ch. 34:7;[Ex. 7:7] 120 years old today. I am no longer able to *See Num. 27:17go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, *ch. 3:27;See ch. 1:37‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ 3 The Lord your God *ch. 9:3himself 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, *ch. 1:38;3:28;Num. 27:18,21as the Lord has spoken. 4 And the Lord will do to them *See ch. 2:31-35;Num. 21:21-25as he did to Sihon *See ch. 3:1-7;Num. 21:33-35and 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 *See ch. 7:2according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. 6 *ver. 23;Josh. 1:6,7;10:25;1 Chr. 22:13;28:20Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, *See ch. 20:4for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. *Josh. 1:5He will not leave you or forsake you."

7 Then *[ch. 3:28] Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, *[See ver. 6above]"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*See Ex. 13:21who goes before you. He will be with you; *[See ver. 6above] he will not leave you or forsake you. *ch. 1:21;7:18;Josh. 1:9;8:1;10:25Do not fear or be dismayed."

The Reading of the Law

9 Then Moses *[ch. 17:18] wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, *Num. 4:15;Josh. 3:3;8:33;1 Chr. 15:15who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, *See ch. 15:1"At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at *See Lev. 23:34the Feast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes *ch. 16:16;Ex. 23:14,17;34:23to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, *Josh. 8:34,35;2 Kgs. 23:2;See Neh. 8:1-3you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 *ch. 4:10Assemble 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, *ch. 11:2who have not known it, *Ps. 78:5,6may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, *See ch. 4:10as 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, *[ch. 34:5;Num. 27:13] "Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that *[ver. 23; Num. 27:19]I may commission him." And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 15 And *Ex. 33:9;Num. 12:5the 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, *[See ver. 14above] "Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and *Ex. 34:15,16;Lev. 20:5;Num. 15:39whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will *ch. 32:15;Judg. 2:12;10:6,13forsake me and *Judg. 2:20break my covenant that I have made with them. 17 Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and *2 Chr. 12:5;15:2;24:20I will forsake them and *ch. 32:20;Ps. 30:7;104:29;Isa. 8:17;64:7;[Isa. 59:2] 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, *Judg. 6:13‘Have not these evils come upon us because *Num. 14:42our 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 *ver. 20they have turned to other gods.

19 "Now therefore write *See ch. 32:1-43this song and *[2 Sam. 1:18] teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be *ver. 21, 26a witness for me against the people of Israel. 20 For when I have brought them into the land *See Ex. 3:8flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and *ch. 32:15;Neh. 9:25,26;Jer. 5:28;Hos. 13:6grown fat, *ver. 18they will turn to other gods and serve them, and *Num. 14:11,23;16:30despise me and *[See ver. 16above]break my covenant. 21 And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as *ver. 19, 26a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For *[Hos. 5:3;13:5]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 *[ver. 14] And the Lord*31:23 Hebrew he commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, *See ver. 6"Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. *ver. 8;Josh. 1:5;3:7I will be with you."

24 When Moses had finished *ver. 9writing the words of this law in a book to the very end, 25 Moses commanded *See ver. 9the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 26 "Take this Book of the Law *[2 Kgs. 22:8] and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for *ver. 19, 21a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and *See ch. 9:6stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, *See ch. 9:7you 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 *See ch. 32:1-43these words in their ears and *See ch. 4:26call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death *Judg. 2:19;Hos. 9:9you will surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And *See Gen. 49:1in the days to come *[Jer. 44:23] evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, *ch. 4:25;9:18;32:16,21;1 Kgs. 16:7;2 Kgs. 22:17provoking 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: