¹ These, are the words, which Moses spake unto all Israel, over the Jordan,—in the wilderness in the waste plain over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban and Hazeroth and Di-zahab:

² eleven days from Horeb, by way of Mount Seir, as far as Kadesh-barnea.

³ And it came to pass, in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, that Moses spake unto the sons of Israel, according to all that Yahweh had given him in charge for them;

⁴ after he had smitten Sihon, king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon,—and Og, king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth, in Edrei:

⁵ over the Jordan, in the land of Moab, did Moses take in hand to expound this law, saying:—

⁶ Yahweh our God, spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Long enough, have ye dwelt in this mountain:

⁷ Turn ye and set yourselves forward, and enter into the hill country of the Amorites, and into all the places near, in the plain, in the mountain, and in the lowland, and in the south, and in the coast of the sea,—the land of Canaan and the Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.

⁸ See! I have set before you the land,—enter and possess the land, which, Yahweh sware unto your fathers to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto them, and unto their seed, after them.

⁹ So I spake unto you, at that time saying, I am unable, by myself, to carry you.

¹⁰ Yahweh your God hath multiplied you, and here ye are to-day, like the stars of the heavens for multitude.

¹¹ Yahweh, the God of your fathers, be adding unto you the like of you, a thousand times,—and bless you, as he hath spoken unto you!

¹² How should I carry by myself the fatigue of you and the burden of you and your controversies?

¹³ Set forth for you—men wise and discerning, and known to your tribes,—that I may appoint them to be heads over you.

¹⁴ And ye answered me,—and said, Good, is the word which thou hast spoken to be done.

¹⁵ So I took heads for your tribes wise men and known, and placed them as heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties and captains of tens, and overseers for your tribes.

¹⁶ And I charged your judges, at that time, saying,—Ye are to hear between your brethren and shall judge righteously, between each man and his brother and his sojourner.

¹⁷ Ye shall not take note of faces in judgment—so the small as the great, shall ye hear, ye shall not shrink from the face of any man, for judgment, unto God, belongeth,—but the thing which is too hard for you, shall ye bring near unto me, and I will hear it.

¹⁸ So I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.

¹⁹ And when we brake up from Horeb, we came through all that great and terrible desert which ye saw, by way of the hill-country of the Amorites, as Yahweh our God commanded us,—and we entered in as far as Kadesh-barnea.

²⁰ Then said I unto you,—Ye are come in as far as the hill-country of the Amorites, which Yahweh our God, is giving unto us.

²¹ See thou—Yahweh thy God hath set before thee the land,—go up—take possession as Yahweh the God of thy fathers hath spoken unto thee, do not fear, neither be dismayed.

²² And ye came near unto me all of you, and said Let us send men before us, that they may search out for us the land,—and bring us back word, the way by which we must go up, and the cities whereinto we must enter,

²³ And the thing, was good in mine eyes,—so I took from among you twelve men, one man for each tribe.

²⁴ And they turned and went up the hill-country, and entered in as far as the ravine of Eshcol, and explored it.

²⁵ And they took in their hand of the fruit of the country, and bare it down unto us, and brought us back word, and said, Good is the land, which Yahweh our God, is giving unto us.

²⁶ Nevertheless ye were not willing to go up,—but rebelled against the bidding of Yahweh, your God;

²⁷ and murmured in your tents and said, Because Yahweh hated us, hath he brought us forth out of the land of Egypt,—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

²⁸ Whither, are, we, to go up? Our own brethren, have made our heart melt saying—A people greater and taller than we, cities large and walled-up into the heavens,—yea, moreover sons of Anakim, have we seen there.

²⁹ Then I said unto you,—Ye must not tremble, nor be afraid of them:

³⁰ Yahweh your God, who is going before you, he, will fight for you,—according to all that he did with you in Egypt, before your eyes;

³¹ also in the desert which thou hast seen, where Yahweh thy God carried thee as a man will carry his son, throughout all the way that ye journeyed, until ye entered as far as, this place.

³² But in this thing, ye were putting no trust in Yahweh your God;

³³ who was going before you in the way—to search out for you a place, where ye might encamp,—in the fire by night, that ye might get sight of the way wherein ye should go, and in the cloud, by day.

³⁴ And Yahweh heard the voice of your words,—and was wroth and sware—saying:

³⁵ Surely, not one of these men, this wicked generation,—shall see the good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers:

³⁶ saving Caleb son of Jephunneh, he, shall see it, and unto him, will I give the land through which he hath trodden, and unto his sons,—because he hath wholly followed Yahweh.

³⁷ Even with me, did Yahweh show himself angry, for your sakes, saying,—Even thou, shalt not enter therein.

³⁸ Joshua son of Nun, who standeth before thee, he, shall enter in thither, him, strengthen thou, for he, shall cause Israel to inherit it.

³⁹ And your little ones, of whom ye said they should become, a prey, and your sons who to-day know not good and evil, they, shall enter in thither,—and unto them, will I give it, and they, shall possess it.

⁴⁰ But as for you, turn ye, for your part,—and set forward towards the desert, by way of the Red Sea.

⁴¹ Then responded ye and said unto me—We have sinned against Yahweh, We, ourselves, will go up, and fight, according to all that Yahweh our God hath commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye foolishly went up towards the hill-country.

⁴² Then said Yahweh unto me—Say unto them Ye shall not go up, nor fight, for I am not in your midst,—lest ye should be smitten before your enemies.