CHAPTER 1
These
are the words
that
Moses
spoke
to
all
Israel
in the wilderness
east of
the Jordan,
in the Arabah,
opposite
Suph,
between
Paran
and Tophel,
Laban,
Hazeroth,
and Di-zahab.
In the fortieth
year,
on the first day
of the eleventh
month,
Moses
proclaimed
to
the Israelites
everything
that
the LORD
had commanded
him
concerning them.
This was after
he had defeated
Sihon
king
of the Amorites,
who
lived
in Heshbon,
and then
at Edrei had defeated
Og
king
of Bashan,
who
lived
in Ashtaroth.
Resume
your journey
and go
to the hill country
of the Amorites;
go to
all
the neighboring peoples
in the Arabah,
in the hill country,
in the foothills,
in the Negev,
and along the seacoast
to the land
of the Canaanites
and to Lebanon,
as far as
the great
River
Euphrates.
See,
I have placed
the land
before you.
Enter
and possess
the land
that
the LORD
swore
He would give
to your fathers
Abraham,
Isaac,
and Jacob,
and to their descendants
after them.”
May the LORD,
the God
of your fathers,
increase you
a thousand
times over
and bless
you
as
He has promised.
Choose
for yourselves wise,
understanding,
and respected men
from each of your tribes,
and I will appoint them
as your leaders.”
So I took
the leaders
of your tribes,
wise
and respected
men,
and appointed
them
as leaders
over you—
as commanders
of thousands,
of hundreds,
of fifties,
and of tens,
and as officers
for your tribes.
At that
time
I charged
your judges:
“Hear
the disputes between
your brothers,
and judge
fairly
between
a man
and his brother
or a foreign resident.
Show no partiality
in judging;
hear
both small
and great alike.
Do not
be intimidated
by
anyone,
for
judgment
belongs to God.
And bring
to me
any case
too difficult for you,
and I will hear it.”
And just as
the LORD
our God
had commanded us,
we set out
from Horeb
and went
toward
the hill country
of the Amorites,
through all
the vast
and terrifying
wilderness
you have seen.
When we reached
Kadesh-barnea,
See,
the LORD
your God
has placed
the land
before you.
Go up
and take possession of
it as
the LORD,
the God
of your fathers,
has told you.
Do not
be afraid
or discouraged.”
Then all of you
approached
me and said,
“Let us send
men
ahead of us
to search out
the land
and bring us
word
of what route
to follow
and which cities
to enter.”
They left
and went up
into the hill country,
and came
to
the Valley
of Eshcol
and spied out the land.
They took
some of the fruit
of the land
in their hands,
carried it down
to us,
and brought us
word:
“It is a good
land
that
the LORD
our God
is giving
us.”
You grumbled
in your tents
and said,
“Because the LORD
hates us,
He has brought us out
of the land
of Egypt
to deliver
us
into the hand
of the Amorites
to be annihilated.
Where
can we
go?
Our brothers
have made our hearts melt,
saying:
‘The people
are larger
and taller
than we are;
the cities
are large,
with walls up
to the heavens.
We even
saw
the descendants
of the Anakim
there.’”
The LORD
your God,
who goes
before you,
will fight for you,
just as
you saw
Him do
for you
in Egypt
and
in the wilderness,
where
the LORD
your God
carried you,
as
a man
carries
his son,
all
the way
by which
you traveled
until
you reached
this
place.”
who went
before you
on the journey,
in the fire
by night
and in the cloud
by day,
to seek out
a place
for you to camp
and to show you
the road
to travel.
“Not
one
of the
men
of this
evil
generation
shall see
the good
land
I swore
to give
your fathers,
except
Caleb
the son
of Jephunneh.
He
will see it,
and I will give
him
and his descendants
the land
on which
he has set foot,
because
he followed
the LORD
wholeheartedly.”
The LORD
was also angry
with me
on your account,
and He said,
“Not
even
you
shall enter
the land.
Joshua
son
of Nun,
who stands
before you,
will enter
it.
Encourage him,
for
he
will enable Israel
to inherit
the land.
And the little ones,
whom
you said
would become
captives—
your children
who
do not
know
good
from evil,
will enter
the land
I give them
and
possess it.
“We have sinned
against the LORD,”
you replied.
“We
will go up
and fight,
as
the LORD
our God
has commanded us.”
Then each
of you put on
his weapons
of war,
thinking it easy
to go up
into the hill country.
But the LORD
said
to me,
“Tell
them
not
to go up
and fight,
for
I am not
with
you
to keep you from
defeat
by
your enemies.”
So I spoke
to you,
but you would not
listen.
You rebelled against
the command
of the LORD
and presumptuously
went up
into the hill country.
Then the Amorites
who lived
in
the hills
came out
against you
and chased
you like
a swarm of bees.
They routed
you from Seir
all the way
to Hormah.
And you returned
and wept
before
the LORD,
but He
would not
listen
to your voice
or
give ear
to you.