From the Greek Septuagint text as was used by First Century Christians.
Written by Moses immediately prior to the IsraElites entering the Promised Land (according to our calculations about 1515-BCE).

Chapter 1

¹ These are the things that Moses said to all the IsraElites while they were in the desert on the east side of the Jordan near the Red Sea (between Pharan-Tophol, Lobon, Aulon, and the gold works), ² eleven day’s journey from the Dry Place (Horeb) on the road between Mount Seir and Kadesh Barne.

³ It was the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year that Moses spoke to the children of IsraEl, and [he recounted] all the instructions that Jehovah had given to Him concerning them. ⁴ This was after he had cut down Seon, the king of the Amorites (who lived in Hesh-Eboneh), as well as Og, the king of BaShan (who lived in AstarOth and Edrain) ⁵ in the land of Moab. Moses said this about [God’s] Law:

⁶ ‘It was while we were in the Dry Place (Horeb) that Jehovah our God spoke to us and said, You have stayed at this mountain long enough. ⁷ Now, turn around and go! Enter the mountains of the Amorites and of those who live next to the desert… from their mountains and valleys in the south to the coast of the land of the CanaAnites, to [the borders] of Lebanon, and on to the great EuPhrates River. ⁸ Look! God has given you all the land that is before you! So, go there and inherit the land that I swore that I would give to your ancestors AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob, and to their seed.

⁹ ‘As I told you before; I was unable to lead you all by myself, ¹⁰ for Jehovah your God has made you grow. Just look at how many you’ve become… like the stars in the skies in number! ¹¹ For Jehovah the God of your ancestors has made you grow a thousand-times more, and He has spoken to you and blest you! ¹² So, how could I handle all the work, burdens, and your complaints by myself? ¹³ Therefore, [I told you to] select some wise, understanding, and sensible men from your tribes whom I would appoint as your leaders. ¹⁴ Then you answered me and said, What you’ve told us to do is good!

¹⁵ ‘So, I took your wise, understanding, and sensible men and assigned them to be the rulers of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, to serve as your officers and judges. ¹⁶ And at the time, I told your judges to hear the cases between your brothers and to judge honestly, whether it is [a dispute] between a man and his brother, or with him and the converts that are living among you… ¹⁷ and they were not to favor one over the other when it came to their judgments. Rather, they were to judge both the rich and the poor in the same way. Nor were they to fear anyone, because the judgment is God’s. ¹⁸ And whenever a case was too hard for them, they were to bring it to me and I would then hear it.

¹⁹ ‘So, just as Jehovah our God had instructed us, we left that Dry Place (Horeb) and traveled through the desert (which you saw was vast and terrible), and on through the mountains of the Amorites to Kadesh Barne. ²⁰ Then, as we were approaching the mountains of the Amorites, I told you: ²¹ {Look!} Jehovah your God has given you all the land that lies before you. So, go there and inherit it… and just as Jehovah the God of your ancestors said to you: Don’t be afraid!

²² ‘But then you all came to me and said, Let’s send some men ahead of us into the land and have them bring back a report about which way we should travel and which of the cities we should enter.

²³ ‘Well, that sounded good to me, so I chose twelve men, one from each tribe. ²⁴ Then they turned and ascended the mountains and traveled as far as the Valley of the [Grape] Clusters to survey it. ²⁵ There they gathered some of the fruit of the land and brought it back to you, and they said: The land that Jehovah our God is giving to us is good!

²⁶ ‘However, you refused to enter it and you rebelled against the words of our God Jehovah. ²⁷ For you went back to your tents and started complaining, saying, Jehovah hates us, because he has brought us out of the land of Egypt just to put us into the hands of the Amorites who will destroy us! ²⁸ Why would we want to go there?

‘Then your brothers grabbed at your heart strings when they said, It’s a big country and they have many more people who are stronger than us… their cities are huge, with walls that reach into the sky, and we saw the sons of the giants there!

²⁹ ‘But I told you: Don’t be afraid and don’t fear them, ³⁰ because Jehovah your God is traveling before you and He will fight them for you and win, just as He did for you in the land of Egypt! ³¹ You have already seen Him do this [many times] while you were in this desert on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, because Jehovah your God carried you as dearly as any man could nurse his own children throughout all your travels on the way to this place.

³² ‘But you didn’t believe Jehovah your God ³³ who traveled before you, who chose the places where you would stay, and who guided you with a fire each night and showed you the way to go with a cloud each day. ³⁴ And when the Lord heard the things you were saying, He became very angry. So He swore and said, ³⁵ None of these men will be allowed to see the good land that I swore to give to their ancestors, ³⁶ except Caleb (the son of JephonNe)… he will see it and I’ll give this land that he traveled to, to him and to his sons, because he did what Jehovah said.

³⁷ ‘Then Jehovah became very angry with me because of you. For he told me: You won’t enter the land either. ³⁸ Rather, JoShua (the son of NaWeh) who stands at your side will enter [the land]. So, you must give him [your] strength, because he will help IsraEl to inherit it. ³⁹ However, only the young children who haven’t yet come to know good from evil will enter [the land with him]… I’m going to give it to them and they will inherit it!

⁴⁰ ‘Thereafter, you turned around and marched back into the desert, along the banks of the Red Sea. ⁴¹ But later, you said: We have sinned against Jehovah our God, so now we’re going to go back and fight, just as our God Jehovah had commanded! So everyone picked up his weapons of war and they gathered to return to the mountain.

⁴² ‘However, Jehovah said to me: Tell them not to go and fight, because I’m not with them, so their enemies will destroy them!

⁴³ ‘And that’s what I told you… but you wouldn’t listen to me! You disobeyed Jehovah’s commandments and you forced your way up the mountain. ⁴⁴ Then the Amorites who lived there came out to meet you and chased you like bees all the way from [Mount] Seir to [Mount] Herman. ⁴⁵ And thereafter, you sat down and bawled before our God Jehovah, but He wouldn’t listen to you or pay any attention to you. ⁴⁶ Well, following that, you spent a long time living in Kadesh.’

Chapter 2

¹ ‘After that, we turned left and [traveled] through the desert, following the Red Sea, just as Jehovah had told me, and we circled Mount Seir for many days. ² And finally, the Lord said to me: ³ You have circled these Mountains long enough; now turn and head north. ⁴ Tell the people that you’re now going to cross the borders of your brothers, the children of Esau who live in Seir, and that will really make them fear you. ⁵ But don’t fight with [the children of Esau], because I won’t give you enough of their land to stand on, since I have given Mount Seir to the children of Esau as their inheritance. ⁶ Rather, you will have to pay for any food that you buy from them to eat, and for any water that you will drink.

⁷ ‘Yet, Jehovah our God has continued to bless you in everything that you’ve done… just think of how you were able to travel through that great and terrible desert! For {Look!} during those forty years under Jehovah your God, you haven’t lacked for anything!

⁸ ‘Then we passed by our brothers, the children of Esau who lived in Seir, walking through the desert between AiLon and GesiOn Gaber. And after that, we turned and walked through the deserts of Moab. ⁹ It was then that Jehovah said to me, Don’t argue with the Moabites and don’t fight with them, for I won’t give you their land as an inheritance either, since I have given AroEr to the children of Lot as their inheritance. ¹⁰ The OmMin, a nation that was as large and powerful as the Anakim, used to live there ¹¹ (they were once known as the Raphain), as did the Anakim (whom the Moabites called the OmMin). ¹² The ChorRhites also used lived in Seir before the sons of Esau destroyed them and wiped them out. For then they took possession of the land, as IsraEl will take possession of this land that Jehovah is giving to them as an inheritance.

¹³ ‘After that, I was told that we should leave and cross the Zaret Valley. ¹⁴ So we spent the next thirty-eight years traveling between Kadesh Barne and the Zaret Valley, until the whole generation of the men of war had died (as Jehovah God had sworn to them). ¹⁵ For it was the hand of Jehovah that wiped them out of our camp until they were all gone.

¹⁶ ‘Then after all the men of war had died, ¹⁷ the Lord spoke to me and said, ¹⁸ Now, cross the borders of Moab and go on to AroEr today. ¹⁹ But don’t approach the children of AmMon… don’t argue with them or war with them, for I won’t give you the children of AmMon’s land as an inheritance, since I’ve already given it to the children of Lot as their inheritance. ²⁰ It is also called the land of the Raphain, because the Raphain (whom the AmMonites call the ZochomMin) also used to live there. ²¹ They were once a great nation with many more people and who were mightier than you are (as were the Anakim). But Jehovah destroyed them and [the AmMonites] inherited their land, where they live to this day, ²² [in the same way that] the children of Esau who live in Seir destroyed the ChorRhites and inherited their land, where they live to this day, ²³ and the Evites (who lived between AsedOth and Gaza) were conquered by the Cappadocians… they came from Cappadocia to destroy them, and now they live in their land.

²⁴ ‘So [then the Lord told us]: Get up and cross the Arnon Valley; for {Look!} I have given Seon (the Amorite king of Hesh-Eboneh) and his land into your hands. Fight with him and inherit his land today. ²⁵ Start putting fear and terror into the faces of all the nations under the sky; for they will be disturbed whenever they hear your name, and they will become very sad when they hear that you’re heading toward them.

²⁶ ‘Then, from the KedamOth Desert, I sent ambassadors to Seon the king of Hesh-Eboneh with words of peace, saying, ²⁷ I wish to pass through your land. I will just travel along the roads and I won’t turn to the right or to the left. ²⁸ We will pay for any food that we eat with money, and we will pay for any water that we drink. We will pass through on foot, ²⁹ as we did with the sons of Esau who live in Seir, and with the Moabites who live in AroEr, until we reach the Jordan and the land that Jehovah our God is giving to us.

³⁰ ‘But Seon (the king of Hesh-Eboneh) wouldn’t allow us to pass through his land, because Jehovah our God hardened his spirit and gave him a stubborn heart so that he would be delivered into our hands on that day. ³¹ For the Lord said to me: Look! I’m putting Seon (the Amorite king of Hesh-Eboneh) and his land into your hands. So now, inherit his land!

³² ‘Well, Seon (the king of Hesh-Eboneh) came out with all his people to fight us at JasSa. ³³ But our God Jehovah handed him over to us and we cut them all down (him, his sons, and all of his people). ³⁴ Then we took all of his cities, destroying each one in succession, along with their women and children… we left no one alive. ³⁵ However, we took their cattle and we looted their cities. ³⁶ And all the way from AroEr (which lies at the edge of the brook of Arnon) to the cities in the valley to Mount Gilead, there wasn’t a town that escaped us. Jehovah our God gave them all into our hands. ³⁷ However, following Jehovah’s instructions, we didn’t go near the children of AmMon or even get close to their border along the Jaboc Wadi and their cities in the mountains.’

Chapter 3

¹ ‘Then we turned and traveled toward BaShan, and Og the king of BaShan came out to fight us with all of his people at Edraim. ² So the Lord said to me: Don’t be afraid of him, because I’m giving him, all of his people, and all of his land into your hands. Therefore, do to him as you did to Seon, the king of the Amorites who lived in Hesh-Eboneh.

³ ‘So Jehovah our God did give him into our hands, as well as all of his people. We cut them down until none of their seed was left; ⁴ and then we captured all of their cities. For at that time, there were sixty cities all around the country of Argob that belonged to King Og. ⁵ They were all strong cities with high walls, high gates, and strong locks. [We also captured] many Pherezite cities ⁶ and we destroyed everything, as we had done to Seon the king of Hesh-Eboneh. We destroyed each city in its order, as well as all the women and children. ⁷ However, we took all their cattle and we looted the cities.

⁸ ‘At that time, we also captured land that belonged to two Amorite kings who [lived on] the other side of the Jordan. Their land ran from the brook of Arnon to Hermon. ⁹ (The Phoenicians call Hermon SaniOr, but the Amorites called it SanIr.) ¹⁰ We captured all the cities of Misor, all of Gilead, and all of BaShan as far as ElCha and Edraim, which were cities of the kingdom of Og in BaShan.

¹¹ ‘Og, the king of BaShan was the last of the Raphain. {Look!} His bed (which was found in the capital city of the children of AmMon) was made of iron. {Look!} It was thirteen feet long and six feet wide!

¹² ‘So at that time, we inherited all the land from AroEr (along the border of the Arnon), plus half of Mount Gilead, which cities I gave to ReuBen and Gad. ¹³ Then I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Og’s kingdom of BaShan to the half-tribe of ManasSeh, which includes all the country around Argob (which [used to be] the land of the Raphain).

¹⁴ ‘Then JaIr (the son of ManasSeh) took all the country around Argob, as far as the borders of GarGasi and MachAthi, and he named them after himself – BaShan, ThavOth, and JaIr – which is what they are still called today. ¹⁵ Then I gave Gilead to MachIr, ¹⁶ and I gave the land below Gilead – from the middle of the Arnon Wadi, which borders the children of AmMon, all the way to Jaboc – to ReuBen and Gad. ¹⁷ So the Araba and the Jordan are the boundaries of MachanAreth, running east from the Sea of [Galilee] to the [Dead] Sea below AsedOth Phasga.

¹⁸ ‘At that time, I told [the men of the tribes of ReuBen, Gad, and the half-tribe of ManasSeh] that Jehovah their God had given them this land [to be assigned] by lottery, and that all the mighty [men] should then arm themselves and march ahead of their brothers, the children of IsraEl. ¹⁹ However, they were to leave their women, children, and cattle (I know that they have many cattle) in the cities that I had given to them, ²⁰ until Jehovah our God provides their brothers a haven (the same as He has given to them) and they inherit the land that Jehovah is giving to them on the other side of Jordan… yes, that’s when each one will have his own inheritance.

²¹ ‘That’s also when I told JoShua: You have seen everything that Jehovah our God did to these two kings, and that’s what He’s going to do to all the kingdoms that you are crossing over to there. ²² So you must not be afraid of them, because Jehovah our God will fight for you!

²³ ‘Then I went before Jehovah and asked: ²⁴ Lord God; You have just begun to show Your strength, Your power, Your mighty hand and mighty arm to Your servants. For, what God is there in heaven or on earth that can do as You have done by Your might? ²⁵ So, [please] allow me to cross into this good land and see what’s beyond the Jordan… its wonderful mountains and the borders of Lebanon.

²⁶ ‘But Jehovah replied: Because you didn’t show respect or listen to Me, don’t ask Me about this anymore. ²⁷ Now, climb to the top of the rocks and look west, north, south, and east… look with your eyes. However, you may not cross the Jordan! ²⁸ Then speak to JoShua… give him strength and encourage him, because he’s going to lead these people, and he’s the one who will give them their inheritance in the land that you’ve seen.

²⁹ ‘Well thereafter, we camped in the valley near the house of Phogor.’

Chapter 4

¹ ‘And now, O IsraEl; Listen to the rules and decisions – everything that I’m going to teach you today – so that you can live, grow, and inherit the land that Jehovah the God of your ancestors is giving to you. ² Don’t add anything to or take anything away from these Commandments that I’m giving you today. Just obey the Commandments of Jehovah our God and do everything that I’m commanding you. ³ For you’ve seen everything that Jehovah our God did to the men [who started worshiping] Beel Phogor… Jehovah destroyed them all from among you! ⁴ And it’s only because you stayed close to your God that you’re all still alive today!

⁵ ‘{Look} I’ve shown you all the rules and decisions, just as Jehovah gave them to me; so you must follow them in the land that you’re traveling to and which you will inherit. ⁶ Obey them and do them, because this is what will brand you as a wise and understanding people to the nations. For when they hear all these rules they will say, Look; They’re a great nation of wise and understanding people! ⁷ What other nation is there that is so great that they have a God as close to them as our God Jehovah is [to us], and to whom we may call about anything? ⁸ And what other nation has rules and decisions that are as righteous as all these laws that I’m setting before you today?

⁹ ‘So, keep an eye on yourselves and carefully guard your hearts. Don’t forget any of the things that you’ve seen… keep them in your hearts throughout the rest of your lives! You must teach your sons and your grandsons ¹⁰ the things that happened when you gathered before Jehovah our God at Horeb… when the Lord said to me, Gather the people to Me and have them listen to My words, so they can learn to fear Me for as long as they live in the land, and then teach this to their sons.

¹¹ ‘You yourselves went and stood at the base of the mountain as it burned with fire all the way into the heavens… and there was darkness, blackness, and wind. ¹² Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire with a voice and with words that you heard… yes, although you saw no shape, you heard the voice! ¹³ Then He proclaimed His Sacred Agreement with you, and He ordered you to keep the Ten Commandments that He wrote on the two tablets of stone.

¹⁴ ‘And then Jehovah commanded me to teach you His rules and decisions, which you should obey in the land that you’re going to inherit. ¹⁵ Yes, keep them in your hearts; for you’ve never seen another day like the one when Jehovah spoke to you on Mount Horeb from the midst of the fire!

¹⁶ ‘So, don’t sin by carving images of any kind… no, not in the shape of males or females, ¹⁷ of any animals on the ground, of any winged creatures that fly in the sky, ¹⁸ of any slithering animals that crawl on the ground, or of any creatures that live in the waters below the ground. ¹⁹ Nor should you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, stars, or any of the other heavenly bodies that Jehovah your God provided to all the nations under the heavens, and then go off and worship and serve them. ²⁰ For God took you and led you out of the land of Egypt – out of that iron furnace – to be His people and His inheritance today.

²¹ ‘Then Jehovah God became very angry with me over things that you said, and He swore that I wouldn’t cross the Jordan and enter the land that He’s giving to you as your inheritance. ²² So, I will now die in this land and I won’t [be allowed to] cross the Jordan… but you will cross it and inherit that good land.

²³ ‘Therefore, pay attention to yourselves and don’t forget the Sacred Agreement that Jehovah our God made with you. Don’t sin by carving images of any of the things that Jehovah your God told you not to [worship]. ²⁴ For Jehovah your God is zealous, and He can be a consuming fire!

²⁵ ‘Then, after you’ve fathered sons and they’ve grown old and had grandchildren… if they sin and carve images of things and start acting wickedly toward Jehovah your God and anger Him; ²⁶ I swear before heaven and earth that they will be destroyed from the land that you’re going to inherit across the Jordan… they won’t live to get any older and they’ll be cut off! ²⁷ Then Jehovah will scatter them among all the nations and they’ll become the minority among all the [people] wherever Jehovah sends them. ²⁸ There they will serve other gods… things that men make with their hands from wood and stone… gods that can’t see, hear, eat, or smell.

²⁹ ‘But if they will search for Jehovah their God in that place, they will find Him. For, whenever you are oppressed and you search for Him with your whole hearts and souls, [you will find Him]… ³⁰ and that’s what will happen to [your people] in the last days. They must turn to Jehovah their God and listen to His voice; ³¹ because, Jehovah your God is also a God of pity, so He won’t forget the Sacred Agreement that He made with your ancestors, and He won’t leave you or destroy you.

³² ‘Ask from one end of the sky to the other… since the time that God created man on the earth, has anyone ever heard of such a great thing happening? ³³ Has any other nation ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire, as you’ve heard it and experienced it? ³⁴ What [other] nation has God elevated and taken as His own with trials, signs, wonders, and war (with His mighty hand and mighty arm)… yes, with all these great things that we saw Jehovah our God do in Egypt? ³⁵ So, you should know that Jehovah your God is The God, and that there is no other than just Him! ³⁶ For it was His voice that you heard coming from the sky and teaching you when He showed you His great fire and when you heard His words from the midst of that fire!

³⁷ ‘It was only because He loved your ancestors that He chose you (because you’re their seed) and drew you to Him; and then with His great strength, He brought you out of Egypt. ³⁸ Thereafter, He destroyed nations that were much greater and stronger than you are – right in front of you – to bring you here today and to give you their land as your inheritance.

³⁹ ‘So, recognize all of this and consider it in your hearts. For Jehovah your God is the God of the skies above and of the lands below them… and there is no other! ⁴⁰ So if you keep His Commandments and rules – all that I’m giving you today – it will go well for you and your descendants, and you may live on the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you for a long time… through the ages!’

⁴¹ Then Moses set aside these three towns on the east side of the Jordan ⁴² as refuge cities where men who have unintentionally killed a neighbor (someone whom they’ve never hated) can run to and live: ⁴³ Bosor in the plains of ReuBen, RamOth in Gilead (Gad’s land), and GauLon in BaShan (ManasSeh’s land).

⁴⁴ These were the laws that Moses laid out before the children of IsraEl… ⁴⁵ they are the testimonies, rules, and decisions that Moses told the sons of IsraEl after they left Egypt ⁴⁶ and while they were on the other side of the Jordan in the valley near the house of Phogor in the land of Seon (the king of the Amorites who lived in Hesh-Eboneh) and whom Moses and the sons of IsraEl destroyed.

⁴⁷ So they inherited this land… the land of Og (the king of BaShan) and that of the two Amorite kings, which is east of the Jordan ⁴⁸ and runs from from AroEr (which borders the Arnon Wadi) to Mount Seon (or Hermon)… ⁴⁹ all the plains from the Jordan east and down to [Mount Pisgah].

Chapter 5

¹ Then Moses gathered all of IsraEl and said to them: ‘Listen to the rules and decisions… all that I’m going to tell you today! Learn them and obey them, O IsraEl; ² for your God Jehovah made a Sacred Agreement with you at the Dry Place (Horeb)… ³ He didn’t make it with your ancestors, He made it with you… yes you who are all here and living today! ⁴ He spoke to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire ⁵ as I stood between you and the Lord, and then I reported His words to you, because you were afraid of the fire and you didn’t want to get any closer to the mountain.

⁶ ‘He said: I am Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of slavery. ⁷ So, you must have no gods other than Me, ⁸ and you must not make images for yourselves of anything in the skies above, on the ground below, or of things that live in the water under the ground. ⁹ You must not bow before them or serve them, for I (Jehovah your God) am a zealous God, and I bring the sins of the ancestors upon the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of those who hate Me, ¹⁰ while I am merciful to the thousands who love Me and keep My Commandments.

¹¹ ‘Therefore, you must not misuse the Name of your God, Jehovah; for your God Jehovah will not forgive those who misuse His Name.

¹² ‘Keep the Sabbaths and make them holy, just as Jehovah your God has commanded you. ¹³ You may work and get everything done in six days, ¹⁴ but the seventh day is the Sabbath of your God Jehovah, when you must do no work… not you, your sons or daughters, your male or female servants, your oxen, your burros, any of your cattle, or any converts that are visiting among you. Both you and your servants must rest. ¹⁵ Remember that you were once slaves in the land of Egypt before Jehovah your God brought you out of there with His strong hand and mighty arm. So, Jehovah has instructed you to keep the Sabbaths and to make them holy!

¹⁶ ‘Honor your father and mother, as Jehovah your God commanded you, so that things may go well for you and that you may live a long time in the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you.

¹⁷’You must not commit murder.

¹⁸ ‘You must not commit adultery.

¹⁹ ‘You must not steal.

²⁰ ‘You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

²¹ ‘You must not desire your neighbor’s woman, his house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his burro, any of his other animals, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.

²² ‘Yes, these are the words that Jehovah spoke to the gathering with a loud voice at the mountain from the midst of the fire, darkness, blackness, and storms… and He didn’t add anything more. He then wrote them on two tablets of stone, and He gave them to me.

²³ ‘Then after you heard his voice from the midst of the fire (for the mountain was burning with fire when all of you went there with the heads of your tribes and your elders), ²⁴ you said, {Look!} Jehovah our God has now shown us His glory and we have heard His voice coming from the midst of the fire. We have also seen that when God speaks to men, we can still live! ²⁵ However, we were all [afraid] that we would die… that this great fire would burn us up and kill us if we listened to the voice of Jehovah our God any longer. ²⁶ For, what flesh has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking from a fire as we have, and still lived?

²⁷ ‘[So you told me]: We want you to go up to Him and listen to whatever Jehovah our God has to say, then come back and tell us whatever Jehovah our God has said… for we will do [whatever He tells you that we must do]!

²⁸ ‘Well, when the Lord heard what you said to me, He told me this: I have heard everything that these people have said to you… and everything that they’ve said is good. ²⁹ However, I just wish that they had the types of hearts in them that would cause them to fear Me and to keep My commandments, so that things would continue to go well for them and their descendants through the ages!

³⁰ ‘So now, go back and tell them to return to their homes. ³¹ Then you can stand here with Me and I will give you all the Commandments, rules, and decisions that you must then teach to them, and they must obey all of them when they enter the land that I’m giving to them as their inheritance. ³² They must pay close attention and do everything that Jehovah their God commands them to do… they must not stray to the right or to the left. ³³ Rather, they must follow the path that Jehovah their God will tell them to walk so that He may provide them with rest, so that things may go well for them, and so that they may live even longer in the land that they’re going to inherit.’

Chapter 6

¹ ‘These are all the Commandments, rules, and decisions that Jehovah your God gave to you and taught you to obey in the land that you will inherit. ² So, fear Jehovah your God and follow all the rules and Commandments that I’m giving to you, to your sons, and to your grandsons for as long as you all may live!

³ ‘Now, listen to them, O IsraEl, and obey them so that things may go well for you and so that your [families] will grow, just as Jehovah the God of your ancestors promised that He would do for you when He gives you a land flowing with milk and honey. Yes, these are the rules and decisions that the Lord gave as Commandments to the children of IsraEl while they were in the desert, after they left the land of Egypt. ⁴ [He said]: Listen, O IsraEl; Jehovah your God is the only Lord, ⁵ and you must love Him with your whole mind, with your whole life, and with your whole strength. ⁶ And these words that I am commanding you today must stay in your hearts and in your lives… ⁷ then you must teach them to your children. Speak of them while you’re sitting at home, while you’re out walking, before you go to bed and when you get up. ⁸ You must tie them to your hands as a sign and keep them before your eyes… ⁹ write them on the doorposts of your homes and on your gates!

¹⁰ ‘And when Jehovah your God brings you into the land that He promised your ancestors AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob that He would give to you, along with great and beautiful cities that you didn’t build, ¹¹ houses that are full of all sorts of good things that you didn’t put there, wells dug in rock that you didn’t dig, vineyards and olive groves that you didn’t plant, and where you will eat and be filled; ¹² you must be careful not to forget Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of slavery. ¹³ So, you must fear Jehovah your God and serve only Him! You must stick to Him and swear by His Name!

¹⁴ ‘Don’t follow other gods, such as the gods of the nations around you, ¹⁵ for Jehovah your God (who is among you) is a zealous God. Otherwise, Jehovah your God will be very angry with you and [He will] destroy you from the face of the ground.

¹⁶ ‘You must not test Jehovah your God as you tested Him in the [desert]. ¹⁷ You must absolutely keep all the Commandments, decisions, and rules that He gave to you, ¹⁸ and you must do everything that is pleasing and good before Jehovah, so that things will go well for you and you may enter and inherit the good land that Jehovah promised to your ancestors, ¹⁹ from which He promised to chase all of your enemies away ahead of you.

²⁰ ‘Then if your son should ever ask you, What are the words, rules, and decisions that Jehovah our God has given to us? ²¹ You must tell him: We were once slaves to PharaOh in the land of Egypt; then Jehovah brought us out of there with His strong hand and mighty arm. ²² For Jehovah performed signs and great miracles on our behalf there in Egypt, before PharaOh and His house. ²³ Then He brought us out of there to give us this land, which He promised our ancestors that He would give to us. ²⁴ Then the Lord taught us to obey all His rules and to fear our God, so that things will go well for us through the ages that we will live here, [starting from] today. ²⁵ For Jehovah our God will be merciful to us if we pay attention and obey all these Commandments that He gave to us.’

Chapter 7

¹ ‘And when Jehovah your God brings you in and gives you the land where you are going; [He] will remove great nations from before you – the Hittites, Gergesites, Amorites, CanaAnites, Pherezites, Evites, and Jebusites – seven nations that are larger and stronger than you are. ² Jehovah your God will give them into your hands and you must cut them down… destroy them! You must not make any treaties with them or feel pity for them, ³ nor may you marry among them. You may not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. ⁴ Otherwise, they will draw your sons away to serve other gods, and Jehovah will be very angry with you and quickly destroy you.

⁵ ‘This is what you should do to them: Destroy their altars and break down their [sacred] columns, then cut down their sacred poles and burn the carved images of their gods with fire… ⁶ for you are a holy people to Jehovah your God, and He chose you to be His people over all the other nations on the face of the earth!

⁷ ‘But Jehovah didn’t prefer and choose you because there are more of you than there are in other nations… for you are smaller than the rest. ⁸ Rather, He chose you because He loves you and because He wants to keep the promise that He made to your ancestors. So He brought you out of the house of slavery – out of the hand of PharaOh, the king of Egypt – with His strong hand. ⁹ Therefore, you should know that Jehovah your God is a faithful God who keeps promises, and that He is merciful to those who love Him and keep His Commandments through thousands of generations. ¹⁰ Yet, He pays back those who hate Him to their faces by destroying them… He doesn’t cut any slack for those who hate Him.

¹¹ ‘So, you must keep His Commandments, rules, and these decisions that I am giving to you today. ¹² And after you hear them (and if you decide to keep them), Jehovah your God will keep His Sacred Agreement with you and show the mercy to you that He promised to your ancestors. ¹³ He will love you, bless you, and make you grow. He will also bless the children who come from you, as well as the fruitage of your [fields] – your grain, wine, oil, herds of oxen, and flocks of sheep – in the land that Jehovah swore to your ancestors that He would give to you. ¹⁴ You will be blest beyond all other nations, and neither you nor your cattle will be impotent or sterile. ¹⁵ Jehovah your God will also take away all illnesses… He won’t bring any of the terrible diseases that you saw in Egypt upon you, but He will send them to all those who hate you.

¹⁶ ‘You may eat whatever you take from the nations that Jehovah your God is giving to you. But you must not spare them, nor may you serve their gods, because that would be a sin!

¹⁷ Now, if you start thinking that some nation is stronger than you are and you wonder if it’s even possible for you to destroy them; ¹⁸ just remember all that Jehovah your God did to PharaOh and to the Egyptians. ¹⁹ For you’ve seen all the great signs, wonders, and the strong hand and mighty arm that Jehovah your God used to bring you out of there; and that’s the same thing that He will do to those nations… they will [shake in] fear when they see you! ²⁰ Jehovah your God will send hornets against them until all who are left and hiding from you are destroyed. ²¹ Yet, none of you will even be wounded, because Jehovah your God who is among you is a great and powerful God.

²² ‘However, Jehovah your God will only destroy these nations a little at a time… you won’t be able to destroy them quickly; otherwise, the land would become desert again and there would be too many wild animals in your fields. ²³ Yet, Jehovah your God will give them all into your hands… so you must [keep on] destroying them until they are all gone. ²⁴ He will deliver their kings into your hands and you will wipe away their names… no one will be able to stand before you until you’ve destroyed them all!

²⁵ ‘Then you must burn all the carved images of their gods in fires… you must not loot their [images] of silver or gold, for that would offend Jehovah your God, since these things are disgusting to Him! ²⁶ So, don’t bring their disgusting things into your homes… hate them and consider them as cursed, because they really are cursed!’

Chapter 8

¹ ‘You must be careful to obey all the Commandments that I’m giving you today so you can live and grow, and then enter and inherit the land that Jehovah your God has promised to your ancestors. ² Don’t forget how Jehovah your God led you through the desert where He tested and tried you in order to show what’s in your hearts… whether you would keep His Commandments or not. ³ For He tested you and corrected you with hunger, and then He fed you with manna (something that your ancestors had never heard of) to show you that men don’t just need bread to live, but also all the words that come from the mouth of The God. ⁴ Then your clothes didn’t wear out, nor did your shoes… and your feet never grew hard during these past forty years!

⁵ ‘In your hearts, you must realize that Jehovah your God has been disciplining you in the same way that any man should be disciplining his sons. ⁶ So you must keep His Commandments, follow His paths, and fear Him. ⁷ For Jehovah your God will bring you into a large and good land where there are deep springs and rivers that flow down the mountains and into the plains. ⁸ It’s a land where there is wheat, barley, vines, figs, and pomegranates… a land of olive oil and honey, ⁹ where no one will go hungry and nobody will be [poor]… a land where stones are made of iron and copper is mined in the mountains!

¹⁰ ‘Then after you have eaten and are filled, you must praise Jehovah your God in the good land that He’s giving to you. ¹¹ Pay attention to yourselves and don’t forget Jehovah your God or overlook His Commandments, decisions, and rules, which I’m giving to you today. ¹² So after you’ve eaten and are full, and have built good houses and are living in them, ¹³ and your herds of oxen and sheep have increased, and you’ve become wealthy and have many possessions; ¹⁴ don’t become too proud in your in hearts and then forget Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of slavery, ¹⁵ and who thereafter led you through that great and terrible desert where there were scorpions, biting snakes, and drought. For when there was no water, He brought you a fountain of water out of flinty rock. ¹⁶ Then He fed you with manna in the desert, which was something of which you and your ancestors have never heard. He did all of this to [discipline] you, so He could do good things for you in the future.

¹⁷ ‘Therefore, you must never say in your hearts, I’ve gained all this wealth with my own hands and by my own power. ¹⁸ You must remember that it was Jehovah your God who has given you the power to gain your wealth… and this is because of the Promise that He swore to your ancestors.

¹⁹ ‘And if you should ever forget Jehovah your God and choose to follow, bow before, and serve other gods; then I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today, that you will be destroyed! ²⁰ For, just as Jehovah is destroying the nations before you; that’s how you will be destroyed if you fail to listen to the voice of your God!’

Chapter 9

¹ ‘Listen [to me], O IsraEl; Today you’re going to cross the Jordan and you will inherit nations that are greater and stronger than you are, as well as large cities with walls that reach into the skies. ² The people there are great, numerous, and tall… people like the sons of Enac, with whom you are familiar and of whom you’ve heard it said, Who can stand before the children of Enac? ³ But I want you to know today, that your God Jehovah will go ahead of you. For He is a consuming fire and He will destroy them… He will move them back before you and destroy them all quickly, just as He promised.

⁴ ‘Now, after Jehovah your God has destroyed all these nations before you, don’t say in your hearts, Jehovah brought me here to inherit this good land because I’m so righteous. ⁵ For it isn’t because of your righteousness or due to the holiness in your hearts that you’re inheriting their land. Rather, it’s because these nation are so wicked that Jehovah will destroy them… and [He’s doing it] so that He may fulfill the Promise that He swore to our ancestors AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob.

⁶ ‘No, it isn’t because of your righteousness that Jehovah your God is giving you this good land as an inheritance; for you are a [rebellious] people! ⁷ Don’t forget how much you angered Jehovah your God in the desert, starting from the day that you left Egypt until you arrived here, because you have continued to disobey Him!

⁸ ‘[Do you remember how] you made Jehovah so angry in the dry place (Horeb) that He wanted to destroy you? ⁹ Back when I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets of the Sacred Agreement that Jehovah made with you (the mountain that I was on for forty days and forty nights, and during which I had nothing to eat or drink), ¹⁰ and the Lord gave me the two stone tablets that had been written on by the finger of God (yes, all those words that Jehovah said to you on the day that you gathered at the mountain)… ¹¹ at the end of those forty days and forty nights when Jehovah gave me the two stone tablets containing the Sacred Agreement, ¹² He said to me: Now, get up and hurry down the mountain, because the people you brought out of the land of Egypt have sinned! They’ve already left the Commandments that I gave to them and they’ve made an image for themselves against Me!

¹³ ‘Then the Lord said to me: As I told you before, I have seen these people and {Look!} they are rebellious. ¹⁴ So, now I’m going to destroy them – blot their names out from under the sky – and make a great and mighty nation of you… one that will be greater than them!

¹⁵ ‘So, as the mountain was burning with fire that reached into the heavens, I turned around and went back down the mountain carrying the two tablets of Proofs, one in each hand. ¹⁶ And when I saw that you had sinned against Jehovah your God and made yourselves an idol – something that Jehovah had commanded you not to do – ¹⁷ I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands and broke them there before you. ¹⁸ Then I prayed and begged before the Lord (during another forty days and forty nights when I didn’t eat or drink anything), because of all your sins and the evil things that you did before Jehovah your God to anger Him. ¹⁹ And [this time] I was really frightened, because He was so angry with you that He wanted to destroy all of you! However, Jehovah listened to me one more time.

²⁰ ‘He was also so angry with Aaron that He wanted to destroy him… so I also prayed for Aaron. ²¹ Then, because of your sins, I took that [gold] calf and burned it in a fire… I beat it down and ground it into dust, then I threw the dust into the brook that runs down the mountain!

²² ‘You also angered Jehovah at the Burning, at the Temptation, and at the Graveyard of the Greedy. ²³ And when Jehovah sent you from Kadesh Barne and said, Go and inherit the land that I am giving to you; you disobeyed Jehovah your God again… you didn’t believe Him and you wouldn’t do what He told you to do. ²⁴ You’ve disobeyed everything that Jehovah has said since the day that you first came to know Him!

²⁵ ‘So I prayed to Jehovah for forty days and forty nights… that’s how long I prayed to Jehovah, begging Him not to destroy you! ²⁶ I prayed this to God: O Lord, King of gods; Don’t destroy Your people… Your inheritance whom You purchased and whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with Your great power, strong hand, and mighty arm. ²⁷ Remember Your servants AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob, to whom You swore an oath by Your [Name]. Don’t look at the hard hearts of these people, at their lack of respect, and at their sins; ²⁸ otherwise, those who live in that land from which You carried us away will say, Jehovah was unable to bring them into the land that He promised to them, because He didn’t care for them! So He carried them away from here just to kill them in the desert. ²⁹ But these are Your people… those whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with Your great strength, Your mighty hand, and Your mighty arm, because they are Yours!’

Chapter 10

¹ ‘Then the Lord said to me: Cut two stone tablets for yourself just like the first ones; then come up here to Me on the mountain. Also, make a wooden chest for yourself, ² [and I will] write the same words on these tablets that [I wrote] on the first tablets, and then you must put them into the chest.

³ ‘So I made a chest from boards of durable wood, and I cut stone tablets that were like the first ones; then I climbed the mountain with the two tablets in my hands, ⁴ and there He wrote the Ten Commandments (which Jehovah spoke to you about from the midst of the fire on the mountain) on the tablets, the same as He did on the first ones, and then He gave them back to me. ⁵ So I turned and came down the mountain, and I put the tablets into the chest that I had made, just as Jehovah commanded.

⁶ ‘Well from there, the children of IsraEl left BeerOth (of the sons of Jakim) and they traveled to MisadAi, where Aaron died and was buried, then his son EliEzer replaced him as the Priest. ⁷ And after that, we left and headed to GadGad. Then from GadGad [we went] to EteBatha, which is a land where there is a lot of running water. ⁸ It was there that Jehovah assigned the tribe of Levi to carry the Chest of Jehovah’s Sacred Agreement and to stand before Jehovah to serve and praise His Name down to this day. ⁹ And from that point on, the Levites were to have no part in the inheritance of their brothers; for He told them: Jehovah is your inheritance.

¹⁰ ‘Well, I stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights, and Jehovah listened to me and decided not to destroy you. ¹¹ Then He told me: Now, lead these people… let them enter and inherit the land that I promised their ancestors that I would give to them.

¹² ‘So now, O IsraEl; What does Jehovah your God require of you other than that you fear Him, walk in His paths, love Him, and serve Him with your whole hearts and souls? ¹³ Therefore, you should obey the Commandments of your God Jehovah and follow all His rules that I’m telling you today, so that things will go well for you. ¹⁴ Look into the skies and into the heavens of heavens; for they, all the lands, and everything that’s in them belong to your God Jehovah.

¹⁵ ‘It is Jehovah who chose your ancestors and their seed (which includes you) over all the other nations, to be loved by Him. ¹⁶ So, circumcise the hardness from your hearts and don’t be [rebellious]; ¹⁷ for Jehovah your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords. He’s the great, strong, and terrifying God who doesn’t [show special] favor to anyone or accept bribes. ¹⁸ He brings justice to converts, orphans, and widows… yes, He loves the converts and He provides them with food and clothing. ¹⁹ Therefore, you must also love the converts, since you were once [aliens] in the land of Egypt.

²⁰ ‘You must fear Jehovah your God… serve Him, stick to Him, and swear your oaths by His Name! ²¹ He’s the One about whom you can boast, because He’s your God who did all these great and glorious things that you’ve seen while He’s been among you. ²² Remember that there were only seventy people among your ancestors who went down to Egypt… but now Jehovah your God has made you like the stars in the skies in numbers!’

Chapter 11

¹ ‘So, you must love your God Jehovah and follow His decrees, laws, commandments, and decisions throughout your lives.

² ‘Now, recognize that I’m not [addressing] your children here today… those who don’t know and haven’t seen the discipline of your God Jehovah, or His wonderful works, strong hand, mighty arm, ³ miracles, and the wonders that He performed before PharaOh (the king of Egypt) and upon his whole land, ⁴ or what He did to the Egyptian army and their chariots and cavalry when He made the waters of the Red Sea cover them and destroy them as they were chasing us, ⁵ or all the things that He did for us in the desert as we were coming here, ⁶ or the things that he did to Dathan and AbiRam (the sons of EliAb and grandsons of ReuBen) when the ground opened her mouth and swallowed them, their families, their tents, and all their belongings there in the midst of all IsraEl. ⁷ Rather, [I’m addressing you]! For it was your eyes that saw all these mighty deeds that Jehovah performed among us.

⁸ ‘As I’ve told you before; you must keep all His Commandments so you can live, grow, and inherit the land across the Jordan ⁹ that’s flowing with milk and honey, and then live a long time on this land that Jehovah promised your ancestors that He would give to them and to their seed. ¹⁰ For the land that you’re going to inherit isn’t like the land of Egypt that you left, where you planted the seeds and then watered them under your feet as in an herb garden. ¹¹ Rather, the land that you’re going to inherit is a land of mountains and plains; so it will drink its water from the skies! ¹² It’s a land that Jehovah your God will keep an eye on and watch over throughout the whole year.

¹³ ‘Now, if you will listen to all the Commandments that I’m telling you today and love and serve Jehovah your God with your whole hearts and souls, ¹⁴ He will bring the rains to your land (early rains and late rains in their seasons); you will have a full harvest of grain, wine, and oil; ¹⁵ and He will put food into the fields for your cattle.

‘But after you’re full and satisfied, ¹⁶ be careful not to allow your hearts to become proud and cause you to sin by worshiping and serving other gods. ¹⁷ For if Jehovah becomes angry with you, He will bind up the skies and there won’t be any rain, the earth won’t produce its fruit, and you will soon be destroyed from the good land that Jehovah is giving to you.

¹⁸ ‘Keep these words in your hearts and souls… tie them on your hands as a sign, and keep them in front of your eyes, ¹⁹ then teach them to your children… talk to your children about them while you’re sitting at home, while you’re walking along, before you go to sleep, and when you get up. ²⁰ Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates, ²¹ so that your days and the days of your children will last a long time in the land that Jehovah swore to your ancestors that He would give to them for as long as the skies cover the ground.

²² ‘Now, if you will listen to all these Commandments that I’m telling you today, and you will love Jehovah your God, walk in all His ways, and stick close to Him; ²³ He will drive out all these nations that are before you and you will inherit nations that are greater and stronger than you are. ²⁴ Then everywhere that the soles of your feet touch the ground will become yours, from the desert to the borders of Lebanon, and from the great River EuPhrates to the [Mediterranean] Sea… these will all be your borders. ²⁵ Then no one will be able to oppose you, and your God Jehovah will put the fear and dread of you over all the ground that you walk on, just as He promised.

²⁶ ‘Look, I’m putting a blessing and a curse on you today. ²⁷ The blessing will come if you listen to all the Commandments of your God Jehovah that I’m giving to you today, ²⁸ and the curse will come if you don’t listen to the Commandments of your God Jehovah that I’m giving to you today, so that you stray from the path that I’m setting out, and then start serving other gods whom you don’t know.

²⁹ ‘Now, after our God Jehovah has brought you into the land that you’re going to inherit, you must put the blessings on Mount GiriZim and the curses on Mount Ebal. ³⁰ {Look!} These [mountains] are on the other side of the Jordan, to the west in the land of CanaAn near GolGol and the big oak tree.

³¹ ‘So, as you cross the Jordan to enter the land that Jehovah our God is giving you to live in and inherit throughout the rest of your lives; ³² pay attention and obey all His rules and decisions… all that I’m setting before you today.’

Chapter 12

¹ ‘Now, these are the rules and decisions that you must be sure to follow in the land that Jehovah the God of your ancestors is giving to you as your inheritance and during the entire time that you will live in the land: ² You must destroy all the places where they serve their gods, whether on high mountains, on hills, or under the trees. ³ You must destroy their altars, break their [sacred] columns into pieces, then cut down their sacred poles and burn the carved images of their gods with fire… you must erase their names from the land!

⁴ ‘However, you must never do that to [the Name of] your God; ⁵ for your God Jehovah will choose one of your cities where He will put His Name… and that’s where He’ll call for you and where you must go to search for Him. ⁶ That’s where you’ll carry your whole burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your first fruitage, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, your thanksgiving offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. ⁷ Then you must eat [the sacrifices] there before Jehovah your God, as you rejoice over all the things that Jehovah your God has touched and with which He has blest you and your families.

⁸ ‘At that time, you won’t be doing the same things as we are doing here today… where every man does as he wishes. ⁹ For until now, you haven’t arrived at the resting place and the inheritance that Jehovah our God is giving to you. ¹⁰ But you will soon cross the Jordan to live in the land that Jehovah our God is taking as an inheritance for you. And soon He will provide you with rest from all your enemies round about you, and you will live in security.

¹¹ ‘So, there is going to be a place where Jehovah your God will choose to be called by His Name. And it’s there that you must bring all the things that I’m telling you to bring today… your whole burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the first fruitage of your hands, and any gifts that you choose to offer as a freewill vow to Jehovah your God. ¹² And it’s there that you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites who live outside of your [city] gates (since they won’t have their own inheritance among you) must rejoice before Jehovah your God. ¹³ So, pay attention to yourselves and make sure that you don’t offer your whole burnt offerings in just any place that you may see fit to choose… ¹⁴ just in the place that Jehovah your God will choose from among one of your tribes. That’s [the only place] where you may offer your whole burnt offerings, and there is where you must do all the things that I’m telling you today.

¹⁵ ‘Now, you may kill and eat all the flesh you desire that has the blessings of your God Jehovah (such as male and female antelope) in any city that you wish. Both the clean and the unclean may eat it there. ¹⁶ But you may not eat its blood… you must pour it out on the ground like water. ¹⁷ And you may not eat any tithes of grain, wine, oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock that you’ve offered as a vow, or as offerings of thanks, or as the first fruitage of your hands, in your own cities. ¹⁸ You, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the strangers who are staying inside your [city] gates may only eat such things before Jehovah your God in the place that He will choose for Himself; and it’s there that you must rejoice before Jehovah your God with whatever you’re bringing to Him. ¹⁹ Also, be sure that you never abandon the Levites for as long as you live on the ground!

²⁰ ‘Now, when Jehovah your God enlarges your borders, as He told you He would do, and you desire to eat flesh; you may eat all the flesh that your soul desires. ²¹ And if the place that Jehovah your God chooses for Himself (where His Name will be called) is far away from you; you may slaughter any [animals] from your herd or flock that God has given to you (just as I’ve told you), and you may eat as much of it as you want in your own cities. ²² Also, everyone among you may eat male and female antelope, whether you are clean or unclean. ²³ Just make sure that you don’t eat any of their blood, because their blood is their life, and the life can’t be eaten with the flesh. ²⁴ You must not eat it… you must pour it out on the ground like water. ²⁵ No, you must not eat it if you want things to go well for you and for your descendants. Always do what is good and pleasing before Jehovah your God!

²⁶ ‘But whenever you have holy things, you must take them and your vow offerings to the place where Jehovah your God will choose to put His Name. ²⁷ It is there that you must sacrifice the flesh of your whole burnt offerings… on the Altar of your God Jehovah. The blood of your sacrifices must be poured out at the foot of the Altar of your God Jehovah, and then you may eat the flesh.

²⁸ ‘Be careful! Listen to and obey all the Commandments that I’m telling you, and then things will go well for you and for your descendants through the ages… that is, as long as you do all is pleasing and good before Jehovah your God.

²⁹ ‘Now, after Jehovah your God destroys the nations where you are going and you inherit their land and start living there; ³⁰ be careful not to become like them after you’ve destroyed them and then say, How did those nations worship their gods? I think I’ll start doing the same thing! ³¹ No, don’t do this to your God; for the things that they sacrifice to their gods are disgusting to Jehovah, and He hates those who offer their sons and daughters to their gods in fires.

³² ‘So, obey every word that I’m commanding you today, and don’t add anything to them or take anything away from them!’

Chapter 13

¹ ‘And if a prophet or someone who [has visions] in dreams should arise among you and foretell a sign or a miracle, ² and the sign or miracle that he foretells comes true… and then he comes to you and says, Let’s go and serve other gods… ³ don’t listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, because Jehovah your God may be testing you to find out whether you love your God with your whole heart and soul.

⁴ ‘Rather, you must follow Jehovah your God and fear Him! You must listen to His voice and trust in Him alone! ⁵ Then that prophet or dreamer of dreams must be put to death for what he said in trying to make you turn from your God Jehovah who brought you out of the land of Egypt and who purchased you from slavery, and for trying to lead you away from the direction that Jehovah your God has commanded you to walk. So, you must remove any evil that is among you!

⁶ ‘Even if your own brother (by your father or mother), your son or daughter, your beloved woman, or a friend whom you love as your own life should come to you and say, Let’s go and serve gods that our ancestors haven’t known… ⁷ or, the gods of the nations that live around us… or even, those at the ends of the earth; ⁸ you must not agree with them or listen to them.

‘Then your eyes shouldn’t spare them and you mustn’t feel sorry for them or try to protect them in any way. ⁹ Rather, you must report them and you must be among the first to kill them, so that all the rest of the people don’t become involved in it. ¹⁰ They must stone him with rocks until that person dies, because he has tried to draw you away from Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of slavery. ¹¹ By doing this, all IsraEl will come to hear of it and be afraid to do such evil things among you.

¹² ‘And if you should hear people in one of the cities (which Jehovah God is giving you to live in) ¹³ say that evil men have caused all the inhabitants of a land to fall away by saying, Let’s go and worship other gods; ¹⁴ you must ask about it and see if this is true. And {Look!} if it is true and this disgusting thing has really happened among you; ¹⁵ you must destroy all those who live in that land with swords. Then you must pronounce the land and everything in it as cursed. ¹⁶ You must take all its valuable things into the streets and burn the city and its things with fire before Jehovah your God, and it must remain uninhabited through the ages, never to be rebuilt. ¹⁷ Don’t allow any of their cursed things to stick to your hands, so that Jehovah’s rage may be turned away from you and so that He may show mercy upon you.

‘He will care for you and cause you to grow, just as He swore to your ancestors that He would do ¹⁸ if you will listen to the voice of your God Jehovah, keep His Commandments that I’m telling you today, and do everything that’s good and pleasing before Jehovah your God.’

Chapter 14

¹ ‘Because you are the sons of your God Jehovah, you must not shave your heads when someone dies, ² since you are a holy people to Jehovah your God and He has chosen you as His alone from among all the nations on the face of the earth. ³ Also, you must not eat anything that is disgusting. ⁴ These are the animals that you may eat:
· From the herd, calves;
· From the flocks, lambs;
· From the goats, kids;
· ⁵ Male and female deer;
· Antelope;
· Wild goats;
· Wild sheep.
⁶ You may eat all animals that have split hooves and chew the cud.

⁷ ‘You may not eat these animals:
Those that chew the cud but don’t have split hoofs, such as camels, hares, and rabbits… they are unclean because they chew the cud but they don’t have split hooves.
⁸ And the same is true of pigs. They have split hooves, but they don’t chew the cud, so you must consider them unclean, and you may not eat their flesh or touch their dead bodies.

⁹ ‘You may eat anything that lives in the water and has fins and scales. ¹⁰ But anything that doesn’t have fins and scales must be considered unclean and may not be eaten.

¹¹ ‘You may eat all clean flying creatures. ¹² However, these are the ones that you may not eat:
· Eagles
· Vultures
· Ospreys
· ¹³ Falcons
· Kites and the like,
·¹⁴ –––
· ¹⁵ Terns
· Owls
· Seagulls
· ¹⁶ Herons
· Swans
· Storks
· ¹⁷ Cormorants
· Hawks and the like
· Hoopoes
· Ravens
· ¹⁸ Pelicans
· Diving birds
· Red bills
· Bats.
¹⁹ Also, you may not eat winged creatures that slither (insects), for they are unclean.

²⁰ ‘You may eat any sort of clean winged creatures, ²¹ but you may not eat anything that dies on its own. You may give them to people who are visiting in your cities and they can eat it, or you may sell it to strangers… but not you, for you are a holy people to Jehovah your God.

‘You must not boil a lamb in its mother’s milk.

²² ‘You must bring a tenth of all the grain and fruit of your fields as a tithe each year, ²³ and you must eat it in that place where Jehovah your God will choose to have His Name called. That’s where you must bring your tithes of grain, wine, oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

‘So, learn to always fear Jehovah your God!

²⁴ ‘Now, if the journey to that place where Jehovah your God will choose to have His Name called is too far for you, and you are unable to take [your offerings] there because of the distance; ²⁵ Jehovah will bless you if you sell them for money and take the money to the place that Jehovah will choose. ²⁶ And there you may use the money to buy whatever your soul desires, such as oxen, sheep, wine, liquor… anything that your soul desires. Then you must eat it there before Jehovah your God, and you and your family must rejoice ²⁷ along with the Levites who live in your cities. For, since they will not have a share in your inheritance, they will have nothing to bring.

²⁸ ‘You may store the tithes in your cities; but every three years you must bring them all. ²⁹ Then you must invite all the Levites and all the strangers, orphans, and widows in your cities (those who don’t have anything to bring) to come with you, and they may eat until they are full. Then Jehovah your God will bless you in everything that you do.’

Chapter 15

¹ ‘Every seven years you must cancel all debts… ² and these are the rules: You must cancel any debts that your neighbor owes you personally, and you must not ask to have them paid back, because this is a cancellation [of debts] to Jehovah your God. ³ You may ask strangers to pay whatever they owe you, but not your brothers… you must cancel their debts. ⁴ That way, there won’t be any poor people among you and Jehovah your God will surely bless you in the land that He’s giving to you as your inheritance.

⁵ ‘Now, if you listen to the voice of your God Jehovah and obey all these Commandments that I’m giving you today; ⁶ Jehovah your God will bless you (as He told you), and then you will lend to many nations. However, you must never borrow from them, nor may you rule over them… but they won’t rule over you either.

⁷ ‘If you find a poor man among your brothers in your city in that land which Jehovah your God is giving to you, you must not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted with your brother who is in need… ⁸ you must reach out to him and lend him as much as he needs!

⁹ ‘Now, be careful not to secretly say in your hearts, The seventh year (the Year of Release) is getting close, then allow your eyes to look wickedly at your brother who is in need and not lend him anything. For then he will call out to Jehovah about you, and you will be guilty of a serious sin. ¹⁰ So, you must be sure to lend Him as much as he needs with no grudge in your hearts. For, because of your good deeds, Jehovah your God will bless everything you do and everything that you touch.

¹¹ ‘There will always be poor people in your land, and that’s why I’m telling you to do this. You must reach out to your poor brothers and to anyone who is having a hard time in your land.

¹² ‘And if your brother (a Hebrew man or woman) should be sold to you, he may serve you for six years; but in the seventh year, you must set him free. ¹³ And when you set him free, don’t send him away empty-handed! ¹⁴ You must give him provisions from your flock, from your grain, and from your wine… as Jehovah your God has blest you, that’s how you must treat him. ¹⁵ Don’t forget that you were once slaves in the land of Egypt before Jehovah your God brought you out of there… that’s why I’m telling you to do this!

¹⁶ ‘However, if [the slave] should tell you that he doesn’t want to leave you because he loves you and your family; if you approve of this, ¹⁷ you must take an awl and punch a hole through his ear against the door. Then he will be your servant through the age… and female servants should be dealt with in the same way.

¹⁸ ‘[None of] this will create a hardship on you. For though such people will only serve you for six years as hired hands; Jehovah your God will bless you in everything that you do.

¹⁹ ‘Now, when it comes to the firstborn among your oxen and sheep; you must offer the males as holy to Jehovah your God. You may not work a firstborn calf, and you may not shear a firstborn sheep. ²⁰ You and your household must eat them before Jehovah each year in the place that Jehovah your God will choose. ²¹ However; if it’s lame, or blind, or deformed, you must not sacrifice it to Jehovah your God. ²² Both the clean and the unclean among you may eat it in your cities, the same as you would a male or female deer. ²³ But you must not eat its blood… you must pour it out on the ground like water!’

Chapter 16

¹ ‘You must celebrate the month of New Grain and sacrifice the Passover to Jehovah your God, because that’s the month when you left Egypt during the night. ² You must sacrifice your Passover sheep and oxen in that place where Jehovah your God will select to have His Name called, ³ and you may not eat bread that is fermenting for seven days. You may only eat fermentation-free bread, which is the bread of hard times, because you left Egypt in a hurry. You must remember the day when you left the land of Egypt for as long as you live.

⁴ ‘Fermentation must not be seen anywhere inside your borders for seven days, and none of the flesh that you sacrifice in the evening may be left over until the next morning. ⁵ Nor are you allowed to sacrifice the Passover in just any of the cities that Jehovah your God is giving to you. ⁶ The Passover may not be sacrificed anywhere other than in the place that Jehovah your God will choose to have His Name called, in the evening, after sunset… which is the day that you left Egypt. ⁷ You must boil or roast [the meat] and then eat it in the place that Jehovah your God will choose; and then you should go back to your homes the next morning! ⁸ You must eat fermentation-free bread for six days, and then the seventh day is to be a holiday and a feast to Jehovah your God, during which you may not do any work other than that which is common to everyone.

⁹ ‘Then start counting off seven weeks from the time that you first cut the grain with a sickle, ¹⁰ and you must celebrate the Festival of Weeks (Pentecost) to Jehovah your God with as much strength and with as many things as Jehovah your God has given to you. ¹¹ You must rejoice before Jehovah your God with your sons and daughters, with your male and female servants, and with the Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows who live among you in that place where Jehovah your God will choose to have His Name called. ¹² For you must show that you remember the [time] when you were slaves in the land of Egypt by doing all these things and by obeying these Commandments.

¹³ ‘You must also celebrate the Festival of Temporary Dwellings for seven days, after you’ve stored away your grain and made your wine. ¹⁴ Then you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows in your cities should rejoice. ¹⁵ You must hold a feast to Jehovah your God for seven days in the place that Jehovah your God will choose for Himself. And you must rejoice over all the harvest with which Jehovah your God has blest you and for all the things that you’ve accomplished.

¹⁶ ‘All your males must appear before Jehovah your God three times each year in the place that Jehovah will choose, for these festivals:
· The Festival of Fermentation-free Bread
· The Festival of Weeks
· The Festival of Temporary Dwellings.
And don’t appear before Jehovah your God empty handed! ¹⁷ Each one must bring whatever he can, as Jehovah your God has blest him.

¹⁸ ‘You must appoint judges and officials in the cities that Jehovah your God is giving to each of your tribes, and they must judge the people righteously. ¹⁹ They must not be unfair, show anyone special favor, or accept gifts, because gifts blind the eyes of the wise and twist the words of the righteous. ²⁰ You must always work at being just, so you may live and inherit the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you.

²¹ ‘You must never erect poles or plant any trees for yourselves near the Altar of your God, ²² nor may you erect sacred columns for yourselves, because Jehovah your God hates such things!’

Chapter 17

¹ ‘You must not sacrifice a calf or a sheep to Jehovah your God that is scarred or deformed in any way, for that would be disgusting to Jehovah your God.

² ‘And if a man or a woman should ever be found among you (in any of the cities that Jehovah your God is giving to you) who chooses to do what is evil before Jehovah and sins against His Sacred Agreement ³ by going and serving other gods, or by worshiping the sun, moon, or any of the stars in the skies (something that He has commanded you not to do), ⁴ and someone tells you about it; you must inquire about it and investigate to see if this disgusting thing has really happened in IsraEl. ⁵ [If so], you must bring that man or woman outside [the city] and stone him/her to death with rocks. ⁶ The person must be put to death if there are two or three witnesses to testify against him. But, no one should be put to death on the testimony of just one witness. ⁷ And then those who testify against him must be the first to put him/her to death… they must [throw their rocks] in front of the rest, and you must remove the evil person from among yourselves.

⁸ ‘Now, whenever a matter is too difficult for you to judge in your cities (as between blood and blood, cause and cause, stroke and stroke, and contradiction and contradiction); ⁹ you must take the matter before the Levite priests who will then be at the place which Jehovah your God will choose, and they must judge the case. They must perform their own investigation and then report their findings to you, ¹⁰ and you must do whatever they have decided in the place that Jehovah your God will choose… you must be sure to do whatever the Law tells you to do.

¹¹ ‘Yes, you must always follow the Law and abide by any judgments that are handed down. Don’t deviate to the right or to the left from any of the decisions that are reached. ¹² For any man who acts so haughtily that he won’t listen to the Priests who stand and serve in the Name of your God Jehovah or to a presiding judge, must be put to death. You must remove that evil person from IsraEl, ¹³ so that everyone who hears about it will thereafter be afraid to show so little respect in the future!

¹⁴ ‘And when you enter the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you (after you’ve inherited it and are living there), and you decide that you want a king to rule over you like the other nations around you; ¹⁵ he must be chosen by Jehovah your God. Kings may only be selected from among your brothers; so, don’t empower yourselves to select a king who isn’t a brother.

¹⁶ ‘[And no king should] accumulate horses for himself, nor may he send [My] people back to Egypt. He may [decide to] do this if he starts collecting horses for himself… but Jehovah has told you not to go back there again! ¹⁷ Nor may he start accumulating many women for himself, for they will change his heart… and he shouldn’t collect a lot of silver and gold for himself.

¹⁸ ‘And when [such kingships] are established and they start to rule, the [kings] must each write their own copy of these Laws in a scroll with the help of the Levite priests. ¹⁹ Thereafter, they must keep [the scroll] and read from it all the days of their lives, so they will learn to fear Jehovah their God and keep and observe all these Commandments and rules. ²⁰ By doing this, they won’t consider themselves more important than their brothers in their hearts, nor will they swerve to the right or to the left of the Commandments, so that they and their sons will continue to reign for a long time in their land among the children of IsraEl.’

Chapter 18

¹ ‘None of the Priests, including the whole tribe of Levi, will have any inheritance in IsraEl, because the burnt offerings of Jehovah are their inheritance and their food. ² They will have no inheritance among their brothers, because Jehovah is their portion, just as He told them.

³ ‘The Priests will get the things that the people offer as sacrifices, such as [a portion of] the calves and sheep (the shoulder, cheeks, and bellies), ⁴ and the first-fruitage of your grain, your wine, your oil, and the fleece from your sheep, ⁵ because Jehovah has chosen them from among all your tribes to stand before Jehovah your God to serve and praise His Name on behalf of His sons, the children of IsraEl.

⁶ ‘Also, if a Levite is living in any of the cities of the children of IsraEl (for he can live wherever he chooses), ⁷ he must serve the Name of His God Jehovah. And he and all His brothers (the Levites who stand before Jehovah your God) ⁸ must still be given their portion… even if they’ve inherited any proceeds from property that was left to them by their fathers, which they’ve chosen to sell.

⁹ ‘And once you’ve entered the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you, you must not learn [any of] the disgusting things that those nations are doing, such as:
· ¹⁰ Offering their sons or daughters in fire
· Using occult powers to tell the future
· Looking for omens
· ¹¹ Serving as witches
· Speaking incantations
· Consulting spirits to tell the future
· Looking for signs
· Asking [questions of] the dead.
¹² For through the ages, those who have done such things have been disgusting to Jehovah your God. And if you do such disgusting things, Jehovah will destroy you from before His face… ¹³ you must be perfect before Jehovah your God! ¹⁴ So, though all those nations whose land you will inherit have paid attention to omens and [followed] occult practices; Jehovah your God doesn’t allow you to do that.

¹⁵ ‘Then Jehovah your God will raise a Prophet like me from among your brothers, and you must listen to him. ¹⁶ Remember that after you had received all that you desired from Jehovah your God in that dry place (Horeb), the whole gathering said: We don’t want to listen to the voice of your God Jehovah again or to see His great fire, so we won’t die! ¹⁷ And then the Lord said to me: What they are saying is good; ¹⁸ so I will raise a Prophet like you from among their brothers, and I will put My words into his mouth and he will tell them whatever I command him to say… ¹⁹ then I will bring My vengeance upon anyone who doesn’t listen to what that Prophet says in My name. ²⁰ But any prophet who uses My Name in an irreverent way by saying things that I didn’t tell him to say, or who speaks in the name of other gods, must die!

²¹ ‘Now, if you ever start wondering in your hearts which words weren’t said by Jehovah; ²² [remember that] anything a prophet says in the Name of the Lord that doesn’t come true, is something that wasn’t said by Jehovah… so that prophet has spoken wickedly and he must die!’

Chapter 19

¹ ‘And when Jehovah your God has destroyed the nations that He’s giving to you, along with their lands, cities, and houses that you will inherit and live in; ² you must set aside three cities in the midst of the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you. ³ Perform a survey and divide the borders of your land into three parts, [then assign central cities as] places of refuge for those who have [unintentionally] killed someone.

⁴ ‘And this is the rule: Those who are guilty of manslaughter (anyone who has accidentally struck his neighbor… someone whom he has never disliked) may run to [one of these cities] and stay there. ⁵ For example: If someone should go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his ax head flies off its handle and hits his neighbor, killing him; he must then flee to one of these cities and live there ⁶ so that the angry blood avenger doesn’t chase him down and kill him (because he isn’t worthy of death, since he hasn’t hated his [neighbor] in the past)… but that’s what will happen if [the refuge cities] are too far away. ⁷ This is why I’m telling you to set these three cities aside.

⁸ ‘And if Jehovah enlarges your borders (as He promised your ancestors that He would do), and if He gives you all the land that He said He would give to you, ⁹ you must obey these Commandments that I’m giving to you today. [Since you must] love Jehovah your God and always walk in His ways, you must choose three cities within your borders, ¹⁰ so that the blood of those who are innocent won’t be spilled in the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you as your inheritance, and none of you will every be found guilty of [spilling innocent] blood.

¹¹ ‘However, if someone truly hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him, then sneaks up and kills him, and he thereafter flees to one of these cities; ¹² the local elders must hand him over to the blood avenger, who must kill him. ¹³ Don’t feel sorry for him, because you must purge the innocent blood from IsraEl, so that things may go well for you.

¹⁴ ‘Also, don’t move your neighbor’s property markers that were set by your ancestors as their inheritance… those that will be assigned to you in the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you as your inheritance.

¹⁵ ‘In addition; the testimony of a single witness may never be used against a person for any sins that he may commit… it requires two or three witnesses to prove anything. ¹⁶ And if someone brings a charge against a person [that can’t be proven]; ¹⁷ both people in the controversy must stand before Jehovah and before the priests or judges in those days. ¹⁸ Then the judges must seriously investigate the matter to see if the person has brought a false charge against his brother. ¹⁹ And if he has, you must do the same wicked thing that he wanted to do to his brother, to him… you must remove the evil from among yourselves, ²⁰ so that the rest will hear about it and be afraid to do such bad things among you. ²¹ Don’t forgive this person… it must be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot!’

Chapter 20

¹ ‘And when you go to war against your enemies and find that they have a larger army and more horsemen than you do; don’t be afraid of them, for Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt will be with you! ² But before you go out to fight; the Priests must come and speak to the people, and tell them this: ³ Listen, O IsraEl! Today you’re going to fight against your enemies, so you must be courageous! Don’t be afraid, don’t get confused, and don’t retreat, ⁴ because Jehovah your God is with you and He will fight against your enemies and save you!

⁵ ‘The scribes must also speak to the people and say: If any man has built a new house and he hasn’t consecrated it yet, he should go back home. For he might die in the war, and then someone else would be able to consecrate it. ⁶ And any man who has planted a vineyard and not yet [enjoyed its wine] should go back home. For he might die in the battle and then someone else would get to enjoy it. ⁷ Also, if any man is engaged [to marry] and he has not yet taken his woman, he should go back home. For he might die in the battle and then someone else would take her.

⁸ ‘The scribes should also say to the people: If there is any man who isn’t [brave] and is afraid; he too should go back home, so his fear doesn’t discourage his brothers.

⁹ ‘And after the scribes have finished speaking to the people, they must appoint generals over the army to lead them.

¹⁰ ‘Now, whenever you approach a city; before you go to battle against them, you must call out to them peacefully. ¹¹ And if they answer you peacefully and open [their gates] to you, all the people who are found there must become your subjects and serve you. ¹² But if they don’t listen to you and they choose to fight a war against you; then you must [lay siege to the city] ¹³ until Jehovah your God gives it into your hands. And thereafter, you must kill all the men with swords. ¹⁴ You may spare the women, their possessions, all their cattle, and anything else that is in that city… you may loot it and take whatever you wish and eat whatever your enemies may have, because Jehovah your God has given it to you.

¹⁵ ‘Now, that’s what you must do to the distant cities, but not to the cities of these nations that Jehovah your God is giving to you and whose land you will inherit. ¹⁶ You must not leave anything alive there! ¹⁷ You must curse the Hittites, Amorites, CanaAnites, Pherezites, Evites, Jebusites, and Gergesites, just as Jehovah your God has commanded you, ¹⁸ so that they don’t teach you to do all the disgusting things that they are doing before their gods and cause you to sin before Jehovah your God.

¹⁹ ‘And whenever you lay siege to a city and you don’t succeed in capturing it right away; you must not cut down and destroy any of its [fruit] trees. Rather, [pick the fruit] and eat it… for the trees in the fields aren’t men that must be cut down to capture [the city]. ²⁰ However, you must cut down and destroy any trees that you know aren’t fruit bearing, and then use them to build a mound against the [walls] of the city that has chosen to battle with you, until it is captured.’

Chapter 21

¹ ‘If anyone is found murdered with a knife and [his body is] left in a field in the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you as an inheritance and no one knows who did it; ² your elders and judges must go there and measure the distances from the slain man to the cities round about. ³ Then from whichever city is nearest to him, the elders of that city must choose a heifer from the herd that has never worn a yoke or been worked, ⁴ then lead it into a valley that has never been tilled or planted, and you must slaughter the heifer there. ⁵ Thereafter, the Levite priests must go there (because they’re the ones whom Jehovah has chosen to represent Him and to praise His Name), and whatever they decide must stand.

⁶ ‘Thereafter, all the elders of the city that went out to the murdered man must wash their hands over the head of the heifer that was slaughtered in the valley and say, ⁷ Our hands didn’t shed this blood and our eyes didn’t witness it. ⁸ So, please be merciful to Your people IsraEl whom You have redeemed, O Lord, so that Your people IsraEl aren’t held responsible for this innocent blood. And by doing this, the blood will have been paid for by them. ⁹ For you must remove all innocent blood from among yourselves if you wish to do what is good and pleasing before Jehovah your God.

¹⁰ ‘And when you’re going to fight a war against your enemies and Jehovah your God allows you to conquer them and carry away loot, ¹¹ and if you then notice a woman with a pretty face among the captives whom you wish to take as your woman; ¹² when you bring her home, you must shave her head, cut her nails, ¹³ and remove all the clothes she was wearing when she was captured. Thereafter, she must be allowed to mourn for her father and mother in your home for a month. And only after that may you may have sex with her, live with her, and take her as your woman. ¹⁴ But if you thereafter find that you are unhappy with her, you must then send her away free… she can’t be sold, nor may you mistreat her, because you’ve dishonored her.

¹⁵ Also, if a man has two women and he loves one and doesn’t care as much for the other, and both women have given birth and the son of the one for whom he cares less is the firstborn; ¹⁶ when he divides his property among his sons as their inheritance, he may not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the woman whom he loves more. ¹⁷ He must recognize the rights of the firstborn and give him twice as much of the things he owns, because he’s the first of his children, and he owns that birthright.

¹⁸ ‘Now, if any man has a son who is disobedient, likes to argue, and refuses to obey his father and mother or to listen when they correct him; ¹⁹ they must take him before the elders at their city gate ²⁰ and tell them: This is our disobedient son. He won’t listen to us and he has become a drunk and a partier. ²¹ Then the men of the city must stone him to death with rocks; for you must remove those who are evil from among yourselves, so that the rest will hear about it and fear.

²² And if someone sins and is sentenced to death, and you choose to execute him by hanging him on a tree; ²³ don’t allow his body to remain on the tree overnight. You must bury it on that same day; because, through the ages, anyone who is hanged on a tree is cursed before God, and you must not [allow his body to] dirty the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you as your inheritance.’

Chapter 22

¹ ‘Whenever you see your brother’s calf or sheep wandering loose in the road, don’t just pass it by; rather, you must lead it back to your brother and give it to him. ² However, if your brother doesn’t live near you and you don’t know [who owns the animal]; you must take it home with you and keep it until your brother comes searching for it, and then you must give it back to him. ³ That’s what you must do for his burro, his clothing, or anything else that your brother may have lost… don’t overlook anything! ⁴ And if you see your brother’s burro or ox fallen on the road, don’t just pass it by; be sure to help him get it back on its feet.

⁵ ‘A woman should never wear men’s clothing, nor should a man ever wear women’s clothing. For through the ages, such a thing has been considered disgusting by Jehovah your God.

⁶ ‘And if you should find a bird’s nest where the bird is brooding eggs or chicks in the road, or in a tree, or on the ground; you must not take the nest with its young. ⁷ You may take the [eggs], but you must let the mother go, so things will go well for you and so that you may have a long life.

⁸ ‘Whenever you build a new house, you must build a wall around [the roof] to keep anyone from falling from it, so you don’t bring the guilt of someone’s blood upon your home.

⁹ ‘You must not plant different types of seeds in your vineyard; for the [plants] could [cross-pollinate] and make your vineyard unholy.

¹⁰ ‘You must not hitch an ox and a burro together to [pull] the same plow.

¹¹ ‘You must not wear clothing made of both linen and wool.

¹² ‘You must put fringes on all four sides of your clothing, no matter how you may dress yourselves.

¹³ ‘If any man should take a woman that he comes to dislike after he has lived with her, ¹⁴ and then he starts saying bad things about her and calling her bad names, saying, When I took this woman and had sex with her, she didn’t prove to be a virgin; ¹⁵ her father and mother must bring the girl’s proof of virginity to the elders at the city gate, ¹⁶ and the girl’s father should tell the elders: I gave my daughter to be this man’s woman, ¹⁷ and now he no longer cares for her and he’s saying that he found no indication of my daughter’s virginity. But here’s the proof… and he must unfold the sheet with her [blood] before the city’s elders. ¹⁸ And [if he can do this], the elders of that city must take the man and discipline him, ¹⁹ then fine him a hundred small silver coins and give it to the girl’s father for slandering the name of a virgin of IsraEl. Then she must continue to be his woman and he may never divorce her.

²⁰ ‘However, if what he says proves to be true and no proof of the girl’s virginity can be found; ²¹ they must take her in front of her father’s house and stone her to death with rocks, because she has dishonored the children of IsraEl and the house of her father by her immorality. You must remove the evil person from among yourselves!

²² ‘Also, if [you find] a man having sex with another man’s woman, you must kill both the man and the woman… you must remove those who are wicked from IsraEl!

²³ ‘And if a young woman is already engaged to a man and another man in the city has sex with her, ²⁴ you must take both of them outside the city gate and stone them to death with rocks… her, because she didn’t scream, and him, because he dishonored the woman of his neighbor. You must remove the evil ones from among yourselves!

²⁵ ‘However, if a man catches an engaged woman out in a field and rapes her, you must put the man who did this to death, ²⁶ since the woman hasn’t committed a sin for which she should be killed. Something like this is just as serious as when one man murders another, ²⁷ because he found and [raped] an engaged woman who screamed when no one was around to help her.

²⁸ ‘And if any man should assault a young virgin who isn’t engaged, and this can be proven; ²⁹ the man who assaulted her must pay her father fifty silver coins, then he must marry her and never be allowed to divorce her, because he dishonored her.

³⁰ ‘Also, no man may lay his father bare by having sex with his father’s woman.’

Chapter 23

¹ ‘No man who has been castrated, or whose sexual parts have been damaged, ² or any son of a whore may enter the gathering of Jehovah.

³ ‘AmMonites and Moabites may not enter the gathering of Jehovah… not through the tenth generation or through the ages, ⁴ because they didn’t meet you and bring you bread and water as you were coming from Egypt, and because they hired BalaAm the son of Beor of MesoPotamia to curse you. ⁵ Jehovah your God didn’t listen to BalaAm and He changed the curses into blessings, because He loved you. ⁶ So you must not speak to them in peace or for profit for as long as you live, and through the ages.

⁷ ‘You must not hate Edomites, because they’re your brothers; and you must not hate Egyptians, because you were once strangers in their land. ⁸ So their third-generation sons may enter the gathering of Jehovah.

⁹ ‘Also, whenever you go out to fight with your enemies, you must refrain from doing anything that is wicked.

¹⁰ ‘If any man happens to be unclean because of a release [of semen] during the night, he must leave the camp, or not return to it. ¹¹ Then that evening, he must wash his body in water and return to the camp after sundown. ¹² So, you must set aside a place outside of the camp where [the unclean] may go.

¹³ ‘And [each of] you must carry a spade in your belts, so that when you need to relieve yourselves somewhere [outside of the camp], you may use it to dig [a hole] in the ground and then cover your excrement. ¹⁴ [You must do this] because Jehovah your God walks in your camp to save you and to give your enemies [into your hands]; therefore, your camp must be holy and nothing disgusting may be seen that will make Him turn away from you.

¹⁵ ‘You must not return a slave to his master after he has run away and come to serve you. ¹⁶ He must live with you and among you, and you must not mistreat him for as long as he continues to please you.

¹⁷ ‘There may be no whores among the daughters of IsraEl, nor may there be any [men] among the sons of IsraEl who are whoremongers.

‘There may be no idol worshipers among the daughters of IsraEl or among the sons of IsraEl.

¹⁸ ‘You may not bring the wages of a prostitute or the price of a dog into the House of your God Jehovah to pay any vow, because these things are disgusting to Jehovah.

¹⁹ ‘You must not charge your brother interest for borrowing silver, or meat, or anything else that you may lend to him. ²⁰ You may charge interest on loans to strangers, but not to your brothers, so that Jehovah your God will bless everything you do in this land that you are entering and will inherit.

²¹ ‘Whenever you swear an oath to your God Jehovah, you must be quick about paying it, because your God requires that you do this. And if you don’t, this will be held as a sin against you. ²² If you are unwilling to offer anything, that isn’t a sin. ²³ But whatever you vow to offer as a gift to Jehovah God must be [paid] as promised.’

Chapter 24

¹ ‘If you take a woman and live with her, and then find that you don’t care for her because of some indecent thing that she has done, you may write out a divorce certificate and put it into her hands, then send her away from your home. ² And after leaving, if she becomes another man’s woman ³ and he also finds that he dislikes her and writes a certificate of divorce and puts it into her hands and sends her out of his home, or if this last man who took her as his woman should die; ⁴ the former husband may not take her back after she has been defiled, for that is a disgusting thing before Jehovah your God. You must not dirty the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you as your inheritance.

⁵ ‘And whenever a man has recently married, he must not go to war, nor may anyone require him to do so. Rather, he must live free in his house for one year as a joy to the woman whom he has taken.

⁶ ‘You may not take another man’s millstone as collateral for a loan, because those who do this are requiring a life as part of the agreement.

⁷ ‘Any man who is caught kidnapping and selling one of his brothers of the children of IsraEl must die… you must remove those who are evil from among yourselves.

⁸ ‘Pay special attention when it comes to the plague of leprosy… you must be very careful to obey all the laws that the Levite priests may give you and you must do as I have instructed you. ⁹ For remember all that Jehovah your God did to MiriAm while you were traveling from Egypt.

¹⁰ ‘If your neighbor owes you a debt (no matter what kind), you may not enter his house to collect it. ¹¹ You must stand outside, and the man who owes you the debt should bring it out to you. ¹² However, if the man is too poor [to pay it]; you may not go to sleep while you’re holding the thing that he pledged [as collateral]. ¹³ You must return it before sunset, so he can sleep in his clothes… then he will praise you, and Jehovah your God will be merciful to you.

¹⁴ ‘You must not be unfair and withhold the wages of those who are poor and needy among your brothers, or [the wages] of strangers that come to live in your cities. ¹⁵ You must pay them their wages on the same day [that they do the work]… don’t allow the sun to set before [paying them], because they are poor and they need it. For if you do, they will call out to Jehovah about you, and this will be a sin for you.

¹⁶ ‘Fathers shouldn’t be put to death for what their children may do, nor may sons be put to death for what their fathers may do. Rather, each person must be put to death for his own sins.

¹⁷ ‘You must not be unjust to strangers, orphans, or widows; and you must never take a widow’s clothing as collateral. ¹⁸ For remember that you were once slaves in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah your God bought you out of there. So, do what I’m telling you!

¹⁹ ‘And when you’re harvesting the grain in your fields and you realize that you’ve missed some, you must not return to get it. Such things must be left for the strangers, orphans, and widows, so that Jehovah your God will bless you in everything you do.

²⁰ ‘And when you’re picking your olives, you must not go back and pick them all… some must be left for the strangers, orphans, and widows. Don’t forget that you were once slaves in the land of Egypt, so I’m commanding you to do this!

²¹ ‘And whenever you pick the grapes in your vineyard, you must not glean everything; rather, you must leave some for the strangers, orphans, and widows. ²² Don’t forget that you were once slaves in the land of Egypt, so I’m commanding you to do this!’

Chapter 25

¹ ‘Whenever there’s a dispute between two men, they should carry it to the judges and allow them to decide who’s right and who’s guilty. ² And if the guilty one is sentenced to be beaten with a whip, he must be held down in front of the judges and they must have him whipped there before them for his sin. ³ However, they must not have him lashed more than forty times; for if you whip your brother more than that, he will be disgraced.

⁴ ‘You must not muzzle the ox that [is used to] thresh the grain.

⁵ ‘If brothers should live together and one of them dies without producing a seed; his woman may not marry someone who isn’t related to her husband. Rather, her husband’s brother must go and take her as his woman and live with her. ⁶ Then any children that she gives birth to thereafter will carry her deceased husband’s name, so his name won’t be blotted out of IsraEl.

⁷ ‘However, if the man isn’t willing to take his brother’s woman, she should go to the elders at the [city] gate and say, My husband’s brother has refused to keep my husband’s name alive in IsraEl. ⁸ Then the city elders should call him and make him stand before them and tell them why he refuses to take her. ⁹ And thereafter, his brother’s woman must come up before the elders and remove one shoe from his foot, then spit in his face and say, This is how they treat the man who won’t build his brother’s house in IsraEl. ¹⁰ And from then on, everyone in IsraEl must speak of his house as being, The house of the man whose shoe was removed.

¹¹ ‘Also, if a man gets into a fight with a brother and then one of his women should come and try to stop the other man from beating her husband by grabbing him by the testicles; ¹² you must cut off her hand… don’t allow your eyes [to feel sorry for] her!

¹³ ‘You must not carry oversized and undersized weights in your bag, ¹⁴ nor may you keep oversized and undersized units of measure in your house. ¹⁵ You must have accurate weights and units of measure, so that you may live a long time in the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you as your inheritance. ¹⁶ For through the ages, all who have done such unrighteous things have been disgusting to Jehovah your God.

¹⁷ ‘Don’t forget what the Amalechites did to you as you were traveling from the land of Egypt. ¹⁸ For they got in your way and harassed those who were worn out at your rear, leaving you hungry and tired, and they didn’t fear God. ¹⁹ So when Jehovah your God finally provides you rest from your enemies in the land that He’s giving you to inherit, you must wipe the name of the Amalechites out from under the skies… don’t forget to do this!

Chapter 26

¹ ‘Once you’ve entered the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you as your inheritance and you have each received your individual inheritance and started living there, ² you must collect the first fruitage [from the harvest] in the land that He’s giving to you and put it into a basket, then carry it to the place where Jehovah your God will choose to have His Name called. ³ And when you bring it to the Priest (whomever it may be then), you must say to him, I’m testifying before My God Jehovah today, that I’ve come to this land which the Lord swore to our ancestors that He would give to us.

⁴ ‘Then the Priest must take the basket from your hands and set it before the Altar of your God Jehovah, ⁵ and you must say this before Jehovah: A small group of my ancestors (who came from Syria) went down to Egypt and stayed there, where they grew into a large number and a mighty nation. ⁶ But the Egyptians made life difficult for us, humiliated us, and put us to work at hard labor. ⁷ However, when we called out to Jehovah our God, He heard us. And when He saw our humiliation, our hardships, and how hard we were working, ⁸ He brought us out of Egypt with His great strength, strong hand, and mighty arm through great miracles, signs, and wonders. ⁹ Then He brought us into this place and gave us this land… a land flowing with milk and honey! ¹⁰ So now {Look!} I’m bringing the first fruits of the land that You gave to us, O Lord, from this land that flows with milk and honey.

‘Then you must leave [the basket there] before Jehovah your God and bow low before Him, ¹¹ as you rejoice over all the good things that Jehovah your God has given to you, to your family, and to the Levites and strangers that are living among you.

¹² ‘And in the third year, after you’ve brought in all the tithes of your harvest, you must bring a second tithe for the Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows, so that they may eat it and enjoy themselves in your cities. ¹³ At that time, you must come before Jehovah your God and say this: I’ve collected a full measure of the holy things from my home and given them to the Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows, just as You commanded. I didn’t sin against Your Commandments and I didn’t forget them, ¹⁴ nor did I eat any of it during difficult times, or use it for any unclean purpose, or offer it to the dead. I’ve listened to the voice of our God Jehovah, and I’ve done just as He commanded me. ¹⁵ So now, look down from your Holy House in the heavens and bless Your people IsraEl, as well as this land that flows with milk and honey, which You swore to our ancestors that You would give to us.

¹⁶ ‘Yes, today Jehovah your God is instructing you to keep all of His rules and decisions… and you must obey them and follow them with your whole hearts and souls! ¹⁷ For on this day, you are choosing Him to be your God, and [you’re agreeing] to walk in His ways, follow His rules and decisions, and listen to His voice. ¹⁸ And today Jehovah has chosen you to be His people exclusively – as He promised in His Commandments – ¹⁹ to be above all the other nations. For He has made you famous, glorious, and something to brag about… a holy people to Jehovah your God, just as He promised.’

Chapter 27

¹ Then Moses addressed the elders of IsraEl and said: ‘You must keep all these Commandments that I’m giving to you today. ² And after you’ve crossed the Jordan and entered the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you, you must erect [two] huge stone [monuments] and cover them with plaster. ³ Then, write all the words of this Law upon them as soon as you’ve crossed the Jordan into the land that Jehovah the God of your ancestors is giving to you… the land that’s flowing with milk and honey, which Jehovah the God of your ancestors promised to you.

⁴ ‘And after you’ve crossed the Jordan, you must erect these stones with the Commandments that I’m giving you today upon Mount Ebal, then coat them with plaster. ⁵ Also, build an altar there to Jehovah your God from rocks that haven’t been cut with an iron tool. ⁶ Use whole stones and build an altar to Jehovah your God, then place whole burnt offerings to Jehovah your God upon it… ⁷ you must sacrifice them as peace offerings, which you must eat until you’re full, as you rejoice before Jehovah your God… ⁸ make sure that the Law is clearly inscribed on the [monuments]!’

⁹ Then Moses addressed the Levite priests of IsraEl and said: ‘Be quiet and listen, O IsraEl! For today you’re becoming the people of your God, Jehovah. ¹⁰ Listen to His voice and obey all His Commandments and rules… all those that I will be [giving] to you today.’

¹¹ And on that same day, Moses addressed the people and said, ¹² ‘After you’ve crossed the Jordan, these [tribes] must assemble on Mount GiriZim [to pronounce the blessings]: Levi, Judah, IsSachar, [both tribes of] JoSeph, and BenJamin. ¹³ And these [tribes] must assemble on Mount Ebal to pronounce the curses: ReuBen, Gad, Asher, ZebuLon, Dan, and NaphTali. ¹⁴ And from there, the Levites must shout to all IsraEl:
¹⁵ Any man who carves an idol or any other disgusting thing or has one that has been manufactured and puts it in a secret place, is cursed! And all the people must answer and say, May it be so!
¹⁶ Any man who shows disrespect to his father or mother is cursed! And all the people must answer and say, May it be so!
¹⁷ Any man who moves his neighbor’s property markers is cursed! And all the people must answer and say, May it be so!
¹⁸ Any man who misleads a blind person is cursed! And all the people must answer and say, May it be so!
¹⁹ Any man who is unfair to a stranger, orphan, or widow is cursed! And all the people must answer and say, May it be so!
²⁰ Any man who uncovers his father’s [naked body] by having sex with his father’s woman is cursed! And all the people must answer and say, May it be so!
²¹ Any man who has sex with an animal is cursed! And all the people must answer and say, May it be so!
²² Any man who has sex with [his sister] is cursed! And all the people must answer and say, May it be so!
²³ Any man who has sex with his daughter-in-law is cursed! And all the people must answer and say, May it be so!
Any man who has sex with his woman’s sister is cursed! And all the people must answer and say, May it be so!
²⁴ Any man who secretly [murders] his neighbor is cursed! And all the people must answer and say, May it be so!
²⁵ Any man who is paid to kill an innocent man is cursed! And all the people must answer and say, May it be so!
²⁶ Any man who doesn’t observe and obey all the words of this Law is cursed! And all the people must answer and say, May it be so!’

Chapter 28

¹ ‘Now, if you listen to the voice of your God Jehovah and follow and obey all these Commandments that I’m giving to you today, you will raised higher than all the other nations on the earth by Jehovah your God, ² and then these blessings will search for you and find you. For if you listen to the voice of your God Jehovah:
· ³ Your fields and your cities will be blest.
· ⁴ The offspring that comes from your bodies, the fruit of your land, your herds of oxen, and your flocks of sheep will be blest.
· ⁵ Your barns and your storage bins will be blest.
· ⁶ You will be blest when you leave and blest when you return.
· ⁷ Jehovah will give your enemies [into your hands], and those who oppose you will fall before you. If they come against you from one direction, they’ll run from you in seven directions.
· ⁸ Jehovah will put His blessings on your barns and on everything that you do in the land that He’s giving to you.
· ⁹ Jehovah will raise you as a holy people to Himself, just as He promised your ancestors that He would do if you would listen to His voice and walk in all of His ways. ¹⁰ Then all the nations on the earth will see that you are called by the Name Jehovah, and they will stand in awe of you.
· ¹¹ Jehovah your God will bring [many children] from your bodies, many young from your cattle, and much fruit from your land… this land that Jehovah swore to your ancestors that He would give to you.
· ¹² Jehovah will open His treasures in the skies and bring rain to your land in [the proper] seasons, and He’ll bless everything that you do.
· You will lend to many nations and not borrow, and you’ll rule over many nations and not be ruled. ¹³ For Jehovah your God will make you the head not the tail, putting you on the top… you’ll never be on the bottom if you’ll listen to the voice of your God Jehovah and obey all the things that I’m telling you today.
· ¹⁴ You must not swerve to the right or to the left from any of the Commandments that I’m giving to you today, or follow and serve other gods.

¹⁵ ‘However, if you don’t listen to the voice of your God Jehovah and obey all His Commandments that I’m giving to you today, these curses will come here and catch up with you:
· ¹⁶ You will be cursed in your cities and in your fields.
· ¹⁷ Your barns and your storage sheds will be cursed.
· ¹⁸ [The children] who come from your bodies, the fruit from your land, your herds of oxen, and your flocks of sheep will be cursed.
· ¹⁹ You will be cursed when you leave and when you return.
· ²⁰ Jehovah will send shortages and famines [among you], and everything you do will be consumed until He has totally destroyed you. Yes, if you leave Him and start doing evil things, you will be quickly exterminated.
· ²¹ Jehovah will bring plagues among you until you’ve all been wiped from this land that you’re going to inherit.
· ²² Jehovah will strike you with dysentery, fever, chills, inflammations, sores, and paleness… they will chase you down and destroy you.
· ²³ He will turn the sky above you into brass and the ground beneath you into iron.
· ²⁴ Jehovah your God will turn the rain that falls from the skies into dust, until it destroys you and quickly consumes you.
· ²⁵ Jehovah will hand you over to your enemies and they will slaughter you. You will attack them from one direction, but you’ll run from them in seven directions, and then you’ll be scattered throughout all the kingdoms of the earth.
· ²⁶ Your dead will become food for the flying creatures in the skies and the animals on the ground… and nothing will scare them away.
· ²⁷ Jehovah will strike your bottoms with the sores of Egypt… and the scabs will itch and never heal.
· ²⁸ Jehovah will strike you with mental illnesses, blindness, and anxiety, ²⁹ so you’ll grope around in the daytime like the blind grope around in their darkness.
· Nothing you do will prosper; you’ll be treated unfairly; you’ll be looted continuously, and no one will come to your aid.
· ³⁰ You’ll take women for yourselves, but other men will have them.
· You’ll build houses and not live in them.
· You’ll plant vineyards and not gather their grapes.
· ³¹ Your calves will be butchered before you, but you won’t eat any of the [meat].
· Your burros will be taken from you and never be returned.
· Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will get them back for you.
· ³² Your sons and daughters will be given to other nations, then you’ll search for them as your eyes are wasting away and your hands are growing feeble.
· ³³ A nation that you’re unfamiliar with will eat the produce of your land, and all your hard work will be crushed and done away with… ³⁴ you’ll be amazed by the things that you’ll see!
· ³⁵ Jehovah will strike you with bad sores on you knees and legs that won’t heal… from the soles of your feet to the tops of your heads.
· ³⁶ Jehovah will drive you and the leaders whom you’ll set over yourselves away, and you’ll be sent to a nation that neither you nor your ancestors have ever known. And there you’ll serve gods made of wood and stone; ³⁷ and there, [the things that happened to you] will be used as amazing examples and illustrations among all the nations where Jehovah your God will send you.
· ³⁸ You’ll plant many seeds in your fields but harvest little, because the locusts will eat whatever you plant.
· ³⁹ You’ll plant vineyards and cultivate them, but you won’t drink the wine or enjoy any of it for yourselves, because worms will eat them.
· ⁴⁰ You’ll plant olive trees all around your land, but you won’t receive any oil to anoint yourselves, because your trees will drop their fruit.
· ⁴¹ Sons and daughters will be born to you, but they’ll never be yours, because they’ll be carried away as captives.
· ⁴² All the trees and produce of your land will be consumed by blight.
· ⁴³ The strangers who live among you will be lifted high, while you will be dragged down; ⁴⁴ then they will lend to you and you won’t be able to lend to them, for they’ll be the heads and you’ll be the tails.

⁴⁵ ‘All of these curses will come upon you and chase you down until they’ve consumed and destroyed you, if you don’t listen to the voice of your God Jehovah and keep the Commandments and rules that He has given to you. ⁴⁶ They will serve as signs and wonders among you and among your seed through the ages, ⁴⁷ if you fail to serve Jehovah your God happily and with a [cheerful] heart, because of all the many [good] things that you will have received.

⁴⁸ ‘Then you must serve the enemies that Jehovah will send against you. You’ll be hungry, thirsty, naked, in need of everything, and you’ll have to wear iron yokes on your necks until they’ve destroyed you.

⁴⁹ ‘Jehovah will bring a nation against you from the ends of the earth that will come like fast-flying eagles, and you won’t understand their language. ⁵⁰ They’ll be a fearsome people who won’t respect your old people or pity your young. ⁵¹ They’ll eat the young of your cattle and the fruit of your land, and they won’t leave any grain, wine, oil, herds of oxen, or flocks of sheep for you, until they’ve destroyed you ⁵² and totally crushed your cities. For even your highest and strongest walls will be destroyed, and all your land and all the cities that He has given to you [will be theirs].

⁵³ ‘Then you will eat the fruit of your bodies… the flesh of all the sons and daughters that He has given to you. For your enemy will bring a great time of stress and difficulty upon you. ⁵⁴ And even those who are kind and gentle among you will look at their brothers, their loved women and any children that may be left in an evil way, ⁵⁵ and they won’t offer them any of the flesh of their children to eat, because they wouldn’t have enough for themselves. That’s how your enemies will pressure you and make life difficult for you in all of your cities.

⁵⁶ ‘Then, even the tender, gentle women among you – those who have never searched the ground for delicacies – will look at their loved husbands, sons, and daughters in an evil way. ⁵⁷ For they will eat the newborn that come from between their legs secretly in their [hunger]. Yes, that’s how your enemies will make life difficult for you in your cities.

⁵⁸ ‘So, if you won’t listen to and obey all the words of the Law that have been written in this scroll and fear the glorious and wonderful Name of your God Jehovah, ⁵⁹ He will bring these horrible plagues and unending illnesses upon you and your seed. ⁶⁰ He will bring all the pain of Egypt that you were so afraid of, and make it stick to you. ⁶¹ And Jehovah will even bring sicknesses and plagues that haven’t been written about in the scroll of this Law, until He has destroyed you. ⁶² Then, although you were once as many as the stars of the sky, there won’t be many left, due to the fact that you didn’t listen to the voice of your God Jehovah.

⁶³ ‘And as Jehovah once rejoiced over you, did good things for you, and made you grow; He will rejoice over destroying you and in quickly removing you from the land that you’re going to inherit. ⁶⁴ Then Jehovah your God will scatter you among all the nations – from one end of the earth to the other – and you must serve other gods there, which are made of wood and stone, and of whom you and your ancestors have never heard.

⁶⁵ ‘In addition; [in the places where you will be living] among those nations, He won’t provide any quiet, nor will the soles of your feet find any rest. For there, Jehovah will give you weak hearts, failing eyes, and wasted lives. ⁶⁶ You won’t know [what each day will bring], and you’ll be afraid both night and day; for nothing in your lives will be sure. ⁶⁷ In the morning, you’ll say, I wish it were evening! And in the evening, you’ll say, I wish it were morning! You’ll have fear in your hearts and you’ll be afraid of everything you see. ⁶⁸ Then Jehovah will take you back to Egypt in ships – back to the place that He said you should never see again – where you’ll be offered for sale to your enemies as slaves… and nobody will [wish to] buy you!’

Chapter 29

¹ These are the words of the Sacred Agreement that Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the children of IsraEl in the land of Moab, which were added to the Sacred Agreement that He’d made with them at the dry place (Horeb).

² Moses then called all the sons of IsraEl and said to them: ‘You have seen all the things that Jehovah did to PharaOh, to his servants, and to his entire land of Egypt. ³ Yes, you’ve seen the great signs and wonders with your eyes. ⁴ Yet, down to this day, Jehovah God hasn’t given you the heart to understand, the eyes to see, or the ears to hear. ⁵ However, as He was leading you through the desert during [the past] forty years, your clothes didn’t wear out, your sandals didn’t wear off your feet, ⁶ and you didn’t eat bread, or drink wine or liquor. [He did this] so you would know that He is Jehovah your God.

⁷ ‘Then, when we got to this place and Seon (the king of Hesh-Eboneh) and Og (the king of BaShan) came to meet us in war, ⁸ we cut them down and took their lands, which I gave to ReuBen, Gad, and half of the tribe of ManasSeh, as their inheritance. ⁹ So now, pay attention to all the words of this Sacred Agreement and understand all the things that you must do.

¹⁰ ‘Here you stand before Jehovah your God today… the heads of your tribes, your elders, your judges, your officers – every man of IsraEl – ¹¹ as well as your women, children, and the converts who have come to live in your camps (from the wood cutters to those who draw the water). ¹² And now you must conclude a Sacred Agreement with your God Jehovah and swear as many oaths as Jehovah your God will be asking of you today, ¹³ so that He may appoint you to be His people and for Him to be your God, as He told you and as He swore to your ancestors, AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob.

¹⁴ ‘Understand that this Sacred Agreement and these oaths aren’t just for you… ¹⁵ they apply to everyone who is here before Jehovah your God today, as well as to anyone who isn’t here with you today. ¹⁶ For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and how we came through the midst of [several] nations, ¹⁷ where you saw their disgusting things and their idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold. ¹⁸ So, if the hearts of any man, woman, family, or tribe here aren’t with Jehovah your God; they should leave you now and go to serve the gods of those nations, so that there will be no root that is filled with gall and bitterness among you!

¹⁹ ‘And if there’s anyone who listens to these words and their curses, and who then chooses to flatter himself by saying in his heart, Good things will happen to me even if I keep on walking in the errors of my heart, [he should also leave]! Otherwise, the innocent may be destroyed along with the sinners… ²⁰ for God won’t pardon him. Rather, Jehovah’s rage and zeal will blaze against that man, and all the curses of this Sacred Agreement that are written in this scroll will come upon him… Jehovah will blot his name out from under the skies.

²¹ ‘Jehovah will also hold the children of IsraEl responsible for all their evil [and bring] all the curses of the Sacred Agreement that are written in this scroll of Law upon them. ²² Then, future generations – your descendants who come after you and strangers who come from far away lands – will see the plagues on your land and the diseases that Jehovah has sent here. ²³ For then there will be sulfur rocks and burning salt, and the entire land won’t be cultivated, nor will anything green grow there. It will become like [the cities of] Sodom, GomorRah, Adama, and Seboim, which Jehovah destroyed in His anger and rage.

²⁴ ‘Then all the nations will ask, Why has Jehovah done this to His land… what made Him so fierce and so angry? ²⁵ And others will answer, It’s because they broke the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah, the God of their ancestors. For this is what He warned their ancestors that He would do to them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. ²⁶ However, they still went and served other gods… and this is [how He showed] His disapproval! ²⁷ So, Jehovah became very angry with that land and He brought all the curses upon it that are written about in the scroll of this Law. ²⁸ Then in His rage, anger, and indignation, He removed them from their land and threw them into other lands… it’s why all these things have happened to them!

²⁹ ‘Remember that even the things that are done in secret [are known by Jehovah] our God, and He uncovers them. So, the responsibility of our children and us is to obey all the words of this Law through the ages.’

Chapter 30

¹ ‘And after all these things have happened to you; you must recall to mind the blessings and the curses that I’ve set before you today, wherever [you may be] among all the nations where Jehovah will have scattered you. ² Then you must return to Jehovah your God, listen to His voice, and [obey] everything that I’m telling you today with your whole hearts and souls, ³ so that Jehovah may heal you from your sins, feel pity for you, and gather you back from all the nations to which He will have scattered you.

⁴ ‘It won’t matter whether you’ve been dispersed from one end of the skies to the other; Jehovah will gather you from there and take you ⁵ back to the land that your ancestors inherited, and you will inherit it once again. Then He will do good things for you and cause you to grow greater than your ancestors. ⁶ For Jehovah will purge your hearts and those of your seed, and then you must love Jehovah your God with your whole hearts and souls, so you may live!

⁷ ‘And after that, Jehovah your God will put all these curses on your enemies (on those who have hated and persecuted you), ⁸ if you’ll turn back and listen to the voice of your God Jehovah and keep all His Commandments that I’m telling you today. ⁹ Jehovah your God will bless everything you do, as well as the offspring of your bodies, of your cattle, and the crops in your fields. Then Jehovah your God will be happy over you once again… but [this time] in even a better way than He was happy with your ancestors. ¹⁰ [This will all happen] if you’ll just listen to the voice of your God Jehovah and keep His Commandments, rules, and decisions that are written in the scroll of this Law, and if you’ll return to Jehovah your God with your whole hearts and souls.

¹¹ ‘For these Commandments that I’m giving you today really aren’t a burden, nor are they far away from you. ¹² They aren’t in the skies above, so you’d have to say, Who will go up into the sky and take them for us so we can hear them and obey them? ¹³ Nor are they beyond the sea, so you’d have to say, Who will cross the sea and take them for us so we can hear them and obey them? ¹⁴ These words are near to you… in your mouths, in your hearts, and in your hands!

¹⁵ ‘Look, I’m setting life and death, as well as good and evil before you today. ¹⁶ If you’ll listen to the Commandments of your God Jehovah that I’m giving to you today… if you’ll love Jehovah your God, walk in His ways, and follow all His rules and decisions; you’ll live, grow in numbers, and Jehovah your God will bless you throughout the land where you’re going and which you will inherit. ¹⁷ But if you have a change of heart and choose not to listen to Him, and then go to worship and serve other gods; ¹⁸ I’m warning you today that you’ll be destroyed and you won’t live long on the land that you’re crossing the Jordan to inherit!

¹⁹ ‘So I now call the land and the sky as witnesses against you today, that I’ve set life and death, the blessings and the curses, before you. Choose life so that you and your seed may live! ²⁰ Love Jehovah your God! Listen to His voice and stick to Him, for He is your life, and [He’s] the length of the number of days that you will live in the land that Jehovah promised your ancestors AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob that He would give to you.’

Chapter 31

¹ Well, after Moses had finished telling the children of IsraEl all these things, he said: ² ‘I’m a hundred and twenty years old today, and I won’t be able to [lead] you anymore. For Jehovah told me that I may not cross the Jordan. ³ However, Jehovah your God will continue to walk before you… He will destroy the nations before you and you will inherit them. And He told me that JoShua will now lead you.

⁴ ‘Jehovah your God will do the same things to [those nations] that He did to the two Amorite kings, Seon and Og, and to their land on [this side] of the Jordan, when He destroyed them. ⁵ Jehovah has given them to you, and you must do all that I’ve said you must do to them. ⁶ So, be courageous and strong! Don’t be afraid or act cowardly… don’t let them scare you! For Jehovah your God is marching with you and among you, and He won’t forsake you or leave you.’

⁷ Then Moses called JoShua and said to him before all IsraEl: ‘You must be courageous and strong, for now you must lead these people into the land that Jehovah swore to your ancestors that He would give to them as their inheritance. ⁸ Jehovah will be going with you, and He won’t forsake you or abandon you; so, don’t be timid or afraid!’

⁹ Then Moses wrote the words of this Law in a scroll and gave it to the priests (those sons of Levi who bear the Chest of Jehovah’s Sacred Agreement) and to the elders of the sons of IsraEl. ¹⁰ And after that, Moses told them this: ‘After seven years, during the Year of Release and on the Feast of Temporary Structures ¹¹ when all IsraEl assembles before Jehovah your God in the place that Jehovah will choose; you must read this Law so that all IsraEl can hear it. ¹² The whole assembly – the men, the women, the children, and any converts who are living in your cities – must all hear it, so that they may learn to fear Jehovah your God and to obey all the words of this Law. ¹³ Also, the sons who haven’t [been born yet] must hear it and learn to fear Jehovah your God for as long as they live in the land that you’re crossing the Jordan to inherit.’

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses: ‘Look; The day of your death has arrived! Now, call JoShua and go stand at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs, where l can [explain things] to him.’

So, Moses and JoShua went to the Tent of Proofs and stood at the entrance. ¹⁵ Then the Lord descended in a cloud and stood next to the entrance in a column of clouds. ¹⁶ And He said to Moses: ‘{Look!} [It’s time] for you to go to sleep with your ancestors. However, from among these people [some] will arise who will commit adultery with the strange gods of the land that they will be entering… they will leave Me and break the Sacred Agreement that I made with them. ¹⁷ And when that happens, I will be very angry with them and I will leave them… I’ll turn My face away from them and they will thereafter be devoured. But after many bad things and plagues have come upon them, they will [finally] say, These bad things have happened to us because Jehovah our God isn’t with us! ¹⁸ However, I will still just look away, because of all the wicked and evil things that they will do, and because they will have turned to other gods.

¹⁹ ‘Now, write the words of this song and teach it to the children of IsraEl… have them learn to sing it, so this song may testify about Me to the faces of the children of IsraEl. ²⁰ For I’m bringing them into the good land that I swore to their ancestors that I’d give to them… a land flowing with milk and honey. But after they’ve eaten and are full and satisfied, they will turn and follow other gods and serve them… they will break their Sacred Agreement with Me and anger Me. ²¹ And it’s this song that will stand as a witness against them, because they won’t forget it, nor will their seed ever forget it. For I’ve known how wicked they are and of the wicked things that they will do long before I brought them to this good land that I promised to their ancestors.’

²² So Moses wrote the song that day, which he would thereafter teach to the children of IsraEl. ²³ Then he spoke to JoShua and said: ‘Be courageous and strong, because you’re now going to lead the sons of IsraEl into the land that Jehovah promised to them… and He will be with you!’

²⁴ It was then that Moses finished writing the words of this Law all the way to the end. ²⁵ And thereafter, he gave these instructions to the Levites who bear the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah, saying, ²⁶ ‘Take this scroll of the Law and put it inside the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of your God Jehovah, so it will [always] be there among you as a testimony.

²⁷ ‘Oh, I know how irritating and rebellious [these people] can be; for throughout my life with them – down to this day – they’ve been provoking God by the ways that they act. So, how can I expect them to be any different after my death?

²⁸ ‘Now, gather all the heads of your tribes, as well as your elders, judges, and officers, so that I can speak all these words into their ears as I call the land and the sky as witnesses against them. ²⁹ For I know that after my death they’ll become very sinful and turn from the ways that I’ve commanded them [to follow]… then bad things will eventually happen to them because they will make their God Jehovah angry with all the evil things they will do.’

And thereafter, Moses spoke the words of this song, teaching it to the whole gathering:

Chapter 32

¹ ‘Listen, O heavens, and I’ll speak…
May even the ground hear the words from my mouth.
² May the things that I say be looked for like rain,
And may my words fall like dew…
Like a shower on the plants and snow on the grass.

³ ‘For I’ve called on the Name of the Lord,
And I’ve spoken of the greatness of God.
⁴ His works are true and His ways are all just…
He isn’t unrighteous, but faithful…
Jehovah is holy and fair.

⁵ ‘Against Him, they have all sinned,
For they are children with spots…
A generation of the pushy and perverted.
⁶ Is this how they repay Jehovah?

‘Are these people all foolish and stupid?
Didn’t He become their own Father?
Didn’t He purchase them back?
Didn’t He form them and make them?

⁷ ‘Remember the days of long ago…
Think of the years of past ages.
Ask your fathers and they will remind you…
Ask your elders and they will explain.

⁸ ‘When the Most High divided the nations…
When the sons of Adam, He moved apart,
He set the borders for all of the nations
By the numbers of the messengers from God.

⁹ ‘Jacob (His people), became the Lord’s portion;
IsraEl was what He’d inherit.
¹⁰ So He kept them alive in land that was dry,
And in the desert, [He sated] their thirst.
He then led them around and He taught them,
And He kept them as the apple of His eye.

¹¹ ‘As an eagle who watches over his brood,
And as one who yearns for his young,
They were chosen by Him.
So [for them], He spread out His wings
And He lifted them onto His back.

¹² ‘It was only Jehovah who led them,
When no other gods had they known.
¹³ He raised them on the strength of the land,
And fed them with the fruit of the fields.
So, out of rocks, they sucked honey,
And out of boulders, sucked oil.

¹⁴ ‘With the butter of cows and the milk of their sheep…
With the fat of their lambs and their rams, calves, and kids…
With the fat of kidneys and wheat.
They also drank wine… the blood of the grape.
¹⁵ So, Jacob ate and was filled.

‘Then this loved one kicked and grew fat…
He soon became thick and broad.
And from the God who made him, he turned…
From the God who’d saved him, he strayed.

¹⁶ ‘With strange gods, they enraged Me,
And with loathsome things, made Me angry.
¹⁷ To demons unknown, they then sacrificed,
And not to the God [of all] gods.

‘They then turned to things that were new…
[Things] of which their fathers knew not,
¹⁸ And they left the God who gave them birth…
They forgot the God who provided their food.

¹⁹ ‘Jehovah was jealous when He saw this…
By His sons and daughters, He was enraged.
²⁰ So He said, From them, I’ll now turn My face,
And I’ll show them what the last days will bring.
For, they’re a perverted generation,
And they are unfaithful sons.

²¹ ‘They’ve made Me angry and jealous,
With gods that are nothing at all,
And they also disturbed Me with idols.
So I’ll make them angry and jealous
Over those who are not [of your] nation…
I’ll enrage them with people who never knew.

²² ‘For a fire has been started by My rage,
Which will burn to the place of the dead down below.
It’ll devour their whole land and its fruitage,
And burn it to the bottoms of their hills.

²³ ‘Evil things, I’ll now bring upon them…
I’ll fight them with all of My weapons.
²⁴ With hunger, they will be consumed,
And their [bodies] will be eaten by birds…
Their destruction will not be repaired.

‘I’ll send against them the teeth of wild beasts,
And the rage of things that crawl on the ground.

²⁵ ‘Their children will be taken from them without swords,
And in their beds, there’ll be terror.
Young men will be killed along with the virgins,
As well as the newborn and those who’ve grown old.
²⁶ For I told them that they would be scattered,
And their memory erased among men.

²⁷ ‘Were it not for their enemys’ rage,
They would have lived a long time.
But their enemies will have gathered to attack them.

‘But, may their enemies not say:
I did this with my own mighty arm.
For, it’s Jehovah who will do all these things.

²⁸ ‘They’re a nation that has lost its direction,
And there’s no understanding among them…
²⁹ They have no sense, so they won’t understand,
That after they’ve made such a choice,
This is what will happen to them.

³⁰ ‘How can one man chase a thousand of them,
Or two men route tens of thousands,
Unless they’d been sold by their God…
If Jehovah hadn’t handed them over?

³¹ ‘Since their [new] gods are not like our God,
Our enemies will not understand.
³² For their vine is like that of Sodom,
And the branch of their vine is GomorRah.
All their grapes are like gall,
And all their clusters are bitter.
³³ Like the rage of snakes is their wine…
Like the deadly anger of asps.

³⁴ ‘{Look!} Weren’t they all assembled by Me…
Weren’t they sealed up with My treasures?
³⁵ So in the time of My vengeance, I will pay them back,
And their feet will be tripped in that day
When their destruction has arrived,
And My decisions have fallen upon them.

³⁶ ‘For Jehovah will judge all His people,
And take comfort [in the fall of] His servants.
Because He saw they were failing and weak;
In a hostile invasion, they’ll [fall].

³⁷ ‘So, where are these gods in whom you’ve put trust…
³⁸ Where is the fat that they ate,
And the wine that you offered, which they drank?
Let them arise and come to your aid…
Let them become your protectors!

³⁹ ‘Look! I AM… there are no gods other than Me!
I alone can kill or make it alive…
Only I can strike down or heal…
They can’t wrest this power from My hands!

⁴⁰ ‘So I’ll lift My hand to the heavens and swear;
Yes, by My right hand, I can say:
I am alive through the ages!

⁴¹ ‘Then, I will grab hold of My sword,
And make it like lightning, there in My hand.
I’ll grab My enemies and judge them in justice,
And pay back all those who hate Me.

⁴² ‘My weapons will then be drunk on their blood,
And My sword will devour much flesh…
With the blood of the wounded and captured,
And the heads of My enemies that ruled them.

⁴³ ‘So rejoice with Him, O you heavens,
And may all of God’s messengers bow low to Him.
Rejoice with His people, you nations,
And may all of God’s sons gain strength from Him.

‘For, He will avenge the blood of His sons,
And on His enemies, bring vengeance and justice.
He’ll bring what’s due to all those who hate Him,
When they’re purged from the land of His people.’

⁴⁴ This was the song that Moses wrote on that day, and which he then taught to the children of IsraEl.

And thereafter, Moses and JoShua (the son of NaWeh) [stood up] and [read] all the words of this Law where the people could hear it. ⁴⁵ And when they had finished, ⁴⁶ [Moses] added: ‘Pay whole-hearted attention to these words that I [read] to you today, and command your sons to follow and obey all the words of this Law. ⁴⁷ Don’t allow these to be just words to you, for they’re your life… they will allow you to live for a long time in the land that you’re crossing the Jordan to inherit!’

⁴⁸ Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said: ⁴⁹ ‘Now, go to the mountains of your forefathers and climb Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab near JeriCho, and gaze at the land of CanaAn that I’m giving to the sons of IsraEl. ⁵⁰ Then you will die in those mountains and be added to your people, just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Or and was added to his people. ⁵¹ For you disobeyed [Me before] the children of IsraEl at the Waters of Rebellion at Kadesh in the Sin desert, when you failed to [speak of] Me in a holy way among the sons of IsraEl. ⁵² However, [I want you to] see this land that’s before you, which you will not be allowed to enter.’

Chapter 33

¹ Then Moses, the man of God, gave this blessing to the children of IsraEl before he died. ² He said:

‘Jehovah came from Mount SinAi,
And He appeared to us at Mount Seir.
Then He quickly moved to Mount Pharan
With ten thousand Holy Ones at His right,
And [all] His messengers with him.

³ ‘To His people, He then brought salvation…
His holy ones, [He kept] in His hands.
Below Him, they [heard] His words…
⁴ The Law, which Moses gave as their own
To the gathering of Jacob.

⁵ ‘He will be with the leader He loves,
And the rulers of the peoples, among IsraEl’s tribes.

⁶ ‘May ReuBen live and never die out,
And may he grow into a crowd.’

⁷ And this is the blessing of Judah:
‘O Jehovah; listen to what Judah asks,
And pay attention to his people.
With his hands, he will wage war,
And against his enemies, You’ll give him aid.’

⁸ And for Levi he said:
‘Give Levi the signs and the truth
Of a man who’s been very holy.
For they tested him at the Temptation,
And spoke against him at the Waters of Rebellion.

⁹ ‘He’s the one who must say to his father and mother,
[Sorry], but I can’t [come to] visit.
He knows not his brothers, and he knows not his sons,
But he’s kept Your words and Your Sacred Agreement.

¹⁰ ‘[Levi] will proclaim Your rules among Jacob,
And Your Laws among IsraEl.
They’ll always burn incense on Your Altar,
Even in times of Your rage.

¹¹ ‘O Jehovah;
Please keep on blessing his strength,
And accept the things that he offers.
Break all the enemies that may come against him,
And don’t allow those who hate him to stand.’

¹² And to BenJamin he said:
‘Jehovah’s beloved, in safety will live;
For God’s shadow will always be with him,
And between [God’s] shoulders, he’ll rest.’

¹³ And to JoSeph he said:
‘His land is the blest of Jehovah…
[A land of] seasons, sky, dew, and deep wells…
¹⁴ Of the fruitage of the changes in the seasons and sun,
And the produce of [each of] the months.

¹⁵ ‘[Water runs down] from the tops of old mountains…
From the tops of the hills of the ages,
¹⁶ To produce full crops in their seasons.

‘May the things that please him be poured on his head;
On the crown of this one who has been glorified
Above all of His brothers.
¹⁷ Like a first-born bull, is his beauty,
And as a rhinoceros, are his horns.

‘He’ll use them to thrust out at nations
To the ends of the earth.
For his are Ephraim’s tens of thousands,
As well as the thousands of ManasSeh.’

¹⁸ And to ZebuLon he said:
‘Rejoice O ZebuLon, as well as all those
Who dwell in IsSachar’s tents.
For you’ll arise ¹⁹ and destroy many nations.

‘Many men, you will call that will gather
To offer sacrifices that are righteous.
The wealth of the sea will be your provisions…
The stores of those who live by the water.’

²⁰ And to Gad he said:
‘Praise the One who’s given Gad more;
For, he will rest like a lion
That has crushed many arms along with their their kings.

²¹ ‘He’ll see that his land bears the first fruits,
And leaders will gather with his people’s chiefs.
For [he’ll do what the Lord says is] righteous,
And to IsraEl, he will bring justice.’

²² And to Dan he said:
‘Dan is the cub of a lion,
And he will leap out of BaShan.’

²³ And to NaphTali he said:
‘NaphTali will be filled with good things,
And he will receive the blessings from God.
For, he will inherit the west and the south.’

²⁴ And to Asher he said:
‘With many children, Asher is blest,
And he’ll be approved by his brothers.
With oil, his feet are anointed,
²⁵ And his sandals are like both iron and brass.

‘He’ll be strong for as long as he lives,
²⁶ Since his helper is the God whom he loves…
The One who rides through the skies…
The Magnificent One of the cosmos.

²⁷ ‘[And as long as he stays under] God’s rule,
He will [be there] to protect you.
He will drive your enemies away
By the great might of His arm.
He’ll drive them away through the ages,
Saying to them, Be destroyed.’

²⁸ ‘So, IsraEl will live by themselves
In safety, within Jacob’s land;
With grain, and wine, and the clouds in the sky,
And with plenty of dew.

²⁹ ‘You’re blest, O IsraEl, for who else is like you…
You who’ve been saved by your helper, God.

‘He’ll hold His shield over you,
And of His sword, you will boast.
Then, you will tred on the necks
Of the enemies who’ve dared to lie before you.’

Chapter 34

¹ Finally, Moses went from ArabOth in Moab to the Nabau Mountains, and climbed to the top of Mount Pisgah (near JeriCho). There Jehovah showed him all of GileAd to the land of Dan, the land of NaphTali, ² the lands of Ephraim and ManasSeh, the land of Judah all the way to the Sea, ³ the whole desert, the country around JeriCho, and the land between the City of Palm Trees and Segor. ⁴ Then Jehovah said to Moses: ‘This is the land that I swore that I would give to the seed of AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob. And now that you’ve seen it, you may not go there.’

⁵ So Moses, the servant of Jehovah, died there in the land of Moab, as Jehovah said, ⁶ and he was buried in Gai, near the house of Phogor… but no one has seen his tomb to this day.

⁷ When he died, Moses was a hundred and twenty years old. Yet, his eyes were still sharp and he still had all his natural functions.

⁸ Thereafter, the children of IsraEl cried for Moses (in ArabOth of Moab at the Jordan near JeriCho) for thirty days, which was the [maximum traditional] period for mourning.

⁹ Then JoShua (the son of NaWeh) became filled with the spirit of knowledge, because Moses had laid his hands upon him. So, the children of IsraEl listened to him as they did when Jehovah was commanding Moses. ¹⁰ But there was never again a Prophet in IsraEl like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, ¹¹ whom Jehovah sent to perform all the signs and wonders to Egypt (to PharaOh, his servants, and his entire land), ¹² and who displayed before all IsraEl the other great wonders and powers that He had.

Home Page