Deuteronomy 1

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  1. 1These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan, in the wilderness, in the plain opposite the Red Sea, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
  2. 2(The journey from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by way of Mount Seir takes only 11 days.)
  3. 3On the 1st day of the 11th month, in the 40th year of their journey, Moses addressed the people of Israel. He told them everything the LORD had commanded him to say.
  4. 4This was after he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei.
  5. 5There, east of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law. He said:
  6. 6"The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb and said, 'You've stayed at this mountain long enough.
  7. 7Break camp and head for the hill country of the Amorites and all the surrounding regions — the Arabah, the highlands, the lowlands, the Negev, and the coast — all the way through the land of the Canaanites and into Lebanon, as far as the great Euphrates River.
  8. 8Look — I'm giving you this land. Go in and take possession of it. This is the land the LORD promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants after them.'"
  9. 9"At that time I told you, 'I can't carry the weight of leading all of you by myself.
  10. 10The LORD your God has made you so numerous that today you're as countless as the stars in the sky.
  11. 11(May the LORD, the God of your ancestors, multiply you a thousand times over and bless you just as he promised!)
  12. 12But how can I handle all your problems, your burdens, and your disputes on my own?
  13. 13Choose wise, discerning, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I'll appoint them as your leaders."
  14. 14You agreed and said, "That's a good plan. Let's do it."
  15. 15So I selected the leading men of your tribes — wise and respected — and appointed them over you as commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, along with other officials for each tribe.
  16. 16I also gave your judges clear instructions at that time: "Listen carefully to disputes among your people and judge fairly — whether the case involves a fellow Israelite or a foreigner living among you.
  17. 17Don't show favoritism in your rulings. Give the same hearing to the powerless as you do to the powerful. Don't be intimidated by anyone, because judgment belongs to God. If any case is too difficult for you, bring it to me and I'll handle it."
  18. 18At that time I gave you instructions for everything you needed to do.
  19. 19Then we left Horeb and traveled through that vast and terrifying wilderness — the one you remember well — on the road toward the Amorite hill country, just as the LORD our God had commanded. Eventually we arrived at Kadesh Barnea.
  20. 20When we got there, I told you, "You've reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving to us.
  21. 21Look — the LORD your God has placed this land right in front of you. Go up and take it, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, told you. Don't be afraid, and don't lose heart."
  22. 22But all of you came to me and said, "Let's send men ahead to scout out the land. They can report back on the best route to take and which cities we'll encounter."
  23. 23That sounded like a good idea to me, so I chose 12 men — one from each tribe.
  24. 24They set out into the hill country and made their way to the valley of Eshcol, where they explored the area.
  25. 25They brought back some of the land's fruit and gave us their report: "It's a good land that the LORD our God is giving us."
  26. 26But you refused to go up. You rebelled against the command of the LORD your God.
  27. 27You grumbled in your tents and said, "The LORD hates us! That's why he brought us out of Egypt — to hand us over to the Amorites and let them destroy us.
  28. 28Where are we supposed to go? Our own scouts have terrified us! They said the people there are bigger and taller than we are, the cities are massive with walls reaching to the sky, and they even saw descendants of the Anakim there!"
  29. 29So I told you, "Don't be terrified. Don't be afraid of them.
  30. 30The LORD your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you, just like he did in Egypt — you saw it with your own eyes.
  31. 31And in the wilderness, you saw how the LORD your God carried you the entire way, like a father carries his son, all the way to this place."
  32. 32But even after all that, you still didn't trust the LORD your God —
  33. 33the same God who traveled ahead of you to find places for you to camp, guiding you with fire at night and a cloud by day to show you which way to go.
  34. 34The LORD heard your complaining and was furious. He made an oath, saying,
  35. 35"Not a single person from this evil generation will see the good land I swore to give your ancestors —
  36. 36except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his children the land he has walked on, because he has wholly followed the LORD.
  37. 37The LORD was also angry with me because of you. He told me, "You won't enter that land either.
  38. 38But Joshua son of Nun, your assistant, will enter it. Encourage him, because he's the one who will lead Israel to take possession of the land.
  39. 39As for your little ones — the children you claimed would be taken captive — your sons and daughters who don't yet know right from wrong, they will be the ones to enter. I will give the land to them, and they will possess it.
  40. 40But you — turn around and head back into the wilderness toward the Red Sea."
  41. 41Then you said to me, "We have sinned against the LORD. We'll go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us." So each of you strapped on your weapons and assumed you could march right up into the hill country.
  42. 42But the LORD told me, "Warn them: 'Don't go up and don't fight, because I am not with you. If you do, your enemies will crush you.'"
  43. 43I passed along the warning, but you wouldn't listen. You defied the LORD's command and arrogantly marched up into the hills anyway.
  44. 44The Amorites who lived in those hills swarmed out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They cut you down all through Seir, driving you as far as Hormah.
  45. 45You came back and wept before the LORD, but the LORD would not listen to you. He refused to hear your cries.
  46. 46So you stayed at Kadesh for a long time — as long as you remained there.
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