Deu 31 | NASB2020 | STEP | So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel .

Deuteronomy 31

Moses’ Last Counsel

1 So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, “I am ^a120 years old today; ^bI am no longer able to ^{▼▼I.e., as Israel’s leader}go out and come in, and the Lord has told me, ‘ ^dYou shall not cross this Jordan.’ 3 ^eIt is the Lord your God who is going to cross ahead of you; He Himself will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. ^fJoshua is the one who is going to cross ahead of you, just as the Lord has spoken. 4 And the Lord will do to them just as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them. 5 ^gThe Lord will turn them over to you, and you will do to them in accordance with all the commandments which I have commanded you. 6 ^hBe strong and courageous, ⁱdo not be afraid or in dread of them, for ^jthe Lord your God is the One who is going with you. ^kHe will not desert you or abandon you.”

7 Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “ ^lBe strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you will give it to them as an inheritance. 8 And ^mthe Lord is the one who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. ⁿHe will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear and do not be dismayed.”

9 So Moses wrote this Law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi ^owho carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of ^pthe year of the release of debts, at the ^qFeast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes ^rto appear before the Lord your God at ^sthe place which He will choose, ^tyou shall read this Law before all Israel ^{▼▼Lit in their ears}so that they hear it. 12 Assemble the people, the men, the women, the children, and the stranger who is in your ^{▼▼Lit gates}town, so that they may hear and ^wlearn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to ^{▼▼Lit perform}follow all the words of this Law. 13 And their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live on the land ^{▼▼Lit where}which you are about to cross the Jordan to ^{▼▼Lit possess it}possess.”

Israel Will Fall Away

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, ^{▼▼Lit your days to die are
,} ^abthe time for you to die is near; call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, and I will commission him.” ^acSo Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. 15 ^adAnd the Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the entrance of the tent. 16 The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, ^aeyou are about to ^{▼▼I.e., die}lie down with your fathers; and ^agthis people will arise and play the prostitute with the foreign gods of the land into the midst of which they are going, and ^ahthey will abandon Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 ^aiThen My anger will be kindled against them on that day, and ^ajI will abandon them and ^akhide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will find them; so they will say on that day, ‘ ^alIs it not because our God is not among us that these evils have found us?’ 18 But I will assuredly hide My face on that day because of all the evil that they will have done, for they will have turned away to other gods.

19 “Now then, ^amwrite this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it ^{▼▼Lit in their mouths}on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel. 20 ^aoFor when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they eat and are satisfied and ^apbecome ^{▼▼Lit fat}prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant. 21 Then it will come about, ^arwhen many evils and troubles find them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of their ^{▼▼Lit seed}descendants); for ^atI know their inclination which they are ^{▼▼Lit making}developing today, before I bring them into the land which I swore.” 22 ^avSo Moses wrote down this song on the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.

Joshua Is Commissioned

23 ^awThen He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “ ^axBe strong and courageous, for you will bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and ^ayI will be with you.”

24 It came about, when Moses finished writing the words of this Law in a book until they were complete, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites ^azwho carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, 26 “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, so that it may ^{▼▼Lit be}remain there as a witness against you. 27 For I know ^bbyour rebellion and ^bcyour ^{▼▼Lit stiff neck}stubbornness; behold, as long as I have been alive with you until today, you have been rebellious against the Lord; how much more, then, after my death? 28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and ^becall the heavens and the earth as witnesses against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will ^bfbehave very corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will confront you in the latter days, because you will do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands.”

30 Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were complete: