1 So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, “I am ADeut 34:7a hundred and twenty years old today; BNum 27:17; 1 Kin 3:7I am no longer able to come and go, and the Loʀᴅ has said to me, ‘CDeut 1:37; 3:27You shall not cross this Jordan.’ 3  “ADeut 9:3It is the Loʀᴅ your God who will cross ahead of you; He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. BNum 27:18Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, just as the Loʀᴅ has spoken. 4  “The Loʀᴅ 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  “ADeut 7:2The Loʀᴅ will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you. 6  “AJosh 10:25; 1 Chr 22:13Be strong and courageous, BDeut 1:29; 7:18; 20:1do not be afraid or tremble at them, for CDeut 20:4the Loʀᴅ your God is the one who goes with you. DJosh 1:5; Heb 13:5He will not fail you or forsake you.”

7 Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “ADeut 1:38; 3:28Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the Loʀᴅ has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. 8  “AEx 13:21; 33:14The Loʀᴅ is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. BDeut 31:6; Josh 1:5; Heb 13:5He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

9 So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi ANum 4:5, 6, 15; Deut 10:8; 31:25, 26; Josh 3:3who carried the ark of the covenant of the Loʀᴅ, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of ADeut 15:1, 2the year of remission of debts, at the BLev 23:34; Deut 16:13Feast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes ADeut 16:16to appear before the Loʀᴅ your God at BDeut 12:5the place which He will choose, CJosh 8:34; 2 Kin 23:2you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing. 12  “Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and 1Lit your alienthe alien who is in your 2Lit gatestown, so that they may hear and ADeut 4:10learn and fear the Loʀᴅ your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law. 13  “Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the Loʀᴅ your God, as long as you live on the land 1Lit wherewhich you are about to cross the Jordan to 2Lit possess itpossess.”

14 Then the Loʀᴅ said to Moses, “Behold, 1Lit your days to die areANum 27:12, 13; Deut 4:22; 32:50the time for you to die is near; call Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.” BEx 33:9-11So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. 15 AEx 33:9The Loʀᴅ appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the doorway of the tent. 16 The Loʀᴅ said to Moses, “Behold, AGen 15:15you are about to lie down with your fathers; and BEx 34:15; Deut 4:25-28; Judg 2:11, 12, 17this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and CJudg 10:6; 1 Kin 18:18; 19:10; Jer 2:13will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17  “AJudg 2:14; 6:13Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and B2 Chr 15:2; 24:20I will forsake them and CPs 104:29; Is 8:17hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will come upon them; so that they will say in that day, ‘DNum 14:42Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?’ 18  “But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods.

19 “Now therefore, ADeut 31:22write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it 1Lit in their mouthson their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel. 20  “ADeut 6:10-12; 8:10, 19; 11:16, 17For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and BDeut 32:15-17become 1Lit fatprosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant. 21  “Then it shall come about, ALev 26:41; Deut 4:30when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the 1Lit mouth of its seedlips of their descendants); for B1 Chr 28:9; John 2:24, 25I know their intent which they are 2Lit makingdeveloping today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.” 22 ADeut 31:19So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.

23 ANum 27:23; Deut 31:7Then He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “BJosh 1:6Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and CEx 3:12I 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 ADeut 31:9who carried the ark of the covenant of the Loʀᴅ, saying, 26 “Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Loʀᴅ your God, that it may 1Lit beremain there as a witness against you. 27  “For I know ADeut 9:7, 24your rebellion and BEx 32:9; Deut 9:6, 13your 1Lit stiff neckstubbornness; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the Loʀᴅ; 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 ADeut 4:26; 30:19; 32:1call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. 29  “For I know that after my death you will AJudg 2:19act corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, for you will do that which is evil in the sight of the Loʀᴅ, 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: