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Deuteronomy 1-2
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

I. First Address

Chapter 1

Introduction. 1 [a]These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah, opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 It is a journey of eleven days from Horeb[b] to Kadesh-barnea by way of the highlands of Seir.

3 In the fortieth year,[c] on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the Israelites according to all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to them, 4 after he had defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon,(A) and Og, king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei. 5 Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law:

Departure from Horeb. 6 [d](B)The Lord, our God, said to us at Horeb:[e] You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Leave here and go to the hill country of the Amorites[f] and to all the surrounding regions, the Arabah, the mountains, the Shephelah, the Negeb and the seacoast—the land of the Canaanites and the Lebanon as far as the Great River, the Euphrates. 8 See, I have given that land over to you.(C) Go now and possess the land that the Lord swore to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after them.

Appointment of Elders. 9 (D)At that time I said to you, “I am unable to carry you by myself.(E) 10 The Lord, your God, has made you numerous, and now you are as numerous as the stars of the heavens.(F) 11 May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times over, and bless you as he promised! 12 But how can I, by myself, bear the weight, the contentiousness of you? 13 Provide wise, discerning, and reputable persons for each of your tribes, that I may appoint them as your leaders.” 14 You answered me, “What you have proposed is good.” 15 So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and reputable, and set them as leaders over you, commanders over thousands, over hundreds, over fifties and over tens, and other tribal officers. 16 (G)I charged your judges at that time, “Listen to complaints among your relatives, and administer true justice to both parties even if one of them is a resident alien. 17 In rendering judgment, do not consider who a person is; give ear to the lowly and to the great alike, fearing no one, for the judgment is God’s. Any case that is too difficult for you bring to me and I will hear it.” 18 Thus I charged you, at that time, with all the things you were to do.

The Twelve Scouts. 19 (H)Then we set out from Horeb and journeyed through that whole vast and fearful wilderness that you have seen, in the direction of the hill country of the Amorites, as the Lord, our God, had commanded; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.(I) 20 I said to you, “You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord, our God, is giving us. 21 See, the Lord, your God, has given this land over to you. Go up and take possession of it, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” 22 Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and report to us on the road we should follow and the cities we will come upon.” 23 Agreeing with the proposal, I took twelve men from your number, one from each tribe. 24 They set out into the hill country as far as the Wadi Eshcol, and explored it. 25 Then, taking along some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, “The land the Lord, our God, is giving us is good.”

Threats of Revolt. 26 (J)But you refused to go up;(K) you defied the command of the Lord, your God. 27 You set to murmuring in your tents, “Out of hatred for us the Lord has brought us out of the land of Egypt,(L) to deliver us into the power of the Amorites and destroy us. 28 What shall we meet with up there? Our men have made our hearts melt by saying, ‘The people are bigger and taller than we, and their cities are large and fortified to the sky; besides, we saw the Anakim[g] there.’”(M)

29 But I said to you, “Have no dread or fear of them. 30 (N)The Lord, your God, who goes before you, is the one who will fight for you, just as he acted with you before your very eyes in Egypt, 31 as well as in the wilderness, where you saw how the Lord, your God, carried you, as one carries his own child, all along your journey until you arrived at this place.” 32 Despite this, you would not trust the Lord, your God, 33 who journeys before you to find you a place to camp—by night in the fire, and by day in the cloud, to show you the way to go.(O) 34 When the Lord heard your words, he was angry, and took an oath: 35 Not a single one of this evil generation shall look upon the good land I swore to give to your ancestors, 36 except Caleb,[h] son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, for to him and to his descendants I will give the land he trod upon,(P) because he has fully followed the Lord.

37 The Lord was angered against me also on your account, and said, You shall not enter there either,(Q) 38 but Joshua,(R) son of Nun, your attendant, shall enter. Encourage him, for he is the one who is to give Israel its possession. 39 Your little ones, who you said would become plunder, and your children, who as yet do not know good from evil—they shall enter there; to them I will give it, and they shall take possession of it. 40 But as for yourselves: turn back and proceed into the wilderness on the Red Sea road.

Unsuccessful Invasion. 41 (S)In reply you said to me, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up ourselves and fight, just as the Lord, our God, commanded us.” And each of you girded on his weapons, making light of going up into the hill country. 42 But the Lord said to me, Warn them: Do not go up and fight—for I will not be in your midst—lest you be beaten down before your enemies. 43 I gave you this warning but you would not listen. You defied the Lord’s command and arrogantly went off into the hill country. 44 Then the Amorites living in that hill country came out against you and put you to flight the way bees do, cutting you down in Seir as far as Hormah. 45 On your return you wept before the Lord, but the Lord did not listen to your voice or give ear to you. 46 That is why you had to stay as long as you did at Kadesh.

Chapter 2

Northward Along Edom. 1 (T)Then we turned and proceeded into the wilderness on the Red Sea road,(U) as the Lord had told me, and circled around the highlands of Seir for a long time. 2 Finally the Lord said to me, 3 You have wandered round these highlands long enough; turn and go north. 4 Command the people: You are now about to pass through the territory of your relatives, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. Though they are afraid of you, be very careful 5 not to come in conflict with them, for I will not give you so much as a foot of their land, since I have already given Esau possession of the highlands of Seir.(V) 6 You shall purchase from them with money the food you eat; even the water you drink you shall buy from them with money. 7 Surely, the Lord, your God, has blessed you in all your undertakings; he has been concerned[i] about your journey through this vast wilderness. It is now forty years that the Lord, your God, has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.(W) 8 So we passed by our relatives, the descendants of Esau who live in Seir, leaving behind us the Arabah route, Elath, and Ezion-geber.

Along Moab. Then we turned and passed on toward the wilderness of Moab. 9 (X)And the Lord said to me, Do not show hostility to the Moabites or engage them in battle, for I will not give you possession of any of their land, since I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession.(Y) 10 (Formerly the Emim lived there, a people great and numerous and as tall as the Anakim;(Z) 11 like the Anakim they are considered Rephaim, though the Moabites call them Emim.(AA) 12 In Seir, however, the former inhabitants were the Horites;(AB) the descendants of Esau dispossessed them, clearing them out of the way and dwelling in their place, just as Israel has done in the land of its possession which the Lord gave it.) 13 Now get ready to cross the Wadi Zered.

So we crossed the Wadi Zered. 14 (AC)Now thirty-eight years had elapsed between our departure from Kadesh-barnea and the crossing of the Wadi Zered; in the meantime the whole generation of soldiers had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn they should. 15 Indeed the Lord’s own hand was against them, to rout them from the camp completely.

Along Ammon. 16 (AD)When at length death had put an end to all the soldiers among the people, 17 the Lord said to me, 18 You are now about to leave Ar and the territory of Moab behind. 19 As you come opposite the Ammonites,(AE) do not show hostility or come in conflict with them, for I will not give you possession of any land of the Ammonites, since I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession. 20 (This also is considered a country of the Rephaim; formerly the Rephaim dwelt there. The Ammonites call them Zamzummim,(AF) 21 a people great and numerous and as tall as the Anakim. But these, too, the Lord cleared out of the way for the Ammonites, so that they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place.(AG) 22 He did the same for the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, by clearing the Horites out of their way, so that they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place down to the present.(AH) 23 As for the Avvim, who once lived in villages in the vicinity of Gaza,[j] the Caphtorim, migrating from Caphtor, cleared them away and dwelt in their place.)(AI)

Defeat of Sihon. 24 (AJ)Advance now across the Wadi Arnon. I now deliver into your power Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession; engage him in battle.(AK) 25 This day I will begin to put a fear and dread of you into the peoples everywhere under heaven, so that at the mention of your name they will quake and tremble before you.

26 So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon, king of Heshbon, with this offer of peace: 27 “Let me pass through your country. I will travel only on the road. I will not turn aside either to the right or to the left. 28 The food I eat you will sell me for money, and the water I drink, you will give me for money. Only let me march through, 29 as the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar have done, until I cross the Jordan into the land the Lord, our God, is about to give us.”(AL) 30 But Sihon, king of Heshbon, refused to let us pass through his land, because the Lord, your God, made him stubborn in mind and obstinate in heart that he might deliver him into your power, as indeed he has now done.

31 Then the Lord said to me, Now that I have already begun to give over to you Sihon and his land, begin to take possession. 32 So Sihon and all his people advanced against us to join battle at Jahaz; 33 but since the Lord, our God, had given him over to us, we defeated him and his sons and all his people. 34 (AM)At that time we captured all his cities and put every city under the ban,[k] men, women and children; we left no survivor. 35 Our only plunder was the livestock and the spoils of the captured cities. 36 From Aroer on the edge of the Wadi Arnon and from the town in the wadi itself, as far as Gilead,(AN) no city was too well fortified for us. All of them the Lord, our God, gave over to us. 37 However, just as the Lord, our God, commanded us, you did not encroach upon any of the Ammonite land, neither the region bordering on the Wadi Jabbok, nor the cities of the highlands.(AO)

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 The entire book of Deuteronomy is set “beyond the Jordan,” in the land of Moab (cf. v. 5; Nm 36:13), on the eve of the Israelites’ crossing of the Jordan (Jos 3). The Arabah: the valley of the Jordan and the depression south of the Dead Sea.
  2. 1:2 Horeb: an alternative name for Mount Sinai, the wilderness mountain where the Israelites received revelation from God (cf. Ex 3; 19). Kadesh-barnea: the southern gateway to the land of Canaan, from which Moses sent spies to reconnoiter the land (cf. Nm 13:26; 32:8). Seir: Edom, the land just south of Moab.
  3. 1:3 Fortieth year: counting from the exodus from Egypt (cf. Ex 12:2; 13:20–22).
  4. 1:6–3:29 Throughout this section Moses is reviewing the events following the departure from Horeb, as a basis for the exhortation beginning in 4:1. Most of these events are narrated with some variation in the Book of Numbers.
  5. 1:6 Horeb: the name given to the mountain of revelation in the Elohist and Deuteronomic traditions; this mountain is called Sinai in the Yahwist and Priestly traditions.
  6. 1:7 The hill country of the Amorites: the central mountain range of Palestine. The Negeb: the arid land in southern Palestine. The Lebanon: the mountain range of Phoenicia, north of Palestine. This is an idealized presentation of the land the Israelites were to occupy; Israel never held power as far as the “Great River” (the Euphrates). The Amorites and the Canaanites were only two of several different peoples occupying the land (cf. 7:1).
  7. 1:28 Anakim: a people proverbially notable for height, mentioned in pre-Israelite Egyptian texts, and in the biblical tradition associated with the region of Hebron and the hill country of Judah (Nm 13:22, 28, 33; Jos 11:21; 14:12, 15).
  8. 1:36 Except Caleb: and Joshua (v. 38).
  9. 2:7 Concerned: lit., “known”; cf. Ex 2:25.
  10. 2:23 Gaza: later a stronghold of the Philistines (cf. Jos 13:3). Caphtor: the island of Crete.
  11. 2:34 Under the ban: in Hebrew, herem, which means to devote to the Lord (cf. 7:1–5; 20:10–18). The biblical text often presents herem as the total extermination of a population as a manifestation of the will of the Lord. It is historically doubtful that Israel ever literally carried out this theological program.
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Deuteronomy 1-2
New International Version

The Command to Leave Horeb

1 These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan(A)—that is, in the Arabah(B)—opposite Suph, between Paran(C) and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. 2 (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb(D) to Kadesh Barnea(E) by the Mount Seir(F) road.)(G)

3 In the fortieth year,(H) on the first day of the eleventh month,(I) Moses proclaimed(J) to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them. 4 This was after he had defeated Sihon(K) king of the Amorites,(L) who reigned in Heshbon,(M) and at Edrei had defeated Og(N) king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.(O)

5 East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab,(P) Moses began to expound this law, saying:

6 The Lord our God said to us(Q) at Horeb,(R) “You have stayed long enough(S) at this mountain. 7 Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites;(T) go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah,(U) in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev(V) and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites(W) and to Lebanon,(X) as far as the great river, the Euphrates.(Y) 8 See, I have given you this land(Z).(AA) Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore(AB) he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”

The Appointment of Leaders

9 At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden(AC) for me to carry alone.(AD) 10 The Lord your God has increased(AE) your numbers(AF) so that today you are as numerous(AG) as the stars in the sky.(AH) 11 May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase(AI) you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!(AJ) 12 But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself?(AK) 13 Choose some wise, understanding and respected men(AL) from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”

14 You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.”

15 So I took(AM) the leading men of your tribes,(AN) wise and respected men,(AO) and appointed them to have authority over you—as commanders(AP) of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials.(AQ) 16 And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge(AR) fairly,(AS) whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you.(AT) 17 Do not show partiality(AU) in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone,(AV) for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.”(AW) 18 And at that time I told you everything you were to do.(AX)

Spies Sent Out

19 Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites(AY) through all that vast and dreadful wilderness(AZ) that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea.(BA) 20 Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21 See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession(BB) of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid;(BC) do not be discouraged.”(BD)

22 Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy(BE) out the land(BF) for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”

23 The idea seemed good to me; so I selected(BG) twelve of you, one man from each tribe. 24 They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol(BH) and explored it. 25 Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported,(BI) “It is a good land(BJ) that the Lord our God is giving us.”(BK)

Rebellion Against the Lord

26 But you were unwilling to go up;(BL) you rebelled(BM) against the command of the Lord your God. 27 You grumbled(BN) in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller(BO) than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites(BP) there.’”

29 Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid(BQ) of them.(BR) 30 The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight(BS) for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried(BT) you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”(BU)

32 In spite of this,(BV) you did not trust(BW) in the Lord your God, 33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day,(BX) to search(BY) out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.

34 When the Lord heard(BZ) what you said, he was angry(CA) and solemnly swore:(CB) 35 “No one from this evil generation shall see the good land(CC) I swore to give your ancestors, 36 except Caleb(CD) son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.(CE)”

37 Because of you the Lord became angry(CF) with me also and said, “You shall not enter(CG) it, either. 38 But your assistant, Joshua(CH) son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage(CI) him, because he will lead(CJ) Israel to inherit(CK) it. 39 And the little ones that you said would be taken captive,(CL) your children who do not yet know(CM) good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. 40 But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.[a](CN)”

41 Then you replied, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.

42 But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’”(CO)

43 So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. 44 The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees(CP) and beat you down from Seir(CQ) all the way to Hormah.(CR) 45 You came back and wept before the Lord,(CS) but he paid no attention(CT) to your weeping and turned a deaf ear(CU) to you. 46 And so you stayed in Kadesh(CV) many days—all the time you spent there.

Wanderings in the Wilderness

2 Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea,[b](CW) as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.(CX)

2 Then the Lord said to me, 3 “You have made your way around this hill country long enough;(CY) now turn north. 4 Give the people these orders:(CZ) ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau,(DA) who live in Seir.(DB) They will be afraid(DC) of you, but be very careful. 5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own.(DD) 6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”

7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched(DE) over your journey through this vast wilderness.(DF) These forty years(DG) the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.(DH)

8 So we went on past our relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from(DI) the Arabah(DJ) road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber,(DK) and traveled along the desert road of Moab.(DL)

9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar(DM) to the descendants of Lot(DN) as a possession.”

10 (The Emites(DO) used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites.(DP) 11 Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites,(DQ) but the Moabites called them Emites. 12 Horites(DR) used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did(DS) in the land the Lord gave them as their possession.)

13 And the Lord said, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.(DT)” So we crossed the valley.

14 Thirty-eight years(DU) passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea(DV) until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation(DW) of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them.(DX) 15 The Lord’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated(DY) them from the camp.

16 Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, 17 the Lord said to me, 18 “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar.(DZ) 19 When you come to the Ammonites,(EA) do not harass them or provoke them to war,(EB) for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.(EC)”

20 (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites,(ED) who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. 21 They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites.(EE) The Lord destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place. 22 The Lord had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir,(EF) when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. 23 And as for the Avvites(EG) who lived in villages as far as Gaza,(EH) the Caphtorites(EI) coming out from Caphtor[c](EJ) destroyed them and settled in their place.)

Defeat of Sihon King of Heshbon

24 “Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge.(EK) See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite,(EL) king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage(EM) him in battle. 25 This very day I will begin to put the terror(EN) and fear(EO) of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble(EP) and be in anguish because of you.”

26 From the Desert of Kedemoth(EQ) I sent messengers to Sihon(ER) king of Heshbon offering peace(ES) and saying, 27 “Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left.(ET) 28 Sell us food to eat(EU) and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot(EV)— 29 as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us—until we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us.” 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the Lord(EW) your God had made his spirit stubborn(EX) and his heart obstinate(EY) in order to give him into your hands,(EZ) as he has now done.

31 The Lord said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”(FA)

32 When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle(FB) at Jahaz, 33 the Lord our God delivered(FC) him over to us and we struck him down,(FD) together with his sons and his whole army. 34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed[d](FE) them—men, women and children. We left no survivors. 35 But the livestock(FF) and the plunder(FG) from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. 36 From Aroer(FH) on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead,(FI) not one town was too strong for us. The Lord our God gave(FJ) us all of them. 37 But in accordance with the command of the Lord our God,(FK) you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites,(FL) neither the land along the course of the Jabbok(FM) nor that around the towns in the hills.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 1:40 Or the Sea of Reeds
  2. Deuteronomy 2:1 Or the Sea of Reeds
  3. Deuteronomy 2:23 That is, Crete
  4. Deuteronomy 2:34 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
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