Joshua to Succeed Moses
And Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.
And he said to them: “I am a hundred and twenty years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in; and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’
The LORD your God — he is crossing before you. He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua — he is crossing before you, as the LORD has spoken.
And the LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorite, and to their land — he destroyed them.
And the LORD will give them before you; and you shall do to them according to all the commandment that I have commanded you.
Be strong and bold. Do not fear, and do not be terrified before them — for the LORD your God, he is the one going with you. He will not let you go, and he will not forsake you.”
And Moses called to Joshua and said to him before the eyes of all Israel: “Be strong and bold — for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.
And the LORD — he is the one going before you. He will be with you; he will not let you go, and he will not forsake you. Do not fear, and do not be dismayed.”
The Reading of the Law
And Moses wrote this instruction, and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.
And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time of the year of release, at the Festival of Booths,
when all Israel comes to appear before the face of the LORD your God in the place that he chooses, you shall read this instruction in front of all Israel, in their ears.
Assemble the people — the men, and the women, and the little ones, and your sojourner who is within your gates — so that they may hear, and so that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and keep to do all the words of this instruction;
and their sons, who have not known — they shall hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, all the days that you live on the ground that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
God Commissions Joshua
And the LORD said to Moses, “Look — your days to die have drawn near. Call Joshua, and station yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, and I will commission him.” And Moses and Joshua went and stationed themselves in the Tent of Meeting.
And the LORD appeared in the tent, in a pillar of cloud; and the pillar of cloud stood at the door of the tent.
And the LORD said to Moses: “Look — you are lying down with your fathers; and this people will rise up and go whoring after the foreign gods of the land into whose midst they are going. And they will forsake me, and break my covenant that I have cut with them.
And my anger will burn against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured; and many evils and distresses will find them. And they will say in that day, ‘Is it not because my God is not in my midst that these evils have found me?’
But I will surely hide my face in that day, because of all the evil that they have done — for they turned to other gods.
And now, write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it in their mouths — so that this song may be a witness for me against the sons of Israel.
For I will bring them into the ground that I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey; and they will eat and be satisfied and grow fat, and turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.
And it shall be, when many evils and distresses find them, that this song will answer before them as a witness — for it will not be forgotten from the mouth of their seed. For I know their inclination, what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore.”
And Moses wrote this song on that day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.
And he commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and bold — for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land that I swore to them; and I will be with you.”
The Law Placed in the Ark
And it was, when Moses had finished writing the words of this instruction in a book, to their very end,
that Moses commanded the Levites who carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying:
“Take this book of the instruction, and set it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God; and it shall be there as a witness against you.
For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. Look — while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious with the LORD; and how much more after my death!
Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, and I will speak these words in their ears, and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them.
For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly, and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you; and the evil will meet you in the days to come, because you will do the evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him with the work of your hands.”
Moses Begins His Song
And Moses spoke, in the ears of all the assembly of Israel, the words of this song, to their very end.