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Deuteronomy 31-34
New Living Translation
Deuteronomy 31-34
New Living Translation
Joshua Becomes Israel’s Leader
31 When Moses had finished giving these instructions[a] to all the people of Israel, 2 he said, “I am now 120 years old, and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has told me, ‘You will not cross the Jordan River.’ 3 But the Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy the nations living there, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua will lead you across the river, just as the Lord promised.
4 “The Lord will destroy the nations living in the land, just as he destroyed Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites. 5 The Lord will hand over to you the people who live there, and you must deal with them as I have commanded you. 6 So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
7 Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, “Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors he would give them. You are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. 8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
Public Reading of the Book of Instruction
9 So Moses wrote this entire body of instruction in a book and gave it to the priests, who carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and to the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses gave them this command: “At the end of every seventh year, the Year of Release, during the Festival of Shelters, 11 you must read this Book of Instruction to all the people of Israel when they assemble before the Lord your God at the place he chooses. 12 Call them all together—men, women, children, and the foreigners living in your towns—so they may hear this Book of Instruction and learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully obey all the terms of these instructions. 13 Do this so that your children who have not known these instructions will hear them and will learn to fear the Lord your God. Do this as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.”
Israel’s Disobedience Predicted
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The time has come for you to die. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tabernacle,[b] so that I may commission him there.” So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the Tabernacle. 15 And the Lord appeared to them in a pillar of cloud that stood at the entrance to the sacred tent.
16 The Lord said to Moses, “You are about to die and join your ancestors. After you are gone, these people will begin to worship foreign gods, the gods of the land where they are going. They will abandon me and break my covenant that I have made with them. 17 Then my anger will blaze forth against them. I will abandon them, hiding my face from them, and they will be devoured. Terrible trouble will come down on them, and on that day they will say, ‘These disasters have come down on us because God is no longer among us!’ 18 At that time I will hide my face from them on account of all the evil they commit by worshiping other gods.
19 “So write down the words of this song, and teach it to the people of Israel. Help them learn it, so it may serve as a witness for me against them. 20 For I will bring them into the land I swore to give their ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey. There they will become prosperous, eat all the food they want, and become fat. But they will begin to worship other gods; they will despise me and break my covenant. 21 And when great disasters come down on them, this song will stand as evidence against them, for it will never be forgotten by their descendants. I know the intentions of these people, even now before they have entered the land I swore to give them.”
22 So that very day Moses wrote down the words of the song and taught it to the Israelites.
23 Then the Lord commissioned Joshua son of Nun with these words: “Be strong and courageous, for you must bring the people of Israel into the land I swore to give them. I will be with you.”
24 When Moses had finished writing this entire body of instruction in a book, 25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant: 26 “Take this Book of Instruction and place it beside the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, so it may remain there as a witness against the people of Israel. 27 For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Even now, while I am still alive and am here with you, you have rebelled against the Lord. How much more rebellious will you be after my death!
28 “Now summon all the elders and officials of your tribes, so that I can speak to them directly and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt and will turn from the way I have commanded you to follow. In the days to come, disaster will come down on you, for you will do what is evil in the Lord’s sight, making him very angry with your actions.”
The Song of Moses
30 So Moses recited this entire song publicly to the assembly of Israel:
32 “Listen, O heavens, and I will speak!
Hear, O earth, the words that I say!
2 Let my teaching fall on you like rain;
let my speech settle like dew.
Let my words fall like rain on tender grass,
like gentle showers on young plants.
3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord;
how glorious is our God!
4 He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.
Everything he does is just and fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong;
how just and upright he is!
5 “But they have acted corruptly toward him;
when they act so perversely,
are they really his children?[c]
They are a deceitful and twisted generation.
6 Is this the way you repay the Lord,
you foolish and senseless people?
Isn’t he your Father who created you?
Has he not made you and established you?
7 Remember the days of long ago;
think about the generations past.
Ask your father, and he will inform you.
Inquire of your elders, and they will tell you.
8 When the Most High assigned lands to the nations,
when he divided up the human race,
he established the boundaries of the peoples
according to the number in his heavenly court.[d]
9 “For the people of Israel belong to the Lord;
Jacob is his special possession.
10 He found them in a desert land,
in an empty, howling wasteland.
He surrounded them and watched over them;
he guarded them as he would guard his own eyes.[e]
11 Like an eagle that rouses her chicks
and hovers over her young,
so he spread his wings to take them up
and carried them safely on his pinions.
12 The Lord alone guided them;
they followed no foreign gods.
13 He let them ride over the highlands
and feast on the crops of the fields.
He nourished them with honey from the rock
and olive oil from the stony ground.
14 He fed them yogurt from the herd
and milk from the flock,
together with the fat of lambs.
He gave them choice rams from Bashan, and goats,
together with the choicest wheat.
You drank the finest wine,
made from the juice of grapes.
15 “But Israel[f] soon became fat and unruly;
the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed!
Then they abandoned the God who had made them;
they made light of the Rock of their salvation.
16 They stirred up his jealousy by worshiping foreign gods;
they provoked his fury with detestable deeds.
17 They offered sacrifices to demons, which are not God,
to gods they had not known before,
to new gods only recently arrived,
to gods their ancestors had never feared.
18 You neglected the Rock who had fathered you;
you forgot the God who had given you birth.
19 “The Lord saw this and drew back,
provoked to anger by his own sons and daughters.
20 He said, ‘I will abandon them;
then see what becomes of them.
For they are a twisted generation,
children without integrity.
21 They have roused my jealousy by worshiping things that are not God;
they have provoked my anger with their useless idols.
Now I will rouse their jealousy through people who are not even a people;
I will provoke their anger through the foolish Gentiles.
22 For my anger blazes forth like fire
and burns to the depths of the grave.[g]
It devours the earth and all its crops
and ignites the foundations of the mountains.
23 I will heap disasters upon them
and shoot them down with my arrows.
24 I will weaken them with famine,
burning fever, and deadly disease.
I will send the fangs of wild beasts
and poisonous snakes that glide in the dust.
25 Outside, the sword will bring death,
and inside, terror will strike
both young men and young women,
both infants and the aged.
26 I would have annihilated them,
wiping out even the memory of them.
27 But I feared the taunt of Israel’s enemy,
who might misunderstand and say,
“Our own power has triumphed!
The Lord had nothing to do with this!”’
28 “But Israel is a senseless nation;
the people are foolish, without understanding.
29 Oh, that they were wise and could understand this!
Oh, that they might know their fate!
30 How could one person chase a thousand of them,
and two people put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
unless the Lord had given them up?
31 But the rock of our enemies is not like our Rock,
as even they recognize.[h]
32 Their vine grows from the vine of Sodom,
from the vineyards of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are poison,
and their clusters are bitter.
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
the deadly poison of cobras.
34 “The Lord says, ‘Am I not storing up these things,
sealing them away in my treasury?
35 I will take revenge; I will pay them back.
In due time their feet will slip.
Their day of disaster will arrive,
and their destiny will overtake them.’
36 “Indeed, the Lord will give justice to his people,
and he will change his mind about[i] his servants,
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave or free.
37 Then he will ask, ‘Where are their gods,
the rocks they fled to for refuge?
38 Where now are those gods,
who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their offerings?
Let those gods arise and help you!
Let them provide you with shelter!
39 Look now; I myself am he!
There is no other god but me!
I am the one who kills and gives life;
I am the one who wounds and heals;
no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!
40 Now I raise my hand to heaven
and declare, “As surely as I live,
41 when I sharpen my flashing sword
and begin to carry out justice,
I will take revenge on my enemies
and repay those who reject me.
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword will devour flesh—
the blood of the slaughtered and the captives,
and the heads of the enemy leaders.”’
43 “Rejoice with him, you heavens,
and let all of God’s angels worship him.[j]
Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles,
and let all the angels be strengthened in him.[k]
For he will avenge the blood of his children[l];
he will take revenge against his enemies.
He will repay those who hate him[m]
and cleanse his people’s land.”
44 So Moses came with Joshua[n] son of Nun and recited all the words of this song to the people.
45 When Moses had finished reciting all these words to the people of Israel, 46 he added: “Take to heart all the words of warning I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions. 47 These instructions are not empty words—they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life in the land you will occupy when you cross the Jordan River.”
Moses’ Death Foretold
48 That same day the Lord said to Moses, 49 “Go to Moab, to the mountains east of the river,[o] and climb Mount Nebo, which is across from Jericho. Look out across the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the people of Israel as their own special possession. 50 Then you will die there on the mountain. You will join your ancestors, just as Aaron, your brother, died on Mount Hor and joined his ancestors. 51 For both of you betrayed me with the Israelites at the waters of Meribah at Kadesh[p] in the wilderness of Zin. You failed to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel there. 52 So you will see the land from a distance, but you may not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”
Moses Blesses the People
33 This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave to the people of Israel before his death:
2 “The Lord came from Mount Sinai
and dawned upon us[q] from Mount Seir;
he shone forth from Mount Paran
and came from Meribah-kadesh
with flaming fire at his right hand.[r]
3 Indeed, he loves his people;[s]
all his holy ones are in his hands.
They follow in his steps
and accept his teaching.
4 Moses gave us the Lord’s instruction,
the special possession of the people of Israel.[t]
5 The Lord became king in Israel[u]—
when the leaders of the people assembled,
when the tribes of Israel gathered as one.”
6 Moses said this about the tribe of Reuben:[v]
“Let the tribe of Reuben live and not die out,
though they are few in number.”
7 Moses said this about the tribe of Judah:
“O Lord, hear the cry of Judah
and bring them together as a people.
Give them strength to defend their cause;
help them against their enemies!”
8 Moses said this about the tribe of Levi:
“O Lord, you have given your Thummim and Urim—the sacred lots—
to your faithful servants the Levites.[w]
You put them to the test at Massah
and struggled with them at the waters of Meribah.
9 The Levites obeyed your word
and guarded your covenant.
They were more loyal to you
than to their own parents.
They ignored their relatives
and did not acknowledge their own children.
10 They teach your regulations to Jacob;
they give your instructions to Israel.
They present incense before you
and offer whole burnt offerings on the altar.
11 Bless the ministry of the Levites, O Lord,
and accept all the work of their hands.
Hit their enemies where it hurts the most;
strike down their foes so they never rise again.”
12 Moses said this about the tribe of Benjamin:
“The people of Benjamin are loved by the Lord
and live in safety beside him.
He surrounds them continuously
and preserves them from every harm.”
13 Moses said this about the tribes of Joseph:
“May their land be blessed by the Lord
with the precious gift of dew from the heavens
and water from beneath the earth;
14 with the rich fruit that grows in the sun,
and the rich harvest produced each month;
15 with the finest crops of the ancient mountains,
and the abundance from the everlasting hills;
16 with the best gifts of the earth and its bounty,
and the favor of the one who appeared in the burning bush.
May these blessings rest on Joseph’s head,
crowning the brow of the prince among his brothers.
17 Joseph has the majesty of a young bull;
he has the horns of a wild ox.
He will gore distant nations,
even to the ends of the earth.
This is my blessing for the multitudes of Ephraim
and the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 Moses said this about the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar[x]:
“May the people of Zebulun prosper in their travels.
May the people of Issachar prosper at home in their tents.
19 They summon the people to the mountain
to offer proper sacrifices there.
They benefit from the riches of the sea
and the hidden treasures in the sand.”
20 Moses said this about the tribe of Gad:
“Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad’s territory!
Gad is poised there like a lion
to tear off an arm or a head.
21 The people of Gad took the best land for themselves;
a leader’s share was assigned to them.
When the leaders of the people were assembled,
they carried out the Lord’s justice
and obeyed his regulations for Israel.”
22 Moses said this about the tribe of Dan:
“Dan is a lion’s cub,
leaping out from Bashan.”
23 Moses said this about the tribe of Naphtali:
“O Naphtali, you are rich in favor
and full of the Lord’s blessings;
may you possess the west and the south.”
24 Moses said this about the tribe of Asher:
“May Asher be blessed above other sons;
may he be esteemed by his brothers;
may he bathe his feet in olive oil.
25 May the bolts of your gates be of iron and bronze;
may you be secure all your days.”
26 “There is no one like the God of Israel.[y]
He rides across the heavens to help you,
across the skies in majestic splendor.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
and his everlasting arms are under you.
He drives out the enemy before you;
he cries out, ‘Destroy them!’
28 So Israel will live in safety,
prosperous Jacob in security,
in a land of grain and new wine,
while the heavens drop down dew.
29 How blessed you are, O Israel!
Who else is like you, a people saved by the Lord?
He is your protecting shield
and your triumphant sword!
Your enemies will cringe before you,
and you will stomp on their backs!”
The Death of Moses
34 Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab and climbed Pisgah Peak, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him the whole land, from Gilead as far as Dan; 2 all the land of Naphtali; the land of Ephraim and Manasseh; all the land of Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Sea[z]; 3 the Negev; the Jordan Valley with Jericho—the city of palms—as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.”
5 So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, just as the Lord had said. 6 The Lord buried him[aa] in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place. 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever. 8 The people of Israel mourned for Moses on the plains of Moab for thirty days, until the customary period of mourning was over.
9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him, doing just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 The Lord sent him to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, and all his servants, and his entire land. 12 With mighty power, Moses performed terrifying acts in the sight of all Israel.
Footnotes
- 31:1 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version; Masoretic Text reads Moses went and spoke.
- 31:14 Hebrew Tent of Meeting; also in 31:14b.
- 32:5 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 32:8 As in Dead Sea Scrolls, which read the number of the sons of God, and Greek version, which reads the number of the angels of God; Masoretic Text reads the number of the sons of Israel.
- 32:10 Hebrew as the pupil of his eye.
- 32:15 Hebrew Jeshurun, a term of endearment for Israel.
- 32:22 Hebrew of Sheol.
- 32:31 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. Greek version reads our enemies are fools.
- 32:36 Or will take revenge for.
- 32:43a As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version; Masoretic Text lacks the first two lines. Compare Heb 1:6.
- 32:43b As in Greek version; Hebrew text lacks this sentence. Compare Rom 15:10.
- 32:43c As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version; Masoretic Text reads his servants.
- 32:43d As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version; Masoretic Text lacks this line.
- 32:44 Hebrew Hoshea, a variant name for Joshua.
- 32:49 Hebrew the mountains of Abarim.
- 32:51 Hebrew waters of Meribath-kadesh.
- 33:2a As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads upon them.
- 33:2b Or came from myriads of holy ones, from the south, from his mountain slopes. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 33:3 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads Indeed, lover of the peoples.
- 33:4 Hebrew of Jacob. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.
- 33:5 Hebrew in Jeshurun, a term of endearment for Israel.
- 33:6 Hebrew lacks Moses said this about the tribe of Reuben.
- 33:8 As in Greek version; Hebrew lacks the Levites.
- 33:18 Hebrew lacks and Issachar.
- 33:26 Hebrew of Jeshurun, a term of endearment for Israel.
- 34:2 Hebrew the western sea.
- 34:6 Hebrew He buried him; Samaritan Pentateuch and some Greek manuscripts read They buried him.
Deuteronomy 31-34
New International Version
Deuteronomy 31-34
New International Version
Joshua to Succeed Moses
31 Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: 2 “I am now a hundred and twenty years old(A) and I am no longer able to lead you.(B) The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’(C) 3 The Lord your God himself will cross(D) over ahead of you.(E) He will destroy these nations(F) before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross(G) over ahead of you, as the Lord said. 4 And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og,(H) the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. 5 The Lord will deliver(I) them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous.(J) Do not be afraid or terrified(K) because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you;(L) he will never leave you(M) nor forsake(N) you.”
7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said(O) to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them,(P) and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you;(Q) he will never leave you nor forsake you.(R) Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Public Reading of the Law
9 So Moses wrote(S) down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried(T) the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts,(U) during the Festival of Tabernacles,(V) 11 when all Israel comes to appear(W) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose,(X) you shall read this law(Y) before them in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn(Z) to fear(AA) the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children,(AB) who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Israel’s Rebellion Predicted
14 The Lord said to Moses, “Now the day of your death(AC) is near. Call Joshua(AD) and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.(AE)” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the tent of meeting.(AF)
15 Then the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.(AG) 16 And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors,(AH) and these people will soon prostitute(AI) themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake(AJ) me and break the covenant I made with them. 17 And in that day I will become angry(AK) with them and forsake(AL) them; I will hide(AM) my face(AN) from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters(AO) and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’(AP) 18 And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.
19 “Now write(AQ) down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness(AR) for me against them. 20 When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors,(AS) and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods(AT) and worship them,(AU) rejecting me and breaking my covenant.(AV) 21 And when many disasters and calamities come on them,(AW) this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do,(AX) even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” 22 So Moses wrote(AY) down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.
23 The Lord gave this command(AZ) to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous,(BA) for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.”
24 After Moses finished writing(BB) in a book the words of this law(BC) from beginning to end, 25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried(BD) the ark of the covenant of the Lord: 26 “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. There it will remain as a witness against you.(BE) 27 For I know how rebellious(BF) and stiff-necked(BG) you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die! 28 Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to testify against them.(BH) 29 For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt(BI) and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster(BJ) will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and arouse his anger by what your hands have made.”
The Song of Moses
30 And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:
32 Listen,(BK) you heavens,(BL) and I will speak;
hear, you earth, the words of my mouth.(BM)
2 Let my teaching fall like rain(BN)
and my words descend like dew,(BO)
like showers(BP) on new grass,
like abundant rain on tender plants.
3 I will proclaim(BQ) the name of the Lord.(BR)
Oh, praise the greatness(BS) of our God!
4 He is the Rock,(BT) his works are perfect,(BU)
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God(BV) who does no wrong,
upright(BW) and just is he.(BX)
5 They are corrupt and not his children;
to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation.(BY)
6 Is this the way you repay(BZ) the Lord,
you foolish(CA) and unwise people?(CB)
Is he not your Father,(CC) your Creator,[a]
who made you and formed you?(CD)
7 Remember the days of old;(CE)
consider the generations long past.(CF)
Ask your father and he will tell you,
your elders, and they will explain to you.(CG)
8 When the Most High(CH) gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided all mankind,(CI)
he set up boundaries(CJ) for the peoples
according to the number of the sons of Israel.[b](CK)
9 For the Lord’s portion(CL) is his people,
Jacob his allotted inheritance.(CM)
10 In a desert(CN) land he found him,
in a barren and howling waste.(CO)
He shielded(CP) him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye,(CQ)
11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young,(CR)
that spreads its wings to catch them
and carries them aloft.(CS)
12 The Lord alone led(CT) him;(CU)
no foreign god was with him.(CV)
13 He made him ride on the heights(CW) of the land
and fed him with the fruit of the fields.
He nourished him with honey from the rock,(CX)
and with oil(CY) from the flinty crag,
14 with curds and milk from herd and flock
and with fattened lambs and goats,
with choice rams of Bashan(CZ)
and the finest kernels of wheat.(DA)
You drank the foaming blood of the grape.(DB)
15 Jeshurun[c](DC) grew fat(DD) and kicked;
filled with food, they became heavy and sleek.
They abandoned(DE) the God who made them
and rejected the Rock(DF) their Savior.
16 They made him jealous(DG) with their foreign gods
and angered(DH) him with their detestable idols.
17 They sacrificed(DI) to false gods,(DJ) which are not God—
gods they had not known,(DK)
gods that recently appeared,(DL)
gods your ancestors did not fear.
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
you forgot(DM) the God who gave you birth.
19 The Lord saw this and rejected them(DN)
because he was angered by his sons and daughters.(DO)
20 “I will hide my face(DP) from them,” he said,
“and see what their end will be;
for they are a perverse generation,(DQ)
children who are unfaithful.(DR)
21 They made me jealous(DS) by what is no god
and angered me with their worthless idols.(DT)
I will make them envious by those who are not a people;
I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.(DU)
22 For a fire will be kindled by my wrath,(DV)
one that burns down to the realm of the dead below.(DW)
It will devour(DX) the earth and its harvests(DY)
and set afire the foundations of the mountains.(DZ)
23 “I will heap calamities(EA) on them
and spend my arrows(EB) against them.
24 I will send wasting famine(EC) against them,
consuming pestilence(ED) and deadly plague;(EE)
I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts,(EF)
the venom of vipers(EG) that glide in the dust.(EH)
25 In the street the sword will make them childless;
in their homes terror(EI) will reign.(EJ)
The young men and young women will perish,
the infants and those with gray hair.(EK)
26 I said I would scatter(EL) them
and erase their name from human memory,(EM)
27 but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy,
lest the adversary misunderstand(EN)
and say, ‘Our hand has triumphed;
the Lord has not done all this.’”(EO)
28 They are a nation without sense,
there is no discernment(EP) in them.
29 If only they were wise and would understand this(EQ)
and discern what their end will be!(ER)
30 How could one man chase a thousand,
or two put ten thousand to flight,(ES)
unless their Rock had sold them,(ET)
unless the Lord had given them up?(EU)
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,(EV)
as even our enemies concede.(EW)
32 Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom(EX)
and from the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are filled with poison,(EY)
and their clusters with bitterness.(EZ)
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
the deadly poison of cobras.(FA)
34 “Have I not kept this in reserve
and sealed it in my vaults?(FB)
35 It is mine to avenge;(FC) I will repay.(FD)
In due time their foot will slip;(FE)
their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them.(FF)”
36 The Lord will vindicate his people(FG)
and relent(FH) concerning his servants(FI)
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave(FJ) or free.[d]
37 He will say: “Now where are their gods,
the rock they took refuge in,(FK)
38 the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?(FL)
Let them rise up to help you!
Let them give you shelter!
39 “See now that I myself am he!(FM)
There is no god besides me.(FN)
I put to death(FO) and I bring to life,(FP)
I have wounded and I will heal,(FQ)
and no one can deliver out of my hand.(FR)
40 I lift my hand(FS) to heaven and solemnly swear:
As surely as I live forever,(FT)
41 when I sharpen my flashing sword(FU)
and my hand grasps it in judgment,
I will take vengeance(FV) on my adversaries
and repay those who hate me.(FW)
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,(FX)
while my sword devours flesh:(FY)
the blood of the slain and the captives,
the heads of the enemy leaders.”
43 Rejoice,(FZ) you nations, with his people,[e][f]
for he will avenge the blood of his servants;(GA)
he will take vengeance on his enemies(GB)
and make atonement for his land and people.(GC)
44 Moses came with Joshua[g](GD) son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day,(GE) so that you may command(GF) your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.(GG) By them you will live long(GH) in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Moses to Die on Mount Nebo
48 On that same day the Lord told Moses,(GI) 49 “Go up into the Abarim(GJ) Range to Mount Nebo(GK) in Moab, across from Jericho,(GL) and view Canaan,(GM) the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. 50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die(GN) and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died(GO) on Mount Hor(GP) and was gathered to his people. 51 This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh(GQ) in the Desert of Zin(GR) and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.(GS) 52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance;(GT) you will not enter(GU) the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”
Moses Blesses the Tribes(GV)
33 This is the blessing(GW) that Moses the man of God(GX) pronounced on the Israelites before his death. 2 He said:
“The Lord came from Sinai(GY)
and dawned over them from Seir;(GZ)
he shone forth(HA) from Mount Paran.(HB)
He came with[h] myriads of holy ones(HC)
from the south, from his mountain slopes.[i]
3 Surely it is you who love(HD) the people;
all the holy ones are in your hand.(HE)
At your feet they all bow down,(HF)
and from you receive instruction,
4 the law that Moses gave us,(HG)
the possession of the assembly of Jacob.(HH)
5 He was king(HI) over Jeshurun[j](HJ)
when the leaders of the people assembled,
along with the tribes of Israel.
7 And this he said about Judah:(HL)
“Hear, Lord, the cry of Judah;
bring him to his people.
With his own hands he defends his cause.
Oh, be his help against his foes!”
8 About Levi(HM) he said:
“Your Thummim and Urim(HN) belong
to your faithful servant.(HO)
You tested(HP) him at Massah;
you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.(HQ)
9 He said of his father and mother,(HR)
‘I have no regard for them.’
He did not recognize his brothers
or acknowledge his own children,
but he watched over your word
and guarded your covenant.(HS)
10 He teaches(HT) your precepts to Jacob
and your law to Israel.(HU)
He offers incense before you(HV)
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.(HW)
11 Bless all his skills, Lord,
and be pleased with the work of his hands.(HX)
Strike down those who rise against him,
his foes till they rise no more.”
12 About Benjamin(HY) he said:
“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him,(HZ)
for he shields him all day long,(IA)
and the one the Lord loves(IB) rests between his shoulders.(IC)”
13 About Joseph(ID) he said:
“May the Lord bless his land
with the precious dew from heaven above
and with the deep waters that lie below;(IE)
14 with the best the sun brings forth
and the finest the moon can yield;
15 with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains(IF)
and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;
16 with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness
and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush.(IG)
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among[l] his brothers.(IH)
17 In majesty he is like a firstborn bull;
his horns(II) are the horns of a wild ox.(IJ)
With them he will gore(IK) the nations,
even those at the ends of the earth.
Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim;(IL)
such are the thousands of Manasseh.(IM)”
18 About Zebulun(IN) he said:
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and you, Issachar,(IO) in your tents.
19 They will summon peoples to the mountain(IP)
and there offer the sacrifices of the righteous;(IQ)
they will feast on the abundance of the seas,(IR)
on the treasures hidden in the sand.”
20 About Gad(IS) he said:
“Blessed is he who enlarges Gad’s domain!(IT)
Gad lives there like a lion,
tearing at arm or head.
21 He chose the best land for himself;(IU)
the leader’s portion was kept for him.(IV)
When the heads of the people assembled,
he carried out the Lord’s righteous will,(IW)
and his judgments concerning Israel.”
22 About Dan(IX) he said:
“Dan is a lion’s cub,
springing out of Bashan.”
23 About Naphtali(IY) he said:
“Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the Lord
and is full of his blessing;
he will inherit southward to the lake.”
24 About Asher(IZ) he said:
“Most blessed of sons is Asher;
let him be favored by his brothers,
and let him bathe his feet in oil.(JA)
25 The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze,(JB)
and your strength will equal your days.(JC)
26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,(JD)
who rides(JE) across the heavens to help you(JF)
and on the clouds(JG) in his majesty.(JH)
27 The eternal(JI) God is your refuge,(JJ)
and underneath are the everlasting(JK) arms.
He will drive out your enemies before you,(JL)
saying, ‘Destroy them!’(JM)
28 So Israel will live in safety;(JN)
Jacob will dwell[m] secure
in a land of grain and new wine,
where the heavens drop dew.(JO)
29 Blessed are you, Israel!(JP)
Who is like you,(JQ)
a people saved by the Lord?(JR)
He is your shield and helper(JS)
and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
and you will tread on their heights.(JT)”
The Death of Moses
34 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo(JU) from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah,(JV) across from Jericho.(JW) There the Lord showed(JX) him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan,(JY) 2 all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea,(JZ) 3 the Negev(KA) and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms,(KB) as far as Zoar.(KC) 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath(KD) to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob(KE) when I said, ‘I will give it(KF) to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross(KG) over into it.”
5 And Moses the servant of the Lord(KH) died(KI) there in Moab, as the Lord had said. 6 He buried him[n] in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor,(KJ) but to this day no one knows where his grave is.(KK) 7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old(KL) when he died, yet his eyes were not weak(KM) nor his strength gone.(KN) 8 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab(KO) thirty days,(KP) until the time of weeping and mourning(KQ) was over.
9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit[o] of wisdom(KR) because Moses had laid his hands on him.(KS) So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 Since then, no prophet(KT) has risen in Israel like Moses,(KU) whom the Lord knew face to face,(KV) 11 who did all those signs and wonders(KW) the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials(KX) and to his whole land. 12 For no one has(KY) ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds(KZ) that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 32:6 Or Father, who bought you
- Deuteronomy 32:8 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint) sons of God
- Deuteronomy 32:15 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel.
- Deuteronomy 32:36 Or and they are without a ruler or leader
- Deuteronomy 32:43 Or Make his people rejoice, you nations
- Deuteronomy 32:43 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint) people, / and let all the angels worship him, /
- Deuteronomy 32:44 Hebrew Hoshea, a variant of Joshua
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Or from
- Deuteronomy 33:2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Deuteronomy 33:5 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel; also in verse 26.
- Deuteronomy 33:6 Or but let
- Deuteronomy 33:16 Or of the one separated from
- Deuteronomy 33:28 Septuagint; Hebrew Jacob’s spring is
- Deuteronomy 34:6 Or He was buried
- Deuteronomy 34:9 Or Spirit
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.