THESE are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side — the wilderness side — of the Jordan, in the plain over against the Red Sea, between Paran and Tophel and Laban and Hazereth and Dizakab. (From Horeb, it is eleven-day journey to Kadesh Barnea by the road of the country, formerly called ‘Seir’ [the country given by God to Esau the twin brother of Jacob, changed to Edom].) On the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, after he killed Sihon king of the Amorites who dwelt in Heshbon and Og king of Bashan who dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei, on that side of Jordan in the land of Moab [the country of the descendants of Lot, the nephew of Abraham, through his elder daughter], Moses spoke to the children of Israel, all that the Self-existent [the Holy Spirit] instructed him:

the Self-existent [the Holy Spirit] our God spoke to us at Horeb: “You have stayed at this mountain long enough. 

Resume your journey to the country of the Amorites and the territories near her - in the wilderness, on the hills, in the lowland, in the south [present-day Judah] and on the sea coast (the land of the Canaanites) - and to Lebanon [a woodland north of Israel] as far as the Euphrates River.

I have set the lands before you. Enter and take possession of the land that the Self-existent swore to give to your fathers – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and their future descendants.”

I said to you at that time: I can’t bear the responsibility for  you alone. 

the Self-existent [the Holy Spirit], your God, has so multiplied you that today you are as numerous as the stars of the sky. 

(May the Self-existent, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times more and bless you as He promised you.)

How can I bear your troubles, burdens and disputes alone? 

Appoint for yourselves wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will make them your leaders.

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

So, I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and set them over you as leaders – of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens – and officers for your tribes. 

I commanded your judges at that time: “Attend to the cases_û between your brothers and judge rightly between a man and his brother or a foreigner traveling with him. 

Do not show partiality when deciding a case; listen to the small and the great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, because the judgment you pass is on God’s behalf. Bring me any case too difficult for you and I will attend to it.” 

At that time, I commanded you about all the things you were to do.

We then set out from Horeb and went across all the great and terrible wilderness you saw on the way to the country of the Amorites – just as the Self-existent [the Holy Spirit] our God, had commanded us. When we reached Kadesh-barnea, 

I said to you: “You have reached the country of the Amorites which the Self-existent [the Holy Spirit] our God, is transferring to us. 

the Self-existent [the Holy Spirit], your God, has set the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as the Self-existent, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

Then all of you approached me and said, “Let’s send men ahead of us, so that they may explore the land for us and bring us back a report about the route that we should take to go up and the cities we will come to.”

The suggestion seemed good to me, so, I selected twelve men from among you, one man for each tribe.

They turned around, went up into the country and came to the district of Eshcol, scouting the land. 

They took some of the fruits from the land in their hands down to us and brought us back a report: “The land the Self-existent, our God, is transferring to us is good.”

However, you were not willing to go up, rebelling against the command of the Self-existent, your God. 

You grumbled in your tents; you said, “The Self-existent brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites for them to destroy us because He hated us. 

Where can we go? Our brothers have discouraged us, saying: The people are larger and taller than we are, the cities are large and are fortified to the sky. We also saw the descendants of the Anakim there.”

Then, I said to you: “Don’t be terrified or afraid of them! 

The Self-existent, your God, who goes before you will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt. 

And you saw in the wilderness how the Self-existent, your God carried you as a man carries his son all along the way you traveled until you reached this place.” 

In spite of all this plea, you did not trust the Self-existent, your God, 

who went before you on the journey to seek out a place for you to camp. He went as fire by night and as cloud by day to guide you on the road you were to travel.

The Self-existent, hearing your words, grew angry and swore an oath:

“None of the men of this evil generation will see the pleasant land [Eden] that I swore to give their fathers,

except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh. He will see it and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the Self-existent [the Holy Spirit] wholeheartedly.”

(The Self-existent was angry with me also because of you and said: “You will not enter there either. 

Joshua son of Nun, your attendant, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit it.”) 

Your little children, who do not know good from evil – whom you said would be plundered – will enter there. I will give them the land and they will take possession of it. 

As for you, turn back and head for the wilderness, along the Red Sea.

You answered me, “We have sinned against the Self-existent. We will go up and fight just as the Self-existent [the Holy Spirit] our God, commanded us.” Then, each of you put on his weapons of war and thought it would be easy to go up into the country.

But the Self-existent [the Holy Spirit] said to me, “Tell them not to go up to fight; I am not with them to keep them from being defeated by their opposers.” 

I spoke to you, but you didn’t listen. You rebelled against the command of the Self-existent and defiantly went up into the country. 

Then the Amorites who lived there came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from the country, formerly called ‘Seir’ [changed to Edom] as far as Hormah. 

When you returned, you wept before the Self-existent [the Holy Spirit] but He didn’t listen to your requests or pay attention to you. 

That made you to stay in Kadesh [the name, Kadesh, was given by the children of Israel when they took possession of the land of Canaan] as long as you did.