| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1This is what Moses said to the assembly of Israel in the Transjordanian wastelands, the arid country opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di Zahab | 1These are the words that Moses spoke to the assembly of Israel east of the Jordan River, in the Arabah desert, opposite Suph between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. |
| 2Now it is ordinarily an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by way of Mount Seir. | 2It takes eleven days to travel from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea via Mount Seir. |
| 3However, it was not until the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year that Moses addressed the Israelites just as the LORD had instructed him to do. | 3On the first day of the eleventh month, in the fortieth year, Moses spoke to the Israelis about everything that the LORD had commanded him concerning them. |
| 4This took place after the defeat of King Sihon of the Amorites, whose capital was in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, whose capital was in Ashtaroth, specifically in Edrei. | 4This took place after he defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon and Og, king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth at Edrei. |
| 5So it was in the Transjordan, in Moab, that Moses began to deliver these words: | 5East of the Jordan River, in the land of Moab, Moses began to expound this Law: |
| 6The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb and said, "You have stayed in the area of this mountain long enough. | 6"The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb. He said, 'You have been at this mountain long enough. |
| 7Get up now, resume your journey, heading for the Amorite hill country, to all its areas including the arid country, the highlands, the Shephelah, the Negev, and the coastal plain--all of Canaan and Lebanon as far as the Great River, that is, the Euphrates. | 7Break camp, get going, and proceed to the hill country of the Amorites and all the nearby places in the Arabah desert, the highlands, the foothills, the Negev, the coastal plains, all of the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon as far as the great river, the Euphrates. |
| 8Look! I have already given the land to you. Go, occupy the territory that I, the LORD, promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants." | 8Look! I've given you the land that lies ahead. Go in and possess the land that I, the LORD, promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as to their descendants.'" |
| 9I also said to you at that time, "I am no longer able to sustain you by myself. | 9"I also told you at that time that I won't be able to sustain you on my own. |
| 10The LORD your God has increased your population to the point that you are now as numerous as the very stars of the sky. | 10The LORD your God greatly multiplied your numbers, and today you are like the stars in the sky. |
| 11Indeed, may the LORD, the God of your ancestors, make you a thousand times more numerous than you are now, blessing you just as he said he would! | 11May the LORD, the God of your ancestors, increase your numbers a thousand times more, and may he bless you, as he promised you. |
| 12But how can I alone bear up under the burden of your hardship and strife? | 12How can I bear the burden of you and your bickering all by myself? |
| 13Select wise and practical men, those known among your tribes, whom I may appoint as your leaders." | 13Choose for yourselves wise and discerning men, known to your tribes, and appoint them as your leaders. |
| 14You replied to me that what I had said to you was good. | 14You answered by saying that this plan is a good thing. |
| 15So I chose as your tribal leaders wise and well-known men, placing them over you as administrators of groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and also as other tribal officials. | 15So I chose leaders from your tribes, wise and respected men, and I appointed them over you—commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. |
| 16I furthermore admonished your judges at that time that they should pay attention to issues among your fellow citizens and judge fairly, whether between one citizen and another or a citizen and a resident foreigner. | 16I charged your judges at that time, 'When you hold a hearing between brothers, judge fairly between a man and his brother or between foreigners. |
| 17They must not discriminate in judgment, but hear the lowly and the great alike. Nor should they be intimidated by human beings, for judgment belongs to God. If the matter being adjudicated is too difficult for them, they should bring it before me for a hearing. | 17When you hold a hearing, don't be partial in judgment toward the least important or toward the great. Never fear men, because judgment belongs to God. If the matter is difficult for you, bring it to me for a hearing.' |
| 18So I instructed you at that time regarding everything you should do. | 18I charged you at that time that you must do all of these things." |
| 19Then we left Horeb and passed through all that immense, forbidding wilderness that you saw on the way to the Amorite hill country as the LORD our God had commanded us to do, finally arriving at Kadesh Barnea. | 19"Then we set out from Horeb and walked through that vast and dreadful desert, where you observed the road to the Amorite hill country. Just as the LORD our God ordained for us, we finally arrived at Kadesh-barnea. |
| 20Then I said to you, "You have come to the Amorite hill country which the LORD our God is about to give us. | 20I told you at that time, 'You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is about to give us. |
| 21Look, he has placed the land in front of you! Go up, take possession of it, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, said to do. Do not be afraid or discouraged!" | 21Look! The LORD your God has given the land that lies before you. Go and possess it, just as the LORD God of your ancestors commanded you. Don't be afraid or discouraged.' |
| 22So all of you approached me and said, "Let's send some men ahead of us to scout out the land and bring us back word as to how we should attack it and what the cities are like there." | 22"Then all of you approached me and said: 'Let's send out men in advance of us so they can survey the land and bring back a report to us on how we'll go up to their cities.' |
| 23I thought this was a good idea, so I sent twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. | 23Because this suggestion seemed good to me, I chose twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. |
| 24They left and went up to the hill country, coming to the Eshcol Valley, which they scouted out. | 24Then these men set out, went up to the hill county, reached the Eshcol Valley, and surveyed it. |
| 25Then they took some of the produce of the land and carried it back down to us. They also brought a report to us, saying, "The land that the LORD our God is about to give us is good." | 25They hand-picked some of the fruit of the land, brought it down to us, and gave a report that said, 'The land which the LORD is about to give us is good.'" |
| 26You were not willing to go up, however, but instead rebelled against the LORD your God. | 26"However, your ancestors didn't go up. Instead, they rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. |
| 27You complained among yourselves privately and said, "Because the LORD hates us he brought us from Egypt to deliver us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us! | 27You murmured in your tents, 'The LORD hates us. He brought us out of the land of Egypt in order to deliver us to the Amorites so he could destroy us. |
| 28What is going to happen to us? Our brothers have drained away our courage by describing people who are more numerous and taller than we are, and great cities whose defenses appear to be as high as heaven itself! Moreover, they said they saw Anakites there." | 28Where can we go? Our brothers discouraged us when they said that the people are bigger and taller than we are. Their cities are tall and fortified to the sky, and we also saw the Anakim there.' |
| 29So I responded to you, "Do not be terrified of them! | 29"Then I told you, 'Don't be terrified or afraid of them. |
| 30The LORD your God is about to go ahead of you; he will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt | 30The LORD your God is the One who will be going ahead of you. He'll fight for you just as he did in Egypt before your eyes. |
| 31and in the desert, where you saw him carrying you along like a man carries his son. This he did everywhere you went until you came to this very place." | 31In the desert you saw that the LORD carried you like a man carries his son, on every road you traveled until you reached this place.' |
| 32However, through all this you did not have confidence in the LORD your God, | 32But despite this, you didn't trust in the LORD your God, |
| 33the one who was constantly going before you to find places for you to set up camp. He appeared by fire at night and cloud by day, to show you the way you ought to go. | 33who walked ahead of you along the way to scout a place for you to pitch camp—by fire at night and cloud by day—to lead you on the way you should go." |
| 34When the LORD heard you, he became angry and made this vow: | 34"When the LORD heard your complaints, he became angry and declared, |
| 35"Not a single person of this evil generation will see the good land that I promised to give to your ancestors! | 35I swear that not one man of this evil generation will see the good land that I promised to give to your ancestors, |
| 36The exception is Caleb son of Jephunneh; he will see it and I will give him and his descendants the territory on which he has walked, because he has wholeheartedly followed me." | 36except Jephunneh's son Caleb. He will see it and I will give to him and to his descendants the land on which he has walked because he wholeheartedly followed the LORD.' |
| 37As for me, the LORD was also angry with me on your account. He said, "You also will not be able to go there. | 37"The LORD was also furious with me because of you. He said: 'You will not enter the land. |
| 38However, Joshua son of Nun, your assistant, will go. Encourage him, because he will enable Israel to inherit the land. | 38However, Nun's son Joshua, your assistant, will go there. Encourage him, for he will cause Israel to take possession of it. |
| 39Also, your infants, who you thought would die on the way, and your children, who as yet do not know good from bad, will go there; I will give them the land and they will possess it. | 39Your little ones—whom you said would be taken captive—and your children who do not yet know right from wrong will enter the land. I will give it to them and they themselves will possess it. |
| 40But as for you, turn back and head for the desert by the way to the Red Sea." | 40But as for you, prepare to set out for the desert on the way to the Reed Sea.' |
| 41Then you responded to me and admitted, "We have sinned against the LORD. We will now go up and fight as the LORD our God has told us to do." So you each put on your battle gear and prepared to go up to the hill country. | 41"You responded to me and said, 'We have sinned against the LORD. We will now go up and fight according to what the LORD our God commanded.' So each man put on his weapon for battle and recklessly started out for the hill country." |
| 42But the LORD told me: "Tell them this: 'Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you and you will be defeated by your enemies.'" | 42"Then the LORD told me: 'Tell them not to go up and fight because I will not be in their midst, or else you will be defeated before your enemies.' |
| 43I spoke to you, but you did not listen. Instead you rebelled against the LORD and recklessly went up to the hill country. | 43"I spoke to you but you didn't listen. Instead you rebelled against the command of the LORD and went up to the hill country. |
| 44The Amorite inhabitants of that area confronted you and chased you like a swarm of bees, striking you down from Seir as far as Hormah. | 44The Amorites who lived in the hill country came out to engage you in battle. They pursued you like bees do and crushed you from Seir to Hormah. |
| 45Then you came back and wept before the LORD, but he paid no attention to you whatsoever. | 45You returned and cried out in the LORD's presence, but the LORD didn't hear your voice or listen to you. |
| 46Therefore, you remained at Kadesh for a long time--indeed, for the full time. | 46You remained in Kadesh for many days. It was a long time, indeed." |
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