| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 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 all the people of Israel while they were in the wilderness east of the Jordan River. They were camped in the Jordan Valley near Suph, between Paran on one side and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab on the other. |
| 2Now it is ordinarily an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by way of Mount Seir. | 2Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of 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. | 3But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses addressed the people of Israel, telling them everything the LORD had commanded him to say. |
| 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 had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth. |
| 5So it was in the Transjordan, in Moab, that Moses began to deliver these words: | 5While the Israelites were in the land of Moab east of the Jordan River, Moses carefully explained the LORD’s instructions as follows. The Command to Leave Sinai |
| 6The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb and said, "You have stayed in the area of this mountain long enough. | 6“When we were at Mount Sinai, the LORD our God said to us, ‘You have stayed 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. | 7It is time to break camp and move on. Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the neighboring regions—the Jordan Valley, the hill country, the western foothills, the Negev, and the coastal plain. Go to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, and all the way to the great Euphrates River. |
| 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 am giving all this land to you! Go in and occupy it, for it is the land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants.’” Moses Appoints Leaders from Each Tribe |
| 9I also said to you at that time, "I am no longer able to sustain you by myself. | 9Moses continued, “At that time I told you, ‘You are too great a burden for me to carry all by myself. |
| 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 has increased your population, making you as numerous as the stars! |
| 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! | 11And may the LORD, the God of your ancestors, multiply you a thousand times more and bless you as he promised! |
| 12But how can I alone bear up under the burden of your hardship and strife? | 12But you are such a heavy load to carry! How can I deal with all your problems and bickering? |
| 13Select wise and practical men, those known among your tribes, whom I may appoint as your leaders." | 13Choose some well-respected men from each tribe who are known for their wisdom and understanding, and I will appoint them as your leaders.’ |
| 14You replied to me that what I had said to you was good. | 14“Then you responded, ‘Your plan is a good one.’ |
| 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 took the wise and respected men you had selected from your tribes and appointed them to serve as judges and officials over you. Some were responsible for a thousand people, some for a hundred, some for fifty, and some for ten. |
| 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. | 16“At that time I instructed the judges, ‘You must hear the cases of your fellow Israelites and the foreigners living among you. Be perfectly fair in your decisions |
| 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. | 17and impartial in your judgments. Hear the cases of those who are poor as well as those who are rich. Don’t be afraid of anyone’s anger, for the decision you make is God’s decision. Bring me any cases that are too difficult for you, and I will handle them.’ |
| 18So I instructed you at that time regarding everything you should do. | 18“At that time I gave you instructions about everything you were to do. Scouts Explore the Land |
| 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, just as the LORD our God commanded us, we left Mount Sinai and traveled through the great and terrifying wilderness, as you yourselves remember, and headed toward the hill country of the Amorites. When we 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 said to you, ‘You have now reached the hill country of the Amorites that the LORD our God is giving 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! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be 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“But you all came to me and said, ‘First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best route to take and which towns we should enter.’ |
| 23I thought this was a good idea, so I sent twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. | 23“This seemed like a good idea to me, so I chose twelve scouts, one from each of your tribes. |
| 24They left and went up to the hill country, coming to the Eshcol Valley, which they scouted out. | 24They headed for the hill country and came to the valley of Eshcol and explored 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 picked some of its fruit and brought it back to us. And they reported, ‘The land the LORD our God has given us is indeed a good land.’ Israel’s Rebellion against the LORD |
| 26You were not willing to go up, however, but instead rebelled against the LORD your God. | 26“But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God and refused to go in. |
| 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 complained in your tents and said, ‘The LORD must hate us. That’s why he has brought us here from Egypt—to hand us over to the Amorites to be slaughtered. |
| 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 have demoralized us with their report. They tell us, “The people of the land are taller and more powerful than we are, and their towns are large, with walls rising high into the sky! We even saw giants there—the descendants of Anak!”’ |
| 29So I responded to you, "Do not be terrified of them! | 29“But I said to you, ‘Don’t be shocked 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 going ahead of you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt. |
| 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." | 31And you saw how the LORD your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.’ |
| 32However, through all this you did not have confidence in the LORD your God, | 32“But even after all he did, you refused to trust 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 goes before you looking for the best places to camp, guiding you with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day. |
| 34When the LORD heard you, he became angry and made this vow: | 34“When the LORD heard your complaining, he became very angry. So he solemnly swore, |
| 35"Not a single person of this evil generation will see the good land that I promised to give to your ancestors! | 35‘Not one of you from this wicked generation will live to see the good land I swore to give 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 Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see this land because he has followed the LORD completely. I will give to him and his descendants some of the very land he explored during his scouting mission.’ |
| 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“And the LORD was also angry with me because of you. He said to me, ‘Moses, not even you will enter the Promised Land! |
| 38However, Joshua son of Nun, your assistant, will go. Encourage him, because he will enable Israel to inherit the land. | 38Instead, your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will lead the people into the land. Encourage him, for he will lead Israel as they 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. | 39I will give the land to your little ones—your innocent children. You were afraid they would be captured, but they will be the ones who occupy it. |
| 40But as for you, turn back and head for the desert by the way to the Red Sea." | 40As for you, turn around now and go on back through the wilderness toward the Red 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“Then you confessed, ‘We have sinned against the LORD! We will go into the land and fight for it, as the LORD our God has commanded us.’ So your men strapped on their weapons, thinking it would be easy to attack 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“But the LORD told me to tell you, ‘Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by 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“This is what I told you, but you would not listen. Instead, you again rebelled against the LORD’s command and arrogantly went into the hill country to fight. |
| 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. | 44But the Amorites who lived there came out against you like a swarm of bees. They chased and battered you all the way from Seir to Hormah. |
| 45Then you came back and wept before the LORD, but he paid no attention to you whatsoever. | 45Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but he refused to listen. |
| 46Therefore, you remained at Kadesh for a long time--indeed, for the full time. | 46So you stayed there at Kadesh for a long time. |
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