| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain opposite Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. | 1These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. |
| 2It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea. | 2It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir. |
| 3Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as commandments to them, | 3In the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, Moses told the Israelites everything the LORD had commanded him to say to them. |
| 4after he had killed Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth in Edrei. | 4This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei. |
| 5On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying, | 5Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:" |
| 6“The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. | 6The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb: 'You have stayed at this mountain long enough. |
| 7Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain, in the mountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates. | 7Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites and their neighbors in the Arabah, the hill country, the Judean foothills, the Negev and the sea coast--to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon as far as the Euphrates River. |
| 8See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to them and their descendants after them.’ | 8See, I have set the land before you. Enter and take possession of the land the LORD swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their future descendants.'" |
| 9“And I spoke to you at that time, saying: ‘I alone am not able to bear you. | 9I said to you at that time: I can't bear the responsibility for you on my own. |
| 10The LORD your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude. | 10The LORD your God has so multiplied you that today you are as numerous as the stars of the sky. |
| 11May the LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you! | 11May Yahweh, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times more, and bless you as He promised you. |
| 12How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints? | 12But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes by myself? |
| 13Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.’ | 13Appoint for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will make them your leaders." |
| 14And you answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have told us to do is good.’ | 14You replied to me, 'What you propose to do is good.'" |
| 15So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and made them heads over you, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens, and officers for your tribes. | 15So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and set them over you as leaders: officials for thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and officers for your tribes. |
| 16“Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him. | 16I commanded your judges at that time: Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge rightly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. |
| 17You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.’ | 17Do not show partiality when deciding a case; listen to small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it. |
| 18And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do. | 18At that time I commanded you about all the things you were to do." |
| 19“So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the LORD our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea. | 19We then set out from Horeb and went across all the great and terrible wilderness you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, just as the LORD our God had commanded us. When we reached Kadesh-barnea, |
| 20And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. | 20I said to you: You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. |
| 21Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’ | 21See, the LORD your God has set the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or discouraged." |
| 22“And every one of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.’ | 22Then 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 we should go up and the cities we will come to.' |
| 23“The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. | 23The plan seemed good to me, so I selected 12 men from among you, one man for each tribe. |
| 24And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. | 24They left and went up into the hill country and came to the Valley of Eshcol, scouting the land. |
| 25They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.’ | 25They took some of the fruit from the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us back a report: 'The land the LORD our God is giving us is good.'" |
| 26“Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; | 26But you were not willing to go up, rebelling against the command of the LORD your God. |
| 27and you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. | 27You grumbled in your tents and said, 'The LORD brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites so they would destroy us, because He hated us. |
| 28Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.” ’ | 28Where can we go? Our brothers have discouraged us, saying: The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, fortified to the heavens. We also saw the descendants of the Anakim there.'" |
| 29“Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. | 29So I said to you: Don't be terrified or afraid of them! |
| 30The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, | 30The LORD your God who goes before you will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt. |
| 31and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ | 31And you saw in the wilderness how the LORD your God carried you as a man carries his son all along the way you traveled until you reached this place. |
| 32Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God, | 32But in spite of this you did not trust the LORD your God, |
| 33who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day. | 33who went before you on the journey to seek out a place for you to camp. He went in the fire by night and in the cloud by day to guide you on the road you were to travel." |
| 34“And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, | 34When the LORD heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath: |
| 35‘Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, | 35None of these men in this evil generation will see the good land I swore to give your fathers, |
| 36except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the LORD.’ | 36except 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 LORD completely.'" |
| 37The LORD was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there. | 37The LORD was angry with me also because of you and said: 'You will not enter there either. |
| 38Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. | 38Joshua son of Nun, who attends you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit it. |
| 39‘Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. | 39Your little children, whom you said would be plunder, your sons who don't know good from evil, will enter there. I will give them the land, and they will take possession of it. |
| 40But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.’ | 40But you are to turn back and head for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea.'" |
| 41“Then you answered and said to me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD; we will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And when everyone of you had girded on his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the mountain. | 41You answered me, 'We have sinned against the LORD. We will go up and fight just as the LORD 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 hill country." |
| 42“And the LORD said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.” ’ | 42But the LORD said to me, 'Tell them: Don't go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from being defeated by your enemies.' |
| 43So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the LORD, and presumptuously went up into the mountain. | 43So I spoke to you, but you didn't listen. You rebelled against the LORD's command and defiantly went up into the hill country. |
| 44And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Seir to Hormah. | 44Then the Amorites who lived there came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from Seir as far as Hormah. |
| 45Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you. | 45When you returned, you wept before the LORD, but He didn't listen to your requests or pay attention to you. |
| 46“So you remained in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you spent there. | 46For this reason you stayed in Kadesh as long as you did." |
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