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Deuteronomy 31
New English Translation

Succession of Moses by Joshua

31 Then Moses went[a] and spoke these words[b] to all Israel. 2 He said to them, “Today I am 120 years old. I am no longer able to get about,[c] and the Lord has said to me, ‘You will not cross the Jordan.’ 3 As for the Lord your God, he is about to cross over before you; he will destroy these nations before you, and you will dispossess them. As for Joshua, he is about to cross before you just as the Lord has said. 4 The Lord will do to them just what he did to Sihon and Og, the Amorite kings, and to their land, which he destroyed. 5 The Lord will deliver them over to you, and you will do to them according to the whole commandment I have given you. 6 Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or abandon you!” 7 Then Moses called out to Joshua[d] in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will accompany these people to the land that the Lord promised to give their ancestors,[e] and you will enable them to inherit it. 8 The Lord is indeed going before you—he will be with you; he will not fail you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!”

The Deposit of the Covenant Text

9 Then Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, and to all Israel’s elders. 10 He[f] commanded them: “At the end of seven years, at the appointed time of the cancellation of debts,[g] at the Feast of Shelters,[h] 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses, you must read this law before them[i] within their hearing. 12 Gather the people—men, women, and children, as well as the resident foreigners[j] in your villages—so they may hear and thus learn about and fear the Lord your God and carefully obey all the words of this law. 13 Then their children, who have not known this law,[k] will also hear about and learn to fear the Lord your God for as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

The Commissioning of Joshua

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The day of your death is near. Summon Joshua and present yourselves in the tent[l] of meeting[m] so that I can commission him.”[n] So Moses and Joshua presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 15 The Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud that[o] stood above the door of the tent. 16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “You are about to die,[p] and then these people will begin to prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land into which they[q] are going. They[r] will reject[s] me and break my covenant that I have made with them.[t] 17 At that time[u] my anger will erupt against them,[v] and I will abandon them and hide my face from them until they are devoured. Many disasters and distresses will overcome[w] them[x] so that they[y] will say at that time, ‘Have not these disasters[z] overcome us[aa] because our[ab] God is not among us[ac] ?’ 18 But I will certainly[ad] hide myself at that time because of all the wickedness they[ae] will have done by turning to other gods. 19 Now write down for yourselves the following song and teach it to the Israelites. Put it into their very mouths so that this song may serve as my witness against the Israelites! 20 For after I have brought them[af] to the land I promised to their[ag] ancestors—one flowing with milk and honey—and they[ah] eat their fill[ai] and become fat, then they[aj] will turn to other gods and worship them; they will reject me and break my covenant. 21 Then when[ak] many disasters and distresses overcome them[al] this song will testify against them,[am] for their[an] descendants will not forget it.[ao] I know the[ap] intentions they have in mind[aq] today, even before I bring them[ar] to the land I have promised.” 22 So on that day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites, 23 and the Lord[as] commissioned Joshua son of Nun, “Be strong and courageous, for you will take the Israelites to the land I have promised them, and I will be with you.”[at]

Anticipation of Disobedience

24 When Moses finished writing on a scroll the words of this law in their entirety, 25 he[au] commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the Lord’s covenant, 26 “Take this scroll of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. It will remain there as a witness against you, 27 for I know about your rebellion and stubbornness.[av] Indeed, even while I have been living among you to this very day, you have rebelled against the Lord; you will be even more rebellious after my death![aw] 28 Gather to me all your tribal elders and officials so I can speak to them directly about these things and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after I die you will totally[ax] corrupt yourselves and turn away from the path I have commanded you to walk. Disaster will confront you in future days because you will act wickedly[ay] before the Lord, inciting him to anger because of your actions.”[az] 30 Then Moses recited the words of this song from start to finish in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 31:1 tc For the MT reading וַיֵּלֶךְ (vayyelekh, “he went”), the LXX and Qumran have וַיְכַל (vayekhal, “he finished”): “So Moses finished speaking,” etc. The difficult reading of the MT favors its authenticity.
  2. Deuteronomy 31:1 tn In the MT this refers to the words that follow (cf. NIV, NCV).
  3. Deuteronomy 31:2 tn Or “am no longer able to lead you” (NIV, NLT); Heb “am no longer able to go out and come in.”
  4. Deuteronomy 31:7 tn The Hebrew text includes “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  5. Deuteronomy 31:7 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 20).
  6. Deuteronomy 31:10 tn Heb “Moses.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  7. Deuteronomy 31:10 tn The Hebrew term שְׁמִטָּה (shemittah), a derivative of the verb שָׁמַט (shamat, “to release; to relinquish”), refers to the procedure whereby debts of all fellow Israelites were to be canceled. Since the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated God’s own deliverance of and provision for his people, this was an appropriate time for Israelites to release one another. See note on this word at Deut 15:1.
  8. Deuteronomy 31:10 tn The Hebrew phrase חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת (khag hassukkot, “festival of huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. See note on the name of the festival in Deut 16:13.sn For the regulations on this annual festival see Deut 16:13-15.
  9. Deuteronomy 31:11 tn Heb “before all Israel.”
  10. Deuteronomy 31:12 sn The ger (גֵּר) “foreign resident” or “naturalized citizen,” (see Exod 12:19 and Deut 29:10-13) could make sacrifices (Lev 17:8; 22:18; Num 15:14) and participate in Israel’s religious festivals: Passover Exod 12:48; Day of Atonement Lev 16:29; Feast of Weeks Deut 16:10-14; Feast of Tabernacles/Temporary Shelters Deut 31:12.
  11. Deuteronomy 31:13 tn The phrase “this law” is not in the Hebrew text, but English style requires an object for the verb here. Other translations also supply the object which is otherwise implicit (cf. NIV “who do not know this law”; TEV “who have never heard the Law of the Lord your God”).
  12. Deuteronomy 31:14 tc The LXX reads “by the door of the tent” in line with v. 10 but also, perhaps, as a reflection of its tendency to avoid over-familiarity with Yahweh and his transcendence.
  13. Deuteronomy 31:14 tn Heb “tent of assembly” (מוֹעֵד אֹהֶל, ʾohel moʿed); this is not always the same as the tabernacle, which is usually called מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan, “dwelling-place”), a reference to its being invested with God’s presence. The “tent of meeting” was erected earlier than the tabernacle and was the place where Yahweh occasionally appeared, especially to Moses (cf. Exod 18:7-16; 33:7-11; Num 11:16, 24, 26; 12:4).
  14. Deuteronomy 31:14 tn Heb “I will command him.”
  15. Deuteronomy 31:15 tn Heb “and the pillar of cloud.” This phrase was not repeated in the translation; a relative clause was used instead.
  16. Deuteronomy 31:16 tn Heb “lie down with your fathers” (so NASB); NRSV “ancestors.”
  17. Deuteronomy 31:16 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style. The third person singular also occurs in the Hebrew text twice more in this verse, three times in v. 17, once in v. 18, five times in v. 20, and four times in v. 21. Each time it is translated as third person plural for stylistic reasons.
  18. Deuteronomy 31:16 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  19. Deuteronomy 31:16 tn Or “abandon” (TEV, NLT).
  20. Deuteronomy 31:16 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  21. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “on that day.” This same expression also appears later in the verse and in v. 18.
  22. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  23. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “find,” “encounter.”
  24. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  25. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  26. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “evils.”
  27. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “me.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “us,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.
  28. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “my.”
  29. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “me.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “us,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.
  30. Deuteronomy 31:18 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “certainly.”
  31. Deuteronomy 31:18 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  32. Deuteronomy 31:20 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  33. Deuteronomy 31:20 tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  34. Deuteronomy 31:20 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  35. Deuteronomy 31:20 tn Heb “and are satisfied.”
  36. Deuteronomy 31:20 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  37. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “Then it will come to pass that.”
  38. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  39. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  40. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  41. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed.”
  42. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  43. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “which he is doing.”
  44. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
  45. Deuteronomy 31:23 tn Heb “he.” Since the pronoun could be taken to refer to Moses, the referent has been specified as “the Lord” in the translation for clarity. See also the note on the word “you” later in this verse.
  46. Deuteronomy 31:23 tc The LXX reads, “as the Lord promised them, and he will be with you.” This relieves the problem of Moses apparently promising to be with Joshua as the MT reads on the surface (“I will be with you”). However, the reading of the LXX is clearly an attempt to clarify an existing obscurity and therefore is unlikely to reflect the original.
  47. Deuteronomy 31:25 tn Heb “Moses.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
  48. Deuteronomy 31:27 tn Heb “stiffness of neck” (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV). See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.
  49. Deuteronomy 31:27 tn Heb “How much more after my death?” The Hebrew text has a sarcastic rhetorical question here; the translation seeks to bring out the force of the question.
  50. Deuteronomy 31:29 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “totally.”
  51. Deuteronomy 31:29 tn Heb “do the evil.”
  52. Deuteronomy 31:29 tn Heb “the work of your hands.”
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申命记 31
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)

立约书亚做摩西的接班人

31 摩西继续对以色列人说： 2 “我已经一百二十岁了，无法再继续带领你们，耶和华曾说我不得过约旦河。 3 你们的上帝耶和华要亲自带领你们过河，在你们面前消灭那里的各族，使你们占领他们的土地。约书亚将做你们的首领，正如耶和华所言。 4 耶和华要毁灭那里的各族，像毁灭亚摩利二王西宏和噩及其国家一样。 5 耶和华要把他们交给你们，你们要照我的一切吩咐处置他们。 6 你们要刚强勇敢，不要怕他们，因为你们的上帝耶和华与你们同在，祂不会撇下你们，也不会离弃你们。”

7 摩西把约书亚叫来，当着全体以色列人的面对他说：“你要刚强勇敢！因为你要带领百姓进入耶和华起誓赐给他们祖先的土地，把土地分给他们。 8 耶和华必带领你，与你同在。祂不会撇下你，也不会离弃你。不要害怕，也不要沮丧。”

每七年当众宣读律法一次

9 摩西把这律法写好，交给抬耶和华约柜的利未祭司和以色列的众长老。 10 摩西吩咐他们说：“每逢免除债务的第七年的住棚节， 11 所有以色列人到你们的上帝耶和华选定的地方朝见祂时，你们要当众大声宣读这律法。 12 要招聚所有男女、孩童以及住在你们中间的外族人，让他们聆听这律法，学习敬畏你们的上帝耶和华，谨遵律法上的一切话。 13 这样，他们那些还不知道这律法的孩子便有机会听到律法，在你们将要占领的约旦河对岸的土地上，学习终生敬畏你们的上帝耶和华。”

上帝对摩西和约书亚的指示

14 耶和华对摩西说：“你快要离世了。叫约书亚与你一起到会幕，我要委派他。”摩西和约书亚就去了会幕。 15 有云柱停在会幕入口的上方，耶和华在云柱中向他们显现。

16 耶和华对摩西说：“你快要与祖先同眠了。这些百姓将很快在要占领的土地上与外族人的神明苟合，背弃我，违背我与他们所立的约。 17 那时，我要向他们发怒，离弃他们，掩面不理他们。他们将被吞灭，遭遇许多祸患和灾难，以致他们会说，‘这些祸患临到我们岂不是因为上帝不在我们中间了吗？’ 18 那时，我必掩面不理他们，因为他们祭拜别的神明，行为邪恶。

19 “现在，你要写一首歌，教导以色列人，让他们背诵，作为我指控他们的证据。 20 因为当我把他们带到我起誓应许他们祖先的奶蜜之乡后，当他们在那里吃饱喝足后，就会嫌弃我，违背我与他们所立的约，去供奉别的神明。 21 当许多祸患和灾难临到他们的时候，这首歌就要成为指控他们的证据，因为这首歌要在他们的子孙中世代流传。虽然我还没有带领他们进入我起誓应许之地，我已经知道他们的心思意念。” 22 当天，摩西就写下这首歌，传授给以色列人。

23 耶和华嘱咐嫩的儿子约书亚：“你要刚强勇敢，因为你要带领以色列人进入我起誓应许他们的土地，我必与你同在。”

24 摩西把这律法都写在书上以后， 25 就吩咐抬耶和华约柜的利未人： 26 “把这律法书放在你们的上帝耶和华的约柜旁，作为指控你们的证据。 27 我知道你们悖逆、顽固不化，我还活在你们中间的时候，你们尚且背叛上帝，何况我死后呢？ 28 把你们各支派的长老和首领招聚来，我要把这些话告诉他们，叫天地作证来指控他们。 29 我知道，我死后你们会彻底堕落，偏离我吩咐你们行的道，做耶和华视为恶的事，惹祂发怒，将来祸患必临到你们。”

30 然后，摩西把这首诗歌读给以色列全体会众听。

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