Bible in 90 Days

²⁰ Then Moses said to them, “Do what you have promised to do. Get ready to fight for the Lord. ²¹ Prepare yourselves and go across the Jordan River. Fight for the Lord until he has driven out his enemies in front of him. ²² When the land is under the Lord’s control, you can come back here. Your duty to the Lord and Israel will be over. Then the Lord will give you this land as your own.

²³ “But what if you fail to do your duty? Then you will be sinning against the Lord. And you may be sure that your sin will be discovered. It will be brought out into the open. ²⁴ So build up cities for your women and children. Make sheep pens for your flocks. But do what you have promised to do.”

²⁵ The people of Gad and Reuben spoke to Moses. They said, “We will do just as you command. ²⁶ Our children and wives will remain here in the cities of Gilead. So will our flocks and herds. ²⁷ But we will prepare ourselves for battle. We’ll go across the Jordan River and fight for the Lord. We will do just as you have said.”

²⁸ Then Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest. He gave the same orders to Joshua, the son of Nun. He also spoke to the family leaders of the Israelite tribes. ²⁹ He said, “The men of Gad and Reuben must get ready for battle. They must go across the Jordan River with you. They must help you fight for the Lord. They must stay with you until the land has been brought under your control. If they do, you must give them the land of Gilead as their own. ³⁰ But what if they don’t get ready for battle? What if they don’t go across the Jordan with you? Then they must accept a share with you in Canaan.”

³¹ The people of Gad and Reuben gave their answer. They said, “We will do what the Lord has said. ³² We’ll get ready for battle. We’ll go across the Jordan into Canaan. We’ll fight for the Lord there. But the property we receive will be on this side of the Jordan River.”

³³ Then Moses gave their land to them. He gave it to the tribes of Gad and Reuben and half of the tribe of Manasseh. Manasseh was Joseph’s son. One part of that land had belonged to the kingdom of Sihon. He was the king of the Amorites. The other part had belonged to the kingdom of Og. He was the king of Bashan. Moses gave that whole land to those two and a half tribes. It included its cities and the territory around them.

³⁴ The people of Gad built up the cities of Dibon, Ataroth and Aroer. ³⁵ They built up Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, ³⁶ Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran. They built a high wall around each of those cities. They also built sheep pens for their flocks. ³⁷ The people of Reuben built up Heshbon, Elealeh and Kiriathaim. ³⁸ They also built up Nebo, Baal Meon and Sibmah. They gave new names to the cities they had built up.

³⁹ The people of Makir, the son of Manasseh, went to the land of Gilead. They captured it. They drove out the Amorites living there. ⁴⁰ So Moses gave Gilead to the people of Makir, the son of Manasseh. And they settled there. ⁴¹ Jair was from the family line of Manasseh. Jair captured Gilead’s settlements. He called them Havvoth Jair. ⁴² Nobah captured Kenath and the settlements around it. He named it after himself.

The Places Where Israel Camped During Their Journey

33 Here are the places where the Israelites camped during their journey. When they came out of Egypt, they marched in groups like an army. Moses and Aaron led them. ² The Lord commanded Moses to record their journey. Here are the places where they camped.

³ The Israelites started out from Rameses on the 15th day of the first month. It was the day after the Passover Feast. They marched out boldly in plain sight of all the Egyptians. ⁴ The Egyptians were burying all their oldest sons. The Lord had struck them down. He had done it when he punished their gods.

⁵ The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Sukkoth.

⁶ They left Sukkoth and camped at Etham. Etham was on the edge of the desert.

⁷ They left Etham and turned back to Pi Hahiroth. It was east of Baal Zephon. They camped near Migdol.

⁸ They left Pi Hahiroth. Then they passed through the Red Sea into the desert. They traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham. Then they camped at Marah.

⁹ They left Marah and went to Elim. Twelve springs and 70 palm trees were there. So they camped at Elim.

¹⁰ They left Elim and camped by the Red Sea.

¹¹ They left the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.

¹² They left the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

¹³ They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.

¹⁴ They left Alush and camped at Rephidim. But there was no water there for the people to drink.

¹⁵ They left Rephidim and camped in the Desert of Sinai.

¹⁶ They left the Desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah.

¹⁷ They left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.

¹⁸ They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

¹⁹ They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez.

²⁰ They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah.

²¹ They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.

²² They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

²³ They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

²⁴ They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

²⁵ They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

²⁶ They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

²⁷ They left Tahath and camped at Terah.

²⁸ They left Terah and camped at Mithkah.

²⁹ They left Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.

³⁰ They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

³¹ They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan.

³² They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.

³³ They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.

³⁴ They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

³⁵ They left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber.

³⁶ They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh. Kadesh was in the Desert of Zin.

³⁷ They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor. It was on the border of Edom. ³⁸ Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor when the Lord commanded him to. That’s where he died. It happened on the first day of the fifth month. It was the 40th year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. ³⁹ Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

⁴⁰ The Canaanite king of Arad lived in the Negev Desert in Canaan. He heard that the Israelites were coming.

⁴¹ They left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

⁴² They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

⁴³ They left Punon and camped at Oboth.

⁴⁴ They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim. It was on the border of Moab.

⁴⁵ They left Iye Abarim and camped at Dibon Gad.

⁴⁶ They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim.

⁴⁷ They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim near Nebo.

⁴⁸ They left the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab. That area was by the Jordan River across from Jericho. ⁴⁹ They camped there along the Jordan River from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim.

⁵⁰ On the plains of Moab the Lord spoke to Moses. He spoke to him by the Jordan River across from Jericho. The Lord said, ⁵¹ “Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘Go across the Jordan River into Canaan. ⁵² Drive out all those living in the land. The statues of their gods are made out of stone and metal. Destroy all those statues. And destroy all the high places where they are worshiped. ⁵³ Take the land as your own. Make your homes in it. I have given it to you. ⁵⁴ Cast lots when you divide up the land. Do it based on the number of people in each tribe and family. Give a larger share to a larger group. And give a smaller group a smaller share. The share they receive by casting lots will belong to them. Give out the shares based on the number of people in Israel’s tribes.

⁵⁵ “ ‘But suppose you do not drive out the people living in the land. Then those you allow to remain there will become like needles in your eyes. They will become like thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. ⁵⁶ Then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.’ ”

Israel Arrives at the Borders of Canaan

34 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Give the Israelites a command. Tell them, ‘You are going to enter Canaan. The land will be given to you as your own. Here are the borders it must have.

“ ‘That will be your land. And those will be its borders on every side.’ ”

¹³ Moses gave the Israelites a command. He said, “Cast lots when you divide up the land. Each tribe will have its own share. The Lord has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. ¹⁴ The families of the tribes of Reuben and Gad have already received their shares. The families of half of the tribe of Manasseh have also received their share. ¹⁵ Those two and a half tribes have received their shares east of the Jordan River. It flows near Jericho. Their land is toward the sunrise.”

¹⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ¹⁷ “Here are the names of the men who will give out the shares of the land to your people. They are Eleazar the priest and Joshua, the son of Nun. ¹⁸ Also appoint one leader from each of the nine and a half tribes. They will help you give out the land.

¹⁹ “Here are their names.

²⁹ These are the men the Lord commanded to give out the shares of the land. They were commanded to give them to Israel in the land of Canaan.

The Levites Receive Their Towns

35 On the plains of Moab, the Lord spoke to Moses. It was by the Jordan River across from Jericho. The Lord said, ² “Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in. The towns must come from the shares of land the people will have as their own. Also give the Levites the grasslands around the towns. ³ Then the Levites will have towns to live in. They will also have grasslands for their cattle and all their other livestock.

⁴ “The grasslands around each town you give them will go out to 1,500 feet from the town wall. ⁵ Outside each town, the east side will measure 3,000 feet. So will the south side, the west side and the north side. The town must be in the center. And the Levites will own the grasslands around each town.

Cities to Run to for Safety

⁶ “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities to go to for safety. A person who has killed someone can run to one of them. Also give the Levites 42 other towns. ⁷ You must give the Levites a total of 48 towns. Also give them the grasslands around those towns. ⁸ The towns you give the Levites must come from the land the Israelites have as their own. So the number you give from each tribe will depend on the size of that tribe’s share. Take many towns from a tribe that has many towns. But take only a few towns from a tribe that has only a few.”

⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰ “Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘You will soon go across the Jordan River. You will enter Canaan. ¹¹ When you do, choose the cities to go to for safety. People who have killed someone by accident can run to one of those cities. ¹² They will be places of safety for them. People will be safe there from those who want to kill them. Then anyone charged with murder will not die before their case has been brought to the community court. ¹³ Six towns will be the cities you can go to for safety. ¹⁴ Three will be east of the Jordan River. The other three will be in Canaan. ¹⁵ Those six towns will be places where the Israelites can go for safety. Outsiders living in Israel can also go to them for safety. So anyone who has killed another person by accident can run there.

¹⁶ “ ‘Suppose a person uses an iron object to hit and kill someone. Then that person is a murderer and must be put to death. ¹⁷ Or suppose a person is holding a stone that could kill. And they use it to hit and kill someone. Then that person is a murderer and must be put to death. ¹⁸ Or suppose a person is holding a wooden object that could kill. And they use it to hit and kill someone. Then that person is a murderer and must be put to death. ¹⁹ The dead person’s nearest male relative must kill the murderer. When he meets up with him, he must kill the murderer. ²⁰ What if a person makes evil plans against someone else? And what if that person pushes them so that they die? Or what if that person throws something at them so that they die? ²¹ Or what if that person hits another person with a fist so that the other dies? Then the person who does any of those things must be put to death. That person is a murderer. The dead person’s nearest male relative must kill the murderer. When he meets up with him, he must kill the murderer.

²² “ ‘But what if a person suddenly pushes someone else without being angry? Or what if that person throws something at someone else without meaning to? ²³ Or what if that person does not see the other person and drops a stone on them that kills them? He was not the dead person’s enemy. He did not mean to harm them. ²⁴ Then the court must decide between the person who did the act and the nearest male relative of the one who was killed. Here are the rules the court must follow. ²⁵ The court must provide a safe place for the person accused of murder. It must keep the one accused of murder safe from those who want to kill them. The court must send the accused person back to the city they ran to for safety. The accused person must stay there until the high priest dies. That priest has been anointed with holy oil.

²⁶ “ ‘But suppose the accused person goes outside that city. ²⁷ And suppose the dead person’s nearest male relative finds them outside the city. Then the relative can kill the accused person. The relative will not be guilty of murder. ²⁸ The accused person must stay in that city until the high priest dies. Only then may they return home.

²⁹ “ ‘This is what the law requires of you for all time to come. It will apply to you no matter where you live.

³⁰ “ ‘Suppose a person kills someone. Then that person must be put to death as a murderer. But do it only when there are witnesses who can tell what happened. Do not put anyone to death if only one witness tells what happened.

³¹ “ ‘Do not accept payment for a murderer’s life. A murderer deserves to die. They must certainly be put to death.

³² “ ‘Do not accept payment for anyone who has run to a city for safety. Do not let them buy their freedom to return home. They must not go back and live on their own land before the high priest dies.

³³ “ ‘Do not pollute the land where you are. Murder pollutes the land. Only one thing can pay to remove the pollution in the land where murder has been committed. The blood of the one who spilled another’s blood must be spilled. ³⁴ So do not make the land where you live “unclean,” because I live there too. I, the Lord, live among the Israelites.’ ”

The Property Zelophehad’s Daughters Will Receive

36 The heads of the families of Gilead came to Moses. Gilead was the son of Makir. The family heads were from the tribe of Manasseh. So they were in the family line of Joseph. They spoke to Moses in front of the leaders of the families of Israel. ² They said, “The Lord commanded you to give shares of the land to the Israelites. He told you to cast lots when you do it. At that time the Lord ordered you to give our brother Zelophehad’s share to his daughters. ³ Suppose they marry men from other tribes in Israel. Then their share will be taken away from our family’s land. It will be added to the land of the tribe they marry into. So a part of the share given to us will be taken away. ⁴ The Year of Jubilee for the Israelites will come. Then their share will be added to the land of the tribe they marry into. Their land will be taken away from the share given to our tribe.”

⁵ Then the Lord gave a command to Moses. He told Moses to give an order to the Israelites. Moses said, “What the tribe in the family line of Joseph is saying is right. ⁶ Here is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad’s daughters. They can marry anyone they want to. But they have to marry someone in their own family’s tribe. ⁷ Property in Israel must not pass from one tribe to another. Everyone in Israel must keep their family’s share of their tribe’s land. ⁸ Suppose a daughter in any tribe of Israel receives land from her parents. Then she must marry someone in her father’s family and tribe. In that way, every family’s share will remain in its family line in Israel. ⁹ Property can’t pass from one tribe to another. Each tribe of Israel must keep the land it receives.”

¹⁰ So Zelophehad’s daughters did just as the Lord commanded Moses. ¹¹ The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milkah and Noah. All of them married their cousins on their father’s side. ¹² They married men in the family line of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. So the land they received remained in their father’s family and tribe.

¹³ These are the commands and rules the Lord gave through Moses. He gave them to the Israelites on the plains of Moab. They were by the Jordan River across from Jericho.

The Lord Commands Israel to Leave Mount Horeb

1 These are the words Moses spoke to all the Israelites. At that time, they were in the desert east of the Jordan River. It’s in the Arabah Valley across from Suph. The people were between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. ² It takes 11 days to go from Mount Horeb to Kadesh Barnea if you travel on the Mount Seir road.

³ It was the 40th year since the Israelites had left Egypt. On the first day of the 11th month, Moses spoke to them. He told them everything the Lord had commanded him to tell them. ⁴ They had already won the battle over Sihon. Sihon was the king of the Amorites. He had ruled in Heshbon. Israel had also won the battle over Og at Edrei. Og was the king of Bashan. He had ruled in Ashtaroth.

⁵ The people were east of the Jordan River in the territory of Moab. There Moses began to explain the law. Here is what he said.

⁶ The Lord our God spoke to us at Mount Horeb. He said, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. ⁷ Take your tents down. Go into the hill country of the Amorites. Go to all the people who are their neighbors. Go to the people who live in the Arabah Valley. Travel to the mountains and the western hills. Go to the people in the Negev Desert and along the coast. Travel to the land of Canaan and to Lebanon. Go as far as the great Euphrates River. ⁸ I have given you all this land. Go in and take it as your own. The Lord promised he would give the land to your fathers. He promised it to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He also said he would give it to their children after them.”

Some Officials Are Chosen to Help Moses

⁹ At that time I spoke to you. I said, “You are too heavy a load for me to carry alone. ¹⁰ The Lord your God has caused there to be many of you. Today you are as many as the stars in the sky. ¹¹ The Lord is the God of your people. May he cause there to be a thousand times more of you. May he bless you, just as he promised he would. ¹² But I can’t handle your problems and troubles all by myself. I can’t settle your arguments. ¹³ So choose some wise men from each of your tribes. They must understand how to give good advice. The people must have respect for them. I will appoint those men to have authority over you.”

¹⁴ You answered me, “Your suggestion is good.”

¹⁵ So I chose the leading men of your tribes who were wise and respected. I appointed them to have authority over you. I made them commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. I appointed them to be officials over the tribes. ¹⁶ Here is what I commanded your judges at that time. I said, “Listen to your people’s cases when they argue with one another. Judge them fairly. It doesn’t matter whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and an outsider living among you. ¹⁷ When you judge them, treat everyone the same. Listen to those who are important and those who are not. Don’t be afraid of anyone. God is the highest judge. Bring me any case that is too hard for you. I’ll listen to it.” ¹⁸ At that time I told you everything you should do.

Twelve Men Check Out the Land of Canaan

¹⁹ The Lord our God commanded us to start out from Mount Horeb. So we did. We went toward the hill country of the Amorites. We traveled all through the huge and terrible desert you saw. Finally, we reached Kadesh Barnea. ²⁰ Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites. The Lord our God is giving it to us. ²¹ The Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take it. Do what the Lord says. He’s the God of your people. Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope.”

²² Then all of you came to me. You said, “Let’s send some men ahead of us. They can check out the land for us and bring back a report. They can suggest to us which way to go. They can tell us about the towns we’ll come to.”

²³ That seemed like a good idea to me. So I chose 12 of you. I picked one man from each tribe. ²⁴ They left and went up into the hill country. There they came to the Valley of Eshkol. They checked it out. ²⁵ They got some of the fruit of that land. Then they brought it down to us and gave us their report. They said, “The Lord our God is giving us a good land.”

Israel Refuses to Obey the Lord

²⁶ But you wouldn’t go up. You refused to obey the command of the Lord your God. ²⁷ You spoke against him in your tents. You said, “The Lord hates us. That’s why he brought us out of Egypt to hand us over to the Amorites. He wanted to destroy us. ²⁸ Where can we go? The men who checked out the land have made us afraid. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are. The cities are large. They have walls that reach up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’ ”

²⁹ Then I said to you, “Don’t be terrified. Don’t be afraid of them. ³⁰ The Lord your God will go ahead of you. He will fight for you. With your own eyes you saw how he fought for you in Egypt. ³¹ You also saw how the Lord your God brought you through the desert. He carried you everywhere you went, just as a father carries his son. And now you have arrived here.”

³² In spite of that, you didn’t trust in the Lord your God. ³³ He went ahead of you on your journey. He was in the fire at night and in the cloud during the day. He found places for you to camp. He showed you the way you should go.

³⁴ The Lord heard what you said. So he became angry. He made a promise. He said, ³⁵ “I promised to give this good land to your people of long ago. But no one alive today will see it. ³⁶ Only Caleb will see the land. He is the son of Jephunneh. I will give him and his children after him the land he walked on. He followed me with his whole heart.”

³⁷ Because of you, the Lord became angry with me also. He said, “You will not enter the land either. ³⁸ But Joshua, the son of Nun, is your helper. Joshua will enter the land. Help him to be brave. Give him hope. He will lead Israel to take the land as their own. ³⁹ You said your little ones would be taken prisoner. But they will enter the land. They do not yet know right from wrong. But I will give them the land. They will take it as their own. ⁴⁰ As for you, turn around. Start out toward the desert. Go along the road that leads to the Red Sea.”

⁴¹ Then you replied, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight. We’ll do just as the Lord our God has commanded us.” So all of you got your swords and put them on. You thought it would be easy to go up into the hill country.

⁴² But the Lord spoke to me. He said, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight. I will not be with you. Your enemies will win the battle over you.’ ”

⁴³ So I told you what the Lord said. But you wouldn’t listen. You refused to obey his command. You were so filled with pride that you marched up into the hill country. ⁴⁴ The Amorites who lived in those hills came out and attacked you. Like large numbers of bees they chased you. They beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah. ⁴⁵ You came back and wept in front of the Lord. But he didn’t pay any attention to your weeping. He wouldn’t listen to you. ⁴⁶ So you stayed in Kadesh for many years. You spent a long time in that area.

Israel Wanders in the Desert

2 We turned back and started out toward the desert. We went along the road that leads to the Red Sea. That’s how the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.

² Then the Lord spoke to me. He said, ³ “You have made your way around this hill country long enough. So now turn north. ⁴ Here are the orders I want you to give the people. Tell them, ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives. They are from the family line of Esau. They live in Seir. They will be afraid of you. But be very careful. ⁵ Do not make them angry. If you do, they will go to war against you. I will not give you any of their land. You will not have even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau’s people the hill country of Seir as their own. ⁶ Pay them with silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’ ”

⁷ The Lord your God has blessed you in everything your hands have done. He watched over you when you traveled through that huge desert. For these 40 years the Lord your God has been with you. So you have had everything you need.

⁸ We went on past our relatives. They are from the family line of Esau. They live in Seir. We turned away from the Arabah Valley road. It comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber. We traveled along the desert road of Moab.

⁹ Then the Lord said to me, “Do not attack the Moabites. Do not even make them angry. If you do, they will go to war against you. I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Moab to the people in the family line of Lot. I have given it to them as their own.”

¹⁰ The Emites used to live there. They were strong people. There were large numbers of them. They were as tall as the Anakites. ¹¹ Like the Anakites, they too were thought of as Rephaites. But the Moabites called them Emites. ¹² The Horites used to live in Seir. But the people of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites to make room for themselves. Then they settled in their territory. They did just as Israel has done in the land the Lord gave them as their own.

¹³ The Lord said, “Now get up. Go across the Zered Valley.” So we went across it.

¹⁴ Between the time we left Kadesh Barnea and the time we went across the Zered Valley, 38 years had passed. By then, all the fighting men who had been in our camp from the beginning had died. The Lord had warned them that it would happen. ¹⁵ He used his power against them until he had gotten rid of all of them. Not one was left in the camp.

¹⁶ Finally, the last of the fighting men among the people died. ¹⁷ Then the Lord said to me, ¹⁸ “Today you must pass near the border of Moab. Moab is also called Ar. ¹⁹ When you come to the Ammonites, do not attack them. Do not make them angry. If you do, they will go to war against you. I will not give you any of their land as your own. I have given it to the people in the family line of Lot. I have given it to them as their own.”

²⁰ That land was also thought of as a land of the Rephaites. They used to live there. But the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. ²¹ The Rephaites were strong people. There were large numbers of them. They were as tall as the Anakites. The Lord destroyed the Rephaites to make room for the Ammonites. So the Ammonites drove them out. Then they settled in the territory of the Rephaites. ²² The Lord had done the same thing for the people of Esau. They lived in Seir. The Lord destroyed the Horites to make room for Esau’s people. They drove the Horites out. So the people of Esau have lived in Seir in the territory of the Horites to this very day. ²³ The Avvites lived in villages as far away as Gaza. But people came from Crete and destroyed the Avvites. Then the people of Crete made their home in the territory of the Avvites.

Israel Wins the Battle Over Sihon

²⁴ The Lord said, “Start out and go across the valley of the Arnon River. I have handed Sihon over to you. He is the Amorite king of Heshbon. I have also given you his country. Begin to take it as your own. Go to war against him. ²⁵ This very day I will bring fear and terror on all the nations because of you. They will hear about you. They will tremble with fear. Pain and suffering will grip them because of you.”

²⁶ I sent messengers from the Desert of Kedemoth. I told them to go to Sihon, the king of Heshbon. They offered him peace. They said, ²⁷ “Let us pass through your country. We’ll stay on the main road. We won’t turn off it to one side or the other. ²⁸ We’ll pay you the right amount of silver for food to eat and water to drink. Just let us walk through your country. ²⁹ The people of Esau, who live in Seir, allowed us to do that. The people of Moab, who live in Ar, also allowed us to do it. So let us walk through until we go across the Jordan River. Then we’ll be able to go into the land the Lord our God is giving us.” ³⁰ But Sihon, the king of Heshbon, refused to let us walk through. The Lord your God had made him stubborn in his heart and spirit. The Lord wanted to hand him over to you. And that’s exactly what he has done.

³¹ The Lord said to me, “I have begun to hand Sihon and his country over to you. So begin the battle to take his land as your own.”

³² Sihon and his whole army came out to fight against us at Jahaz. ³³ But the Lord our God handed him over to us. We struck him down together with his sons and his whole army. ³⁴ At that time we took all his towns. We completely destroyed them. We killed all the men, women and children. We didn’t leave any of them alive. ³⁵ But we took for ourselves the livestock and everything else from the towns we had captured. ³⁶ Not a single town was too strong for us. That includes all the towns from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon River valley all the way to Gilead. It also includes the town in the valley. The Lord our God gave us all of them. ³⁷ And you obeyed the Lord’s command. You didn’t go near any part of the land of the Ammonites. That includes the land along the Jabbok River. It also includes the land around the towns in the hills.

Israel Wins the Battle Over Og

3 Next, we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan. Og marched out with his whole army. They fought against us at Edrei. Og was the king of Bashan. ² The Lord said to me, “Do not be afraid of Og. I have handed him over to you. I have also handed over his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon. Sihon was the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon.”

³ So the Lord our God also handed Og, the king of Bashan, and his whole army over to us. We struck them down. We didn’t leave any of them alive. ⁴ At that time we took all his cities. There were 60 of them. We took the whole area of Argob. That was Og’s kingdom in Bashan. ⁵ All those cities had high walls around them. The city gates were made secure with heavy metal bars. There were also large numbers of villages that didn’t have walls. ⁶ We completely destroyed them. We did to them just as we had done to Sihon, the king of Heshbon. We destroyed all their cities. We destroyed the men, women and children. ⁷ But we kept for ourselves the livestock and everything else we took from their cities.

⁸ So at that time we took the territory east of the Jordan River. We captured it from those two Amorite kings. The territory goes all the way from the Arnon River valley to Mount Hermon. ⁹ Hermon is called Sirion by the people of Sidon. The Amorites call it Senir. ¹⁰ We captured all the towns on the high plains. We took the whole land of Gilead. And we captured the whole land of Bashan as far away as Salekah and Edrei. Those were towns that belonged to Og’s kingdom in Bashan. ¹¹ Og, the king of Bashan, was the only Rephaite left. His bed was decorated with iron. It was more than 13 feet long and six feet wide. It is still in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.

Moses Divides Up the Land

¹² I divided up the land we took over at that time. I gave the tribes of Reuben and Gad the territory north of Aroer by the Arnon River valley. It includes half of the hill country of Gilead together with its towns. ¹³ I gave the rest of Gilead to half of the tribe of Manasseh. I also gave them the whole land of Bashan, the kingdom of Og. The whole area of Argob in Bashan used to be known as a land of the Rephaites. ¹⁴ Jair took the whole area of Argob. He was from the family line of Manasseh. Argob goes all the way to the border of the people of Geshur and Maakah. It was named after Jair. So Bashan is called Havvoth Jair to this very day. ¹⁵ I gave Gilead to Makir. ¹⁶ But I gave to the tribes of Reuben and Gad the territory that reaches from Gilead down to the Arnon River valley. It goes all the way to the Jabbok River. The Jabbok is the northern border of Ammon. The middle of the Arnon River valley is its southern border. ¹⁷ The western border of Reuben and Gad is the Jordan River in the Arabah Valley. It reaches from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. It runs below the slopes of Pisgah.

¹⁸ Here is the command I gave at that time to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. I said, “The Lord your God has given you this land as your very own. But all your strong men must be prepared for battle. They must cross over ahead of the rest of the Israelites. ¹⁹ But your wives and children can stay in the towns I’ve given you. You can keep your livestock there too. I know you have a lot of livestock. ²⁰ The Lord has given you peace and rest. Then let your families and livestock stay in those towns until the Lord gives peace and rest to the other tribes. And let your families stay until the other tribes have taken over the land the Lord your God is giving them. That land is across the Jordan River. After that, each of you may go back to the land I’ve given you as your very own.”

The Lord Will Not Allow Moses to Cross the Jordan River

²¹ At that time I gave Joshua a command. I said, “Your own eyes have seen everything the Lord your God has done to Sihon and Og. He will do the same thing to all the kingdoms in the land where you are going. ²² Don’t be afraid of them. The Lord your God himself will fight for you.”

²³ At that time I made my appeal to the Lord. I said, ²⁴ “Lord and King, you have begun to show me how great you are. You have shown me how strong your hand is. You do great works and mighty acts. There isn’t any god in heaven or on earth who can do what you do. ²⁵ Let me go across the Jordan River. Let me see the good land beyond it. I want to see that fine hill country and Lebanon.”

²⁶ But the Lord was angry with me because of what you did. He wouldn’t listen to me. “That is enough!” the Lord said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. ²⁷ Go up to the highest slopes of Pisgah. Look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes. But you are not going to go across this Jordan River. ²⁸ So appoint Joshua as the new leader. Help him to be brave. Give him hope and strength. He will take these people across the Jordan. You will see the land. But he will lead them into it to take it as their own.” ²⁹ So we stayed in the valley near Beth Peor.

Obey the Lord

4 Now, Israel, listen to the rules and laws I’m going to teach you. Obey them and you will live. You will go in and take over the land. The Lord was the God of your people of long ago. He’s giving you the land. ² Don’t add to what I’m commanding you. Don’t subtract from it either. Instead, obey the commands of the Lord your God that I’m giving you.

³ Your own eyes saw what the Lord your God did at Baal Peor. He destroyed every one of your people who worshiped the Baal that was worshiped at Peor. ⁴ But all of you who remained true to the Lord your God are still alive today.

⁵ I have taught you rules and laws, just as the Lord my God commanded me. Obey them in the land you are entering to take as your very own. ⁶ Be careful to keep them. That will show the nations how wise and understanding you are. They will hear about all these rules. They’ll say, “That great nation certainly has wise and understanding people.” ⁷ The Lord our God is near us every time we pray to him. What other nation is great enough to have its gods that close to them? ⁸ I’m giving you the laws of the Lord today. What other nation is great enough to have rules and laws as fair as these?

⁹ Don’t be careless. Instead, be very careful. Don’t forget the things your eyes have seen. As long as you live, don’t let them slip from your mind. Teach them to your children and their children after them. ¹⁰ Remember the day you stood at Mount Horeb. The Lord your God was there. He said to me, “Bring the people to me to hear my words. I want them to learn to have respect for me as long as they live in the land. I want them to teach my words to their children.” ¹¹ You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain. It blazed with fire that reached as high as the very heavens. There were black clouds and deep darkness. ¹² Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of his words. But you didn’t see any shape or form. You only heard a voice. ¹³ He announced his covenant to you. That covenant is the Ten Commandments. He commanded you to obey them. Then he wrote them down on two stone tablets. ¹⁴ At that time the Lord directed me to teach you his rules and laws. You must obey them in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to take as your own.

Don’t Make or Worship Statues of Gods

¹⁵ The Lord spoke to you at Mount Horeb out of the fire. But you didn’t see any shape or form that day. So be very careful. ¹⁶ Make sure you don’t commit a horrible sin. Don’t make for yourselves a statue of a god. Don’t make a god that looks like a man or woman or anything else. ¹⁷ Don’t make one that looks like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the sky. ¹⁸ Don’t make a statue that looks like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish that swims in the water. ¹⁹ When you look up at the heavens, you will see the sun and moon. And you will see huge numbers of stars. Don’t let anyone tempt you to bow down to the sun, moon or stars. Don’t worship things the Lord your God has provided for all the nations on earth. ²⁰ Egypt was like a furnace that melts iron down and makes it pure. But the Lord took you and brought you out of Egypt. He wanted you to be his very own people. And that’s exactly what you are.

²¹ The Lord was angry with me because of what you did. He promised that he would never let me go across the Jordan River. He promised that I would never enter that good land. It’s the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own. ²² I’ll die here in this land. I won’t go across the Jordan. But you are about to cross over it. You will take that good land as your own. ²³ Be careful. Don’t forget the covenant the Lord your God made with you. Don’t make for yourselves a statue of any god at all. He has told you not to. So don’t do it. ²⁴ The Lord your God is like a fire that burns everything up. He wants you to worship only him.

²⁵ So don’t make a statue of a god. Don’t commit that horrible sin. Don’t do it even after you have had children and grandchildren. Don’t do it even after you have lived in the land a long time. If you do, that will be an evil thing in the sight of the Lord your God. You will make him angry. ²⁶ Today I’m calling out to the heavens and the earth to be witnesses against you. Suppose you do these things. Then you will quickly die in the land you are going across the Jordan River to take over. You won’t live there very long. You will certainly be destroyed. ²⁷ The Lord will drive you out of your land. He will scatter you among the nations. Only a few of you will remain alive there. ²⁸ There you will worship gods that men have made out of wood and stone. Those gods can’t see, hear, eat or smell. ²⁹ Perhaps while you are there, you will seek the Lord your God. You will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. ³⁰ All the things I’ve told you about might happen to you. And you will be in trouble. But later you will return to the Lord your God. You will obey him. ³¹ The Lord your God is tender and loving. He won’t leave you or destroy you. He won’t forget the covenant he made with your people of long ago. He gave his word when he made it.

The Lord Is God

³² Ask now about the days of long ago. Find out what happened long before your time. Ask about what has happened since the time God created human beings on the earth. Ask from one end of the world to the other. Has anything as great as this ever happened? Has anything like it ever been heard of? ³³ You heard the voice of God speaking out of fire. And you lived! Has that happened to any other people? ³⁴ Has any god ever tried to take one nation out of another to be his own? Has any god done it by testing his people? Has any god done it with signs and amazing deeds or with war? Has any god reached out his mighty hand and powerful arm? Or has any god shown his people his great and wonderful acts? The Lord your God did all those things for you in Egypt. With your very own eyes you saw him do them.

³⁵ The Lord showed you those things so that you might know he is God. There is no other God except him. ³⁶ From heaven he made you hear his voice. He wanted to teach you. On earth he showed you his great fire. You heard his words coming out of the fire. ³⁷ He loved your people of long ago. He chose their children after them. So he brought you out of Egypt. He used his great strength to do it. ³⁸ He drove out nations to make room for you. They were greater and stronger than you are. He will bring you into their land. He wants to give it to you as your very own. The whole land is as good as yours right now.

³⁹ The Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Today you must agree with that and take it to heart. There is no other God. ⁴⁰ I’m giving you his rules and commands today. Obey them. Then things will go well with you and your children after you. You will live a long time in the land. The Lord your God is giving you the land for all time to come.

Cities to Run to for Safety

⁴¹ Then Moses set apart three cities east of the Jordan River. ⁴² Suppose someone killed a person they didn’t hate and without meaning to do it. That person could run to one of those cities and stay alive. ⁴³ Here are the names of the cities. Bezer was for the people of Reuben. It was in the high plains in the desert. Ramoth was for the people of Gad. It was in Gilead. Golan was for the people of Manasseh. It was in Bashan.

Moses Gives the Law to Israel

⁴⁴ Here is the law Moses gave the Israelites. ⁴⁵ Here are its terms, rules and laws. Moses gave them to the people when they came out of Egypt. ⁴⁶ They were now east of the Jordan River in the valley near Beth Peor. They were in the land of Sihon, the king of the Amorites. He ruled in Heshbon. But Moses and the Israelites won the battle over him after we came out of Egypt. ⁴⁷ They captured his land and made it their own. They also took the land of Og, the king of Bashan. Sihon and Og were the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River. ⁴⁸ Their land reached from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon River valley to Mount Hermon. ⁴⁹ It included the whole Arabah Valley east of the Jordan. It included land all the way to the Dead Sea below the slopes of Pisgah.

The Ten Commandments

5 Moses sent for all the Israelites. Here is what he said to them.

Israel, listen to me. Here are the rules and laws I’m announcing to you today. Learn them well. Be sure to obey them. ² The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Mount Horeb. ³ He didn’t make it only with our people of long ago. He also made it with us. In fact, he made it with all of us who are alive here today. ⁴ The Lord spoke to you face to face. His voice came out of the fire on the mountain. ⁵ At that time I stood between the Lord and you. I announced to you the Lord’s message. I did it because you were afraid of the fire. You didn’t go up the mountain.

The Lord said,

⁶ “I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt. That is the land where you were slaves.

²² These are the commandments the Lord announced in a loud voice to your whole community. He gave them to you there on the mountain. He spoke out of the fire, cloud and deep darkness. He didn’t add anything else. Then he wrote the commandments on two stone tablets. And he gave them to me.

²³ The mountain was blazing with fire. You heard the voice coming out of the darkness. So your elders and all the leaders of your tribes came to me. ²⁴ You said, “The Lord our God has shown us his glory and majesty. We have heard his voice coming out of the fire. Today we have seen that a person can still stay alive even if God speaks with them. ²⁵ But why should we die? This great fire will burn us up. We’ll die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God again. ²⁶ We have heard the voice of the living God. We’ve heard him speaking out of the fire. Has any other human being ever heard him speak like that and stayed alive? ²⁷ Go near and listen to everything the Lord our God says. Then tell us what he tells you. We will listen and obey.”

²⁸ The Lord heard you when you spoke to me. He said to me, “I have heard what these people said to you. Everything they said was good. ²⁹ But I wish they would always have respect for me in their hearts. I wish they would always obey all my commands. Then things would go well with them and their children forever.

³⁰ “Go and tell them to return to their tents. ³¹ But you stay here with me. Then I will give you all my commands, rules and laws. You must teach the people to obey them in the land I am giving them as their very own.”

³² So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you. Don’t turn away from his commands to the right or the left. ³³ Live exactly as the Lord your God has commanded you to live. Then you will enjoy life in the land you will soon own. Things will go well with you there. You will live there for a long time.

Love the Lord Your God

6 The Lord your God has directed me to teach you his commands, rules and laws. Obey them in the land you will take over when you go across the Jordan River. ² Then you, your children and their children after them will honor the Lord your God as long as you live. Obey all his rules and commands I’m giving you. If you do, you will enjoy long life. ³ Israel, listen to me. Make sure you obey me. Then things will go well with you. The number of your people will increase greatly in a land that has plenty of milk and honey. That’s what the Lord, the God of your parents, promised you.

⁴ Israel, listen to me. The Lord is our God. The Lord is the one and only God. ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your strength. ⁶ The commandments I give you today must be in your hearts. ⁷ Make sure your children learn them. Talk about them when you are at home. Talk about them when you walk along the road. Speak about them when you go to bed. And speak about them when you get up. ⁸ Write them down and tie them on your hands as a reminder. Also tie them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses. Also write them on your gates.

¹⁰ The Lord your God will bring you into the land of Canaan. He gave his word. He promised he would give the land to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The land has large, wealthy cities you didn’t build. ¹¹ It has houses filled with all kinds of good things you didn’t provide. The land has wells you didn’t dig. And it has vineyards and groves of olive trees you didn’t plant. You will have plenty to eat. ¹² But be careful that you don’t forget the Lord. Remember that he brought you out of Egypt. That’s the land where you were slaves.

¹³ Worship the Lord your God. He is the only one you should serve. When you make promises, do so in his name. ¹⁴ Don’t serve the gods of the nations around you. ¹⁵ The Lord your God is among you. He wants you to worship only him. If you worship other gods, God will be very angry with you. And he will destroy you from the face of the land. ¹⁶ Don’t test the Lord your God as you did at Massah. ¹⁷ Be sure to obey the Lord’s commands. Obey the terms and rules he has given you. ¹⁸ Do what is right and good in the Lord’s eyes. Then things will go well with you. You will go in and take over the land. It’s the good land the Lord promised to your people of long ago. ¹⁹ You will drive out all your enemies to make room for you. That’s what the Lord said would happen.

²⁰ Later on, your child might ask you, “What is the meaning of the terms, rules and laws the Lord our God has commanded you to obey?” ²¹ If they do ask you, tell them, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. But the Lord used his mighty hand to bring us out of Egypt. ²² With our own eyes we saw the Lord send amazing signs. They were great and terrible. He sent them on Egypt and Pharaoh and everyone in his house. ²³ But the Lord brought us out of Egypt. He planned to bring us into the land of Canaan and give it to us. It’s the land he promised to our people of long ago. ²⁴ The Lord our God commanded us to obey all his rules. He commanded us to honor him. If we do, we will always succeed and be kept alive. That’s what is happening today. ²⁵ We must make sure we obey the whole law in the sight of the Lord our God. That’s what he has commanded us to do. If we obey his law, we’ll be doing what he requires of us.”

The Lord Will Drive Out Many Nations

7 The Lord your God will bring you into the land. You are going to enter it and take it as your own. He’ll drive out many nations to make room for you. He’ll drive out the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Those seven nations are larger and stronger than you are. ² The Lord your God will hand them over to you. You will win the battle over them. You must completely destroy them. Don’t make a peace treaty with them. Don’t show them any mercy. ³ Don’t marry any of their people. Don’t give your daughters to their sons. And don’t take their daughters for your sons. ⁴ If you do, those people will turn your children away from serving the Lord. Then your children will serve other gods. The Lord will be very angry with you. He will quickly destroy you. ⁵ So here is what you must do to those people. Break down their altars. Smash their sacred stones. Cut down the poles they use to worship the female god named Asherah. Burn the statues of their gods in the fire. ⁶ You are a holy nation. The Lord your God has set you apart for himself. He has chosen you to be his special treasure. He chose you out of all the nations on the face of the earth to be his people.

⁷ The Lord chose you because he loved you very much. He didn’t choose you because you had more people than other nations. In fact, you had the smallest number of all. ⁸ The Lord chose you because he loved you. He wanted to keep the promise he had made to your people of long ago. That’s why he used his mighty hand to bring you out of Egypt. He bought you back from the land where you were slaves. He set you free from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. ⁹ So I want you to realize that the Lord your God is God. He is the faithful God. He keeps his covenant for all time to come. He keeps it with those who love him and obey his commandments. He shows them his love. ¹⁰ But he will pay back those who hate him. He’ll destroy them. He’ll quickly pay back those who hate him. ¹¹ So be careful to obey the commands, rules and laws I’m giving you today.

¹² Pay attention to the laws of the Lord your God. Be careful to obey them. Then he will keep his covenant of love with you. That’s what he promised to your people of long ago. ¹³ The Lord will love you and bless you. He’ll cause there to be many of you. He’ll give you many children. He’ll bless the crops of your land. He’ll give you plenty of grain, olive oil and fresh wine. He’ll bless your herds with many calves. He’ll give your flocks many lambs. He’ll do all these things for you in the land of Canaan. It’s the land he promised your people of long ago that he would give you. ¹⁴ He will bless you more than any other nation. All your men and women will have children. All your livestock will have little ones. ¹⁵ The Lord will keep you from getting sick. He won’t send on you any of the horrible sicknesses you saw all around you in Egypt. But he’ll send them on everyone who hates you. ¹⁶ You must destroy all the nations the Lord your God hands over to you. Don’t feel sorry for them. Don’t serve their gods. If you do, they will be a trap for you.

¹⁷ You might say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?” ¹⁸ But don’t be afraid of them. Be sure to remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all the Egyptians. ¹⁹ With your own eyes you saw what the Lord did to them. You saw the signs and amazing things he did. He reached out his mighty hand and powerful arm. The Lord your God used all those things to bring you out. You are now afraid of the nations that are in the land the Lord promised you. But the Lord your God will do to them the same things he did to Egypt. ²⁰ The Lord your God will also send hornets among those nations. Some of the people left alive will hide from you. But even they will die. ²¹ So don’t be terrified by them. The Lord your God is with you. He is a great and wonderful God. ²² The Lord your God will drive out those nations to make room for you. But he will do it little by little. You won’t be allowed to get rid of them all at once. If you did, wild animals would multiply all around you. ²³ But the Lord your God will hand those nations over to you. He will throw them into a panic until they are destroyed. ²⁴ He will hand their kings over to you. You will wipe out their names from the earth. No one will be able to stand up against you. You will destroy them. ²⁵ Burn the statues of their gods in the fire. Don’t wish for the silver and gold on those statues. Don’t take it for yourselves. If you do, it will be a trap for you. The Lord your God hates it. ²⁶ Don’t bring anything he hates into your house. If you do, you will be completely destroyed along with it. So hate it with all your heart. It is set apart to be destroyed.