Bible in 90 Days

²⁰ Moses answered, “Do what you have said. In the Lord’s presence have all your armed men get ready for battle. ²¹ Have them cross the Jordan, and fight until the Lord forces out his enemies ²² and the land is conquered. Then you may come back. You will have fulfilled your military duty to the Lord and Israel. This land will be your own property in the Lord’s presence.

²³ “If you don’t do all these things, you will be sinning against the Lord. You can be sure that you will be punished for your sin. ²⁴ Build cities for your families and stone fences for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”

²⁵ Then the tribes of Gad and Reuben said to Moses, “Sir, we will do as you command. ²⁶ Our children, our wives, our livestock, and all our other animals will stay here in the cities of Gilead. ²⁷ But in the Lord’s presence we will all get ready for battle and go with you, as you have said.”

²⁸ So Moses gave orders about them to the priest Eleazar, Joshua (son of Nun), and the family heads of the tribes of Israel. ²⁹ Moses told them, “If the tribes of Gad and Reuben get ready for battle in the Lord’s presence and cross the Jordan River with you and you conquer the land, give them Gilead as their own property. ³⁰ If they don’t get ready for battle and go with you, the land they will take possession of must be in Canaan with yours.”

³¹ The tribes of Gad and Reuben answered, “Sir, we will do as the Lord has said. ³² We will enter Canaan as armed troops in the Lord’s presence, but the land we will take possession of is here, east of the Jordan.”

³³ So Moses gave the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph, the kingdoms of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan—the whole land with its cities and its surrounding territory.

³⁴ The tribe of Gad rebuilt the cities of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, ³⁵ Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, ³⁶ Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as walled cities. They also built stone fences for their flocks.

³⁷ The tribe of Reuben rebuilt the cities of Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, ³⁸ Nebo, Baal Meon (whose names were changed), and Sibmah. These are the names they gave the cities they rebuilt.

³⁹ The descendants of Machir, son of Manasseh, went to Gilead, captured it, and forced out the Amorites who were there. ⁴⁰ So Moses gave Gilead to the people of Machir (the descendants of Manasseh), and they lived there. ⁴¹ Then Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, captured the settlements in Gilead. He called them Havvoth Jair [Settlements of Jair]. ⁴² Nobah captured Kenath and its villages. He named it Nobah after himself.

A Summary of Israel’s Journeys after Leaving Egypt

33 This is a list of all the places where the Israelites set up camp after they left Egypt in organized groups under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. ² At the Lord’s command Moses wrote down the places where they went as they traveled. This is the list:

³ They moved from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. The Israelites boldly left in full view of all the Egyptians. ⁴ The Egyptians were burying all their firstborn sons, whom the Lord had killed in a mighty act of judgment on their gods.

⁵ The Israelites moved from Rameses and set up camp at Succoth.

⁶ They moved from Succoth and set up camp at Etham, on the edge of the desert.

⁷ They moved from Etham and turned back to Pi Hahiroth, east of Baal Zephon, and set up camp near Migdol.

⁸ They moved from Pi Hahiroth ^[a] and went through the middle of the sea into the desert. After they traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham, they set up camp at Marah.

⁹ They moved from Marah and came to Elim. Elim had 12 springs and 70 palm trees, so they set up camp there.

¹⁰ They moved from Elim and set up camp by the Red Sea.

¹¹ They moved from the Red Sea and set up camp in the Desert of Sin.

¹² They moved from the Desert of Sin and set up camp at Dophkah.

¹³ They moved from Dophkah and set up camp at Alush.

¹⁴ They moved from Alush and set up camp at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

¹⁵ They moved from Rephidim and set up camp in the Desert of Sinai.

¹⁶ They moved from the Desert of Sinai and set up camp at Kibroth Hattaavah.

¹⁷ They moved from Kibroth Hattaavah and set up camp at Hazeroth.

¹⁸ They moved from Hazeroth and set up camp at Rithmah.

¹⁹ They moved from Rithmah and set up camp at Rimmon Perez.

²⁰ They moved from Rimmon Perez and set up camp at Libnah.

²¹ They moved from Libnah and set up camp at Rissah.

²² They moved from Rissah and set up camp at Kehelathah.

²³ They moved from Kehelathah and set up camp at Mount Shepher.

²⁴ They moved from Mount Shepher and set up camp at Haradah.

²⁵ They moved from Haradah and set up camp at Makheloth.

²⁶ They moved from Makheloth and set up camp at Tahath.

²⁷ They moved from Tahath and set up camp at Terah.

²⁸ They moved from Terah and set up camp at Mithcah.

²⁹ They moved from Mithcah and set up camp at Hashmonah.

³⁰ They moved from Hashmonah and set up camp at Moseroth.

³¹ They moved from Moseroth and set up camp at Bene Jaakan.

³² They moved from Bene Jaakan and set up camp at Hor Haggidgad.

³³ They moved from Hor Haggidgad and set up camp at Jotbathah.

³⁴ They moved from Jotbathah and set up camp at Abronah.

³⁵ They moved from Abronah and set up camp at Ezion Geber.

³⁶ They moved from Ezion Geber and set up camp at Kadesh in the Desert of Zin.

³⁷ They moved from Kadesh and set up camp at Mount Hor on the border of Edom. ³⁸ At the Lord’s command the priest Aaron went up on Mount Hor. He died there on the first day of the fifth month in the fortieth year after the Israelites had left Egypt. ³⁹ Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

⁴⁰ (The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, which was in Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.)

⁴¹ They moved from Mount Hor and set up camp at Zalmonah.

⁴² They moved from Zalmonah and set up camp at Punon.

⁴³ They moved from Punon and set up camp at Oboth.

⁴⁴ They moved from Oboth and set up camp at Iye Abarim on the border of Moab.

⁴⁵ They moved from Iyim ^[b] and set up camp at Dibon Gad.

⁴⁶ They moved from Dibon Gad and set up camp at Almon Diblathaim.

⁴⁷ They moved from Almon Diblathaim and set up camp in the Abarim Mountains east of Nebo.

⁴⁸ They moved from the Abarim Mountains and set up camp on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. ⁴⁹ They set up camp on the plains of Moab along the Jordan. Their camp extended from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim.

The Canaanites Must Be Forced Out

⁵⁰ The Lord said to Moses on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho, ⁵¹ “Tell the Israelites, ‘You will be crossing the Jordan River and entering Canaan. ⁵² As you advance, force out all the people who live there. Get rid of all their stone and metal idols, and destroy all their places of worship. ⁵³ Take possession of the land and live there, because I will give it to you for your own. ⁵⁴ Divide the land among your families by drawing lots. Give more land to larger families and less land to smaller ones. The land must be given to each family by drawing lots. Divide it among your ancestors’ tribes.

⁵⁵ “ ‘But if you do not force out those who live in the land, they will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will constantly fight with you over the land you live in. ⁵⁶ Then I will do to you what I planned to do to them.’ ”

The Boundaries of Israel’s Land

34 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Give the Israelites these instructions. When you enter Canaan, the land that will be given to you as your inheritance has these borders:

³ “The southern side includes part of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. In the east the southern border starts from the end of the Dead Sea ⁴ and turns south of the Akrabbim Pass. It then goes past Zin and ends at Kadesh Barnea. From there it goes to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon. ⁵ From Azmon it turns toward the River of Egypt so that the border ends at the Mediterranean Sea.

⁶ “The western border is the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.

⁷ “The northern border extends from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, ⁸ and from Mount Hor to the border of Hamath so that it ends at Zedad. ⁹ From there the border goes to Ziphron and ends at Hazar Enan.

¹⁰ “The eastern border extends from Hazar Enan to Shepham. ¹¹ From Shepham the border goes down to Riblah, east of Ain, and continues along the eastern slope of the Sea of Galilee. ¹² Then the border goes along the Jordan River so that it ends at the Dead Sea.

“This will be your land and the borders around it.”

¹³ Moses commanded the Israelites, “This is the land you will divide by drawing lots. The Lord has commanded that this land will be given to the nine-and-a-half tribes. ¹⁴ The households from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have already received their land. ¹⁵ Those two-and-a-half tribes received land east of the Jordan River across from Jericho.”

Men Are Appointed to Divide the Land

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷ “These are the names of the men who will divide the land for you: the priest Eleazar and Joshua, son of Nun. ¹⁸ You must also take one leader from each tribe to divide the land. ¹⁹ These are their names:

Caleb, son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah;

²⁰ Shemuel, son of Ammihud, from the tribe of Simeon;

²¹ Elidad, son of Kislon, from the tribe of Benjamin;

²² Bukki, son of Jogli, the leader of the tribe of Dan;

²³ Hanniel, son of Ephod, the leader of the tribe of Manasseh;

²⁴ Kemuel, son of Shiphtan, the leader of the tribe of Ephraim;

(Manasseh and Ephraim are Joseph’s descendants.) ^[c]

²⁵ Elizaphan, son of Parnach, the leader of the tribe of Zebulun;

²⁶ Paltiel, son of Azzan, the leader of the tribe of Issachar;

²⁷ Ahihud, son of Shelomi, the leader of the tribe of Asher;

²⁸ Pedahel, son of Ammihud, the leader of the tribe of Naphtali.”

²⁹ These are the men the Lord commanded to divide Canaan for the Israelites.

Cities for the Levites

35 The Lord spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. He said, ² “Tell the Israelites to give the Levites some cities from their own property. They must also give the Levites the pastureland around those cities. ³ Then the Levites will have cities to live in and pastureland for their cattle, the flocks they own, and any other animals they have.

⁴ “The land around the cities that you give the Levites will extend 1,500 feet from the city wall. ⁵ Outside the city measure off 3,000 feet on the east side, 3,000 feet on the south side, 3,000 feet on the west side, and 3,000 feet on the north side, with the city in the center. This will be their pastureland around the city.

⁶ “Six of the cities you give the Levites will be cities of refuge. You must allow murderers to escape to these cities. In addition, you must also give the Levites 42 other cities. ⁷ So you will give a total of 48 cities with pastureland to the Levites. ⁸ The cities you give the Levites from the property of the other Israelites must be given based on the amount of land each tribe owns. Take more cities from larger tribes and fewer from smaller tribes.”

Cities of Refuge

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰ “Tell the Israelites: When you cross the Jordan River and enter Canaan, ¹¹ select certain cities to be places of refuge. Anyone who unintentionally kills another person may run to them. ¹² These cities will be places of refuge from any relative who can avenge the death. So anyone accused of murder will not have to die until he has had a trial in front of the community. ¹³ There will be six cities you select as places of refuge, ¹⁴ three on the east side of the Jordan River and three in Canaan. ¹⁵ These six cities will be places of refuge for Israelites, foreigners, and strangers among you. Anyone who unintentionally kills another person may flee to these cities.

¹⁶ “But if any of you uses an iron weapon to kill another person, you are a murderer. Murderers must be put to death. ¹⁷ If any of you picks up a stone as a weapon and uses it to kill another person, you are a murderer. Murderers must be put to death. ¹⁸ Or if any of you picks up a piece of wood as a weapon and uses it to kill another person, you are a murderer. Murderers must be put to death. ¹⁹ The relative who can avenge the death must make sure a murderer is put to death. When he catches up with the murderer, he must kill him. ²⁰ If any of you kills someone you hate by shoving him or by deliberately throwing something at him, ²¹ or if you beat your enemy to death with your bare hands, you must be put to death. You are a murderer. The relative who can avenge the death must kill you when he catches up with you, because you are a murderer.

²² “But suppose you accidentally kill someone who wasn’t your enemy. Maybe you shoved him or threw something at him but didn’t mean to kill him. ²³ Or suppose you drop a big stone, and someone is killed. However, you didn’t know the person was there, he wasn’t your enemy, and you weren’t trying to harm him. ²⁴ Then the community must use these rules in order to decide if you ⌞are innocent⌟ or if the dead person’s relative can avenge the death. ²⁵ ⌞If you are innocent,⌟ the community must protect you from that relative. They must take you back to the city of refuge you fled to. You must live there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.

²⁶ “But don’t go outside the city of refuge you fled to. ²⁷ If the relative who can avenge the death finds you outside the city of refuge and kills you, the relative is not guilty of murder. ²⁸ Accused murderers must stay in their city of refuge until the death of the high priest. They may go back to their own property only after his death.

²⁹ “These will be the rules for future generations wherever you live.

³⁰ “Whoever kills another person will be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of more than one witness. No one can be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

³¹ “Never accept a cash payment in exchange for the life of a convicted murderer who has been given the death penalty. Murderers must be put to death.

³² “An accused murderer who has fled to a city of refuge must never go back and live on his own land before the death of the high priest. Don’t accept a cash payment to allow him to do this.

³³ “You must not pollute the land where you live. Murder is what pollutes the land. The land where a murder was committed can never make peace with the Lord except through the death of the murderer. ³⁴ Never make the land where you and I live unclean.^[d] I, the Lord, live among the Israelites.”

The Rights of Women to Inherit Land

36 The heads of the households whose families were descended from Gilead, son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh, (families of Joseph’s descendants) came and spoke to Moses and the leaders of the other Israelite households. ² They said, “Sir, the Lord commanded you to give the Israelites their land by drawing lots. The Lord also commanded you to give the land of our relative Zelophehad to his daughters. ³ Suppose they marry men from the other tribes of Israel. Their land will be taken away from that of our ancestors and added to the land of the tribe they marry into. Then we will have lost part of our land. ⁴ When the Israelites’ jubilee year comes, their land will be added to that of the tribe they married into. Then part of the land of our ancestors’ tribe will be gone.”

⁵ So Moses gave the Israelites a command from the Lord. “The tribe of Joseph’s descendants is right. ⁶ This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad’s daughters: They may marry anyone they want to, but only within a family of their ancestor’s tribe. ⁷ In this way no land of the Israelites will pass from one tribe to another. Every Israelite must keep the tribal land inherited from his ancestors. ⁸ A woman who inherits land in any of the tribes of Israel may marry a man from any family in her ancestor’s tribe. In this way every Israelite keeps the land inherited from his ancestors. ⁹ No land may pass from one tribe to another. Each Israelite tribe must keep the land it inherits.”

¹⁰ Zelophehad’s daughters did as the Lord commanded Moses. ¹¹ Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah married their cousins on their father’s side of the family. ¹² They married within the families of the descendants of Manasseh, son of Joseph. So their land stayed in the tribe of their father’s family.

¹³ These are the commands and rules the Lord gave the Israelites through Moses on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho.

Moses Speaks to the People 40 Years after Leaving Egypt

1 This is the speech Moses gave in the desert east of the Jordan River, on the plains, near Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and near Laban, Hazeroth, and Di Zahab. He spoke to all the Israelites. ² (It takes 11 days to go from Mount Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by way of Mount Seir.)

³ On the first day of the eleventh month in the fortieth year ⌞after they had left Egypt⌟, Moses told the Israelites everything the Lord had commanded him to tell them. ⁴ This was after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth and ^[e] in Edrei. ⁵ The Israelites were east of the Jordan River in Moab when Moses began to review God’s teachings.

Moses Reminds Israel of the Events at Mount Horeb

This is what he said:

⁶ At Mount Horeb the Lord our God said to us, “You have stayed at this mountain long enough. ⁷ Break camp, and get ready! Go to the mountain region of the Amorites, and go to everyone living on the plains, in the mountains, in the foothills, in the Negev, on the whole Mediterranean coast (the land of the Canaanites), and into Lebanon as far as the Euphrates River. ⁸ I’m giving you this land. Enter, and take possession of the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to you, their descendants.”

⁹ At that time I said to you, “I’m not able to take care of you by myself. ¹⁰ The Lord your God has made your population increase so that you are now as numerous as the stars in the sky. ¹¹ May the Lord God of your ancestors make you a thousand times more numerous, and may he bless you as he has promised. ¹² How can I take care of your problems, your troubles, and your disagreements all by myself? ¹³ From each of your tribes, choose some men who are wise, intelligent, and experienced, and I’ll appoint them to be your leaders.”

¹⁴ You agreed that this was a good idea.

¹⁵ So I took the heads of your tribes who were wise and experienced men and made them officers for each of your tribes. I put them in charge of groups of 1,000, or 100, or 50, or 10 people. ¹⁶ Also at that time I gave these instructions to your judges: “Hear the cases that your people bring. Judge each case fairly, no matter whether it is ⌞a dispute⌟ between two Israelites or ⌞a dispute⌟ between an Israelite and a non-Israelite. ¹⁷ Be impartial in your decisions. Listen to the least important people the same way you listen to the most important people. Never be afraid of anyone, since your decisions come from God. You may bring me any case that’s too hard for you, and I will hear it.” ¹⁸ So I told you how to handle these situations.

Moses Reminds Israel of the Events at Kadesh Barnea

¹⁹ So we left Mount Horeb, as the Lord our God had commanded. We traveled through all that vast and dangerous desert you saw on the way to the mountain region of the Amorites. At last we came to Kadesh Barnea. ²⁰ Then I said to you, “We have come to the mountain region of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. ²¹ The Lord your God is giving you this land. Go ahead! Take possession of it, as the Lord God of your ancestors told you. Don’t be afraid or terrified.”

²² All of you came to me and said, “Let’s send men ahead of us to gather information about the land for us. Have them report to us about the route we should take and the cities we’ll come to.”

²³ It seemed like a good idea to me. So I chose 12 of your men, one from each tribe. ²⁴ They left and went into the mountains. When they came to the Eshcol Valley, they explored it. ²⁵ They took some of the region’s fruit with them and brought it back to us. They reported, “The land that the Lord our God is giving us is good.”

²⁶ But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God and refused to go. ²⁷ You complained in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us! That’s why he brought us out of Egypt. He wanted to hand us over to the Amorites so that they could destroy us! ²⁸ Where are we going anyway? Our own men have discouraged us by saying, ‘The people there are taller and stronger than we are. The cities are big with sky-high walls! We even saw the people of Anak there.’ ”

²⁹ Then I said to you, “Don’t tremble. Don’t be afraid of them. ³⁰ The Lord your God, who is going ahead of you, will fight for you as you saw him fight for you in Egypt ³¹ and in the desert.” There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as parents carry their children. He carried you wherever you went until you came to this place.

³² In spite of this, you didn’t trust the Lord your God, ³³ who went ahead of you to find places for you to camp. He appeared in a column of fire at night and in a column of smoke during the day to show you which route to take.

³⁴ When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and took this oath: ³⁵ “Not one of these evil people will ever see the good land that I swore to give to your ancestors, ³⁶ except Caleb, son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give the land that he set his feet on to him and his descendants, because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord.”

³⁷ The Lord became angry with me because of you. He said, “You won’t go there either. ³⁸ But your assistant Joshua, son of Nun, will go there. Encourage him, because he will help Israel take possession of the land. ³⁹ Although you thought the little children would be captured in war, your children, who are still too young to know the difference between good and evil, will enter that land. I will give it to them, and they will take possession of it. ⁴⁰ Turn around, go back into the desert, and follow the road that goes to the Red Sea.”

⁴¹ You responded, “We have sinned against the Lord. We’ll go and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us to do.” Each of you armed yourself for war, thinking you could easily invade the mountain region.

⁴² But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Don’t go and fight, because I won’t be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’ ”

⁴³ I told you, but you wouldn’t listen. You defied the Lord’s command and invaded the mountain region. ⁴⁴ The Amorites who lived there came out and attacked you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They defeated you, chasing you from Seir all the way to Hormah. ⁴⁵ When you came back, you cried to the Lord, but the Lord didn’t listen to you or hear you. ⁴⁶ That’s why you stayed in Kadesh as long as you did.

Moses Reminds Israel of the Events at Mount Seir

2 We went back into the desert, following the road that goes to the Red Sea as the Lord had told me. For a long time we traveled around the region of Mount Seir.

² The Lord said to me, ³ “You’ve traveled around this region long enough. Now go north. ⁴ Give the people these instructions: ‘You’re going to pass through the territory of your relatives, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They’ll be afraid of you, but be very careful. ⁵ Don’t start a fight with them, because I’m not giving you any of their land—not even enough to stand on. I’ve given Esau’s descendants the region of Mount Seir as their property. ⁶ You must pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’ ”

⁷ The Lord your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched over you as you traveled through this vast desert. For 40 years now the Lord your God has been with you, and you haven’t needed a thing.

⁸ So we passed by our relatives, the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir. We turned off the road that goes through the plains to Elath and Ezion Geber and took the road that goes through the desert of Moab.

⁹ The Lord said to me, “Don’t bother the people of Moab or start a war with them. I’m not giving you any of Ar as your property. I have given it to the descendants of Lot.”

¹⁰ The Emites used to live there. These people were as strong, as numerous, and as tall as the people of Anak. ¹¹ They were thought to be Rephaim, like the people of Anak, but the Moabites called them Emites. ¹² The Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau claimed their land, wiped them out, and took their place, as Israel did in the land that the Lord gave them.

¹³ Then the Lord said, “Now cross the Zered River.”

So we crossed the Zered River. ¹⁴ Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered River. During that time all our soldiers from that generation died, as the Lord had sworn they would. ¹⁵ In fact, it was the Lord himself who got rid of all of them until none were left in the camp.

Moses Reminds Israel about Ammon

¹⁶ When the last of these soldiers had died, ¹⁷ the Lord said to me, ¹⁸ “Today you are going to pass by the border of Moab at Ar. ¹⁹ When you come near the Ammonites, don’t bother them or start a fight with them. I’m not giving you any of the land that I have already given to the descendants of Lot as their property.”

²⁰ This land was thought of as the land of the Rephaim who used to live there, but the Ammonites called them Zamzummim. ²¹ These people were as strong, as numerous, and as tall as the people of Anak. But the Lord wiped them out before the Ammonites came so that the Ammonites claimed their land and took their place. ²² The Lord did the same thing for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir. Before the descendants of Esau came, he wiped out the Horites so that Esau’s descendants claimed their land and took their place. Esau’s descendants are still there today. ²³ The same thing happened to the Avvites who lived in villages as far away as Gaza. The Caphtorites, who came from Crete, wiped them out and took their place.

Moses Reminds Israel about King Og and King Sihon

²⁴ ⌞The Lord continued,⌟ “Now break camp. Cross the Arnon Valley. I’m going to hand King Sihon of Heshbon, the Amorite, over to you. Fight him, and take possession of his country. ²⁵ Today I will start to make all the people under heaven terrified of you. When they hear about you, they will tremble and shake because of you.”

²⁶ From the desert of Kedemoth, I sent messengers to King Sihon of Heshbon with the following offer of peace: ²⁷ “If you allow us to travel through your country, we’ll go straight through and won’t ever leave the road. ²⁸ We’ll pay you in silver for the food we eat and the water we drink. Please let us go through, ²⁹ as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us. We’ll keep going until we cross the Jordan River into the land the Lord our God is giving us.”

³⁰ But King Sihon of Heshbon wouldn’t allow us to pass through. The Lord your God made him stubborn and overconfident in order to hand him over to you, as he has now done. ³¹ The Lord said to me, “I have begun to give you Sihon and his country. Go ahead! Take possession of his land.”

³² Sihon and all his troops came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz. ³³ The Lord our God gave Sihon to us, and we defeated him, his sons, and all his troops. ³⁴ At that time we captured all his cities and claimed them for God by destroying men, women, and children. There were no survivors. ³⁵ However, we did loot the cities that we captured, taking the cattle and goods. ³⁶ From Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley and the city in that valley as far as Gilead, no city had walls that could keep us out. The Lord our God gave us all of them. ³⁷ But the Lord our God had forbidden you to go anywhere near the land of the Ammonites. So you didn’t enter the land along the bank of the Jabbok River or capture the cities in the mountains.

Moses Reminds Israel of How They Defeated King Og of Bashan

3 Next we turned and followed the road that goes to Bashan. King Og of Bashan and all his troops came to fight us at Edrei. ² The Lord said to me, “Don’t be afraid of him. I’ll hand him, all his troops, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.”

³ So the Lord our God also handed King Og of Bashan and all his troops over to us. We defeated him, leaving no survivors. ⁴ At that time we captured all of his cities. There wasn’t a city we didn’t take. We captured a total of 60 cities—the whole territory of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. ⁵ All of these cities were fortified with high walls and double-door gates with bars across the gates. We also captured a large number of unwalled villages. ⁶ We claimed them all for God, destroying every city, including men, women, and children—as we did to King Sihon of Heshbon. ⁷ However, we did loot the cities, taking all of the cattle and goods.

⁸ We took the land of the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon. ⁹ (The Sidonians call Mount Hermon by the name Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir.) ¹⁰ We took all of the cities of the plateau, all of Gilead, and all of Bashan as far as Salcah and Edrei, cities of Og’s kingdom in Bashan. ¹¹ (Of the Rephaim only King Og of Bashan was left. His bed was made of iron and was more than 13 feet long and 6 feet wide. It is still in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.)

¹² At that time we took possession of this land. I gave the tribes of Reuben and Gad the land north of Aroer near the Arnon Valley and half of the mountain region of Gilead with its cities. ¹³ I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan ruled by Og to half of the tribe of Manasseh. (The whole territory of Argob in Bashan used to be called the land of the Rephaim. ¹⁴ Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole territory of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites. The settlements in Bashan he named Havvoth Jair after himself. This is still their name today.) ¹⁵ I gave Gilead to Machir. ¹⁶ I gave the tribes of Reuben and Gad some of Gilead from the Arnon Valley (the middle of the valley is the border) to the Jabbok River, which is the border of Ammon. ¹⁷ Their land included the plains around the Jordan River. The western border was the river, from the Sea of Galilee to the Sea of the Plains (the Dead Sea), which is near Mount Pisgah on the east.

¹⁸ I gave the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh this command: “The Lord your God has given you this land so that you can take possession of it. All your soldiers must be ready for battle when they cross ⌞the Jordan River⌟ ahead of the other Israelites. ¹⁹ I know you have a lot of livestock. Your wives, children, and livestock must stay here in the cities that I gave you. ²⁰ Your soldiers will go with the other Israelites until they take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving them on the other side of the Jordan River. Then they will have a place to rest as you have. After that each of you may go back to the land I gave you.”

²¹ I also gave Joshua this command: “You have seen with your own eyes everything that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all of the kingdoms on the other side ⌞of the Jordan River⌟ where you’re going. ²² Don’t be afraid of them, because the Lord your God himself will fight for you.”

Moses Reminds Israel Why He Will Not Enter Canaan

²³ Then I pleaded with the Lord: ²⁴ “Almighty Lord, you have ⌞only⌟ begun to show me how great and powerful you are. What kind of god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and the mighty acts you have done? ²⁵ Please let me go over and see the beautiful land on the other side of the Jordan River—those beautiful mountains in Lebanon.”

²⁶ The Lord was angry with me because of you, so he wouldn’t listen to me. He said, “That’s enough out of you! Don’t talk to me anymore about this. ²⁷ Go to the top of Mount Pisgah, and look west, north, south, and east. You may look at the land, but you will never cross the Jordan River. ²⁸ Give instructions to Joshua. Encourage and strengthen him, because he will lead these people across ⌞the Jordan River⌟, and he will help them take possession of the land you see.”

²⁹ So we stayed in the valley near Beth Peor.

Moses Reminds Israel to Be Loyal to the Lord

4 Israel, listen to the laws and rules I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you will live and be able to enter and take possession of the land that the Lord God of your ancestors is giving you. ² Never add anything to what I command you, or take anything away from it. Then you will be able to obey the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.

³ With your own eyes you saw what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed everyone among you who worshiped the god Baal while you were at Peor. ⁴ But you were loyal to the Lord your God and are still alive today.

⁵ I have taught you laws and rules as the Lord my God commanded me. You must obey them when you’ve entered the land and taken possession of it. ⁶ Faithfully obey these laws. This will show the people of the world your wisdom and insight. When they hear about all these laws, they will say, “What wise and insightful people there are in this great nation!”

⁷ What great nation ever had their gods as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we pray to him? ⁸ Or what other great nation has such fair laws and rules as all these teachings I am giving you today?

⁹ However, be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you don’t forget the things which you have seen with your own eyes. Don’t let them fade from your memory as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren. ¹⁰ Never forget the day you stood in front of the Lord your God at Mount Horeb. The Lord had said to me, “Assemble the people in front of me, and I will let them hear my words. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live on earth, and they will teach their children the same thing.”

¹¹ So you came and stood at the foot of the mountain, which was on fire with flames shooting into the sky. It was dark, cloudy, and gloomy. ¹² The Lord spoke to you from the fire. You heard a voice speaking but saw no one. There was only a voice. ¹³ The Lord told you about the terms of his promise, the ten commandments, which he commanded you to do. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets. ¹⁴ The Lord also commanded me to teach you the laws and rules you must obey after you cross ⌞the Jordan River⌟ and take possession of the land.

¹⁵ You didn’t see the Lord the day he spoke to you from the fire at Mount Horeb. So be very careful ¹⁶ that you don’t become corrupt and make your own carved idols. Don’t make statues that represent men or women, ¹⁷ any animal on earth, any creature with wings that flies, ¹⁸ any creature that crawls on the ground, or any fish in the water. ¹⁹ Don’t let yourselves be tempted to worship and serve what you see in the sky—the sun, the moon, the stars, or anything else. The Lord your God has given them to all people everywhere. ²⁰ But you are the people the Lord brought out of Egypt, the iron smelter, in order to make you his own people as you still are today.

²¹ The Lord was angry with me because of you. So the Lord your God took an oath that I wouldn’t cross the Jordan River and enter the good land he is giving you as your property. ²² I’m going to die in this land and not cross the Jordan River, but you’re going to go across and take possession of that good land. ²³ Be careful that you don’t forget the promise ^[f] that the Lord your God made to you. Don’t make your own carved idols or statues that represent anything the Lord your God has forbidden. ²⁴ The Lord your God is a raging fire, a God who does not tolerate rivals.

²⁵ Even when you have children and grandchildren and have grown old in that land, don’t become corrupt and make carved idols or statues that represent anything. I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today: ^[g] If you do this thing that the Lord your God considers evil, making him furious, ²⁶ you will quickly disappear from the land you’re going to possess on the other side of the Jordan River. You won’t live very long there. You’ll be completely wiped out. ²⁷ The Lord will scatter you among the people of the world, and only a few of you will be left among the nations where the Lord will force you to live. ²⁸ There you will worship wooden and stone gods made by human hands. These gods can’t see, hear, eat, or smell.

²⁹ But if you look for the Lord your God when you are among those nations, you will find him whenever you search for him with all your heart and with all your soul. ³⁰ When you’re in distress and all these things happen to you, then you will finally come back to the Lord your God and obey him. ³¹ The Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not abandon you, destroy you, or forget the promise to your ancestors that he swore he would keep.

³² Search the distant past, long before your time. Start from the very day God created people on earth. Search from one end of heaven to the other. Has anything as great as this ever happened before, or has anything like it ever been heard of? ³³ Have any ⌞other⌟ people ever heard God speak from a fire and lived? You did! ³⁴ Or has any god ever tried to come and take one nation away from another for himself? The Lord your God used his mighty hand and powerful arm to do this for you in Egypt. He did this using plagues, miraculous signs, amazing things, and war. He did his great and awe-inspiring deeds in front of you.

³⁵ You were shown these things so that you would know that the Lord is God. There is no other god. ³⁶ He let you hear his voice from heaven so that he could instruct you. He showed you his great fire on earth, and you heard him speak from the column of fire. ³⁷ Because he loved your ancestors and chose their descendants, he was with you as he brought you out of Egypt by his great power. ³⁸ He forced nations greater and stronger than you out of your way to bring you into their land and give it to you. This land is your own possession today.

³⁹ Remember today, and never forget that the Lord is God in heaven above and here on earth. There is no other god. ⁴⁰ Obey his laws and commands which I’m giving you today. Then things will go well for you and your descendants. You will live for a long time in the land. The Lord your God is giving you the land for as long as you live.

Three Cities of Refuge East of the Jordan River

⁴¹ Then Moses set aside three cities on the east side of the Jordan River. ⁴² Those who unintentionally killed someone whom they had never hated could flee to one of these cities and save their lives. ⁴³ The cities were Bezer on the desert plateau for the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead for the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan for the tribe of Manasseh.

Introduction to Moses’ Teachings

⁴⁴ This is what Moses taught the people of Israel. ⁴⁵ These are the commandments, laws, and rules Moses gave the Israelites after they had left Egypt. ⁴⁶ He gave these to the people when they were east of the Jordan River in the valley near Beth Peor, in the land of King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon. Moses and Israel defeated him after they left Egypt. ⁴⁷ They took possession of his land and the land of King Og of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites who were east of the Jordan River. ⁴⁸ This land went from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley to Mount Siyon (that is, Mount Hermon). ⁴⁹ It included all the plains on the east side of the Jordan River as far as the Dead Sea at the foot of the slopes of Mount Pisgah.

The Ten Commandments^(A)

5 Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: Israel, listen to the laws and rules I’m telling you today. Learn them and faithfully obey them.

² The Lord our God made a promise ^[h] to us at Mount Horeb. ³ He didn’t make this promise to our ancestors, but to all of us who are alive here today. ⁴ The Lord spoke to you face to face from the fire on the mountain. ⁵ I stood between the Lord and you to tell you the Lord’s word, because you were afraid of the fire and didn’t go up on the mountain. The Lord said:

⁶ “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt.

⁷ “Never have any other gods. ⁸ Never make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water. ⁹ Never worship them or serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a God who does not tolerate rivals. I punish children for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. ¹⁰ But I show mercy to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments.

¹¹ “Never use the name of the Lord your God carelessly. The Lord will make sure that anyone who uses his name carelessly will be punished.

¹² “Observe the day of rest as a holy day. This is what the Lord your God has commanded you. ¹³ You have six days to do all your work. ¹⁴ The seventh day is the day of rest—a holy day dedicated to the Lord your God. You, your sons, your daughters, your male and female slaves, your oxen, your donkeys—all of your animals—even the foreigners living in your city must never do any work ⌞on that day⌟. In this way your male and female slaves can rest as you do. ¹⁵ Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God used his mighty hand and powerful arm to bring you out of there. This is why the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the day of rest as a holy day.

¹⁶ “Honor your father and your mother as the Lord your God has commanded you. Then you will live for a long time, and things will go well for you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

¹⁷ “Never murder.

¹⁸ “Never commit adultery.

¹⁹ “Never steal.

²⁰ “Never avoid the truth when you testify about your neighbor.^[i]

²¹ “Never desire to take your neighbor’s wife away from him.

“Never long for your neighbor’s household, his field, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to him.”

²² These are the commandments the Lord spoke to your whole assembly on the mountain. He spoke in a loud voice from the fire, the cloud, and the gloomy darkness. Then he stopped speaking. He wrote the commandments on two stone tablets and gave them to me.

²³ But when you heard the voice coming from the darkness and saw the mountain blazing with fire, all the leaders and heads of your tribes came to me. ²⁴ You said, “The Lord our God has let us see how great and glorious he is. We’ve heard his voice come from the fire. Today we’ve seen that people can live even if God speaks to them. ²⁵ Why should we die? This great fire will consume us! If we continue to hear the voice of the Lord our God, we’ll die! ²⁶ Who has ever heard the voice of the living God speak from a fire, as we did, and lived? ²⁷ ⌞Moses,⌟ go and listen to everything that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We’ll listen and obey.”

²⁸ When the Lord heard the words that you spoke to me, he said, “I have heard what these people said to you. Everything they said was good. ²⁹ If only they would fear me and obey all my commandments as long as they live! Then things would go well for them and their children forever.

³⁰ “Tell the people to go back to their tents. ³¹ But you stay here with me. I will give you all the commands, laws, and rules that you must teach them to obey in the land which I’m giving them to possess.”

³² So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you. Never stop living this way. ³³ Follow all the directions the Lord your God has given you. Then you will continue to live, life will go well for you, and you will live for a long time in the land that you are going to possess.

Love the Lord

6 These are the commands, laws, and rules the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. Obey them after you enter the land and take possession of it. ² As long as you live, you, your children, and your grandchildren must fear the Lord your God. All of you must obey all his laws and commands that I’m giving you, and you will live a long time. ³ Listen, Israel, and be careful to obey these laws. Then things will go well for you and your population will increase in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord God of your ancestors promised you.

⁴ Listen, Israel: The Lord is our God. The Lord is the only God. ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. ⁶ Take to heart these words that I give you today. ⁷ Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re at home or away, when you lie down or get up. ⁸ ⌞Write them down, and⌟ tie them around your wrist, and wear them as headbands as a reminder. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

¹⁰ The Lord your God will bring you into the land and give it to you, as he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This land will have large, prosperous cities that you didn’t build. ¹¹ Your houses will be filled with all kinds of things that you didn’t put there. You will have cisterns that you didn’t dig and vineyards and olive trees that you didn’t plant. After you have eaten all that you want, ¹² be careful that you don’t forget the Lord, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt. ¹³ You must fear the Lord your God, serve him, and take your oaths only in his name. ¹⁴ Never worship any of the gods worshiped by the people around you. ¹⁵ If you do, the Lord your God will become very angry with you and will wipe you off the face of the earth, because the Lord your God, who is with you, is a God who does not tolerate rivals.

¹⁶ Never test the Lord your God as you did at Massah. ¹⁷ Be sure to obey the commands of the Lord your God and the regulations and laws he has given you. ¹⁸ Do what the Lord considers right and good. Then things will go well for you, and you will enter and take possession of that good land which the Lord promised to your ancestors with an oath. ¹⁹ You will see the Lord expel your enemies as he said he would.

²⁰ In the future your children will ask you, “What do these regulations, laws, and rules which the Lord our God commanded you mean to you?” ²¹ Tell them, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord used his mighty hand to bring us out of there. ²² Right before our eyes the Lord did miraculous signs and amazing things that were spectacular but terrible for Egypt, Pharaoh, and his whole family. ²³ The Lord led us out of there to bring us here and give us this land he promised to our ancestors with an oath. ²⁴ The Lord our God commanded us to obey all these laws and to fear him. These laws are for our own good as long as we live so that he will preserve our lives. It’s still true today. ²⁵ This is how we’ll have the Lord’s approval: If we faithfully obey all these laws in the presence of the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.”

Israel Is Commanded to Destroy the Canaanites and Their Idols

7 The Lord your God will bring you to the land you’re about to enter and take possession of. He will force many nations out of your way: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—seven nations larger and more powerful than you. ² When the Lord your God gives them to you and you defeat them, destroy every one of them because they have been claimed by the Lord. Don’t make any treaties with them or show them any mercy. ³ Never marry any of them. Never let your daughters marry their sons or your sons marry their daughters. ⁴ These people will turn your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the Lord will get very angry with you and will quickly destroy you.

⁵ But this is what you must do to these people: Tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, and burn their idols. ⁶ You are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. He chose you to be his own special possession out of all the nations on earth.

⁷ The Lord set his heart on you and chose you, even though you didn’t outnumber all the other people. You were the smallest of all nations. ⁸ You were chosen because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors. So he used his mighty hand to bring you out. He freed you from slavery under Pharaoh (the king of Egypt). ⁹ Keep in mind that the Lord your God is ⌞the only⌟ God. He is a faithful God, who keeps his promise ^[j] and is merciful to thousands of generations of those who love him and obey his commands. ¹⁰ But he sends destruction to pay back everyone who hates him. He never takes long to pay back anyone who hates him.

¹¹ So obey the commands, laws, and rules I’m giving you today.

¹² If you listen to these rules and faithfully obey them, the Lord your God will keep his promise to you and be merciful to you, as he swore to your ancestors. ¹³ He will love you, bless you, and increase the number of your descendants. He will bless you with children. He will bless your land with produce: grain, new wine, and olive oil. He will bless your herds with calves, and your flocks with lambs and kids. This will all happen in the land the Lord will give you, as he swore to your ancestors. ¹⁴ You will be blessed more than any other people. Your men and women will be able to have children, and your animals will be able to have offspring. ¹⁵ The Lord will keep you from having any kind of illness. He will not strike you with any of the terrible diseases you experienced in Egypt. Instead, he will strike all those who hate you. ¹⁶ You must destroy all the people the Lord your God hands over to you. Have no pity on them, and never worship their gods, because they will be a trap for you.

¹⁷ You may say to yourselves, “These nations outnumber us. How can we force them out?” ¹⁸ Don’t be afraid of them. Remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all of Egypt. ¹⁹ You saw with your own eyes the terrible plagues, the miraculous signs, and the amazing things the Lord did. He used his mighty hand and powerful arm to bring you out. He will do the same thing to all the people you’re afraid of. ²⁰ The Lord your God will spread panic among them until they all die. There will be no one left—not even those who were hiding from you. ²¹ Don’t be afraid of them, because the Lord your God is with you. He is a great and awe-inspiring God. ²² Little by little he will force these nations out of your way. You won’t be able to wipe them out quickly. Otherwise, you would be overrun with wild animals. ²³ The Lord your God will hand these people over to you and will throw them into a great panic until they’re destroyed. ²⁴ He will hand their kings over to you, and no one on earth will even remember their names. No one will be able to stop you. You will destroy them all. ²⁵ Burn their idols. Don’t ever long for the silver and gold on these idols or take any of it for yourselves. It might be a trap for you. Besides, these idols are disgusting to the Lord your God. ²⁶ Never bring a disgusting idol into your house. If you do, you and the idol will be destroyed. Consider it detestable and disgusting. It must be destroyed.”