These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side the Jordan, in the wilderness, in the plain, opposite to Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea.
And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that Jehovah had given him in command to them;
after he had smitten Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei.
On this side the Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to unfold this law, saying,
Jehovah our God spoke unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount.
Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.
Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which Jehovah sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.
And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:
Jehovah your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.
Jehovah, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you as he hath said unto you!
How can I myself alone sustain your wear, and your burden, and your strife?
Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.
And ye answered me, and said, The thing that thou hast spoken is good for us to do.
So I took the chiefs of your tribes, wise men and known, and made them chiefs over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers for your tribes.
And I commanded your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and him also that sojourneth with him.
Ye shall not respect persons in judgment: ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s; and the matter that is too hard for you shall ye bring to me, that I may hear it.
And I commanded you at that time all the things that ye should do.
And we departed from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as Jehovah our God had commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.
And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which Jehovah our God doth give unto us.
Behold, Jehovah thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as Jehovah God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.
Ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.
The saying pleased me well, and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:
and they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eschol, and searched it out.
And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which Jehovah our God doth give us.
Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of Jehovah your God:
and ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because Jehovah hated us, He hath brought us forth out of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.
Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
Jehovah your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that Jehovah thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
Yet in this thing ye did not believe Jehovah your God,
who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.
And Jehovah heard the voice of your words and was wroth, and sware saying,
Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land which I sware to give unto your fathers.
Except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed Jehovah.
Also Jehovah was angry with me on your account, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.
Joshua the son of Nun, who standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: strengthen him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
And your little ones, of whom ye said, They shall be a prey, and your children, who this day know neither good nor evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
But ye, turn, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned, against Jehovah: we will go up and fight, according to all that Jehovah our God commanded us. And ye girded on every man his weapons of war, and ye would go presumptuously up the hill.
And Jehovah said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.
So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of Jehovah, and went presumptuously up into the hill.
And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.
And ye returned and wept before Jehovah; but Jehovah would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.
So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.