1 These be the words which Moses
spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain
over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth,
and Dizahab. 2 (There
are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.) 3 And
it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first
day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according
unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them; 4 After
he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and
Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei: 5 On this
side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying, 6 The
LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in
this mount: 7 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. 8 Behold,
I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD
sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and
to their seed after them. 9 And
I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself
alone: 10 The
LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars
of heaven for multitude. 11 (The
LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are,
and bless you, as he hath promised you!) 12 How
can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife? 13 Take
you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will
make them rulers over you. 14 And
ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us
to do. 15 So
I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads
over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains
over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes. 16 And
I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your
brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the
stranger that is with him. 17 Ye
shall not respect persons in judgment; but 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 cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and
I will hear it. 18 And
I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do. 19 And
when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible
wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as
the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea. 20 And
I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the
LORD our God doth give unto us. 21 Behold,
the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as
the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. 22 And
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.
23
And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe: 24 And
they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol,
and searched it out. 25 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 the LORD
our God doth give us. 26 Notwithstanding
ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your
God: 27 And
ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath
brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of
the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 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. 29 Then
I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. 30 The
LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according
to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; 31 And
in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee,
as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into
this place. 32 Yet
in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God, 33 Who
went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents
in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud
by day. 34 And
the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying, 35 Surely
there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land,
which I sware to give unto your fathers. 36 Save
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 the LORD. 37 Also
the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go
in thither. 38 But
Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither:
encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 39 Moreover
your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which
in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither,
and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it. 40 But
as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way
of the Red sea. 41 Then
ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go
up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when
ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into
the hill. 42 And
the LORD said unto me, Say unto them. Go not up, neither fight; for I am
not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. 43 So
I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment
of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill. 44 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. 45 And
ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to
your voice, nor give ear unto you. 46 So
ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.