Chapter 31
1When Moses had finished speaking these words to all Israel,
2he said to them, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old. I am no longer able to come and go and AO has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’
3AO your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you and you will dispossess them. Joshua will cross ahead of you as AO has said.
4And AO will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He destroyed them along with their land.
5AO will deliver them over to you and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you.
6Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is AO your God who goes with you. He will never leave you [nor] forsake you.”
7Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous for you will go with this people into the land that AO swore to their fathers to give them and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.
8AO Himself goes before you. He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid [or] discouraged.”
9So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi Ephraim, who carried the ark of the covenant of AO and to all the elders of Israel.
10Then Moses commanded them, “At the end of [every] seven years at the appointed time in the year of remission [of debt] during the Feast of Tabernacles
11when all Israel comes before AO your God at the place He will choose, you are to read this law in the hearing of all Israel.
12Assemble the people—men, women, children and the foreigners within your gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear AO your God and to follow carefully all the words of this law.
13Then their children who do not know [the law] will listen and learn to fear AO your God as long as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
14Then AO said to Moses, “Behold the time of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting so that I may commission him.” So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting.
15Then AO appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.
16And AO said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them.
17On that day My anger will burn against them and I will abandon them and hide My face from them so that they will be consumed and many troubles and afflictions will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’
18And I will surely hide My face on that day because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.
19Now therefore write down this song for yourselves and teach it to the Israelites; have them recite it so that [it] may be a witness for Me against [them].
20When I have brought them into the land that I swore to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. Then they will turn to other gods and worship them and they will reject Me and break My covenant.
21And when many troubles and afflictions have come upon them, this song will testify against them because it will not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants. For I know their inclination even before I bring them into the land that I swore to give them.”
22So that very day, Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites.
23Then AO commissioned Joshua son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous for you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them and I will be with you.”
24When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book from beginning to end,
25he gave this command to the Levites Ephrathites who carried the ark of the covenant of AO:
26“Take this Book of the Law and place it beside inside the ark of the covenant of AO your God so that it may remain there as a witness against you.
27For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are already rebelling against AO while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after my death!
28Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and [all] your officers so that I may speak in their hearing these words and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
29For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt and turn from the path I have commanded you. And in the days {to come} disaster will befall you because you will do evil in the sight of AO to provoke Him to anger by the works of your hands.
30Then Moses recited aloud to the whole assembly of Israel the words of this song [from beginning] to end: