1    2   Moses finished speaking ^note these words to all Israel, and then he said, ‘I am now a hundred and twenty years old, and I can no longer move about as I please; and the Lord has told me that I may not cross the Jordan. 3   The Lord your God will cross over at your head and destroy these nations before your advance, and you shall occupy their lands; and, as he directed, Joshua will lead you across. 4   The Lord will do to these nations as he did to Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites, and to their lands; he will destroy them. 5   The Lord will deliver them into your power, and you shall do to them as ^note I commanded you. 6   Be strong, be resolute; you must not dread them or be afraid, for the Lord your God himself goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.’

7   Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, ‘Be strong, be resolute; for it is you who are to lead this people into the land which the Lord swore to give their forefathers, and you are to bring them into possession of it. 8   The Lord himself goes at your head; he will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not be discouraged or afraid.’

9   Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10   Moses gave them this command: ‘At the end of every

Concluding charge of Moses seven years, at the appointed time for the year of remission, at the pilgrim-feast of Tabernacles, 11   when all Israel comes to enter the presence of ^note the Lord your God in the place which he will choose, you shall read this law publicly in the hearing of all Israel. 12   Assemble the people, men, women, and dependants, together with the aliens who live in your settlements, so that they may listen, and learn to fear the Lord your God and observe all these laws with care. 13   Their children, too, who do not know them, shall hear them, and learn to fear the Lord your God all their ^note lives in the land which you will occupy after crossing the Jordan.’

Joshua appointed successor to Moses

14   The Lord said to Moses, ‘The time of your death is drawing near; call Joshua, and then come and stand in the Tent of the Presence so that I may give him his commission.’ So Moses and Joshua went and took their stand in the Tent of the Presence; 15   and the Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the entrance of the tent.

16   The Lord said to Moses, ‘You are about to die like your forefathers, and this people, when they come into the land and live among foreigners, will go wantonly after their gods; they will abandon me and break the covenant which I have made with them. 17   Then my anger will be roused against them, and I will abandon them and hide my face from them. They will be an easy prey, and many terrible disasters will come upon them. They will say on that day, “These disasters have come because our God is not among us.” 18   On that day I will hide my face because of all the evil they have done in turning to other gods.

19   ‘Now write down this rule of life ^note and teach it to the Israelites; make them repeat it, so that it may be on record against them. 20   When I have brought them into the land which I swore to give to their forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, and they have plenty to eat and grow fat, they will turn to other gods and worship them, they will spurn me and break my covenant; 21   and many calamities and disasters will follow. Then this rule of life will confront them as a record, for it will not be forgotten by their descendants. For even before I bring them into the land which I swore to give them, I know which way their thoughts incline already.’

22   That day Moses wrote down this rule of life and taught it to the Israelites. 23   The Lord ^note gave Joshua son of Nun his commission in these

Joshua appointed words: ‘Be strong, be resolute; for you shall bring the Israelites into the land which I swore to give them, and I will be with you.’

24   When Moses had finished writing down these laws in a book, from beginning to end, 25   he gave this command to the Levites who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord: 26   ‘Take this book of the law and put it beside the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God to be a witness against you. 27   For I know how defiant and stubborn you are; even during my lifetime you have defied the Lord; how much more, then, will you do so when I am dead? 28   Assemble all the elders of your tribes and your officers; I will say all these things in their hearing and will summon heaven and earth to witness against them. 29   For I know that after my death you will take to degrading practices and turn aside from the way which I told you to follow, and in days to come disaster will come upon you, because you are doing what is wrong in the eyes of the Lord and so provoking him to anger.’

Two historical poems

30   Moses recited this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:

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