Joshua to Succeed Moses (Numbers 27:18–23)
1 UST Then Moses also told the Israelites, BSB BSB: When Moses had finished speaking these words to all Israel,
2 UST “I am 120 years old. I am no longer able to go everywhere that you need to go{, so I cannot be your leader any longer}. Furthermore, Yahweh has told me that I will not cross the Jordan River. BSB BSB: he said to them, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’
3 UST Instead of me, Yahweh our God will lead you across{ the Jordan River}. He will destroy the people groups that are living there for you, in order that you can occupy their land. Yahweh has appointed Joshua to lead you across{ the Jordan River} in my place. BSB BSB: The LORD 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 the LORD has said.
4 UST Yahweh will do to those people groups what he did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites when, he destroyed them and their people. BSB BSB: And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He destroyed them along with their land.
5 UST Yahweh will enable you to conquer those people groups, but you must kill all of those people, which is what I have commanded you to do. BSB BSB: The LORD will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you.
6 UST Be brave and confident. Do not be afraid of those people. Do not forget that it is Yahweh our God who will go with you. He will always help you and never abandon you.” BSB BSB: Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
7 UST Then Moses summoned Joshua, and while all the Israelites were listening, he said to him,“Be brave and confident. You are the one who will lead these people into the land that Yahweh promised to our ancestors that he would give to them, and you will enable them to occupy it. BSB BSB: Then 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 the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.
8 UST It is Yahweh who will go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will always help you. He will never abandon you. So do not be afraid or dismayed.” BSB BSB: The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
The Reading of the Law (Nehemiah 8:1–8)
10 UST Moses told them,“At the end of every seven years, at the time that you must cancel all debts, that is, during the Festival of Shelters, BSB BSB: Then 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,
11 UST when all the Israelites gather at the place that Yahweh our God chooses for them to worship him, read this law to them all. BSB BSB: when all Israel comes before the LORD your God at the place He will choose, you are to read this law in the hearing of all Israel.
12 UST Gather together everyone— men, women, children, even the foreigners who are living in your towns— in order that they may hear these laws and learn to fear and respect Yahweh our God, and to faithfully obey everything that I have written in these laws. BSB BSB: Assemble the people—men, women, children, and the foreigners within your gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and to follow carefully all the words of this law.
13 UST This is so that your descendants, who will not yet know these laws, will hear them and learn to fear and respect Yahweh our God, during all the years that they live in the land that you are about to cross the Jordan River to occupy.” BSB BSB: Then their children who do not know the law will listen and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
God Commissions Joshua 14 UST Then Yahweh said to Moses,“Listen carefully. You will soon die. Summon Joshua, and you will go to the sacred tent with him, in order that I may appoint him to be the new leader.” So Joshua and Moses went to the sacred tent. BSB BSB: Then the LORD 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.
15 UST There Yahweh appeared to them in a pillar of cloud, and that cloud was over the entrance to the tent. BSB BSB: Then the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.
16 UST Yahweh said to Moses,“Listen, you will soon die. Then these people will become unfaithful to me. They will stop obeying the covenant that I made with them. They will begin to worship the foreign gods the people of the land that they will enter are worshiping. BSB BSB: And the LORD 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.
17 UST When that happens, I will become very angry with them. I will abandon them and refuse to help them any longer. I will cause many bad things to happen to them, and I will destroy them. Then they will realize that I stopped protecting them. BSB BSB: On 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?’
18 UST Because of all the evil things that they will have done, and especially because they will have started to worship other gods, I will refuse to help them. BSB BSB: And on that day I will surely hide My face because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.
19 UST So I am going to give you, Moses, a song. Write it on a scroll, teach it to the Israelites, and make them memorize it. It will be like a witness that accuses them. BSB BSB: Now therefore, write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites; have them recite it, so that it may be a witness for Me against them.
20 UST I am about to take them into a very fertile land, a land that I solemnly promised their ancestors that I would give to them. There they will have plenty to eat, with the result that their stomachs will always be full and they will become complacent. But then they will turn to other gods and start to worship them, and they will despise me and break the covenant that I have made with them. BSB BSB: When 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.
21 UST When many terrible disasters are happening to them, their descendants will remember this song. It will be like a witness that saw them commit to worship me and accuses them of breaking their promises. I will soon take them into the land that I solemnly promised that I would give to them, but even now, before I do that, I know what they are thinking that they will do when they are living there.” BSB BSB: And 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.”
22 UST So on the day{ that Yahweh gave Moses this song,} he wrote it down and taught it to the Israelites. BSB BSB: So that very day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites.
23 UST Then Yahweh commanded Joshua, whose father was Nun,“Be brave and confident, because you will lead the Israelites into the land that I solemnly promised that I would give to them. I will be with you.” BSB BSB: Then the LORD 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.”
The Law Placed in the Ark 24 UST Moses finished writing all the law onto a scroll. BSB BSB: When Moses had finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end,
25 UST Then he told the descendants of Levi, whose job was carrying the sacred chest that contained the agreement with Yahweh, BSB BSB: he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD:
26 UST “Take this law scroll and place it beside the sacred chest that contains the agreement with Yahweh our God, in order that it may remain there to testify about what Yahweh will do to the people if they disobey him. BSB BSB: “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you.
27 UST I say this because I know that these people are very stubborn. They have rebelled against Yahweh all during the time that I have been with them, and they will rebel much more after I die! BSB BSB: For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are already rebelling against the LORD while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after my death!
28 UST So gather all the elders of the tribes and your officials, in order that I can teach them the words of this song, and so that I can request all those who are in heaven and on the earth to be witnesses to testify against these people. BSB BSB: Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officers so that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
29 UST I say this because I know that after I die, the people will become very wicked. They will stop doing everything that I have commanded them to do. In the future, because of all the evil things that they will do, they will cause Yahweh to become angry with them. Then he will cause them to experience disasters.” BSB BSB: For 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 the LORD to provoke Him to anger by the work of your hands.”
Moses Begins His Song 30 UST Then, while all the Israelites listened, Moses sang the entire song to them{(people will sing this in the future)}: BSB BSB: Then Moses recited aloud to the whole assembly of Israel the words of this song from beginning to end:
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.