Joshua to Succeed Moses
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So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel.
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And he said to them, “I am years old today. I am no longer able to 1go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, 2‘You shall not go over this Jordan. ’
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The Lord your God 3himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, 4as the Lord has spoken.
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And the Lord will do to them 5as he did to Sihon 6and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them.
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And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them 7according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you.
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8Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, 9for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. 10He will not leave you or forsake you. ”
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Then 11Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, 12“Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.
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It is the Lord 13who goes before you. He will be with you; 14he will not leave you or forsake you. 15Do not fear or be dismayed. ”
The Reading of the Law
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Then Moses 16wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, 17who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.
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And Moses commanded them, 18“At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at 19the Feast of Booths,
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when all Israel comes 20to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, 21you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
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22Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law,
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and that their children, 23who have not known it, 24may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, 25as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. ”
Joshua Commissioned to Lead Israel
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And the Lord said to Moses, 26“Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that 27I may commission him. ” And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting.
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And 28the Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. And the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent.
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And the Lord said to Moses, 29“Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and 30whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will 31forsake me and 32break my covenant that I have made with them.
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Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and 33I will forsake them and 34hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, 35‘Have not these evils come upon us because 36our God is not among us? ’
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And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because 37they have turned to other gods.
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“Now therefore write 38this song and 39teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be 40a witness for me against the people of Israel.
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For when I have brought them into the land 41flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and 42grown fat, 43they will turn to other gods and serve them, and 44despise me and 45break my covenant.
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And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as 46a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For 47I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give. ”
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So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel.
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48And the Lorda commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, 49“Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. 50I will be with you. ”
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When Moses had finished 51writing the words of this law in a book to the very end,
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Moses commanded 52the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord,
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“Take this Book of the Law 53and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for 54a witness against you.
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For I know how rebellious and 55stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, 56you have been rebellious against the Lord. How much more after my death!
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Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak 57these words in their ears and 58call heaven and earth to witness against them.
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For I know that after my death 59you will surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And 60in the days to come 61evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, 62provoking him to anger through the work of your hands. ”
The Song of Moses
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Then Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the ears of all the assembly of Israel:
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)