1 These are the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, 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 spoke unto the sons of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had commanded him regarding them; 4 after he had slain Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og, the king of Bashan, who dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei; 5 on this side of the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses resolved to declare this law, saying, 6 The LORD our God spoke unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount; 7 turn and take your journey and go to the mount of the Amorite and unto all the places nearby, in the plain, in the hills, and in the valleys and to the Negev and by the sea side to the land of the Canaanite and unto Lebanon unto the great river, the river Euphrates. 8 Behold, I have given the land in your presence; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would give unto them and to their seed after them.
9 And I spoke unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone; 10 the LORD your God has multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. 11 Let the LORD God of your fathers add upon you a thousand times so many more as ye are and bless you, as he has promised! 12 How can I myself alone bear your troubles and your burdens and your strife? 13 Give me from among you, of your tribes, wise and understanding and expert men, and I will make them the head 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 principals of your tribes, wise men and experts, and made them princes over you, princes over thousands and princes over hundreds and princes over fifties and princes 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 Amorite, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea. 20 Then I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorite, which the LORD our God gives unto us. 21 Behold, the LORD thy God has given the land before thee; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers has 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 spy 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 seemed good unto me, and I took twelve men of you, one of each tribe. 24 And they turned and went up into the mountain and came unto the valley of Eshcol and spied out the land. 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 gives 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 has brought us forth out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorite, to destroy us. 28 Where shall we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, This 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 who goes before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did with you in Egypt before your eyes; 31 and in the wilderness thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bore thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went until ye came into this place. 32 Yet with all this ye did not believe in the LORD your God, 33 who went in the way before you to search you out a place to pitch your tents, with fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and with a cloud by day.
34 And the LORD heard the voice of your words and was angry and swore, saying, 35 Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land, which I swore to give unto your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he has trodden upon, and to his sons, because he has perfectly followed the LORD. 37 Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou shalt not go in there either. 38 But Joshua, the son of Nun, who stands before thee, he shall go in there; encourage him; for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 39 Moreover your little ones, whom ye said should be a prey and your children who in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in there, and unto them will I give it, and they shall inherit it. 40 But as for you, return 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 has commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the mountain. 42 And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not among you, lest ye be smitten before your enemies. 43 So I spoke unto you, and ye would not hear but were rebels against the word of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill. 44 And the Amorite, who 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.