Deuteronomy 31

¹And so Moises yede, and spak alle these wordis to al Israel,

²and seide to hem, Y am to dai of an hundrid and twenti yeer, Y may no ferthere go out and go yn, moost sithen also the Lord seide to me, Thou schalt not passe this Jordan.

³Therfor thi Lord God schal passe bifore thee; he schal do awei these folkis in thi siyt, and thou schalt welde hem; and this Josue schal go bifor thee, as the Lord spak.

⁴And the Lord schal do to hem as he dide to Seon, and Og kyng of Ammorreis, and to `the lond of hem; and he schal do hem awey.

⁵Therfor whanne the Lord hath bitake to you also hem, ye schulen do in lijk maner to hem, as Y comaundide to you.

⁶Do ye manli, and be ye coumfortid; nyle ye drede in herte, nethir drede ye at the siyt of hem, for thi Lord God hym silf is thi ledere, and he schal not leeue, nether schal forsake thee.

⁷And Moyses clepid Josue, and seide to hym bifor al the multitude of the sones of Israel, Be thou coumfortid, and be thou strong; for thou schalt lede this puple in to the lond which the Lord swoor that he schal yyue to `the fadris of hem; and thou schalt departe it bi lot.

⁸And the Lord hym silf whiche is youre ledere, schal be with thee, he schal not leeue, nether schal forsake thee; nyle thou drede, nether drede thou in herte.

⁹Therfor Moyses wroot this lawe, and bitook it to the preestis, sones of Leuy, that baren the arke of the bond of pees of the Lord, and to alle the eldere men of Israel.

¹⁰And Moyses comaundide to hem, and seide, Aftir seuen yeer, in the yeer of remyssioun, in the solempnete of tabernaclis,

¹¹whanne alle men of Israel schulen come togidere, that thei appere in the siyt of her Lord God, in the place `which the Lord chees, thou schalt rede the wordis of this lawe bifor al Israel,

¹²while thei heren, and while al the puple is gaderid to gidere, as wel to men, as to wymmen, to litle children, and comelyngis that ben with ynne thi yatis; that thei here, and lerne, and drede youre Lord God, and kepe and fille alle the wordis of this lawe;

¹³also that the sones of hem, that now knowen not, moun here, and that thei drede her Lord God in alle daies in whiche thei lyuen in the lond to whiche ye schulen go to gete, whanne Jordan is passid.

¹⁴And the Lord seide to Moises, Lo! the daies of thi deeth ben nyy; clepe thou Josue, and stonde ye in the tabernacle of witnessyng, that Y comaunde to hym. Therfor Moises and Josue yeden, and stooden in the tabernacle of witnessyng;

¹⁵and the Lord apperide there in a pilere of cloude, that stood in the entryng of the tabernacle.

¹⁶And the Lord seide to Moises, Lo! thou schalt slepe with thi fadris, and this puple schal rise, and schal do fornycacioun aftir alien goddis in the lond, to which lond it schal entre, that it dwelle ther ynne; there it schal forsake me, and schal make void the boond of pees, which Y couenauntide with it.

¹⁷And my strong veniaunce schal be wrooth ayens that puple in that dai, and Y schal forsake it, and Y schal hide my face fro it, and it schal be in to deuouryng; alle yuels and turmentyngis schulen fynde it, so that it seie in that dai, Verili for the Lord is not with me, these yuelis han founde me.

¹⁸Forsothe Y schal hide, and schal hile `my face in that dai, for alle the yuels `whiche it dide, for it suede alien goddis.

¹⁹Now therfor write ye to you this song, and `teche ye the sones of Israel, that thei holde it in mynde, and synge bi mouth; and that this song be to me for a witnessyng among the sones of Israel.

²⁰For Y schal lede hym in to the lond, for which Y swoor to hise fadris, flowynge with mylk and hony; and whanne thei han ete, and ben fillid, and ben maad fat, thei schulen turne to alien goddis, and thei schulen serue hem; and thei schulen bacbite me, and schulen make voide my couenaunt.

²¹Aftir that many yuels and turmentyngis han founde hym, this song schal answere hym for witnessing, which song no foryetyng schal do awey fro the mouth of thi seed. For Y knowe the thouytis therof to day, what thingis it schal do, bifore that Y bringe it in to the lond which Y bihiyte to it.

²²Therfor Moises wroot the song, and tauyte the sones of Israel.

²³And the Lord comaundide to Josue, the sone of Nun, and seide, Be thou coumfortid, and be thou strong; for thou schalt lede the sones of Israel in to the lond which Y bihiyte, and Y schal be with thee.

²⁴Therfor aftir that Moises wroot the wordis of this lawe in a book, and fillide,

²⁵he comaundide to Leuytis that baren the ark of boond of pees of the Lord,

²⁶and seide, Take ye this book, and putte ye it in the side of the arke of boond of pees of youre Lord God, that it be there ayens thee in to witnessyng.

²⁷For Y knowe thi stryuyng, and thin hardest nol; yit while Y lyuede and entride with you, ye diden euere stryuyngli ayens the Lord; hou myche more whanne Y schal be deed.

²⁸Gadere ye to me all the grettere men in birthe, and techeris, bi youre lynagis, and Y schal speke to hem, herynge these wordis, and Y schal clepe ayens hem heuene and erthe.

²⁹For Y knowe, that aftir my deeth ye schulen do wickidli, and schulen bowe awei soone fro the weie which Y comaundide to you; and yuels schulen come to you in the laste tyme, whanne ye `han do yuel in the siyt of the Lord, that ye terre hym to ire bi the werkis of youre hondis.

³⁰Therfor while al the cumpeny of the sones of Israel herde, Moises spak the wordis of this song, and fillide `til to the ende.

Deuteronomy 31

¹And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.

²And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the Lord hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

³The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said.

⁴And the Lord shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.

⁵And the Lord shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.

⁶Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

⁷And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

⁸And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

⁹And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and unto all the elders of Israel.

¹⁰And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,

¹¹When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

¹²Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:

¹³And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

¹⁴And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.

¹⁵And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.

¹⁶And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

¹⁷Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?

¹⁸And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.

¹⁹Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

²⁰For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.

²¹And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.

²²Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.

²³And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.

²⁴And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,

²⁵That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying,

²⁶Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

²⁷For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the Lord; and how much more after my death?

²⁸Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.

²⁹For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.

³⁰And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.