New International Reader's Version NIRV
New King James Version NKJV
1 These are the words Moses spoke to all of the people of Israel. At that time, they were in the desert east of the Jordan River. It's in the Arabah Valley across from Suph. They were between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab.
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These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain opposite Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
2 It takes 11 days to go from Mount Horeb to Kadesh Barnea if you travel on the Mount Seir road.
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It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.
3 It was now the 40th year since the people of Israel had left Egypt. On the first day of the 11th month, Moses spoke to them. He told them everything the LORD had commanded him to tell them.
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Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the Lord had given him as commandments to them,
4 They had already won the battle over Sihon. Sihon was the king of the Amorites. He had ruled in Heshbon. Israel had also won the battle over Og at Edrei. Og was the king of Bashan. He had ruled in Ashtaroth.
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after he had killed Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth in Edrei.
5 The people were east of the Jordan River in the territory of Moab. There Moses began to explain the law. Here is what he said.
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On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying,
6 The LORD our God spoke to us at Mount Horeb. He said, "You have stayed long enough at this mountain.
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"The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: 'You have dwelt long enough at this mountain.
7 Take your tents down. Go into the hill country of the Amorites. Go to all of the people who are their neighbors. Go to the people who live in the Arabah Valley. Travel to the mountains and the western hills. Go to the people in the Negev Desert and along the coast. Travel to the land of Canaan and to Lebanon. Go as far as the great Euphrates River.
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Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain, in the mountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates.
8 "I have given you all of that land. Go in and take it as your own. I took an oath. I promised I would give the land to your fathers. I promised it to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I also said I would give it to their children after them."
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See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to your fathers--to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--to give to them and their descendants after them.'
9 At that time I spoke to you. I said, "You are too heavy a load for me to carry alone.
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"And I spoke to you at that time, saying: 'I alone am not able to bear you.
10 The LORD your God has increased your numbers. Today you are as many as the stars in the sky.
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The Lord your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude.
11 The LORD is the God of your people. May he increase your numbers a thousand times. May he bless you, just as he promised he would.
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May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you!
12 But I can't handle your problems and troubles all by myself. I can't settle your arguments.
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How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints?
13 "So choose some wise men from each of your tribes. They must understand how to give good advice. The people must have respect for them. I will appoint those men to have authority over you."
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Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.'
14 You answered me, "Your suggestion is good."
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And you answered me and said, 'The thing which you have told us to do is good.'
15 So I took the leading men of your tribes who were wise and respected. I appointed them to have authority over you. I made them commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. I appointed them to be officials over the tribes.
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So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and made them heads over you, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens, and officers for your tribes.
16 Here is what I commanded your judges at that time. I said, "Listen to your people's cases when they argue with one another. Judge them fairly. It doesn't matter whether the case is between fellow Israelites or between an Israelite and an outsider.
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Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him.
17 When you judge them, treat everyone the same. Listen to those who are important and those who are not. Don't be afraid of any man. God is the highest judge. Bring me any case that is too hard for you. I'll listen to it."
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You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man's presence, for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.'
18 At that time I told you everything you should do.
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And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.
19 The LORD our God commanded us to start out from Mount Horeb. So we did. We went toward the hill country of the Amorites. We traveled all through the huge and terrible desert you saw. Finally, we reached Kadesh Barnea.
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"So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the Lord our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea.
20 Then I said to you, "You have reached the hill country of the Amorites. The LORD our God is giving it to us.
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And I said to you, 'You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us.
21 The LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take it. Do what the LORD says. He's the God of your people. Don't be afraid. Don't lose hope."
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Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.'
22 Then all of you came to me. You said, "Let's send some men ahead of us. They can check out the land for us and bring back a report. They can suggest to us which way to go. They can tell us about the towns we'll come to."
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And everyone of you came near to me and said, 'Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.'
23 That seemed like a good idea to me. So I chose 12 of you. I picked one man from each tribe.
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The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe.
24 They left and went up into the hill country. There they came to the Valley of Eshcol. They checked it out.
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And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.
25 They got some of the fruit of that land. They brought it down to us and gave us their report. They said, "The LORD our God is giving us a good land."
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They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, 'It is a good land which the Lord our God is giving us.'
26 But you wouldn't go up. You refused to obey the command of the LORD your God.
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"Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God;
27 You spoke against him in your tents. You said, "The LORD hates us. That's why he brought us out of Egypt to hand us over to the Amorites. He wanted to destroy us.
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and you complained in your tents, and said, 'Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
28 Where can we go? The men who checked out the land have made us lose hope. They say, 'The people are stronger and taller than we are. The cities are large. They have walls that reach up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.' "
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Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, "The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there." '
29 Then I said to you, "Don't be terrified. Don't be afraid of them.
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Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, or afraid of them.
30 The LORD your God will go ahead of you. He will fight for you. With your own eyes you saw how he fought for you in Egypt.
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The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,
31 "You also saw how the LORD your God brought you through the desert. He carried you everywhere you went, just as a father carries his son. And now you have arrived here."
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and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.'
32 In spite of that, you didn't trust in the LORD your God.
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Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God,
33 He went ahead of you on your journey. He was in the fire at night and in the cloud during the day. He found places for you to camp. He showed you the way you should go.
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who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.
34 The LORD heard what you said. So he became angry. He took an oath and made a promise. He said,
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"And the Lord heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying,
35 "I promised to give this good land to your people long ago. But not one of you evil men who are alive today will see it.
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'Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers,
36 "Only Caleb will see the land. He is the son of Jephunneh. I will give him and his children after him the land he walked on. He followed me with his whole heart."
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except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the Lord.'
37 Because of you, the LORD became angry with me also. He said, "You will not enter the land either.
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The Lord was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, 'Even you shall not go in there;
38 But Joshua, the son of Nun, is your helper. Joshua will enter the land. Help him to be brave. Give him hope. He will lead Israel to take the land as their own.
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Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
39 "You said your little ones would be taken prisoner. But they will enter the land. They do not know right from wrong yet. But I will give them the land. They will take it as their own.
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Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.
40 As for you, turn around. Start out toward the desert. Go along the road that leads to the Red Sea."
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But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.'
41 Then you replied, "We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight. We'll do just as the LORD our God has commanded us." So all of you got your swords and put them on. You thought it would be easy to go up into the hill country.
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"Then you answered and said to me, 'We have sinned against the Lord; we will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.' And when everyone of you had girded on his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the mountain.
42 But the LORD spoke to me. He said, "Tell them, 'Do not go up and fight. I will not be with you. Your enemies will win the battle over you.' "
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And the Lord said to me, 'Tell them, "Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies." '
43 So I told you what the LORD said. But you wouldn't listen. You refused to obey his command. You were so filled with pride that you marched up into the hill country.
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So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the Lord, and presumptuously went up into the mountain.
44 The Amorites who lived in those hills came out and attacked you. Like large numbers of bees they chased you. They beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah.
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And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Seir to Hormah.
45 You came back and sobbed in front of the Lord. But he didn't pay any attention to your sobs. He wouldn't listen to you.
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Then you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.
46 So you stayed in Kadesh for many years. You spent a long time in that area.
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So you remained in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you spent there.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.