Deuteronomy 1:1-21 ▼

1 These are the words that Moses spoke to the assembly of Israel east of the Jordan River, in the Arabah desert, opposite Suph between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab.

2 It takes eleven days to travel from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea via Mount Seir.

3 On the first day of the eleventh month, in the fortieth year, Moses spoke to the Israelis about everything that the LORD had commanded him concerning them.

4 This took place after he defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon and Og, king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth at Edrei.

5 East of the Jordan River, in the land of Moab, Moses began to expound this Law:

6 |The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb. He said, 'You have been at this mountain long enough.

7 Break camp, get going, and proceed to the hill country of the Amorites and all the nearby places in the Arabah desert, the highlands, the foothills, the Negev, the coastal plains, all of the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon as far as the great river, the Euphrates.

8 Look! I've given you the land that lies ahead. Go in and possess the land that I, the LORD, promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as to their descendants.'|

9 |I also told you at that time that I won't be able to sustain you on my own.

10 The LORD your God greatly multiplied your numbers, and today you are like the stars in the sky.

11 May the LORD, the God of your ancestors, increase your numbers a thousand times more, and may he bless you, as he promised you.

12 How can I bear the burden of you and your bickering all by myself?

13 Choose for yourselves wise and discerning men, known to your tribes, and appoint them as your leaders.

14 You answered by saying that this plan is a good thing.

15 So I chose leaders from your tribes, wise and respected men, and I appointed them over you—commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.

16 I charged your judges at that time, 'When you hold a hearing between brothers, judge fairly between a man and his brother or between foreigners.

17 When you hold a hearing, don't be partial in judgment toward the least important or toward the great. Never fear men, because judgment belongs to God. If the matter is difficult for you, bring it to me for a hearing.'

18 I charged you at that time that you must do all of these things.|

19 |Then we set out from Horeb and walked through that vast and dreadful desert, where you observed the road to the Amorite hill country. Just as the LORD our God ordained for us, we finally arrived at Kadesh-barnea.

20 I told you at that time, 'You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is about to give us.

21 Look! The LORD your God has given the land that lies before you. Go and possess it, just as the LORD God of your ancestors commanded you. Don't be afraid or discouraged.'