Joshua to Succeed Moses
(Numbers 27:18–23)

1And Moses wente, & spake these wordes to all Israel, 2and saide vnto them: I am this daye an hundreth and twetye yeare olde, I can nomore go out and in: the LORDE also hath sayde vnto me: Thou shalt not go ouer this Iordane. 3The LORDE thy God himselfe shall go before the ouer Iordane: and HE himselfe shal destroye these nacions before the, that thou mayest conquere them: and Iosua he shall go ouer before the. as the LORDE hath sayde. 4And the LORDE shal do vnto them, as he dyd vnto Sihon and Og the kynges of the Amorites and vnto their lode, which he destroyed. 5Now whan the LORDE shal deliuer the before you, ye shal do vnto them acordynge vnto all the commaundementes which I haue commaunded you. 6Be manly and stroge, feare not, and be not afrayed of them. For the LORDE thy God himselfe shal go with the, and shal not fayle the, ner forsake the.

7And Moses called Iosua, and sayde vnto him before all Israel: Be stronge and bolde, for thou shalt brynge this people in to the londe, which the LORDE hath sworne vnto their fathers to geue them, and thou shalt parte it amonge them by lott. 8But the LORDE himselfe that goeth before you, euen HE shal be with the, and shal not fayle the, ner forsake the: Feare not, and be not afrayed.

The Reading of the Law
(Nehemiah 8:1–8)

9And Moses wrote this lawe, and delyuered it vnto the prestes the children of Leui (which bare the Arke of the couenaunt of the LORDE) and vnto all the Elders of Israel. 10And he commaunded them, and sayde: At the ende of seuen yeares, in the tyme of the Fre yeare, in the feast of Tabernacles 11whan all Israel come to appeare before the LORDE thy God, in the place that he shall chose, thou shalt cause this lawe to be proclamed before all Israel in their eares, 12namely, before the congregacion of the people, both of men, wemen, children, and thy straungers which are within thy gates: that they maye heare and lerne to feare the LORDE their God, and be diligent to do all the wordes of this lawe: 13and that their children also which knowe nothinge, maye heare and lerne to feare the LORDE yor God, all youre lyue dayes which ye lyue in the londe, whither ye go ouer Iordane to possesse it.

God Commissions Joshua

14And the LORDE sayde vnto Moses: Beholde, thy tyme is come that thou must die, call Iosua, and stonde in the Tabernacle of witnesse, that I maye geue him a charge. Moses wente with Iosua, and stode in the Tabernacle of witnesse. 15And the LORDE appeared in the Tabernacle in a cloudy pyler and the same cloudy pyler stode in the dore of the Tabernacle. 16And the LORDE sayde vnto Moses: Beholde, thou shalt slepe with yi fathers, and this people wyll ryse vp, and go a whoringe after straunge goddes of the londe in to the which they come, and wyll forsake me, and breake the couenaunt which I haue made wt them. 17And then shall my wrath waxe whote agaynst them, at the same tyme, & I shal forsake the, and hyde my face fro them, that they maye be consumed. And so whan moch aduersite & trouble commeth vpo the, they shal saye: Is not all this euell come vpo me, because God is not with me? 18But I shal hyde my face at the same tyme because of all the euell that they haue done, in that they haue turned vnto other goddes.

19Wryte now therfore this songe, & teach it the children of Israel, and put it in their mouth, that this songe maye be a witnesse vnto me amonge the children of Israel. 20For I wil brynge them in to the londe which I sware vnto their fathers, that floweth with mylke and hony. And whan they eate, and are full and fatt, they shal turne vnto other goddes, and serue them, and blaspheme me, and breake my couenaunt. 21And so whan moch myschefe and tribulacion is come vpon them, this songe shall answere before them for a witnesse. It shall not be forgotten out of the mouth of their sede: for I knowe their ymaginacion, that they go aboute euen now, before I brynge them in to the londe, which I sware vnto them. 22So Moses wrote this songe at the same tyme, and taughte it the children of Israel.

23And the LORDE gaue Iosua the sonne of Nun a charge, and sayde: Be stronge and bolde, for thou shalt brynge the children of Israel in to the londe, which I sware vnto them, and I wil be with the.

The Law Placed in the Ark

24Now whan Moses had wrytten out all the wordes of this lawe in a boke, 25he commaunded the Leuites (which bare the Arke of the LORDES couenaunt) and sayde: 26Take the boke of this lawe, and laye it by the syde of the Arke of the couenaunt of the LORDE youre God, that it maye be there a wytnesse agaynst the: 27for I knowe thy stubburnesse and thy harde neck. Beholde, whyle I am yet alyue wt you this daye, ye haue bene disobedient vnto the LORDE: how moch more after my death? 28Gather now vnto me all the Elders of youre trybes, and youre officers, yt I maye speake these wordes in their eares, and take heauen and earth to recorde agaynst them. 29For I am sure that after my death ye shall marre youre selues, and turne asyde out of the waye, which I haue commaunded you: and so shall mysfortune happen vnto you herafter, because ye haue done euell in the sighte of the LORDE, in prouokynge him thorow the workes of youre handes.

Moses Begins His Song

30So Moses spake out the wordes of this songe euen to the ende, in the eares of all the congregacion of Israel.