| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1These 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. | 1These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—in the Arabah opposite Suph—between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. |
| 2It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea. | 2It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir. |
| 3Now 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, | 3In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them. |
| 4after he had killed Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth in Edrei. | 4This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. |
| 5On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying, | 5On the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying: |
| 6“The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. | 6The LORD our God said to us at Horeb: “You have stayed at this mountain long enough. |
| 7Turn 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. | 7Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the foothills, in the Negev, and along the seacoast to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great River Euphrates. |
| 8See, 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.’ | 8See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess the land that the LORD swore He would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.” |
| 9“And I spoke to you at that time, saying: ‘I alone am not able to bear you. | 9At that time I said to you, “I cannot carry the burden for you alone. |
| 10The LORD your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude. | 10The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. |
| 11May the LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you! | 11May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He has promised. |
| 12How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints? | 12But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself? |
| 13Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.’ | 13Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.” |
| 14And you answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have told us to do is good.’ | 14And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.” |
| 15So 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. | 15So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes. |
| 16“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. | 16At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. |
| 17You 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.’ | 17Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.” |
| 18And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do. | 18And at that time I commanded you all the things you were to do. |
| 19“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. | 19And just as the LORD our God had commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites, through all the vast and terrifying wilderness you have seen. When we reached Kadesh-barnea, |
| 20And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. | 20I said: “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. |
| 21Look, 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.’ | 21See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” |
| 22“And every one 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.’ | 22Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.” |
| 23“The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. | 23The plan seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. |
| 24And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. | 24They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied out the land. |
| 25They 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.’ | 25They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us word: “It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.” |
| 26“Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; | 26But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. |
| 27and 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. | 27You grumbled 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 be annihilated. |
| 28Where 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.” ’ | 28Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’ ” |
| 29“Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. | 29So I said to you: “Do not be terrified or afraid of them! |
| 30The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, | 30The LORD your God, who goes before you, will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt |
| 31and 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.’ | 31and in the wilderness, where the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way by which you traveled until you reached this place.” |
| 32Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God, | 32But in spite of all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, |
| 33who 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. | 33who went before you on the journey, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, to seek out a place for you to camp and to show you the road to travel. |
| 34“And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, | 34When the LORD heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath, saying, |
| 35‘Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, | 35“Not one of the men of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your fathers, |
| 36except 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.’ | 36except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.” |
| 37The LORD was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there. | 37The LORD was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land. |
| 38Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. | 38Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit the land. |
| 39‘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. | 39And the little ones you said would become captives—your children who on that day did not know good from evil—will enter the land that I will give them, and they will possess it. |
| 40But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.’ | 40But you are to turn back and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.” |
| 41“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. | 41“We have sinned against the LORD,” you replied. “We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God has commanded us.” Then each of you put on his weapons of war, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country. |
| 42“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.” ’ | 42But the LORD said to me, “Tell them not to go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from defeat by your enemies.” |
| 43So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the LORD, and presumptuously went up into the mountain. | 43So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country. |
| 44And 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. | 44Then the Amorites who lived in the hills came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from Seir all the way to Hormah. |
| 45Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you. | 45And you returned and wept before the LORD, but He would not listen to your voice or give ear to you. |
| 46“So you remained in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you spent there. | 46For this reason you stayed in Kadesh for a long time—a very long time. |
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