Deuteronomy chapter .j.
¶ These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel, on the other side Iordan in the wilderness and in the fields by the red sea, between Pharan and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Disahab
twelve days journey from Horeb unto Cades barne, by the way that leadeth unto mount Seir.
And it fortuned the first day of the eleventh month in the fortieth year, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them,
after that he had smote Sehon the king of the Amorites which dwelt in Hesbon, and Og king of Basan which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei.
On the other side Iordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to declare this law saying:
the LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb saying: Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:
depart therefore and take your journey and go unto the hills of the Amorites and unto all places nye there unto: both fields, hills and dales: and unto the south and unto the sea's side in the land of Canaan, and unto Libanon: even unto the great river Euphrates.
Behold, I have set the land before you: go in therefore and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Iacob, to give unto them and their seed after them.
¶ And I said unto you the same season: I am not able to bear you myself alone.
For the LORD your God hath multiplied you: so that ye are this day as the stars of heaven in number
(the LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you as he hath promised you)
how (said I) can I myself alone, bear the cumbrance, charge and strife that is among you:
bring therefore men of wisdom and of understanding and expert, known among your tribes, that I may make them rulers over you.
And ye answered me and said: that which thou hast spoken is good to be done.
And then I took the heads of your tribes, men of wisdom and that were expert, and made them rulers over you: captains over thousands and over hundreds, over fifty and over ten, and officers among your tribes.
And I charged your judges the same time saying: hear your brethren and judge righteously between every man and his brother and the stranger that is with him.
See that ye know no man in judgement: but hear the small as well as the great and be afraid of no man, for the law is God's. And the cause that is too hard for you, bring unto me and I will hear it.
And I commanded you the same season, all the things which ye should do.
¶ And then we departed from Horeb and walked thorow all that great and terrible wilderness as ye have seen along by the way that leadeth unto the hills of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us, and came to Cades barne.
And there I said unto you: Ye are come unto the hills of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.
Behold the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee, go up and conquer it, as the LORD God of thy fathers sayeth unto thee: fear not, neither be discouraged.
And then ye came unto me every one and said: Let us send men before us, to search us out the land and to bring us word again, both what way we shall go up by, and unto what cities we shall come.
And the saying pleased me well, and I took twelve men of you, of every tribe one.
And they departed and went up into the high country and came unto the river Escol, and searched it out,
and took of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down unto us and brought us word again and said: it is a good land which the LORD our God doeth give us.
Notwithstanding ye would not consent to go up, but were disobedient unto the mouth of the LORD your God,
and murmured in your tents and said: because the LORD hateth us, therefore he hath brought us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites and to destroy us.
How shall we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts saying: the people is greater and taller than we, and the cities are great and walled even up to heaven, and moreover we have seen the sons of the Enakims there.
And I said unto you: dread not nor be afraid of them:
The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did unto you in Egypt before your eyes
and in the wilderness: as thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee as a man should bear his son, thorowout all the way which ye have gone, until ye came unto this place.
And yet for all this saying ye did not believe the LORD your God
which goeth the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, that ye might see what way to go and in a cloud by day.
And the LORD heard the voice of your words and was wroth and swore saying,
there shall not one of these men of this froward generation see that good land which I sware to give unto your fathers,
save Caleb the son of Iephune, he shall see it, and to him I will give the land which he hath walked in and to his children, because he hath continually followed the LORD.
Likewise the LORD was angry with me for your sakes saying: thou also shalt not go in thither.
But Iosua the son of Nun which stondeth before thee, he shall go in thither. Bold him therefore for he shall divide it unto Israel.
Moreover your children which ye said should be a prey, and your sons which know neither good nor bad this day, they shall go in thither and unto them I will give it, and they shall enjoy it.
But as for you, turn back and take your journey into the wilderness: even the way to the red sea.
Then ye answered and said unto me: We have sinned against the LORD: we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war and were ready to go up into the hills,
the LORD said unto me: say unto them, see that ye go not up and that ye fight not, for I am not among you: lest ye be plagued before your enemies.
And when I told you ye would not hear: but disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hills.
Then the Amorites which dwelt in those hills, came out against you and chased you as bees do, and hewed you in Seir, even unto Horma.
And ye came again and wept before the LORD: but the LORD would not hear your voice nor give you audience.
And so ye abode in Cades a long season, according unto the time that ye there dwelt.
Praise the Everlasting Lord for His Faithful Word.