Study Desk

"When all these things happen to you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you,

and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and all your soul by doing^[a] everything I am giving you today,

then He will restore your fortunes,^[b] have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.^(a)

Even if your exiles are at the ends of the earth,^[c] He will gather you and bring you back from there.^(b)

The Lord your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it.^(c) He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than He did your fathers.

The Lord your God will circumcise your heart^(d) and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live.

The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you.

Then you will again obey Him and follow all His commands I am giving you today.

The Lord your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands^(e) with children,^[d] the offspring of your livestock, and your land's produce. Indeed, the Lord will again delight in your prosperity, as He delighted in that of your fathers,

when you obey the Lord your God by keeping His commands and statutes that are written in this book of the law and return to Him with all your heart and all your soul.

"This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach.

It is not in heaven so that you have to ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?'

And it is not across the sea so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?'

But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it.^(f)

See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity.^(g)

For^[e] I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live^[f] and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow down to other gods and worship them,

I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not live long in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan.

I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life^(h) so that you and your descendants may live,

love the Lord your God, obey Him, and remain faithful^[g] to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers⁽ⁱ⁾ Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

Then Moses continued to speak these^[a] words to all Israel,

saying, "I am now 120 years old; I can no longer act as your leader.^[b] The Lord has told me, ‘You will not cross this Jordan.'^(a)

The Lord your God is the One who will cross ahead of you.^(b) He will destroy these nations before you, and you will drive them out. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, as the Lord has said.^(c)

The Lord will deal with them as He did Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and their land when He destroyed them.^(d)

The Lord will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you.

Be strong and courageous;^(e) don't be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the Lord your God who goes with you;^(f) He will not leave you or forsake you."^(g)

Moses then summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you will go with^[c] this people into the land the Lord swore to give to their fathers.^(h) You will enable them to take possession of it.

The Lord is the One who will go before you.⁽ⁱ⁾ He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.^(j) Do not be afraid or discouraged."

Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the Lord 's covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.

Moses commanded them, "At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of debt cancellation,^(k) during the Festival of Booths,^(l)

when all Israel assembles^[d] in the presence of the Lord your God at the place He chooses, you are to read this law aloud before all Israel.^(m)

Gather the people—men, women, children, and foreigners living within your gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear⁽ⁿ⁾ the Lord your God and be careful to follow all the words of this law.

Then their children^(o) who do not know the law will listen and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."

The Lord said to Moses, "The time of your death is now approaching. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting so that I may commission him." When Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting,

the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood at the entrance to the tent.^(p)

The Lord said to Moses, "You are about to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon commit adultery with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will abandon Me and break the covenant^(q) I have made with them.

My anger will burn against them on that day; I will abandon them and hide My face from them so that they will become easy prey.^[e] Many troubles and afflictions will come to them. On that day they will say, ‘Haven't these troubles come to us because our God is no longer with us?'

I will certainly hide My face on that day because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.

Therefore write down this song^(r) for yourselves and teach it to the Israelites; have them recite it,^[f] so that this song may be a witness for Me against the Israelites.

When I bring them into the land I swore to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey,^(s) they will eat their fill^(t) and prosper.^[g] They will turn to other gods and worship them, despising Me and breaking My covenant.^(u)

And when many troubles and afflictions come to them, this song will testify against them, because^[h] their descendants will not have forgotten it. For I know what they are prone to do,^[i] even before I bring them into the land I swore to give them."

So Moses wrote down this song on that day and taught it to the Israelites.

The Lord commissioned Joshua son of Nun, "Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I swore to them, and I will be with you."^(v)

When Moses had finished writing down on a scroll every single word^[j] of this law,

he commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the Lord 's covenant,

"Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God so that it may remain there as a witness against you.

For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are rebelling against the Lord now, while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after I am dead!

Assemble all your tribal elders and officers before me so that I may speak these words directly to them and call heaven and earth as witnesses against them.^(w)

For I know that after my death you will become completely corrupt and turn from the path I have commanded you. Disaster will come to you in the future, because you will do what is evil in the Lord 's sight, infuriating Him with what your hands have made."^(x)

Then Moses recited aloud every single word^[k] of this song to the entire assembly of Israel: