Deuteronomy 28

The Blessings of Obedience

1 “If you obey the Lord your God and faithfully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, he will make you greater than any other nation on earth.

2 Obey the Lord your God and all these blessings will be yours:

3 “The Lord will bless your towns and your fields.

4 “The Lord will bless you with many children, with abundant crops, and with many cattle and sheep.

5 “The Lord will bless your grain crops and the food you prepare from them.

6 “The Lord will bless everything you do.

7 “The Lord will defeat your enemies when they attack you. They will attack from one direction, but they will run from you in all directions.

8 “The Lord your God will bless your work and fill your barns with grain. He will bless you in the land that he is giving you.

9 “If you obey the Lord your God and do everything he commands, he will make you his own people, as he has promised.

10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that the Lord has chosen you to be his own people, and they will be afraid of you.

11 The Lord will give you many children, many cattle, and abundant crops in the land that he promised your ancestors to give you.

12 He will send rain in season from his rich storehouse in the sky and bless all your work, so that you will lend to many nations, but you will not have to borrow from any.

13 The Lord your God will make you the leader among the nations and not a follower; you will always prosper and never fail if you obey faithfully all his commands that I am giving you today.

14 But you must never disobey them in any way, or worship and serve other gods.

The Consequences of Disobedience

15 “But if you disobey the Lord your God and do not faithfully keep all his commands and laws that I am giving you today, all these evil things will happen to you:

16 “The Lord will curse your towns and your fields.

17 “The Lord will curse your grain crops and the food you prepare from them.

18 “The Lord will curse you by giving you only a few children, poor crops, and few cattle and sheep.

19 “The Lord will curse everything you do.

20 “If you do evil and reject the Lord, he will bring on you disaster, confusion, and trouble in everything you do, until you are quickly and completely destroyed.

21 He will send disease after disease on you until there is not one of you left in the land that you are about to occupy.

22 The Lord will strike you with infectious diseases, with swelling and fever; he will send drought and scorching winds to destroy your crops. These disasters will be with you until you die.

23 No rain will fall, and your ground will become as hard as iron.

24 Instead of rain, the Lord will send down duststorms and sandstorms until you are destroyed.

25 “The Lord will give your enemies victory over you. You will attack them from one direction, but you will run from them in all directions, and all the people on earth will be terrified when they see what happens to you.

26 When you die, birds and wild animals will come and eat your bodies, and there will be no one to scare them off.

27 The Lord will send boils on you, as he did on the Egyptians. He will make your bodies break out with sores. You will be covered with scabs, and you will itch, but there will be no cure.

28 The Lord will make you lose your mind; he will strike you with blindness and confusion.

29 You will grope about in broad daylight like someone blind, and you will not be able to find your way. You will not prosper in anything you do. You will be constantly oppressed and robbed, and there will be no one to help you.

30 “You will be engaged to a young woman—but someone else will marry her. You will build a house—but never live in it. You will plant a vineyard—but never eat its grapes.

31 Your cattle will be butchered before your very eyes, but you will not eat any of the meat. Your donkeys will be dragged away while you look on, and they will not be given back to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and there will be no one to help you.

32 Your sons and daughters will be given as slaves to foreigners while you look on. Every day you will strain your eyes, looking in vain for your children to return.

33 A foreign nation will take all the crops that you have worked so hard to grow, while you receive nothing but constant oppression and harsh treatment.

34 Your sufferings will make you lose your mind.

35 The Lord will cover your legs with incurable, painful sores; boils will cover you from head to foot.

36 “The Lord will take you and your king away to a foreign land, where neither you nor your ancestors ever lived before; there you will serve gods made of wood and stone.

37 In the countries to which the Lord will scatter you, the people will be shocked at what has happened to you; they will make fun of you and ridicule you.

38 “You will plant plenty of seed, but reap only a small harvest, because the locusts will eat your crops.

39 You will plant vineyards and take care of them, but you will not gather their grapes or drink wine from them, because worms will eat the vines.

40 Olive trees will grow everywhere in your land, but you will not have any olive oil, because the olives will drop off.

41 You will have sons and daughters, but you will lose them, because they will be taken away as prisoners of war.

42 All your trees and crops will be devoured by insects.

43 “Foreigners who live in your land will gain more and more power, while you gradually lose yours.

44 They will have money to lend you, but you will have none to lend them. In the end they will be your rulers.

45 “All these disasters will come on you, and they will be with you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the Lord your God and keep all the laws that he gave you.

46 They will be the evidence of God’s judgment on you and your descendants forever.

47 The Lord blessed you in every way, but you would not serve him with glad and joyful hearts.

48 So then, you will serve the enemies that the Lord is going to send against you. You will be hungry, thirsty, and naked—in need of everything. The Lordwill oppress you harshly until you are destroyed.

49 The Lord will bring against you a nation from the ends of the earth, a nation whose language you do not know. They will swoop down on you like an eagle.

50 They will be ruthless and show no mercy to anyone, young or old.

51 They will eat your livestock and your crops, and you will starve to death. They will not leave you any grain, wine, olive oil, cattle, or sheep; and you will die.

52 They will attack every town in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and the high, fortified walls in which you trust will fall.

53 “When your enemies are besieging your towns, you will become so desperate for food that you will even eat the children that the Lord your God has given you.

54-55 Even the most refined man of noble birth will become so desperate during the siege that he will eat some of his own children because he has no other food. He will not even give any to his brother or to the wife he loves or to any of his children who are left.

56-57 Even the most refined woman of noble birth, so rich that she has never had to walk anywhere, will behave in the same way. When the enemy besieges her town, she will become so desperate for food that she will secretly eat her newborn child and the afterbirth as well. She will not share them with the husband she loves or with any of her children.

58 “If you do not obey faithfully all of God’s teachings that are written in this book and if you do not honor the wonderful and awesome name of the Lord your God,

59 he will send on you and on your descendants incurable diseases and horrible epidemics that can never be stopped.

60 He will bring on you once again all the dreadful diseases you experienced in Egypt, and you will never recover.

61 He will also send all kinds of diseases and epidemics that are not mentioned in this book of God’s laws and teachings, and you will be destroyed.

62 Although you become as numerous as the stars in the sky, only a few of you will survive, because you did not obey the Lord your God.

63 Just as the Lord took delight in making you prosper and in making you increase in number, so he will take delight in destroying you and in bringing ruin on you. You will be uprooted from the land that you are about to occupy.

64 “The Lord will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will serve gods made of wood and stone, gods that neither you nor your ancestors have ever worshiped before.

65 You will find no peace anywhere, no place to call your own; the Lord will overwhelm you with anxiety, hopelessness, and despair.

66 Your life will always be in danger. Day and night you will be filled with terror, and you will live in constant fear of death.

67 Your hearts will pound with fear at everything you see. Every morning you will wish for evening; every evening you will wish for morning.

68 The Lord will send you back to Egypt in ships, even though hesaid that you would never have to go there again. There you will try to sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves, but no one will want to buy you.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/DEU/28-b9a2561d989280ce91f744d1f22fa7ba.mp3?version_id=68—

Deuteronomy 29

The Lord’s Covenant with Israel in the Land of Moab

1 These are the terms of the covenant that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab; all this was in addition to the covenant which the Lord had made with them at Mount Sinai.

2 Moses called together all the people of Israel and said to them, “You saw for yourselves what the Lord did to the king of Egypt, to his officials, and to his entire country.

3 You saw the terrible plagues, the miracles, and the great wonders that the Lord performed.

4 But to this very day he has not let you understand what you have experienced.

5 For forty years the Lord led you through the desert, and your clothes and sandals never wore out.

6 You did not have bread to eat or wine or beer to drink, but the Lord provided for your needs in order to teach you that he is your God.

7 And when we came to this place, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out to fight against us. But we defeated them,

8 took their land, and divided it among the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.

9 Obey faithfully all the terms of this covenant, so that you will be successful in everything you do.

10 “Today you are standing in the presence of the Lord your God, all of you—your leaders and officials, your men,

11 women, and children, and the foreigners who live among you and cut wood and carry water for you.

12 You are here today to enter into this covenant that the Lord your God is making with you and to accept its obligations,

13 so that the Lord may now confirm you as his people and be your God, as he promised you and your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

14 You are not the only ones with whom the Lord is making this covenant with its obligations.

15 He is making it with all of us who stand here in his presence today and also with our descendants who are not yet born.

16 “You remember what life was like in Egypt and what it was like to travel through the territory of other nations.

17 You saw their disgusting idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold.

18 Make sure that no man, woman, family, or tribe standing here today turns from the Lord our God to worship the gods of other nations. This would be like a root that grows to be a bitter and poisonous plant.

19 Make sure that there is no one here today who hears these solemn demands and yet convinces himself that all will be well with him, even if he stubbornly goes his own way. That would destroy all of you, good and evil alike.

20 The Lord will not forgive such a man. Instead, the Lord’s burning anger will flame up against him, and all the disasters written in this book will fall on him until the Lord has destroyed him completely.

21 The Lord will make an example of him before all the tribes of Israel and will bring disaster on him in accordance with all the curses listed in the covenant that is written in this book of the Lord’s teachings.

22 “In future generations your descendants and foreigners from distant lands will see the disasters and sufferings that the Lord has brought on your land.

23 The fields will be a barren waste, covered with sulfur and salt; nothing will be planted, and not even weeds will grow there. Your land will be like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord destroyed when he was furiously angry.

24 Then the whole world will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do this to their land? What was the reason for his fierce anger?’

25 And the answer will be, ‘It is because the Lord’s people broke the covenant they had made with him, the God of their ancestors, when he brought them out of Egypt.

26 They served other gods that they had never worshiped before, gods that the Lord had forbidden them to worship.

27 And so the Lord became angry with his people and brought on their land all the disasters written in this book.

28 The Lord became furiously angry, and in his great anger he uprooted them from their land and threw them into a foreign land, and there they are today.’

29 “There are some things that the Lord our God has kept secret; but he has revealed his Law, and we and our descendants are to obey it forever.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/DEU/29-3f09f92dbd2c371086169ae5fa051f35.mp3?version_id=68—

Deuteronomy 30

Conditions for Restoration and Blessing

1 “I have now given you a choice between a blessing and a curse. When all these things have happened to you, and you are living among the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you, you will remember the choice I gave you.

2 If you and your descendants will turn back to the Lord and with all your heart obey his commands that I am giving you today,

3 then the Lord your God will have mercy on you. He will bring you back from the nations where he has scattered you, and he will make you prosperous again.

4 Even if you are scattered to the farthest corners of the earth, the Lord your God will gather you together and bring you back,

5 so that you may again take possession of the land where your ancestors once lived. And he will make you more prosperous and more numerous than your ancestors ever were.

6 The Lord your God will give you and your descendants obedient hearts, so that you will love him with all your heart, and you will continue to live in that land.

7 He will turn all these curses against your enemies, who hated you and oppressed you,

8 and you will again obey him and keep all his commands that I am giving you today.

9 The Lord will make you prosperous in all that you do; you will have many children and a lot of livestock, and your fields will produce abundant crops. He will be as glad to make you prosperous as he was to make your ancestors prosperous,

10 but you will have to obey him and keep all his laws that are written in this book of his teachings. You will have to turn to him with all your heart.

11 “The command that I am giving you today is not too difficult or beyond your reach.

12 It is not up in the sky. You do not have to ask, ‘Who will go up and bring it down for us, so that we can hear it and obey it?’

13 Nor is it on the other side of the ocean. You do not have to ask, ‘Who will go across the ocean and bring it to us, so that we may hear it and obey it?’

14 No, it is here with you. You know it and can quote it, so now obey it.

15 “Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death.

16 If you obey the commands of the Lord your God,which I give you today, if you love him, obey him, and keep all his laws, then you will prosper and become a nation of many people. The Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are about to occupy.

17 But if you disobey and refuse to listen, and are led away to worship other gods,

18 you will be destroyed—I warn you here and now. You will not live long in that land across the Jordan that you are about to occupy.

19 I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God’s blessing and God’s curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose life.

20 Love the Lord your God, obey him and be faithful to him, and then you and your descendants will live long in the land that he promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/DEU/30-91dfc5ccd8137fcd7d3efbe0db1243f5.mp3?version_id=68—

Deuteronomy 31

Joshua Becomes Moses’ Successor

1 Moses continued speaking to the people of Israel,

2 and said, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and am no longer able to be your leader. And besides this, the Lord has told me that I will not cross the Jordan.

3 The Lord your God himself will go before you and destroy the nations living there, so that you can occupy their land; and Joshua will be your leader, as the Lord has said.

4 The Lord will destroy those people, just as he defeated Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites, and destroyed their country.

5 The Lord will give you victory over them, and you are to treat them exactly as I have told you.

6 Be determined and confident. Do not be afraid of them. Your God, the Lord himself, will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.”

7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the presence of all the people of Israel, “Be determined and confident; you are the one who will lead these people to occupy the land that the Lord promised to their ancestors.

8 The Lord himself will lead you and be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you, so do not lose courage or be afraid.”

The Law Is to Be Read Every Seven Years

9 So Moses wrote down God’s Law and gave it to the levitical priests, who were in charge of the Lord’s Covenant Box, and to the leaders of Israel.

10 He commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, when the year that debts are canceled comes around, read this aloud at the Festival of Shelters.

11 Read it to the people of Israel when they come to worship the Lord your God at the one place of worship.

12 Call together all the men, women, and children, and the foreigners who live in your towns, so that everyone may hear it and learn to honor the Lord your God and to obey his teachings faithfully.

13 In this way your descendants who have never heard the Law of the Lord your God will hear it. And so they will learn to obey him as long as they live in the land that you are about to occupy across the Jordan.”

The Lord’s Last Instructions to Moses

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “You do not have much longer to live. Call Joshua and bring him to the Tent, so that I may give him his instructions.” Moses and Joshua went to the Tent,

15 and the Lord appeared to them there in a pillar of cloud that stood by the door of the Tent.

16 The Lord said to Moses, “You will soon die, and after your death the people will become unfaithful to me and break the covenant that I made with them. They will abandon me and worship the pagan gods of the land they are about to enter.

17 When that happens, I will become angry with them; I will abandon them, and they will be destroyed. Many terrible disasters will come upon them, and then they will realize that these things are happening to them because I, their God, am no longer with them.

18 And I will refuse to help them then, because they have done evil and worshiped other gods.

19 “Now, write down this song. Teach it to the people of Israel, so that it will stand as evidence against them.

20 I will take them into this rich and fertile land, as I promised their ancestors. There they will have all the food they want, and they will live comfortably. But they will turn away and worship other gods. They will reject me and break my covenant,

21 and many terrible disasters will come on them. But this song will still be sung, and it will stand as evidence against them. Even now, before I take them into the land that I promised to give them, I know what they are thinking.”

22 That same day Moses wrote down the song and taught it to the people of Israel.

23 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun and told him, “Be confident and determined. You will lead the people of Israel into the land that I promised them, and I will be with you.”

24 Moses wrote God’s Law in a book, taking care not to leave out anything.

25 When he finished, he said to the levitical priests, who were in charge of the Lord’s Covenant Box,

26 “Take this book of God’s Law and place it beside the Covenant Box of the Lord your God, so that it will remain there as a witness against his people.

27 I know how stubborn and rebellious they are. They have rebelled against the Lord during my lifetime, and they will rebel even more after I am dead.

28 Assemble all your tribal leaders and officials before me, so that I can tell them these things; I will call heaven and earth to be my witnesses against them.

29 I know that after my death the people will become wicked and reject what I have taught them. And in time to come they will meet with disaster, because they will have made the Lord angry by doing what he has forbidden.”

The Song of Moses

30 Then Moses recited the entire song while all the people of Israel listened.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/DEU/31-c072d83f966934140d78c55720babb8d.mp3?version_id=68—

Deuteronomy 32

1 “Earth and sky, hear my words,

listen closely to what I say.

2 My teaching will fall like drops of rain

and form on the earth like dew.

My words will fall like showers on young plants,

like gentle rain on tender grass.

3 I will praise the name of the Lord,

and his people will tell of his greatness.

4 “The Lord is your mighty defender,

perfect and just in all his ways;

Your God is faithful and true;

he does what is right and fair.

5 But you are unfaithful, unworthy to be his people,

a sinful and deceitful nation.

6 Is this the way you should treat the Lord,

you foolish, senseless people?

He is your father, your Creator,

he made you into a nation.

7 “Think of the past, of the time long ago;

ask your parents to tell you what happened,

ask the old people to tell of the past.

8 The Most High assigned nations their lands;

he determined where peoples should live.

He assigned to each nation a heavenly being,

9 but Jacob’s descendants he chose for himself.

10 “He found them wandering through the desert,

a desolate, wind-swept wilderness.

He protected them and cared for them,

as he would protect himself.

11 Like an eagle teaching its young to fly,

catching them safely on its spreading wings,

the Lord kept Israel from falling.

12 The Lord alone led his people

without the help of a foreign god.

13 “He let them rule the highlands,

and they ate what grew in the fields.

They found wild honey among the rocks;

their olive trees flourished in stony ground.

14 Their cows and goats gave plenty of milk;

they had the best sheep, goats, and cattle,

the finest wheat, and the choicest wine.

15 “The Lord’s people grew rich, but rebellious;

they were fat and stuffed with food.

They abandoned God their Creator

and rejected their mighty savior.

16 Their idolatry made the Lord jealous;

the evil they did made him angry.

17 They sacrificed to gods that are not real,

new gods their ancestors had never known,

gods that Israel had never obeyed.

18 They forgot their God, their mighty savior,

the one who had given them life.

19 “When the Lord saw this, he was angry

and rejected his sons and daughters.

20 ‘I will no longer help them,’ he said;

‘then I will see what happens to them,

those stubborn, unfaithful people.

21 With their idols they have made me angry,

jealous with their so-called gods,

gods that are really not gods.

So I will use a so-called nation to make them angry;

I will make them jealous with a nation of fools.

22 My anger will flame up like fire

and burn everything on earth.

It will reach to the world below

and consume the roots of the mountains.

23 “‘I will bring on them endless disasters

and use all my arrows against them.

24 They will die from hunger and fever;

they will die from terrible diseases.

I will send wild animals to attack them,

and poisonous snakes to bite them.

25 War will bring death in the streets;

terrors will strike in the homes.

Young men and young women will die;

neither babies nor old people will be spared.

26 I would have destroyed them completely,

so that no one would remember them.

27 But I could not let their enemies boast

that they had defeated my people,

when it was I myself who had crushed them.’

28 “Israel is a nation without sense;

they have no wisdom at all.

29 They fail to see why they were defeated;

they cannot understand what happened.

30 Why were a thousand defeated by one,

and ten thousand by only two?

The Lord, their God, had abandoned them;

their mighty God had given them up.

31 Their enemies know that their own gods are weak,

not mighty like Israel’s God.

32 Their enemies, corrupt as Sodom and Gomorrah,

are like vines that bear bitter and poisonous grapes,

33 like wine made from the venom of snakes.

34 “The Lord remembers what their enemies have done;

he waits for the right time to punish them.

35 The Lord will take revenge and punish them;

the time will come when they will fall;

the day of their doom is near.

36 The Lord will rescue his people

when he sees that their strength is gone.

He will have mercy on those who serve him,

when he sees how helpless they are.

37 Then the Lord will ask his people,

‘Where are those mighty gods you trusted?

38 You fed them the fat of your sacrifices

and offered them wine to drink.

Let them come and help you now;

let them run to your rescue.

39 “‘I, and I alone, am God;

no other god is real.

I kill and I give life, I wound and I heal,

and no one can oppose what I do.

40 As surely as I am the living God,

I raise my hand and I vow

41 that I will sharpen my flashing sword

and see that justice is done.

I will take revenge on my enemies

and punish those who hate me.

42 My arrows will drip with their blood,

and my sword will kill all who oppose me.

I will spare no one who fights against me;

even the wounded and prisoners will die.’

43 “Nations, you must praise the Lord’s people—

he punishes all who kill them.

He takes revenge on his enemies

and forgives the sins of his people.”

44 Moses and Joshua son of Nun recited this song, so that the people of Israel could hear it.

Moses’ Final Instructions

45 When Moses had finished giving God’s teachings to the people,

46 he said, “Be sure to obey all these commands that I have given you today. Repeat them to your children, so that they may faithfully obey all of God’s teachings.

47 These teachings are not empty words; they are your very life. Obey them and you will live long in that land across the Jordan that you are about to occupy.”

48 That same day the Lord said to Moses,

49 “Go to the Abarim Mountains in the land of Moab opposite the city of Jericho; climb Mount Nebo and look at the land of Canaan that I am about to give the people of Israel.

50 You will die on that mountain as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor,

51 because both of you were unfaithful to me in the presence of the people of Israel. When you were at the waters of Meribah, near the town of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, you dishonored me in the presence of the people.

52 You will look at the land from a distance, but you will not enter the land that I am giving the people of Israel.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/DEU/32-91e17dc55bb0ed853e240f35bbfa730a.mp3?version_id=68—

Deuteronomy 33

Moses Blesses the Tribes of Israel

1 These are the blessings that Moses, the man of God, pronounced on the people of Israel before he died.

2 The Lord came from Mount Sinai;

he rose like the sun over Edom

and shone on his people from Mount Paran.

Ten thousand angels were with him,

a flaming fire at his right hand.

3 The Lord loves his people

and protects those who belong to him.

So we bow athis feet

and obey his commands.

4 We obey the Law that Moses gave us,

our nation’s most treasured possession.

5 The Lord became king of his people Israel

when their tribes and leaders were gathered together.

6 Moses said about the tribe of Reuben:

“May Reuben never die out,

Although their people are few.”

7 About the tribe of Judah he said:

“Lord, listen to their cry for help;

Unite them again with the other tribes.

Fight for them, Lord,

And help them against their enemies.”

8 About the tribe of Levi he said:

“You, Lord, reveal your will by the Urim and Thummim

Through your faithful servants, the Levites;

You put them to the test at Massah

And proved them true at the waters of Meribah.

9 They showed greater loyalty to you

Than to parents, brothers, or children.

They obeyed your commands

And were faithful to your covenant.

10 They will teach your people to obey your Law;

They will offer sacrifices on your altar.

11 Lord, help their tribe to grow strong;

Be pleased with what they do.

Crush all their enemies;

Let them never rise again.”

12 About the tribe of Benjamin he said:

“This is the tribe the Lord loves and protects;

He guards them all the day long,

And he dwells in their midst.”

13 About the tribe of Joseph he said:

“May the Lord bless their land with rain

And with water from under the earth.

14 May their land be blessed with sun-ripened fruit,

Rich with the best fruits of each season.

15 May their ancient hills be covered with choice fruit.

16 May their land be filled with all that is good,

Blessed by the goodness of the Lord,

Who spoke from the burning bush.

May these blessings come to the tribe of Joseph,

Because he was the leader among his brothers.

17 Joseph has the strength of a bull,

The horns of a wild ox.

His horns are Manasseh’s thousands

And Ephraim’s ten thousands.

With them he gores the nations

And pushes them to the ends of the earth.”

18 About the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar he said:

“May Zebulun be prosperous in their trade on the sea,

And may Issachar’s wealth increase at home.

19 They invite foreigners to their mountain

And offer the right sacrifices there.

They get their wealth from the sea

And from the sand along the shore.”

20 About the tribe of Gad he said:

“Praise God, who made their territory large.

Gad waits like a lion

To tear off an arm or a scalp.

21 They took the best of the land for themselves;

A leader’s share was assigned to them.

They obeyed the Lord’s commands and laws

When the leaders of Israel were gathered together.”

22 About the tribe of Dan he said:

“Dan is a young lion;

He leaps out from Bashan.”

23 About the tribe of Naphtali he said:

“Naphtali is richly blessed by the Lord’s good favor;

Their land reaches to the south from Lake Galilee.”

24 About the tribe of Asher he said:

“Asher is blessed more than the other tribes.

May he be the favorite of his brothers,

And may his land be rich with olive trees.

25 May his towns be protected with iron gates,

And may he always live secure.”

26 People of Israel, no god is like your God,

riding in splendor across the sky,

riding through the clouds to come to your aid.

27 God has always been your defense;

his eternal arms are your support.

He drove out your enemies as you advanced,

and told you to destroy them all.

28 So Jacob’s descendants live in peace,

secure in a land full of grain and wine,

where dew from the sky waters the ground.

29 Israel, how happy you are!

There is no one like you,

a nation saved by the Lord.

The Lord himself is your shield and your sword,

to defend you and give you victory.

Your enemies will come begging for mercy,

and you will trample them down.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/DEU/33-4e64e5c7b2ce917b07a5b0e8e0c8f67f.mp3?version_id=68—

Deuteronomy 34

The Death of Moses

1 Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Mount Pisgah east of Jericho, and there the Lord showed him the whole land: the territory of Gilead as far north as the town of Dan;

2 the entire territory of Naphtali; the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh; the territory of Judah as far west as the Mediterranean Sea;

3 the southern part of Judah; and the plain that reaches from Zoar to Jericho, the city of palm trees.

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land that I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob I would give to their descendants. I have let you see it, but I will not let you go there.”

5 So Moses, the Lord’s servant, died there in the land of Moab, as the Lord had said he would.

6 The Lord buried him in a valley in Moab, opposite the town of Bethpeor, but to this day no one knows the exact place of his burial.

7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; he was as strong as ever, and his eyesight was still good.

8 The people of Israel mourned for him for thirty days in the plains of Moab.

9 Joshua son of Nun was filled with wisdom, because Moses had appointed him to be his successor. The people of Israel obeyed Joshua and kept the commands that the Lord had given them through Moses.

10 There has never been a prophet in Israel like Moses; the Lord spoke with him face-to-face.

11 No other prophet has ever done miracles and wonders like those that the Lord sent Moses to perform against the king of Egypt, his officials, and the entire country.

12 No other prophet has been able to do the great and terrifying things that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/DEU/34-565cdf86f2f38bbc925949b5d8b33146.mp3?version_id=68—

Numbers 1

The First Census of Israel

1 On the first day of the second month in the second year after the people of Israel left Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses there in the Tent of his presence in the Sinai Desert. He said,

2 “You and Aaron are to take a census of the people of Israel by clans and families. List the names of all the men

3 twenty years old or older who are fit for military service.

4 Ask one clan chief from each tribe to help you.”

5-16 These are the men, leaders within their tribes, who were chosen from the community for this work:

Reuben Elizur son of Shedeur
Simeon Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai
Judah Nahshon son of Amminadab
Issachar Nethanel son of Zuar
Zebulun Eliab son of Helon
Ephraim Elishama son of Ammihud
Manasseh Gamaliel son of Pedahzur
Benjamin Abidan son of Gideoni
Dan Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai
Asher Pagiel son of Ochran
Gad Eliasaph son of Deuel
Naphtali Ahira son of Enan

17 With the help of these twelve men Moses and Aaron

18 called together the whole community on the first day of the second month and registered all the people by clans and families. The names of all the men twenty years old or older were recorded and counted,

19 as the Lord had commanded. In the Sinai Desert, Moses registered the people.

20-46 The men twenty years old or older who were fit for military service were registered by name according to clan and family, beginning with the tribe of Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son. The totals were as follows:

Reuben 46,500
Simeon 59,300
Gad 45,650
Judah 74,600
Issachar 54,400
Zebulun 57,400
Ephraim 40,500
Manasseh 32,200
Benjamin 35,400
Dan 62,700
Asher 41,500
Naphtali 53,400
Total: 603,550

47 The Levites were not registered with the other tribes,

48 because the Lord had said to Moses,

49 “When you take a census of the men fit for military service, do not include the tribe of Levi.

50 Instead, put the Levites in charge of the Tent of my presence and all its equipment. They shall carry it and its equipment, serve in it, and set up their camp around it.

51 Whenever you move your camp, the Levites shall take the Tent down and set it up again at each new campsite. Anyone else who comes near the Tent shall be put to death.

52 The rest of the Israelites shall set up camp, company by company, each man with his own group and under his own banner.

53 But the Levites shall camp around the Tent to guard it, so that no one may come near and cause my anger to strike the community of Israel.”

54 So the people of Israel did everything that the Lord had commanded Moses.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/1-e36b382f80b977a33c196cac5c0f5286.mp3?version_id=68—

Numbers 2

The Arrangement of the Tribes in Camp

1 The Lord gave Moses and Aaron the following instructions.

2 When the Israelites set up camp, each man will camp under the banner of his division and the flag of his own clan. The camp is to be set up all around the Tent.

3-9 On the east side, those under the banner of the division of Judah shall camp in their groups, under their leaders, as follows:

Judah Nahshon son of Amminadab 74,600
Issachar Nethanel son of Zuar 54,400
Zebulun Eliab son of Helon 57,400
Total: 186,400

The division of Judah shall march first.

10-16 On the south, those under the banner of the division of Reuben shall camp in their groups, under their leaders, as follows:

Reuben Elizur son of Shedeur 46,500
Simeon Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai 59,300
Gad Eliasaph son of Deuel 45,650
Total: 151,450

The division of Reuben shall march second.

17 Then, between the first two divisions and the last two the Levites are to march carrying the Tent. Each division shall march in the same order as they camp, each in position under its banner.

18-24 On the west, those under the banner of the division of Ephraim shall camp in their groups, under their leaders, as follows:

Ephraim Elishama son of Ammihud 40,500
Manasseh Gamaliel son of Pedahzur 32,200
Benjamin Abidan son of Gideoni 35,400
Total: 108,100

The division of Ephraim shall march third.

25-31 On the north, those under the banner of the division of Dan shall camp in their groups, under their leaders, as follows:

Dan Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai 62,700
Asher Pagiel son of Ochran 41,500
Naphtali Ahira son of En 53,400
Total: 157,600

The division of Dan shall march last.

32 The total number of the people of Israel enrolled in the divisions, group by group, was 603,550.

33 As the Lord had commanded Moses, the Levites were not registered with the rest of the Israelites.

34 So the people of Israel did everything the Lord had commanded Moses. They camped, each under his own banner, and they marched, each with his own clan.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/2-2347360b940818abe0468a3d184f2337.mp3?version_id=68—

Numbers 3

Aaron’s Sons

1 This is the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai.

2 Aaron had four sons: Nadab, the oldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3 They were anointed and ordained as priests,

4 but Nadab and Abihu were killed when they offered unholy fire to the Lord in the Sinai Desert. They had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during Aaron’s lifetime.

The Levites Are Appointed to Serve the Priests

5 The Lord said to Moses,

6 “Bring forward the tribe of Levi and appoint them as servants of Aaron the priest.

7 They shall do the work required for the Tent of my presence and perform duties for the priests and for the whole community.

8 They shall take charge of all the equipment of the Tent and perform the duties for the rest of the Israelites.

9 The only responsibility the Levites have is to serve Aaron and his sons.

10 You shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; anyone else who tries to do so shall be put to death.”

11 The Lord said to Moses,

12-13 “The Levites are now to be mine. When I killed all the first-born of the Egyptians, I consecrated as my own the oldest son of each Israelite family and the first-born of every animal. Now, instead of having the first-born sons of Israel as my own, I have the Levites; they will belong to me. I am the Lord.”

The Census of the Levites

14 In the Sinai Desert the Lord commanded Moses

15 to register the Levites by clans and families, enrolling every male a month old or older,

16 and Moses did so.

17-20 Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, who were the ancestors of the clans that bear their names. Gershon had two sons: Libni and Shimei; Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and Merari had two sons: Mahli and Mushi. They were the ancestors of the families that bear their names.

21 The clan of Gershon was composed of the families of Libni and Shimei.

22 The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 7,500.

23 This clan was to camp on the west behind the Tent,

24 with Eliasaph son of Lael as chief of the clan.

25 They were responsible for the Tent, its inner cover, its outer cover, the curtain for the entrance,

26 the curtains for the court which is around the Tent and the altar, and the curtain for the entrance of the court. They were responsible for all the service connected with these items.

27 The clan of Kohath was composed of the families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

28 The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 8,600.

29 This clan was to camp on the south side of the Tent,

30 with Elizaphan son of Uzziel as chief of the clan.

31 They were responsible for the Covenant Box, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils the priests use in the Holy Place, and the curtain at the entrance to the Most Holy Place. They were responsible for all the service connected with these items.

32 The chief of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He was in charge of those who carried out the duties in the Holy Place.

33 The clan of Merari was composed of the families of Mahli and Mushi.

34 The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was 6,200.

35 This clan was to camp on the north side of the Tent, with Zuriel son of Abihail as chief of the clan.

36 They were assigned responsibility for the frames for the Tent, its bars, posts, bases, and all its fittings. They were responsible for all the service connected with these items.

37 They were also responsible for the posts, bases, pegs, and ropes for the outer court.

38 Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp in front of the Tent on the east. They were responsible for carrying out the services performed in the Holy Place for the people of Israel. Anyone else who tried to do so was to be put to death.

39 The total number of all the Levite males one month old or older that Moses enrolled by clans at the command of the Lord, was 22,000.

The Levites Take the Place of the First-Born Sons

40-41 The Lord said to Moses, “All of Israel’s first-born sons belong to me. So register by name every first-born male Israelite, one month old or older. But in place of them I claim all the Levites as mine! I am the Lord! I also claim the livestock of the Levites in place of all the first-born of the livestock.”

42 Moses obeyed, and registered all the first-born males

43 one month old or older; the total was 22,273.

44 The Lord said to Moses,

45 “Now dedicate the Levites as mine in place of all the first-born Israelite sons, and dedicate the livestock of the Levites in place of the first-born of the Israelites’ livestock.

46 Since the first-born Israelite sons outnumber the Levites by 273, you must buy back the extra sons.

47 For each one pay five pieces of silver, according to the official standard,

48 and give this money to Aaron and his sons.”

49 Moses obeyed and took

50 the 1,365 pieces of silver

51 and gave them to Aaron and his sons.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/3-a1a1dee046ab7cbaaa970ea5c015604b.mp3?version_id=68—