9 Moses said:
Listen, Israelites! You will soon go across the Jordan River. You will chase away the people who live there in large cities with very high walls around them. Those nations of people are greater and stronger than you are. 2 You know about the Anakites who live there. They are strong and tall. You have heard people say, ‘No one can fight against the Anakites and win.’
3 But you must understand this: The Lord your God is leading you across the river. He is like a fire that destroys everything! He will win against your enemies. He will give you power over them. Then you will chase them away and remove them quickly. The Lord has promised you that this will happen.
4 The Lord your God will chase them away. After he has done that, be careful! Do not say to yourselves, ‘The Lord has brought us into this land because we do right things.’
No! It is because these nations are doing wicked things. That is why the Lord is chasing them out of the land so that you can live there. 5 It is not because you are doing right things. It is not because you are good, honest people. That is not the reason that you will take their land for yourselves. Instead, it is because these nations are wicked people. That is why the Lord your God will chase them away as you move in there. He will do what he promised to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 You must understand this. The Lord your God is not giving you this good land to live in because you are doing right things. No! You are proud people who do not want to obey me.
7 Remember how you made the Lord your God angry when you were in the desert. Never forget that! Since you left Egypt, you have always turned against the Lord your God. You have continued to make him angry all the time until you arrived here. 8 When you were at Sinai you made him angry enough to destroy you. 9 I climbed the mountain to meet with the Lord . I received the two flat stones with the covenant that he had made with you. I stayed there for 40 days and nights. During that time, I did not eat or drink anything. 10 Then the Lord gave the two flat stones to me. He had written all his commands on the stones with his own finger. The Lord spoke those commands to you from middle of the fire. That was on the day when you all came together at the mountain.
11 After those 40 days and nights, the Lord gave me the two flat stones. They had his covenant on them. 12 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Now go down the mountain! The people that you led out of Egypt have done something very bad. They have already refused to obey my commands. They have used gold to make an idol for themselves.’
13 The Lord also said to me, ‘I know what these people are like! They are proud people who do not want to obey me. 14 Keep away from me! I will now destroy them! Then no one on the earth will remember them at all. Instead, Moses, I will make your descendants into a nation that is stronger and larger than they are.’
15 So I turned and I went down the mountain. It was still burning with fire. I held the two stones with the covenant on them in my hands. 16 When I looked, I saw that you had made an image of a calf as your idol. You really had done a very bad thing. You had quickly stopped doing the things that the Lord your God had commanded you to do. 17 When I saw that, I threw the two flat stones down onto the ground. I broke them into pieces while you watched.
18 Then I again fell down with my face on the ground, to pray to the Lord . I did that for 40 days and nights. I did not eat or drink anything. You had done an evil thing which caused the Lord to be very angry. 19 I prayed, because the Lord had said that he would destroy you. He was so angry with you that I was very afraid. But the Lord listened to me this time too.
20 The Lord was also angry with my brother Aaron. He wanted to kill Aaron. But at that time, I prayed for Aaron too.
21 When you made that idol, it was a sin that you did. So I took that gold calf and I burned it in the fire. Then I beat it into powder, like dust. I threw the powder into a stream that ran down from the mountain.
22 After that, you also caused the Lord to be angry with you at Taberah, at Massah and at Kibroth-Hattaavah. 23 When the Lord sent you out from Kadesh-Barnea, he said, ‘Go into the land that I have given to you and live there.’ But you turned against the Lord your God. You refused to trust him or obey him. 24 You have refused to obey the Lord ever since I have known you.
25 So I lay down on the ground for those 40 days and nights. I prayed to the Lord because he had said that he would destroy you.
26 I prayed this prayer: ‘Almighty Lord , do not destroy your people! They belong to you as your special people. You used your great power and strength to rescue them from Egypt. 27 Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Do not think about these proud people who are so wicked. Please forgive their sins. 28 If you destroy your people, the Egyptians will say, “The Lord could not take them into the land that he promised to give to them. Instead, he took them into the desert so that he could kill them there. He did this because he hated them!”
29 Please remember that they belong to you as your own special people. You used your strength and your power to rescue them.’
9 “Listen, you Israelites! You will go across the Jordan River today. You will go into that land to force out nations greater and stronger than you. Their cities are big and have walls as high as the sky! 2 The people there are tall and strong. They are the Anakites. You know about them. You heard our spies say, ‘No one can win against the Anakites.’ 3 But you can be sure that it is the Lord your God who goes across the river before you—and God is like a fire that destroys! He will destroy those nations and make them fall before you. You will force those nations out and quickly destroy them. The Lord has promised you that this will happen.
4 “The Lord your God will force those nations out for you. But don’t say to yourselves, ‘The Lord brought us to live in this land because we are such good people.’ No, the Lord forced those nations out because they were evil, not because you were good. 5 You are going in to take their land, but not because you are good and live right. You are going in, and the Lord your God is forcing those people out because of the evil way they lived. And the Lord wants to keep the promise he made to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 The Lord your God is giving you that good land to live in, but you should know that it is not because you are good. The truth is that you are very stubborn people!
7 “Remember how you made the Lord your God angry in the desert. Never forget that! From the day you left the land of Egypt to the day you came to this place, you have refused to obey the Lord . 8 You made the Lord angry at Mount Horeb. The Lord was angry enough to destroy you! 9 I went up the mountain to get the stone tablets. The agreement that the Lord made with you was written on those stones. I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. I did not eat any food or drink any water. 10 The Lord gave me the two stone tablets. He wrote his commands on the stones with his finger. The Lord wrote everything he said to you from the fire when you were gathered together at the mountain.
11 “So at the end of 40 days and 40 nights, the Lord gave me two stone tablets—the stones of the agreement. 12 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and quickly go down from here. The people you brought out of Egypt have ruined themselves. They stopped obeying my commands so quickly. They melted gold and made an idol for themselves.’
13 “The Lord also said to me, ‘I have watched these people. They are very stubborn! 14 Let me destroy these people completely, so no one will even remember their names. Then I will make another nation from you that is stronger and greater than these people.’
15 “Then I turned and came down from the mountain. The mountain was burning with fire. And the two stone tablets of the agreement were in my hands. 16 I looked and I saw you had sinned against the Lord your God. I saw the calf you made from melted gold! You stopped obeying the Lord so quickly. 17 So I took the two stone tablets and threw them down. There before your eyes I broke the stones into pieces. 18 Then I bowed down before the Lord with my face to the ground for 40 days and 40 nights, as I did before. I did not eat any food or drink any water. I did this because you had sinned so badly. You did the thing that is evil to the Lord , and you made him angry. 19 I was afraid of the Lord ’s terrible anger. He was angry enough to destroy you, but the Lord listened to me again. 20 The Lord was very angry with Aaron—enough to destroy him! So I also prayed for Aaron at that time. 21 I took that terrible thing, the calf you made, and burned it in the fire. I broke it into small pieces. And I crushed the pieces until they were dust. Then I threw the dust into the river that came down from the mountain.
22 “Also, at Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth Hattaavah you made the Lord angry. 23 And you did not obey when the Lord told you to leave Kadesh Barnea. He said, ‘Go up and take the land I am giving you.’ But you refused to obey the Lord your God. You did not trust him. You did not listen to his command. 24 All the time that I have known you, you have refused to obey the Lord .
25 “So I bowed down before the Lord 40 days and 40 nights, because the Lord said he would destroy you. 26 I prayed to the Lord . I said, ‘Lord God , don’t destroy your people. They belong to you. You freed them and brought them out of Egypt with your great power and strength. 27 Remember your promise to your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Forget how stubborn these people are. Don’t look at their evil ways or their sins. 28 If you punish your people, the Egyptians might say, “The Lord was not able to take his people into the land he promised them. And he hated them. So he took them into the desert to kill them.” 29 But they are your people, Lord. They belong to you. You brought them out of Egypt with your great power and strength.’
9 Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven,
2 A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!
3 Understand therefore this day, that the Lord thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said unto thee.
4 Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee.
5 Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
6 Understand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.
7 Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the Lord .
8 Also in Horeb ye provoked the Lord to wrath, so that the Lord was angry with you to have destroyed you.
9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
10 And the Lord delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the Lord spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.
12 And the Lord said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.
13 Furthermore the Lord spake unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.
15 So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.
16 And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the Lord your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the Lord had commanded you.
17 And I took the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes.
18 And I fell down before the Lord , as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the Lord , to provoke him to anger.
19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the Lord was wroth against you to destroy you. But the Lord hearkened unto me at that time also.
20 And the Lord was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time.
21 And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.
22 And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibrothhattaavah, ye provoked the Lord to wrath.
23 Likewise when the Lord sent you from Kadeshbarnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God, and ye believed him not, nor hearkened to his voice.
24 Ye have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you.
25 Thus I fell down before the Lord forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at the first; because the Lord had said he would destroy you.
26 I prayed therefore unto the Lord , and said, O Lord God , destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand.
27 Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin:
28 Lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness.
29 Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out arm.
9 “Hear, Israel! You are crossing the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess ( A ) nations greater and mightier than you, cities that are great and ( B ) fortified to heaven, 2 a people who are great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know and of whom you have heard it said , ‘ ( C ) Who can stand against the sons of Anak?’ 3 So be aware today that ( D ) it is the Lord your God who is crossing over ahead of you as ( E ) a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that ( F ) you may drive them out and eliminate them quickly, just as the Lord has spoken to you.
4 “ ( G ) Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them away from [ a ] you, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to take possession of this land.’ Rather, it is ( H ) because of the [ b ] wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. 5 It is ( I ) not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are going in to take possession of their land, [ c ] but it is because of the [ d ] wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and in order to confirm ( J ) the [ e ] oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
6 “Know, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are ( K ) a [ f ] stubborn people. 7 Remember, do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to anger in the wilderness; ( L ) from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord . 8 Even ( M ) at Horeb you provoked the Lord to anger, and the Lord was so angry with you that He would have destroyed you. 9 When I went up to the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I remained on the mountain for forty days and nights; ( N ) I neither ate bread nor drank water. 10 The Lord gave me the two tablets of stone ( O ) written by the finger of God; and on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. 11 It came about ( P ) at the end of forty days and nights that the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. 12 ( Q ) Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go down from here quickly, because your people, whom you brought out of Egypt, have behaved corruptly. They have ( R ) quickly turned aside from the way that I commanded them; they have made a cast metal image for themselves.’ 13 The ( S ) Lord also said to [ g ] me, ‘I have seen this people, and indeed, it is a [ h ] ( T ) stubborn people. 14 ( U ) Leave Me alone, that I may destroy them and ( V ) wipe out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’
15 “ ( W ) So I turned and came down from the mountain while the mountain was burning with fire, and the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. 16 And I saw that you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God. You had made for yourselves a cast metal image of a calf; you had quickly turned aside from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them from my two hands, and smashed them to pieces before your eyes! 18 ( X ) Then I fell down before the Lord ( Y ) like the first time , for forty days and nights; ( Z ) I neither ate bread nor drank water, ( AA ) because of all your sin which you had committed by doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord , to provoke Him to anger. 19 For ( AB ) I was afraid of the anger and the rage with which the Lord was angry with you so as to destroy you; ( AC ) but the Lord listened to me that time as well. 20 The Lord was also angry enough with Aaron to destroy him; so I also prayed for Aaron at the same time. 21 ( AD ) And I took your [ i ] sinful thing which you had made, the calf, and burned it in the fire and crushed it, grinding it thoroughly until it was as fine as dust; and I threw its dust into the stream that came down from the mountain.
22 “Then at ( AE ) Taberah, at ( AF ) Massah, and at ( AG ) Kibroth-hattaavah you kept provoking the Lord to anger. 23 And when the Lord sent you from ( AH ) Kadesh-barnea, saying, ‘ ( AI ) Go up and take possession of the land which I have given you,’ you rebelled against the [ j ] command of the Lord your God; ( AJ ) you neither trusted Him nor listened to His voice. 24 ( AK ) You have been rebellious toward the Lord since the day I knew you.
25 “ ( AL ) So I fell down before the Lord for the forty days and nights, which I [ k ] did because the Lord said He would destroy you. 26 ( AM ) And I prayed to the Lord and said, ‘Lord God , do not destroy Your people, Your inheritance, whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand! 27 Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not turn Your attention to the stubbornness of this people, or to their wickedness, or their sin. 28 Otherwise, the people of the land from which You brought us will say, “ ( AN ) Since the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which He had [ l ] promised them, and since He hated them, He has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness!” 29 Yet they are Your people, and ( AO ) Your inheritance, whom You brought out by Your ( AP ) great power and Your outstretched arm.’
9 Hear, Israel: You are now about to cross the Jordan ( A ) to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, ( B ) with large cities ( C ) that have walls up to the sky. ( D ) 2 The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?” ( E ) 3 But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you ( F ) like a devouring fire. ( G ) He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, ( H ) as the Lord has promised you.
4 After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, ( I ) “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness ( J ) of these nations ( K ) that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity ( L ) that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness ( M ) of these nations, ( N ) the Lord your God will drive them out ( O ) before you, to accomplish what he swore ( P ) to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. ( Q ) 6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. ( R )
7 Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger ( S ) of the Lord your God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious ( T ) against the Lord . ( U ) 8 At Horeb you aroused the Lord ’s wrath ( V ) so that he was angry enough to destroy you. ( W ) 9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant ( X ) that the Lord had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days ( Y ) and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water. ( Z ) 10 The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. ( AA ) On them were all the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. ( AB )
11 At the end of the forty days and forty nights, ( AC ) the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, ( AD ) the tablets of the covenant. 12 Then the Lord told me, “Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. ( AE ) They have turned away quickly ( AF ) from what I commanded them and have made an idol for themselves.”
13 And the Lord said to me, “I have seen this people ( AG ) , and they are a stiff-necked people indeed! 14 Let me alone, ( AH ) so that I may destroy them and blot out ( AI ) their name from under heaven. ( AJ ) And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.”
15 So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was ablaze with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. ( AK ) 16 When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. ( AL ) You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes.
18 Then once again I fell ( AM ) prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, ( AN ) because of all the sin you had committed, ( AO ) doing what was evil in the Lord ’s sight and so arousing his anger. 19 I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord , for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. ( AP ) But again the Lord listened to me. ( AQ ) 20 And the Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too. 21 Also I took that sinful thing of yours, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust ( AR ) and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain. ( AS )
22 You also made the Lord angry ( AT ) at Taberah, ( AU ) at Massah ( AV ) and at Kibroth Hattaavah. ( AW )
23 And when the Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, ( AX ) he said, “Go up and take possession ( AY ) of the land I have given you.” But you rebelled ( AZ ) against the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust ( BA ) him or obey him. 24 You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you. ( BB )
25 I lay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights ( BC ) because the Lord had said he would destroy you. ( BD ) 26 I prayed to the Lord and said, “Sovereign Lord , do not destroy your people, ( BE ) your own inheritance ( BF ) that you redeemed ( BG ) by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. ( BH ) 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness ( BI ) of this people, their wickedness and their sin. 28 Otherwise, the country ( BJ ) from which you brought us will say, ‘Because the Lord was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them, ( BK ) he brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.’ ( BL ) 29 But they are your people, ( BM ) your inheritance ( BN ) that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm. ( BO ) ”
