These are the words that Moses spoke to the assembly of Israel east of the Jordan River, in the Arabah desert, opposite Suph between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab.

I charged you at that time that you must do all of these things."

Then these men set out, went up to the hill county, reached the Eshcol Valley, and surveyed it.

Indeed, the LORD your God blessed all the works of your hands. He knows about your travels through this vast desert. The LORD your God was with you these past 40 years, so that you didn't lack anything.

All of these cities were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars. Furthermore, there were very many unwalled regions.

Observe them carefully, because this will show your wisdom and discernment in the eyes of people who'll listen to all these decrees. Then they'll say: "Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people.'

In your distress, when all these things happen to you in days to come and you return to the LORD your God, then you will hear his voice.

where a person who accidentally killed someone could flee, if he killed his neighbor without having enmity toward him in the past. He may flee to one of these cities and live:

These are the instructions, decrees, and ordinances that Moses declared to the Israelis when they came out of Egypt.

"The LORD declared these commands in a loud voice to your entire assembly on the mountain from out of the fire and dark clouds, and nothing more was added. He inscribed them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

"Now these are the commands, decrees, and ordinances that the LORD commanded me to teach you. Obey them in the land you are entering to possess,

Let these words that I'm commanding you today be always on your heart.

Then the LORD commanded us to observe all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God for our own good, so that he may keep us alive as we are today.

"If you pay attention to these laws and obey them, then the LORD your God will continue his covenant of gracious love with you that he promised with an oath to your ancestors.

"You may say to yourselves, "These nations are more numerous than we are. How can we dispossess them?'

He slowly will dislodge these nations before you, but he won't destroy them quickly, so the wild animals won't multiply around you.

Don't bring any detestable thing to your house, because you yourself will be utterly destroyed along with these detestable things. You must absolutely abhor and detest all of it, because it has been devoted to destruction."

Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way these 40 years in the desert, to humble and test you in order to make known what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

"The clothes you wore did not wear out, nor did your feet blister during these 40 years.

On the contrary, it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you to confirm what the LORD promised by an oath to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Take these commands to heart and keep them in mind, tying them as reminders on your arm and as bands on your forehead.

"If you carefully observe all of these commands that I'm giving you to do to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cling to him,

then the LORD will dispossess all these nations before you and you'll dispossess nations that are even greater and stronger than you.

"These are the statutes and ordinances that you must carefully observe in the land that the LORD God of your ancestors has given you to possess every day that you live on the earth.

Be sure to observe all these words that I'm commanding you, in order that life may go well for you and your children after you forever, for this is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God."

after they have been destroyed in your sight, be careful not to be ensnared as they were. Otherwise, you will seek their gods and ask yourselves, "How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.'

These are the animals that you may eat: ox, sheep, goat,

However, you must not eat these animals that chew the cud or have a divided hoof: the camel, hare, and rock badger. Even though they chew the cud, their hooves are not divided. Therefore they are unclean for you.

"You may choose to eat from these creatures in the water: you may eat anything with fin and scale,

But you must not eat from any of these: the eagle, vulture, osprey,

Only be certain to obey the voice of the LORD your God. Carefully observe all of these commands that I'm commanding to you today.

Don't ever forget that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, yet the LORD your God redeemed you. Therefore, I'm giving you these commands today.

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, so keep and observe these statutes."

Furthermore, you are not to erect for yourselves a sacred stone pillar, because the LORD your God detests these things.

It is to remain with him the rest of his life so he may learn to fear the LORD his God and observe all the words of this Law and these statutes, in order to fulfill them.

Whoever practices these things is detestable to the LORD, and the LORD your God will expel them before you because of these things.

For instance, he may have accompanied his friend to go to a forest to cut trees. Then he swung his axe to cut some wood, but the ax head flew off the handle and hit his friend, so that he died. The killer may flee to one of these cities to live.

and if you are careful to observe all these commands that I am commanding you today to love the LORD your God and to walk daily in his ways then add three more cities in addition to these three cities.

"You are not to leave even one person alive in the cities of these nations that the LORD your God is about to give you as an inheritance.

Don't bring the earnings of a female prostitute nor the income of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your God as payment for any vow. Both of these are detestable to the LORD your God."

for anyone who does these things anyone who deals dishonestly is detestable to the LORD your God."

"The LORD your God is commanding you this very day to observe these statutes and judgments. Be careful to obey them with all your heart and soul.

Moses and the elders of Israel gave these orders to the people: "Observe all of the commandments that I'm giving you today.

"When you have crossed the Jordan River, set up these stones about which I'm commanding you today on Mount Ebal, and coat them with plaster.

Moses gave the people these commands that day:

"When you cross the Jordan River, these tribes are to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.

Moreover, all these blessings will come upon you in abundance, if you obey the LORD your God:

"But if you don't obey the LORD your God and faithfully carry out all his commands and statutes that I'm giving you today, then all these curses will come upon you and overwhelm you:

The LORD will afflict you with tuberculosis, fever, inflammation, high fever, drought, blight, and mildew. These will attack you until you are completely destroyed.

All these curses will come upon you and will overwhelm you until you are exterminated, because you didn't obey the LORD your God to keep his commands and statutes, which he had commanded you.

These curses will serve as a sign and wonder for you and your descendants as long as you live."

These are the terms of the covenant that the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelis in the land of Moab in addition to the covenant that he made with them in Horeb.

"When all these things happen to you both the blessings and the curses that I've presented to you and you take them seriously in all the nations where the LORD your God will deport you,

Then the LORD your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate and persecute you."

Indeed, these commands that I'm giving you today are neither confusing nor unattainable for you.

Moses went and explained these things to everyone in Israel.

and the LORD told me, "You won't be crossing the Jordan River.' But the LORD your God is crossing over before you. He will destroy these nations in front of you and you will dispossess them. As for Joshua, he will cross over before you, just as the LORD promised.

Then he gave these orders: "At the end of seven years, the year designated for release, during the Festival of Tents,

When that happens, my anger will burn against them, because they will have abandoned me. I'll hide my face from them, they will be consumed, and many evils and distresses will find them. When this happens, they will say, "These troubles have happened to us because God isn't among us.'

Gather together the leaders of your tribes and your foremen so I can speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and the earth as witnesses against them,

When Moses had finished addressing all of these words to all Israel,

because they're not just empty words for you they are your very life. Through these instructions you will live long in the land that you are about to cross over the Jordan River to possess."

May the firstborn of his bull be honorable to him, and may his horns be those of a wild ox. With them may he push people all together, to the ends of the earth. These are the myriads of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh."