So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, “I am ^1aa hundred and twenty years old today; ^bI am no longer able to come in and go out as your spiritual and military leader, and the LORD has said to me, ‘^cYou shall not cross this Jordan.’ 3 It is ^athe LORD your God who will cross ahead of you; He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. ^bJoshua is the one who will go across before you to lead you, just as the LORD has said. 4 The LORD will do to them just as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them. 5 ^aThe LORD will hand them over to you, and you shall do to them in accordance with all the commandments which I have commanded you. 6 ^aBe strong and courageous, ^bdo not be afraid or tremble in dread before them, for it is ^cthe LORD your God who goes with you. ^dHe will not fail you or abandon you.”

7 Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all the people of Israel, “^aBe strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you will give it to them as an inheritance. 8 It is ^athe LORD who goes before you; He will be with you. ^bHe will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

9 So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi ^awho carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of ^ayear when debts are forgiven, at the ^bFeast of Booths (Tabernacles) , 11 when all Israel comes ^ato appear before the LORD your God in ^bthe place which He chooses, ^cyou shall read this law before all the people of Israel ¹so that they may hear. 12 Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the stranger (resident alien, foreigner) within your cities, so that they may hear and ^alearn and fear the LORD your God with awe-filled reverence and profound respect, and be careful to obey all the words of this law. 13 Their children, who have not known the law, will hear and learn to fear and worship the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land which you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, ^athe time for you to die is near; call Joshua, and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, so that I may commission him.” ^bSo Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting. 15 Then ^athe LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood beside the doorway of the tent. 16 The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, ^ayou are about to lie down in death with your fathers; and ^bthis people will arise and ¹play the prostitute (commit apostasy) with the foreign gods of the people of the land, where they go to be among them. They ^cwill abandon (turn away from) Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 ^aThen My anger will be kindled and burn against them in that day, and ^bI will abandon (turn away from) them and ^chide My face from them. They will be devoured, and many evils and troubles will come on them, so that they will say in that day, ‘^dIs it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come on us?’ 18 But I will certainly hide My face from them in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods to worship lifeless idols, to honor handmade relics.

19 “Now then, ^awrite this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it in their mouth, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel. 20 ^aFor when I bring them into the land which I have sworn to their fathers, a land of plenty ¹flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and are satisfied and ^bbecome prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise and reject Me and break My covenant. 21 Then it shall come about, ^awhen many evils and troubles have come on them, that this sacred song will confront them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten from the mouth of their descendants. For ^bI know their inclination which is developing even now, before I bring them into the land which I have sworn to give them.” 22 ^aSo Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel. Deut 32:1-43

23 ^aThen He commanded and commissioned Joshua, the son of Nun, and said, “^bBe strong and courageous, for you will bring the sons of Israel into the land which I have sworn to give them, and ^cI will be with you.”

24 And when Moses completely finished writing the words of this law in a book, 25 he commanded the Levites ^awho carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, 26 “Take this Book of the Law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you. 27 For I know ^ayour rebellion and contention and ^byour stubbornness; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD; how much more, then, after my death? 28 Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, so that I may speak these words in their hearing and ^acall heaven and earth as witnesses against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will behave ^acorruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will come upon you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands.”

30 Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended: