So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, “I am ^a120 years old today; ^bI am no longer able to ¹go out and come in, and the LORD has told me, ‘^cYou shall not cross this Jordan.’ 3 ^aIt is the LORD your God who is going to cross ahead of you; He Himself will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. ^bJoshua is the one who is going to cross ahead of you, just as the LORD has spoken. 4 And 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 turn them over to you, and you will do to them in accordance with all the commandments which I have commanded you. 6 ^aBe strong and courageous, ^bdo not be afraid or in dread of them, for ^cthe LORD your God is the One who is going with you. ^dHe will not desert you or abandon you.”

7 Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all 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 And ^athe LORD is the One who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. ^bHe will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear and do not 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 ^athe year of the release of debts, at the ^bFeast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes ^ato appear before the LORD your God at ^bthe place which He will choose, ^cyou shall read this Law before all Israel ¹so that they hear it. 12 Assemble the people, the men, the women, the children, and the stranger who is in your ¹town, so that they may hear and ^alearn and fear the LORD your God, and be careful to ²follow all the words of this Law. 13 And their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live on the land ¹which you are about to cross the Jordan to ²possess.”

14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, ^1athe time for you to die is near; call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, and I will commission him.” ^bSo Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. 15 ^aAnd the LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the entrance of the tent. 16 The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, ^ayou are about to ¹lie down with your fathers; and ^bthis people will arise and play the prostitute with the foreign gods of the land into the midst of which they are going, and ^cthey will abandon Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 ^aThen My anger will be kindled against them on that day, and ^bI will abandon them and ^chide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will find them; so they will say on that day, ‘^dIs it not because our God is not among us that these evils have found us?’ 18 But I will assuredly hide My face on that day because of all the evil that they will have done, for they will have turned away to other gods.

19 “Now then, ^awrite this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it ¹on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel. 20 ^aFor when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they eat and are satisfied and ^bbecome ¹prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant. 21 Then it will come about, ^awhen many evils and troubles find them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of their ¹descendants); for ^bI know their inclination which they are ²developing today, before I bring them into the land which I swore.” 22 ^aSo Moses wrote down this song on the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.

23 ^aThen He 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 swore to them, and ^cI will be with you.”

24 It came about, when Moses finished writing the words of this Law in a book until they were complete, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites ^awho carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, 26 “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may ¹remain there as a witness against you. 27 For I know ^ayour rebellion and ^byour ¹stubbornness; behold, as long as I have been alive with you until today, you have been rebellious against the LORD; how much more, then, after my death? 28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and ^acall the heavens and the earth as witnesses against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will ^abehave very corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will confront you in the latter days, because you will do that which is 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 assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were complete: