These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness in the Jordan valley across from Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab 11 trips from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea through the Seir mountains. It occurred on the first day of the eleventh month in the fortieth year that Moses told the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded of them after he had vanquished Sihon, king of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon and King Bashan who ruled in Ashtaroth beyond the Jordan Moses expounded the law and said:
The Lord our God spoke to us at Mount Horeb and said: you have been long enough in these mountains. Turn around and see that you go into the mountains of the Amorites and to all of their neighbors in the land of Jordan and in the mountains and hills of the south and on the shores of the sea in the land of Canaan and to the mountains of Lebanon to the great stream, the Euphrates – and accept the land from the god of your forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob swore to give them and their children.
I spoke to you then as well. I can not bear you alone any longer for the Lord has caused your numbers to grow so large that you are like the multitudes of stars in the sky.
How can I bear your effort and burden and disputes. Take mature, experienced men, wise, judicious from your tribes, I shall make them leaders. Thus you discharge me. This is a good thing. (15)
Then I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and experienced men and set them over 1000 as commanders of 100, of 50, of 10 and as officials for your tribes. I commanded the judges to judge fairly by listening to your allies. You shall not be partial, rather listen to the small and great alike and have be not afraid of anyone for judgment belongs to the Lord. If something should become to difficult for you, let it reach me that I may hear it.
We set out from Horeb through the entire desert, the great and plentiful mountains of the Amonites, then we came to Kadesh Barnea. Behold, thus I spoke to you, this is the land that the Lord will give us. Go up and take it. Do not be afraid and do not dread it. Then all of you came and you said: let us send men ahead of us, to scout the land. To tell us the way, to get there, the cities to which we will come. The idea pleased me, and 12 men from the tribes went up into the mountains and came to the valley of grapes. Scouted the land and took the fruit of the land and brought it down and gave us their report. And said: the land is good that the Lord our God has given us. However, you did not wish to go up; rebel against the commands of the Lord and grumble in your tents and say: the Lord bears us a grievance, that is why he led us out of Egypt and gave us into the hands of the Amonites that they may destroy us. (28) Where shall we go? We have been told things about the Amorites – they are bigger + taller and the walls of their cities reach the sky. We also saw Anakites there, but I protected you. The Lord your God has gone before you since Egypt. The Lord has carried you like a son. And still you do not believe the Lord who shows you the way. However, when he heard your cries he became wrathful and swore and said: none of this evil tribe shall see the land I have promised to give them.
except Caleb the faithful, to him I will give the land. The Lord even came to me in anger because of you. Nor shall you reach it. Keep the spirits up, your infants + children shall reach it. However, you shall go again to the Red Sea. Then you realized that you had sinned against the Lord and said: we wish to go up and fight as the Lord our God has commanded us. When you were ready for battle the Lord said to me: tell them that they should not go up the mountain for I am not with them. However, you marched up against the Lord. And the Amorites hunted you like bees and beat you from Zin to Hormah when you came back and wept before the Lord but He would not lend his ear to you.