Deuteronomy 31 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Moses went out and spoke these words to all of Israel.

He said to them, "I'm a hundred and twenty years old now. I can't lead you anymore. And Yahweh has told me, 'You will not cross this Jordan River.'"

"Yahweh your God — He Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations in front of you, and you will take over their land. Joshua — he's the one who will cross over ahead of you, just as Yahweh promised."

"Yahweh will do to them what He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land — He wiped them out."

"Yahweh will hand them over to you, and you must deal with them exactly according to the commands I've given you."

"Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid of them and don't panic, because Yahweh your God is the One going with you. He won't let you down. He won't abandon you."

Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in front of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, because you're the one who will go with this people into the land that Yahweh swore to their ancestors He would give them — and you will help them take possession of it."

"Yahweh Himself is the One who goes ahead of you. He will be with you. He won't let you down and He won't abandon you. Don't be afraid and don't lose heart."

Moses wrote down this set of instructions and gave it to the priests, the descendants of Levi who carried the chest of Yahweh's covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.

Moses commanded them: "At the end of every seven years, at the scheduled time during the year of debt cancellation, during the Festival of Shelters,"

"when all Israel comes to appear before Yahweh your God at the place He chooses — you must read these instructions out loud so all Israel can hear them."

"Gather the people together — men, women, children, and the foreigners living in your towns — so they can hear it and learn to respect Yahweh your God and carefully follow every word of these instructions."

"Their children who don't yet know these things—they need to hear them too, so they learn to respect Yahweh your God for as long as you live in the land you're crossing the Jordan to take."

Yahweh said to Moses, "The time is getting close for you to die. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the meeting tent so I can give him his charge." So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the meeting tent.

Then Yahweh appeared at the tent in a column of cloud, and the column of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent.

Yahweh said to Moses, "Look — you're about to die and join your ancestors. And then this people will get up and chase after the foreign gods of the land they're entering. They'll abandon Me and break the covenant I made with them."

"On that day My anger will burn against them. I will abandon them and hide My face from them. They'll be devoured, and all kinds of terrible disasters will find them. Then they'll say, 'Aren't these disasters hitting us because our God isn't with us anymore?'"

"And I will absolutely hide My face on that day because of all the wrong they've done in turning to other gods."

"So now, write down this song for yourselves and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, so that this song will be My witness against the people of Israel."

"Because when I bring them into the land I swore to give their ancestors — a land flowing with milk and honey — and they eat their fill and get comfortable, they'll turn to other gods and serve them. They'll treat Me with contempt and break My covenant."

"And when many terrible disasters hit them, this song will testify against them as a witness, because their descendants will never forget it. I already know what they're inclined to do, even now, before I've brought them into the land I swore to give them."

So Moses wrote down this song that same day and taught it to the people of Israel.

Then Yahweh commissioned Joshua son of Nun and said, "Be strong and courageous, because you are the one who will bring the people of Israel into the land I swore to give them. And I will be with you."

When Moses had finished writing down every word of these instructions in a scroll,

Moses commanded the Levites who carried the chest of Yahweh's covenant:

"Take this scroll of instructions and place it beside the chest of Yahweh your God's covenant. It will stay there as a witness against you."

"Because I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Look — while I'm still alive with you today, you've been rebelling against Yahweh. How much worse will it be after I die?"

"Gather all the elders of your tribes and your officials to me so I can speak these words directly to them and call heaven and earth as witnesses against them."

"Because I know that after I die you will absolutely become corrupt and turn away from the path I commanded you to follow. And in the days to come, disaster will find you — because you'll do what's wrong in Yahweh's eyes and provoke Him with what your hands have made."

Then Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end, with the whole assembly of Israel listening: