The Holy Bible

[2:26] “Then I sent messengers from the desert of Kedemoth to King Sihon of Heshbon with the following offer of peace:

[2:27] ‘Let us pass through your country. We will go straight through and not leave the road.

[2:28] We will pay for the food we eat and the water we drink. All we want to do is to pass through your country,

[2:29] until we cross the Jordan River into the land that the Lord our God is giving us. The descendants of Esau, who live in Edom, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, allowed us to pass through their territory.’

[2:30] “But King Sihon would not let us pass through his country. The Lord your God had made him stubborn and rebellious, so that we could defeat him and take his territory, which we still occupy.

[2:31] “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Look, I have made King Sihon and his land helpless before you; take his land and occupy it.’

[2:32] Sihon came out with all his men to fight us near the town of Jahaz,

[2:33] but the Lord our God put him in our power, and we killed him, his sons, and all his men.

[2:34] At the same time we captured and destroyed every town, and put everyone to death, men, women, and children. We left no survivors.

[2:35] We took the livestock and plundered the towns.

[2:36] The Lord our God let us capture all the towns from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon Valley, and the city in the middle of that valley, all the way to Gilead. No town had walls too strong for us.

[2:37] But we did not go near the territory of the Ammonites or to the banks of the Jabbok River or to the towns of the hill country or to any other place where the Lord our God had commanded us not to go.

[3:1] “Next, we moved north toward the region of Bashan, and King Og came out with all his men to fight us near the town of Edrei.

[3:2] But the Lord said to me, ‘Don't be afraid of him. I am going to give him, his men, and all his territory to you. Do the same thing to him that you did to Sihon the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon.’

[3:3] “So the Lord also placed King Og and his people in our power, and we slaughtered them all.

[3:4] At the same time we captured all his towns—there was not one that we did not take. In all we captured sixty towns—the whole region of Argob, where King Og of Bashan ruled.

[3:5] All these towns were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars to lock the gates, and there were also many villages without walls.

[3:6] We destroyed all the towns and put to death all the men, women, and children, just as we did in the towns that belonged to King Sihon of Heshbon.

[3:7] We took the livestock and plundered the towns.

[3:8] “At that time we took from those two Amorite kings the land east of the Jordan River, from the Arnon River to Mount Hermon. (

[3:9] Mount Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonians, and Senir by the Amorites.)

[3:10] We took all the territory of King Og of Bashan: the cities on the plateau, the regions of Gilead and of Bashan, as far east as the towns of Salecah and Edrei.” (

[3:11] King Og was the last of the Rephaim. His coffin, made of stone, was six feet wide and almost fourteen feet long, according to standard measurements. It can still be seen in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.)

[3:12] “When we took possession of the land, I assigned to the tribes of Reuben and Gad the territory north of the town of Aroer near the Arnon River and part of the hill country of Gilead, along with its towns.

[3:13] To half the tribe of Manasseh I assigned the rest of Gilead and also all of Bashan, where Og had ruled, that is, the entire Argob region.” (Bashan was known as the land of the Rephaim.

[3:14] Jair, from the tribe of Manasseh, took the entire region of Argob, that is, Bashan, as far as the border of Geshur and Maacah. He named the villages after himself, and they are still known as the villages of Jair.)

[3:15] “I assigned Gilead to the clan of Machir of the tribe of Manasseh.

[3:16] And to the tribes of Reuben and Gad I assigned the territory from Gilead to the Arnon River. The middle of the river was their southern boundary, and their northern boundary was the Jabbok River, part of which formed the Ammonite border.

[3:17] On the west their territory extended to the Jordan River, from Lake Galilee in the north down to the Dead Sea in the south and to the foot of Mount Pisgah on the east.

[3:18] “At the same time, I gave them the following instructions: ‘The Lord our God has given you this land east of the Jordan to occupy. Now arm your fighting men and send them across the Jordan ahead of the other tribes of Israel, to help them occupy their land.

[3:19] Only your wives, children, and livestock—I know you have a lot of livestock—will remain behind in the towns that I have assigned to you.

[3:20] Help the other Israelites until they occupy the land that the Lord is giving them west of the Jordan and until the Lord lets them live there in peace, as he has already done here for you. After that, you may return to this land that I have assigned to you.’

[3:21] “Then I instructed Joshua: ‘You have seen all that the Lord your God did to those two kings, Sihon and Og; and he will do the same thing to everyone else whose land you invade.

[3:22] Don't be afraid of them, for the Lord your God will fight for you.’

[3:23] “At that time I earnestly prayed,

[3:24] ‘Sovereign Lord, I know that you have shown me only the beginning of the great and wonderful things you are going to do. There is no god in heaven or on earth who can do the mighty things that you have done!

[3:25] Let me cross the Jordan River, Lord, and see the fertile land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon Mountains.’

[3:26] “But because of you people the Lord was angry with me and would not listen. Instead, he said, ‘That's enough! Don't mention this again!

[3:27] Go to the peak of Mount Pisgah and look to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west. Look carefully at what you see, because you will never go across the Jordan.

[3:28] Give Joshua his instructions. Strengthen his determination, because he will lead the people across to occupy the land that you see.’

[3:29] “So we remained in the valley opposite the town of Bethpeor.”

[4:1] Then Moses said to the people, “Obey all the laws that I am teaching you, and you will live and occupy the land which the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.

[4:2] Do not add anything to what I command you, and do not take anything away. Obey the commands of the Lord your God that I have given you.

[4:3] You yourselves saw what the Lord did at Mount Peor. He destroyed everyone who worshiped Baal there,

[4:4] but those of you who were faithful to the Lord your God are still alive today.

[4:5] “I have taught you all the laws, as the Lord my God told me to do. Obey them in the land that you are about to invade and occupy.

[4:6] Obey them faithfully, and this will show the people of other nations how wise you are. When they hear of all these laws, they will say, ‘What wisdom and understanding this great nation has!’

[4:7] “No other nation, no matter how great, has a god who is so near when they need him as the Lord our God is to us. He answers us whenever we call for help.

[4:8] No other nation, no matter how great, has laws so just as those that I have taught you today.

[4:9] Be on your guard! Make certain that you do not forget, as long as you live, what you have seen with your own eyes. Tell your children and your grandchildren

[4:10] about the day you stood in the presence of the Lord your God at Mount Sinai, when he said to me, ‘Assemble the people. I want them to hear what I have to say, so that they will learn to obey me as long as they live and so that they will teach their children to do the same.’

[4:11] “Tell your children how you went and stood at the foot of the mountain which was covered with thick clouds of dark smoke and fire blazing up to the sky.

[4:12] Tell them how the Lord spoke to you from the fire, how you heard him speaking but did not see him in any form at all.

[4:13] He told you what you must do to keep the covenant he made with you—you must obey the Ten Commandments, which he wrote on two stone tablets.

[4:14] The Lord told me to teach you all the laws that you are to obey in the land that you are about to invade and occupy.

[4:15] “When the Lord spoke to you from the fire on Mount Sinai, you did not see any form. For your own good, then, make certain

[4:16] that you do not sin by making for yourselves an idol in any form at all—whether man or woman,

[4:17] animal or bird,

[4:18] reptile or fish.

[4:19] Do not be tempted to worship and serve what you see in the sky—the sun, the moon, and the stars. The Lord your God has given these to all other peoples for them to worship.

[4:20] But you are the people he rescued from Egypt, that blazing furnace. He brought you out to make you his own people, as you are today.

[4:21] Because of you the Lord your God was angry with me and solemnly declared that I would not cross the Jordan River to enter the fertile land which he is giving you.

[4:22] I will die in this land and never cross the river, but you are about to go across and occupy that fertile land.

[4:23] Be certain that you do not forget the covenant that the Lord your God made with you. Obey his command not to make yourselves any kind of idol,

[4:24] because the Lord your God is like a flaming fire; he tolerates no rivals.

[4:25] “Even when you have been in the land a long time and have children and grandchildren, do not sin by making for yourselves an idol in any form at all. This is evil in the Lord's sight, and it will make him angry.

[4:26] I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that, if you disobey me, you will soon disappear from the land. You will not live very long in the land across the Jordan that you are about to occupy. You will be completely destroyed.

[4:27] The Lord will scatter you among other nations, where only a few of you will survive.

[4:28] There you will serve gods made by human hands, gods of wood and stone, gods that cannot see or hear, eat or smell.

[4:29] There you will look for the Lord your God, and if you search for him with all your heart, you will find him.

[4:30] When you are in trouble and all those things happen to you, then you will finally turn to the Lord and obey him.

[4:31] He is a merciful God. He will not abandon you or destroy you, and he will not forget the covenant that he himself made with your ancestors.

[4:32] “Search the past, the time before you were born, all the way back to the time when God created human beings on the earth. Search the entire earth. Has anything as great as this ever happened before? Has anyone ever heard of anything like this?

[4:33] Have any people ever lived after hearing a god speak to them from a fire, as you have?

[4:34] Has any god ever dared to go and take a people from another nation and make them his own, as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt? Before your very eyes he used his great power and strength; he brought plagues and war, worked miracles and wonders, and caused terrifying things to happen.

[4:35] The Lord has shown you this, to prove to you that he alone is God and that there is no other.

[4:36] He let you hear his voice from heaven so that he could instruct you; and here on earth he let you see his holy fire, and he spoke to you from it.

[4:37] Because he loved your ancestors, he chose you, and by his great power he himself brought you out of Egypt.

[4:38] As you advanced, he drove out nations greater and more powerful than you, so that he might bring you in and give you their land, the land which still belongs to you.

[4:39] So remember today and never forget: the Lord is God in heaven and on earth. There is no other god.

[4:40] Obey all his laws that I have given you today, and all will go well with you and your descendants. You will continue to live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to be yours forever.”

[4:41] Then Moses set aside three cities east of the Jordan River

[4:42] to which a man could escape and be safe if he had accidentally killed someone who had not been his enemy. He could escape to one of these cities and not be put to death.

[4:43] For the tribe of Reuben there was the city of Bezer, on the desert plateau; for the tribe of Gad there was Ramoth, in the territory of Gilead; and for the tribe of Manasseh there was Golan, in the territory of Bashan.

[4:44] Moses gave God's laws and teachings to the people of Israel.

[4:47] They occupied his land and the land of King Og of Bashan, the other Amorite king who lived east of the Jordan.

[4:48] This land extended from the town of Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon River, all the way north to Mount Sirion, that is, Mount Hermon.

[4:49] It also included all the region east of the Jordan River as far south as the Dead Sea and east to the foot of Mount Pisgah.

[5:1] Moses called together all the people of Israel and said to them, “People of Israel, listen to all the laws that I am giving you today. Learn them and be sure that you obey them.

[5:2] At Mount Sinai the Lord our God made a covenant,

[5:3] not only with our fathers, but with all of us who are living today.

[5:4] There on the mountain the Lord spoke to you face-to-face from the fire.

[5:5] I stood between you and the Lord at that time to tell you what he said, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. “The Lord said,

[5:6] ‘I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves.

[5:7] “‘Worship no god but me.

[5:8] “‘Do not make for yourselves images of anything in heaven or on earth or in the water under the earth.

[5:9] Do not bow down to any idol or worship it, for I am the Lord your God and I tolerate no rivals. I bring punishment on those who hate me and on their descendants down to the third and fourth generation.

[5:10] But I show my love to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my laws.

[5:11] “‘Do not use my name for evil purposes, for I, the Lord your God, will punish anyone who misuses my name.

[5:12] “‘Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy, as I, the Lord your God, have commanded you.

[5:13] You have six days in which to do your work,

[5:14] but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me. On that day no one is to work—neither you, your children, your slaves, your animals, nor the foreigners who live in your country. Your slaves must rest just as you do.

[5:15] Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and that I, the Lord your God, rescued you by my great power and strength. That is why I command you to observe the Sabbath.

[5:16] “‘Respect your father and your mother, as I, the Lord your God, command you, so that all may go well with you and so that you may live a long time in the land that I am giving you.

[5:17] “‘Do not commit murder.

[5:18] “‘Do not commit adultery.

[5:19] “‘Do not steal.

[5:20] “‘Do not accuse anyone falsely.

[5:21] “‘Do not desire another man's wife; do not desire his house, his land, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns.’

[5:22] “These are the commandments the Lord gave to all of you when you were gathered at the mountain. When he spoke with a mighty voice from the fire and from the thick clouds, he gave these commandments and no others. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.

[5:23] “When the whole mountain was on fire and you heard the voice from the darkness, your leaders and the chiefs of your tribes came to me

[5:24] and said, ‘The Lord our God showed us his greatness and his glory when we heard him speak from the fire! Today we have seen that it is possible for people to continue to live, even though God has spoken to them.

[5:25] But why should we risk death again? That terrible fire will destroy us. We are sure to die if we hear the Lord our God speak again.

[5:26] Has any human being ever lived after hearing the living God speak from a fire?

[5:27] Go back, Moses, and listen to everything that the Lord our God says. Then return and tell us what he said to you. We will listen and obey.’

[5:28] “When the Lord heard this, he said to me, ‘I have heard what these people said, and they are right.

[5:29] If only they would always feel this way! If only they would always honor me and obey all my commands, so that everything would go well with them and their descendants forever.

[5:30] Go and tell them to return to their tents.

[5:31] But you, Moses, stay here with me, and I will give you all my laws and commands. Teach them to the people, so that they will obey them in the land that I am giving them.’

[5:32] “People of Israel, be sure that you do everything that the Lord your God has commanded you. Do not disobey any of his laws.

[5:33] Obey them all, so that everything will go well with you and so that you will continue to live in the land that you are going to occupy.