Why the Lord Gave Canaan to Israel
1Israel, listen to me. You are now about to go across the Jordan River. You will take over the land of the nations that live there. Those nations are greater and stronger than you are. Their large cities have walls that reach up to the sky. 2The people who live there are Anakites. They are strong and tall. You know all about them. You have heard people say, “Who can stand up against the Anakites?” 3But today you can be sure the Lord your God will go over there ahead of you. He is like a fire that will burn them up. He’ll destroy them. He’ll bring them under your control. You will drive them out. You will put an end to them quickly, just as the Lord has promised you.
4The Lord your God will drive them out to make room for you. When he does, don’t say to yourself, “The Lord has done it because I am godly. That’s why he brought me here to take over this land.” That isn’t true. The Lord is going to drive out those nations to make room for you because they are very evil. 5You are not going in to take over their land because you have done what is right or honest. It’s because those nations are so evil. That’s why the Lord your God will drive them out to make room for you. He will do what he said he would do. He made a promise to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6The Lord your God is giving you this good land to take as your own. But you must understand that it isn’t because you are a godly nation. In fact, you are stubborn.
Israel Worshiped the Golden Calf
7Here is something you must remember. Never forget it. You made the Lord your God angry in the desert. You refused to obey him from the day you left Egypt until you arrived here. 8At Mount Horeb you made the Lord angry enough to destroy you. 9I went up the mountain. I went there to receive the tablets of the covenant law. They were made out of stone. It was the covenant the Lord had made with you. I stayed on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. I didn’t eat any food or drink any water. 10The Lord gave me two stone tablets. The words on them were written by the finger of God. All the commandments the Lord gave you were written on the tablets. He announced them to you out of the fire on the mountain. He wrote them on the day you gathered together there.
11The 40 days and 40 nights came to an end. Then the Lord gave me the two stone tablets. They were the tablets of the covenant law. 12The Lord told me, “Go down from here right away. The people you brought out of Egypt have become very sinful. They have quickly turned away from what I commanded them. They have made a statue of a god for themselves.”
13The Lord also said to me, “I have seen these people. They are so stubborn! 14Do not try to stop me. I am going to destroy them. I will wipe them out from the earth. Then I will make you into a great nation. Your people will be stronger than they were. There will be more of you than there were of them.”
15So I turned and went down the mountain. It was blazing with fire. I was carrying the two tablets of the covenant law. 16When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God. You had made for yourselves a metal statue of a god. It looked like a calf. You had quickly turned away from the path the Lord had commanded you to follow. 17So I threw the two tablets out of my hands. You watched them break into pieces.
18Then once again I fell down flat in front of the Lord with my face toward the ground. I lay there for 40 days and 40 nights. I didn’t eat any food or drink any water. You had committed a terrible sin. You had done an evil thing in the Lord’s sight. You had made him angry. 19I was afraid of the Lord’s great anger. He was so angry with you he wanted to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me again. 20And he was so angry with Aaron he wanted to destroy him too. But at that time I prayed for Aaron. 21I also got that sinful calf you had made. I burned it in the fire. I crushed it and ground it into fine powder. Then I threw the powder into a stream that was flowing down the mountain.
22You also made the Lord angry at Taberah, Massah and Kibroth Hattaavah.
23The Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea. He said, “Go up and take over the land I have given you.” But you refused to do what the Lord your God had commanded you to do. You didn’t trust him or obey him. 24You have been refusing to obey the Lord as long as I’ve known you.
25I lay down in front of the Lord with my face toward the ground for 40 days and 40 nights. I did it because the Lord had said he would destroy you. 26I prayed to him. “Lord and King,” I said, “don’t destroy your people. They belong to you. You set them free by your great power. You used your mighty hand to bring them out of Egypt. 27Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Forgive the Israelites for being so stubborn. Don’t judge them for the evil and sinful things they’ve done. 28If you do, the Egyptians will say, ‘The Lord wasn’t able to take them into the land he had promised to give them. He hated them. So he brought them out of Egypt to put them to death in the desert.’ 29But they are your people. They belong to you. You used your great power to bring them out of Egypt. You reached out your mighty arm and saved them.”
以色列人的悖逆
1「以色列人啊,你們要聽!今天你們要過約旦河,去趕出那些比你們強大的民族。他們住在城牆高聳入雲的大城裡, 2是長得高大威猛的亞衲人。你們瞭解他們,也聽人說過,『誰能抵擋亞衲人呢?』 3但今天你們要知道,你們的上帝耶和華要走在你們前面,像烈火一樣吞噬他們。祂要制伏他們,使你們迅速趕走他們,毀滅他們,正如祂對你們的應許。
4「你們的上帝耶和華趕走他們以後,你們不要以為耶和華帶領你們佔領那片土地是因為你們公義,其實是因為那裡的民族邪惡,耶和華才將他們從你們面前趕走。 5你們能佔領他們的土地並非因為你們公義、行為正直。你們的上帝耶和華從你們面前趕走那些民族,是因為他們邪惡,也是為了實現祂給你們祖先亞伯拉罕、以撒和雅各的誓言。 6你們要知道,耶和華賜給你們那佳美之地不是因為你們有好品德。其實你們是頑固不化的人。
7「要牢記你們在曠野怎樣觸怒你們的上帝耶和華。從你們離開埃及那天到現在,你們屢屢背叛耶和華。 8在何烈山,你們觸怒了耶和華,以致祂要毀滅你們。 9那時,我上山去接受耶和華與你們立約的石版,在山上待了四十晝夜,不吃也不喝。 10耶和華把兩塊立約的石版交給我,上面刻著那天你們聚會時祂在山上的火焰中對你們說的話,是祂用手指刻上去的。 11四十晝夜後,耶和華把那兩塊刻著約的石版交給我, 12對我說,『快下山吧,你從埃及領出來的百姓已經敗壞了。他們這麼快就偏離了我吩咐他們走的道,為自己鑄造了神像。』
13「耶和華又對我說,『我已看出,這是頑固不化的百姓。 14不要攔我,我要毀滅他們,從世上抹去他們的名字。我要使你的子孫成為一個比他們更強大的民族。』 15我雙手拿著那兩塊石版,轉身從烈火熊熊的山上下來, 16看見你們為自己鑄造了牛犢像,得罪了你們的上帝耶和華,這麼快就偏離了耶和華吩咐你們走的道, 17就當著你們的面摔碎了那兩塊石版。
18「我又俯伏在耶和華面前,四十晝夜不吃不喝,因為你們犯了大罪,做耶和華憎惡的事,惹祂發怒。 19耶和華向你們發烈怒,要毀滅你們,我非常懼怕。但耶和華再次垂聽了我的祈求。 20耶和華對亞倫非常憤怒,以致要殺掉他,於是我也為他祈求。 21我焚燒了你們鑄造的罪惡之物——牛犢像,把它磨成細粉,撒在從山上流下來的溪水中。
22「你們在他備拉、瑪撒和基博羅·哈他瓦三番四次地觸怒耶和華。 23你們的上帝耶和華吩咐你們離開加低斯·巴尼亞,去佔領祂賜給你們的土地,你們卻背叛祂,不信靠祂,也不聽從祂。 24自從我認識你們以來,你們就不斷地背叛耶和華。
25「因為耶和華說要毀滅你們,我就俯伏在耶和華面前四十晝夜, 26向祂祈求說,『主耶和華啊,求你不要毀滅你的子民!他們是你的產業,是你用大能的手從埃及拯救出來的。 27求你看在你僕人亞伯拉罕、以撒和雅各的份上,不要計較這個民族的頑固和罪惡, 28免得你帶領我們離開之地的人說,你不能把他們領到你應許給他們的地方,你憎惡他們,所以把他們帶到曠野殺了。 29他們畢竟是你的子民,你的產業,是你伸出大能的臂膀從埃及帶出來的。』