立约书亚做摩西的接班人
1摩西继续对以色列人说： 2“我现在已经一百二十岁了，无法再继续带领你们，耶和华曾说我不得过约旦河。 3你们的上帝耶和华要亲自带领你们过河，在你们面前消灭那里的各族，使你们占领他们的土地。约书亚将带领你们过河，正如耶和华所言。 4耶和华要毁灭那里的各族，像毁灭亚摩利二王西宏和噩及其国家一样。 5耶和华要把他们交给你们，你们要照我的一切吩咐处置他们。 6你们要刚强勇敢，不要惧怕他们，因为你们的上帝耶和华与你们同行，祂不会撇下你们，也不会离弃你们。”
7摩西把约书亚叫来，当着全体以色列人的面对他说：“你要刚强勇敢！因为你要与百姓一同进入耶和华起誓要赐给他们祖先的土地，把土地分给他们作产业。 8耶和华必带领你，与你同在。祂不会撇下你，也不会离弃你。不要惊慌害怕。”
每七年当众宣读律法一次
9摩西把这律法写好，交给抬耶和华约柜的利未祭司和以色列的众长老。 10摩西吩咐他们说：“每逢免除债务的第七年的住棚节， 11所有以色列人到你们的上帝耶和华选定的地方朝见祂时，你们要当众大声宣读这律法。 12要招聚所有男女、孩童以及住在你们中间的外族人，让他们聆听这律法，学习敬畏你们的上帝耶和华，谨遵律法上的一切话。 13这样，他们那些还不知道这律法的孩子便有机会听到律法，在你们将要占领的约旦河西岸的土地上，学习终生敬畏你们的上帝耶和华。”
上帝对摩西和约书亚的指示
14耶和华对摩西说：“你快要离世了。叫约书亚与你一起到会幕，我要委派他。”摩西和约书亚就来到会幕。 15有云柱停在会幕入口的上方，耶和华在云柱中向他们显现。
16耶和华对摩西说：“你快要与祖先同眠了。这些百姓将很快在要占领的土地上与外族人的神明苟合，背弃我，违背我与他们所立的约。 17那时，我要向他们发怒，离弃他们，掩面不理他们。他们将被吞灭，遭遇许多祸患和灾难，以致他们会说，‘这些祸患临到我们，岂不是因为上帝不在我们中间了吗？’ 18那时，我必掩面不理他们，因为他们祭拜其他神明，行为邪恶。
19“现在，你要写一首歌，教导以色列人，让他们吟唱，作为我指控他们的证据。 20因为当我把他们带到我起誓应许他们祖先的奶蜜之乡后，当他们在那里吃饱喝足后，就会嫌弃我，违背我与他们所立的约，去供奉其他神明。 21当许多祸患和灾难临到他们的时候，这首歌就要成为指控他们的证据，因为这首歌要在他们的子孙中世代流传。虽然我还没有带领他们进入我起誓应许之地，我已经知道他们的心思意念。” 22当天，摩西就写下这首歌，传授给以色列人。
23耶和华嘱咐嫩的儿子约书亚：“你要刚强勇敢，因为你要带领以色列人进入我起誓应许他们的土地，我必与你同在。”
24摩西把这律法都写在书上以后， 25就吩咐抬耶和华约柜的利未人： 26“把这律法书放在你们的上帝耶和华的约柜旁，作为指控你们的证据。 27因为我知道你们悖逆、顽固不化，我还活在你们中间的时候，你们尚且背叛上帝，何况我死后呢？ 28把你们各支派的长老和首领招聚来，我要把这些话告诉他们，叫天地作证来指控他们。 29我知道，我死后你们会彻底堕落，偏离我吩咐你们行的道，做耶和华视为恶的事，惹祂发怒，将来祸患必临到你们。”
30然后，摩西把这首诗歌从头到尾读给以色列全体会众听。
Joshua to Succeed Moses
1Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: 2“I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ 3The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said. 4And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. 5The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
7Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Public Reading of the Law
9So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Festival of Tabernacles, 11when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. 12Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. 13Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Israel’s Rebellion Predicted
14The Lord said to Moses, “Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the tent of meeting.
15Then the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent. 16And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. 17And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’ 18And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.
19“Now write down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them. 20When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant. 21And when many disasters and calamities come on them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” 22So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.
23The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.”
24After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, 25he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord: 26“Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. There it will remain as a witness against you. 27For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die! 28Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to testify against them. 29For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and arouse his anger by what your hands have made.”
The Song of Moses
30And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:
