Final Speeches and the Death of Moses
Joshua Is Appointed the Leader of Israel
1 Moses again spoke to the whole nation of Israel:
2 I am 120 years old, and I am no longer able to be your leader. And besides that, the Lord your God has told me that he won't let me cross the Jordan River. 3-5 But he has promised that he and Joshua will lead you across the Jordan to attack the nations that live on the other side. The Lord will destroy those nations just as he destroyed Sihon and Og, those two Amorite kings. Just remember—whenever you capture a place, kill everyone who lives there.
6 Be brave and strong! Don't be afraid of the nations on the other side of the Jordan. The Lord your God will always be at your side, and he will never abandon you.
7 Then Moses called Joshua up in front of the crowd and said:
Joshua, be brave and strong as you lead these people into their land. The Lord made a promise long ago to Israel's ancestors that this land would someday belong to Israel. That time has now come, and you must divide up the land among the people. 8 The Lord will lead you into the land. He will always be with you and help you, so don't ever be afraid of your enemies.
Read These Laws
9 Moses wrote down all of these laws and teachings and gave them to the priests and the leaders of Israel. The priests were from the Levi tribe, and they carried the sacred chest that belonged to the Lord. 10-11 Moses told these priests and leaders:
Each year the Israelites must come together to celebrate the Festival of Shelters at the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. You must read these laws and teachings to the people at the festival every seventh year, the year when loans do not need to be repaid. 12-13 Everyone must come—men, women, children, and even the foreigners who live in your towns. And each new generation will listen and learn to worship the Lord their God with fear and trembling and to do exactly what is said in God's Law.
Israel Will Reject the Lord
14 The Lord told Moses, “You will soon die, so bring Joshua to the sacred tent, and I will appoint him the leader of Israel.”
Moses and Joshua went to the sacred tent, 15 and the Lord appeared in a thick cloud right over the entrance to the tent. 16 The Lord said:
Moses, you will soon die. But Israel is going into a land where other gods are worshiped, and Israel will reject me and start worshiping these gods. The people will break the agreement I made with them, 17 and I will be so furious that I will abandon them and ignore their prayers. I will send disasters and suffering that will nearly wipe them out. Finally, they will realize that the disasters happened because I abandoned them. 18 They will pray to me, but I will ignore them because they were evil and started worshiping other gods.
19 Moses and Joshua, I am going to give you the words to a new song. Write them down and teach the song to the Israelites. If they learn it, they will know what I want them to do, and so they will have no excuse for not obeying me. 20 I am bringing them into the land that I promised their ancestors. It is a land rich with milk and honey, and the Israelites will have more than enough food to eat. But they will get fat and turn their backs on me and start worshiping other gods. The Israelites will reject me and break the agreement that I made with them.
21 When I punish the Israelites and their descendants with suffering and disasters, I will remind them that they know the words to this song, so they have no excuse for not obeying me.
I will give them the land that I promised, but I know the way they are going to live later on.
22 Moses at once wrote down the words to the song, and he taught it to the Israelites.
23 The Lord told Joshua, “Be brave and strong! I will help you lead the people of Israel into the land that I have promised them.”
24 Moses wrote down all these laws and teachings in a book, 25 then he went to the Levites who carried the sacred chest and said:
26 This is The Book of God's Law. Keep it beside the sacred chest that holds the agreement the Lord your God made with Israel. This book is proof that you know what the Lord wants you to do. 27 I know how stubborn and rebellious you and the rest of the Israelites are. You have rebelled against the Lord while I have been alive, and it will only get worse after I am gone. 28 So call together the leaders and officials of the tribes of Israel. I will bring this book and read every word of it to you, and I will call the sky and the earth as witnesses that all of you know what you are supposed to do.
29 I am going to die soon, and I know that in the future you will stop caring about what is right and what is wrong, and so you will disobey the Lord and stop living the way I told you to live. The Lord will be angry, and terrible things will happen to you.
The Song of Moses
30 Moses called a meeting of all the people of Israel, so he could teach them the words to the song that the Lord had given him. And here are the words:
Josua ma rire omupingene wa Moses
(Num 27:12-23)1 Moses wa hungira kOvaisrael komurungu 2 a tja: “Ami nambano mbi nozombura esere nomirongo vivari nu hi tji nokuyenena okukara omuhongore weṋu. Nu posi yanao, Muhona wa tja nai ku ami: ‘Ove ko nakukonda onḓonḓu Jordan.’ 3 Muhona, Ndjambi woye, ongu me i kondo komurungu woye; eye ma nyono oviwaṋa mbi komurungu woye, nove mo vi ramba okuviisa mo mouini wavyo; nu Josua ongu ma rire omunane woye otja Muhona pa heya. 4 Nu Muhona me vi nyono otja tja nyonene Sihon na Og, ozombara zOvaamori, na yandeke ehi rawo. 5 Muhona me vi yandja mouvara weṋu, nu eṋe tjiteye ku vyo nawanawa otja tji mbe mu rakiza. 6 Kareye nomasa nouvanḓe; amu vi tira, nu amu mumapara! Orondu Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, omuini ma kayenda puna eṋe, eye me ku tjevere, nu ke nakukuesa ko.”
7 Moses wa isana Josua na tja nai ku ye momurungu wOvaisrael avehe: “Kara nomasa nouvanḓe; oove ngu mo hongorere otjiwaṋa hi kehi Muhona nda kwizikira ooihe mukururume noruyano okuvepa; noove ngu mo keverumatisa ro. 8 Muhona omuini ongu me ku hongorere; eye ma kara puna ove; eye me ku tjevere, nu ke nakukuesa ko; o tira nu o mumapara.”
Etwako, ndi mari resewa kombunda yombura oitjahambombari aihe
9 Nu Moses wa tjanga etwako ndi, ne ri yandja kovapristeri, imba ovazandu va Levi, mbaa ve tjindi Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona, na kovanane avehe vOvaisrael. 10 Neye we ve rakiza a tja: “Aruhe kombunda yozombura hambombari, ombura yongutukiro tji ye ya, resa etwako indi pOmukandi wOviranda vyOmaso. 11 Ri resera Ovaisrael avehe tji mave ya okurikotamena komurungu wa Muhona, Ndjambi woye, poṋa Muhona pu me ritoororere. 12 Woronganisa ovarumendu novakazendu novanatje avehe, na wina ovozonganda mbe tura movirongo vyoye, auhe nga zuve etwako ndi ne rihonge okutira Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, nokuṱakamisa nawa inga omambo we aehe. 13 Komuhingo mbwi imba ovanatje vawo mbe hi na va zuvire indi etwako ra Muhona, Ndjambi woye, mave ri zuu. Nowo otji mave rihongo okumutira ngunda amu nomuinyo mehi, ndi mamu kakambura ri rire ouini weṋu munda mbwina na Jordan.”
Omazikiro wa Josua motjiungura tje
14 Muhona wa tja ku Moses: “Tara, omayuva woye wokukoka ye ri popezu. Kaisane Josua, nu kakurameye mOndanda yOmahakaeneno kutja ami mbi mu zike motjiungura tje.” Moses na Josua otji va kakurama mOndanda yOmahakaeneno. 15 Nu Muhona we rimunikisa ku wo mOndanda motjikamba otjinene; notjikamba hi tja kurama pomuvero wOndanda.
16 Muhona wa tja ku Moses: “Tara, ove u ri pokukoka, nu kombunda yonḓiro yoye otjiwaṋa hi matji kara nokuhinangamburiro mu ami, natji karere oomukuru vovisenginina vehi, ndi tji ri pokukakambura. 17 Nu meyuva ndo omazenge wandje maye ya kombanda yawo; nu ami meve esa ne horeke omurungu wandje ku wo, kokutja ve yandekwe. Noviwonga ovingi nomauzeu mavi ya kombanda yawo. Nu meyuva ndo mave tja nai: ‘Oviwonga mbi kavi ere kombanda yetu mena rokutja Ndjambi ke tji ri mokati ketu are?’ 18 Nungwari meyuva ndo ami me horeke omurungu wandje ku wo oparukaze mena romauvi aehe ngu va tjita, owo tjinga ava yepera koomukuru varwe.
19 “Ritjangereye eimburiro ndi, nu hongeye ro kOvaisrael, nu ngave imbure ro kutja ri ndji hongononene po ondjo yOvaisrael! 20 Ami meve hitisa mehi nde ura nomaihi nouitji wokuti otja tji mba kwizikira ooihe mukururume noruyano. Nawo mave ri nave kuta nave nu; tjazumba otji mave yepere koomukuru varwe nave ve karere, nowo mave ndji nyengura nave teya omerikutiropamwe wandje. 21 Oviwonga ovingi nomauzeu mavi ya kombanda yawo. Tjazumba eimburiro ndi mari ndji hongononene po ondjo yawo, orondu oro tjinga amari imburwa i ozondekurona zawo. Nangarire ngunda ambi hiye ve hitisa mehi, ndi mbe ve kwizikira noruyano, tjandje mba tjiwa omeripuriro wawo wandinondi.”
22 Nu meyuva tjingero ndo Moses wa tjanga eimburiro ndi ne ri hongo kOvaisrael.
23 Nu Muhona wa rakiza nai ku Josua, omuzandu wa Nun: “Kara nomasa nouvanḓe! Ove tjinga amo hitisa Ovaisrael mehi, ndi mbe ve kwizikira noruyano; nu ami me kara puna ove.”
24 Nu Moses tja za nokumana okutjanga omambo wetwako ndi membo, 25 otja rakiza kOvalevi mbaa ve tjindi Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona, a tja: 26 “Tooreye embo ndi romatwako, nu ri tweye meṋe yOtjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, kutja ri kare mbo otja ehongonone rondjo yotjiwaṋa tje. 27 Orondu ami tjinga ame tjiwa omapirukiro nourangaranga watjo. Ami ngunda ambi nomuinyo mokati keṋu, tjandje mu pirukira Muhona, nu mape kara vi komurungu kombunda yonḓiro yandje! 28 Woronganisireye ovanane avehe vomihoko vyeṋu novatjevere komurungu wandje kutja mbi ve raere omambo nga aehe; nu ami me isana eyuru nehi vi rire ovihongonone vyondjo yawo. 29 Ami me tjiwa kutja kombunda yonḓiro yandje otjiwaṋa ma tji rire otjivi nu ma tji humbu omarakiza wandje. Nu momayuva wokombunda eṋe mamu hakaene noviwonga, tjinga amwa pindikisa Muhona mokutjita imbi eye mbya tjaera.”
30 Tjazumba Moses otja tangununa omambo weimburiro arihe ngunda Ovaisrael amave puratene:
