8And so we took the lands of these two kings of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan, their possessions from the river Arnon to Mount Hermon 9 (the Sidonians call this mountain Sirion, the Amorites call it Senir), 10we took all the cities in the plain, and all of Gilad, and Bashan also as far as Salhi and Edrea, the cities in the kingdom of Og, in Bashan. 11 (This Og, king of Bashan, was the last of the Rephaim. It is noteworthy that his couch[1183] is made of iron, it is nine cubits long,1184b and four cubits wide.

12 Of the land which we possessed at that time, I gave to the descendants of Reuben and Gad that part of it which begins from Aroer, which is situated in the valley of the Arnon, including the half of the Gilad highlands with its cities. 13And the other part of Gilad, as well as all of Bashan, where Og had formerly ruled, I gave half the tribe of Manasseh. (The whole region of the Args in Bashan was called the land of the Rephaim. 14 This region of the Args, up to the border of the lands of the descendants of Maahat and Geshur, was received by Yair, one of the descendants of Manasseh. 15And to the other descendants of Manasseh, those of the family of Machira, I gave the part of the Gilad highlands that remained after 16 the first half of Gilad was given to the descendants of Reuben and Gad as far as the valley of the Arnon (the border was in the middle of this river), as far as the river Yabvok, the border of the possessions of the descendants of Ammon. 17 The other boundary of their lands, from Kinneret to the Arava, that is, the Salt Sea,1186 and the foothills of Pisgah on the east, was the Jordan River with its valley.

18Then I gave you, the men of these three tribes, this command: "The Lord your God has given you this land to possess it. But you, those of you who are able to bear arms, must go ahead of your brethren, the children of Israel. 19And in the cities that you have received, let only your wives and children remain, and the cattle, of which I know you have plenty, 20until the Lord gives your brothers shelter,1187 as it was given to you, until they take for themselves the land beyond the Jordan which the Lord your God has assigned to them. Only then can you return to your domain, which I have secured for you." 21At that time I also commanded Joshua: "You have seen with your own eyes what the LORD your God has done to the two kings of the Americans. He will do the same to all the kingdoms beyond the river where you are going. 22Do not be afraid of them! For the Lord your God himself will fight for you."

About an unfulfilled innermost desire

23 And then I lifted up my supplication to the Lord, saying, 24, "Lord, Lord! Now that you have begun to show me, your servant, your majesty and the power of your hand in deeds so mighty that no god in heaven or on earth can compete with them, 25will you not allow me to cross the river and see the wondrous country beyond the Jordan, these beautiful mountains and the blooming Lebanon?" 26But the Lord was still angry with me because of you, and did not heed my request. He said to me: "It will be done to you! Don't tell me any more about it! 27Go up to the top of Pisg, and turn your eyes to the west, and to the north, and to the south, and to the east. and consider all things with your own eyes, for you are not destined to cross the Jordan. 28Give instructions to Joshua, encourage and strengthen his spirit, for he will lead these people beyond the Jordan and make the land you see become their inheritance."

29So we stopped in a valley near Beth Peor.

A Call to Obedience

4 Now hear, O Israel, listen attentively to the covenant decrees and the rules1188 which I will teach you to observe. Obey them, that ye may live, and that when you have finished your journey, you may possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2Do not add or subtract anything from the commandments which I charge you to keep, that you may fulfill the commandments of the Lord your God which I am setting forth for you. 3For you saw with your own eyes what the Lord did in Baal-Peor, how he destroyed those of you who took part in the of the worshippers of Baal-Peor. 4But you who have remained faithful[1190] to the Lord your God are alive to this day. 5Behold, I now teach you the statutes and rules of the covenant, as the Lord my God has commanded me, that you should keep them when you enter into that country and take possession of it. 6Observe it diligently, and it will show the nations your wisdom and your understanding. When they hear of all these ordinances, they will say: "Truly this is a great people! He is endowed with wisdom and understanding!" 7And indeed, is there any other great nation in the world whose divinity is as close to them as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon Him? 8And is there any other great nation that has received ordinances and rules as just as all this law[1191] which I am now setting before you?

9Only take care, O Israel, that you are always on guard for your soul, so that you do not forget the deeds that you have seen with your own eyes. And let it not fade from your memory all the days of your life. Tell your children and grandchildren about it! 10Remind them of the day when you stood before the LORD your God by Mount Horeb, and the LORD said to me, "Call all the people together so that they may hear my words and learn to revere me all the days of their life on earth, and teach this to their children." 11 And ye came near, and stood at the foot of the mountain; it burned with fire that reached to the very sky, although it was surrounded by a dark cloud and darkness below. 12 And when the Lord spoke unto you out of the fire, ye heard the voice of him that spoke, but ye saw no form[1192], but heard only the voice. 13He then declared to you the terms of His covenant, and commanded you to observe them, the Ten Commandments; He inscribed them on two stone tablets. 14At the same time, the Lord has obliged me to teach you the statutes and rules determined by the covenant, so that you may observe them in the land which you will possess when you enter it.

A Warning Against Idolatry

15For you did not see any image when the Lord spoke to you from the fire in Horeb, therefore beware, 16 lest you be perverted and make for yourselves an idol[1193] in the form of an idol, in the likeness of a man or a woman; 17In the likeness of an animal that dwells on the earth, or a winged bird that soars in the sky, 18or a creeping thing, or a fish that is found in the water below the earth. 19And when you set your eyes on the heavens, when you look at the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the hosts of heaven, do not be tempted to worship and serve them, for it is the will of the Lord your God that they should be in their place for the good of all men under heaven. 20But the Lord brought you out of the "furnace of refining," out of Egypt, that you might become His people, His inheritance, which is now done.

21 And while the Lord was angry with me because of you, and swore that he would not allow me to cross the Jordan, and that I would never enter that beautiful land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. E-22And that means I'm going to die here on this earth. I am not destined to cross the Jordan. But you will cross this river and take possession of that beautiful land. 23But take heed, do not forget the covenant with the Lord your God which he has made with you. Do not make for yourselves idols in the form of anyone; the LORD your God has rebuked you, 24for he, the LORD, your God, who burns fire, a God who does not tolerate treachery.

25When you, together with your children and grandchildren, in that country have become so hardened in soul that in your corruption you begin to make various images of idols, that is, to do evil deeds in the sight of the Lord your God, provoking His indignation, 26 then I call heaven and earth to witness. "Soon you will be driven out of the land for which you are going beyond the Jordan, to take possession of it!" After that your sojourn on it will not be long: complete ruin will befall you. 27The Lord will scatter you everywhere; only a few of you will survive among the nations in the countries to which he will banish you. 28And there you will serve the gods, the work of human hands, whether made of wood or stone, all gods who can neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

29But even there, if you seek the Lord your God, only then will you be able to find him, if you desire him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30In your suffering, when all these troubles come upon you, when the time comes,1195 return to the Lord your God, and obediently listen to what He says, 31for the Lord your God, the merciful God, will not forsake you in trouble, nor will he bring you to ruin, nor will he forget his covenant, the covenant with your forefathers, sealed by his oath.