(from One New Man Bible translated by William Morford)

Vayelekh

Moses’ Farewell

31.1. And Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2. And he said to them, “I am a hundred twenty years old this day. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the LORD* has said to me, ‘You will not go over this Jordan.’ 3. The LORD* your God, He is crossing over before you, He will destroy these nations from before you and you will possess them. Joshua is crossing over before you, as the LORD* has said. 4. And the LORD* will do to them as He did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites whom He destroyed, and to their land. 5. And the LORD* will give them up before your face, so you can do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you. 6. Be strong! Be of good courage! Do not be in awe! Do not be terrified of them! The LORD* your God, it is He Who is going with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5)

31:7. And Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong! Be of good courage! For you must go with this people to the land which the LORD* has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you will cause them to inherit it. 8. And the LORD*, it is He Who does go before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not be in awe! Do not be dismayed!”

31:9. And Moses wrote this teaching and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi who bore the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD* and to all the elders of Israel. 10. And Moses commanded them saying, “At the end of seven years, in the appointed time of the year of release, in the Feast of Sukkot 11. when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD* your God in the place which He will choose, you will read this Torah before all Israel in their hearing. 12. Gather the people together; men, women, children, and your stranger that is within your gates, so they can hear and so they will learn and revere the LORD* your God, and observe to do all the words of this teaching, 13. and so their children, who have not known anything, may hear and learn to revere the LORD* your God, as long as you live in the land where you are crossing over the Jordan to possess it.”

31:14. And the LORD* said to Moses, “Behold, your days are approaching when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, so I can give him a charge.” And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the Tent of Meeting. 15. And the LORD* appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the Tent.

Faithlessness Coming

31:16. And the LORD* said to Moses, “Behold, you will sleep with your fathers, and this people will rise up and go astray after the gods of the strangers of the land, where they are going to be among them and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17. Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day and I shall forsake them and I shall hide My face from them, and they will be devoured and many evils and troubles will befall them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ 18. And I AM will surely hide My face in that day for all the evils which they will have wrought, in that they have turned to other gods. 19. Now therefore write this song for yourselves and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths, so this song will be a witness for Me against the children of Israel. 20. For when I have brought them into the land, which I swore to their fathers, that flows with milk and honey and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then will they turn to other gods and serve them and provoke Me and break My covenant. 21. And it will be, when many evils and troubles befall them, that this song will testify against them as a witness, for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants. I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.”

Moses Writes the Song of the Lord

31:22. And Moses wrote down this song the same day and taught it to the children of Israel. 23. And he commanded Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong! Be of good courage! For you will bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them and the I AM will be with you.”

31:24. And it was when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this Torah in a scroll, until they were finished, 25. that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD* saying, 26. “Take this scroll of the Torah and put it beside the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD* your God, so it will be there as a witness against you. 27. For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. Behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, you have been rebellious against the LORD*, and how much more after my death? 28. Gather to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, so I can speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29. For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the Way which I have commanded you and evil will befall you in the latter days because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD*, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”

31:30. And Moses spoke the words of this song in the ears of the whole congregation of Israel, until they were finished.

Next week’s Torah readings: Ha’azinu

(from One New Man Bible translated by William Morford)