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:
Musa la kebaara labaŋolu aniŋ a la saayaa
Yosuwa seyita Musa noo to
(4 Musa 27:12-23)1 Bituŋ Musa tententa ka ñiŋ kumakaŋolu fo Banisirayilankoolu ye, 2 a ko ì ye ko: “A fele saayiŋ nte be sanji keme sanji muwaŋ, n te taa niŋ naa noo la. Aduŋ wo koolaa fanaa, Yaawe* ye ñiŋ ne fo n ye ko, nte te ñiŋ Yoridani Boloŋo teyi la ka taa a kara doo la. 3 Yaawe ali la Alla faŋo le be tambi la ali ñaato ka wo bankoo moolu kasaara, fo ali si wo bankoo taa noo. Yaawe ko, Yosuwa le be ali ñaatonkayaa la ka ali samba jee to. 4 Yaawe be jee moolu kasaara la le ko a ye Amorinkoolu niŋ ì la mansakee fuloo kasaara ñaameŋ, Mansa Sihoni niŋ Mansa Oki, aniŋ ì la bankoo bee. 5 Yaawe be wo bankoo moolu duŋ na ali bulu le, aduŋ ali a ke ì la, ko ŋa ali yaamari ñaameŋ. 6 Ali si bambaŋ, ali ye fatiyaa. Ali kana sila ì la, sako ali kijoo si fara. Yaawe ali la Alla faŋo le be tara la ali fee, a te bo la ali koto sako ka ali bula ali faŋ ye.”
7 Bituŋ Musa ye Yosuwa kumandi naŋ Banisirayilankoolu bee ñaatiliŋo la. A ko a ye ko, “I si bambaŋ, i ye fatiyaa, kaatu ite le be ñiŋ moolu ñaatonkayaa la ka duŋ wo bankoo kaŋ ka a taa, Yaawe kalita ka daameŋ dii ì mumuñolu la. 8 Yaawe faŋo le be tambi la ali ñaato, a ye tara ali fee. A te bo la ali koto sako a si ali bula ali faŋ ye. Wo to, ali kana sila, waraŋ ka jikilateyi.”
Luwaa Kitaaboo karaŋo
9 Bituŋ Musa ye ñiŋ Luwaa bee safee, a ye a dii Banisirayila alifaalu la, aniŋ Lewi koomalanka piriisoolu*, Yaawe ye mennu marandi ka a la Kambeŋ Kunewo* samba. 10 Musa ye ì yaamari ko, “Sanji woorowula-wo-sanji woorowula kumfaadulaa mu juluyamfoo saŋo le ti, Jembereŋ Juuraloo* waatoo. 11 Wo waatoo la Banisirayilankoolu bee ka naa Yaawe ali la Alla ñaatiliŋo la le, a ye daameŋ tomboŋ. Ali si ñiŋ Luwaa karaŋ Banisirayilankoolu bee ye, ì ye a moyi. 12 Ali si moolu bee kafundi ñoo kaŋ, musu kafuriŋ kee, dindiŋ, keebaa ka taa fo tumarankewolu mennu be sabatiriŋ ali la saatewolu kono. Ì bee tuloo si a moyi, fo ì si Yaawe ñaasilaŋo soto, aduŋ ì si ì hakiloo tu ka bula ñiŋ luwaa kumakaŋolu bee nooma. 13 Niŋ ali ka ñiŋ luwaa kumoolu seyinkaŋ karaŋ, ali koomalankoolu mennu maŋ ì loŋ si ì moyi, ì ye Yaawe ñaasilaŋo soto ì baluu tiloo bee la bankoo kaŋ, ali be sabati la daameŋ Yoridani Boloŋo kara doo la.
Yaawe ye yaamari labaŋolu mennu dii Musa la
14 Yaawe ko Musa ye ko, “I la saayaa waatoo maŋ jamfa saayiŋ, wo to Yosuwa kumandi, ali ye naa Bendulaa Tiriliisi Senuŋo* kono, fo n si a londi ka a ke ñaatonkoo ti.” Bituŋ Musa niŋ Yosuwa taata Bendulaa Tiriliisi Senuŋo kono. 15 Wo le to Yaawe naata minaayoo kono la, minaayoo samasimmaa bota naŋ santo, a loota Bendulaa Tiriliisoo dundaŋ daa to.
16 Bituŋ a ko Musa ye ko, “A te mee la i be i laa la, i la alifaa foloolu be laariŋ daameŋ. Wo koolaa, ñiŋ moolu be ke la le ko cakoolu, ka bula bankoo la alloolu nooma, ì be taa kaŋ daameŋ. Ì be ì koo dii la n na, aniŋ ì be kambeŋo tiñaa la, n niŋ ì ye meŋ siti. 17 Wo luŋo la, m be kamfaajawu la ì kamma le. M be n koo dii la ì la le, ŋa maabo ì ma, ì ye kasaara. Toora kuu jamaa si laa ì kaŋ, aniŋ kuu jawu jamaa. Wo luŋo le mu ì be a fo la ko, ‘Ñiŋ kuu jawoolu bee laata ǹ kaŋ, kaatu ǹ na Alla maŋ tara m̀ fee.’ 18 Tooñaa, wo luŋo la m be maabo la ì ma le ì la kuu jawu kewo kaŋ, kaatu ì be ì ñaa tiliŋ na alla koteŋolu le la. 19 Wo kamma la ñiŋ suukuwo safee, i ye Banisirayilankoolu karandi a la, ì ye a tanka. A be ke la n niŋ ì teema seedoo le ti. 20 M be ì samba la bankoo kaŋ, keekewo niŋ liyo ka woyi daameŋ, n kalita ì mumuñolu ye ka meŋ dii ì la. Ì be domoroo soto la jee, ì konoo be faa la, ì baloolu ye nunku. Wo ñaa-wo-ñaa ì be bula la alla koteŋolu nooma le ka ì batu. Ì be ì koo dii la n na, ì ye n na kambeŋo tiñaa, n niŋ ì ye meŋ siti. 21 Niŋ kuu jawoo niŋ toora kuu jamaa laata ì kaŋ, ñiŋ suukuwo be ke la ì ye hakili bulandiraŋo le ti. Kaatu a be tu la ì koomalankoolu daa le, ì te ñina la a la. Ì maŋ duŋ bankoo kaŋ foloo, n kalita ka meŋ dii ì la, bari nte ŋa ì miiroolu loŋ ne, ì be hameriŋ meŋ na.”
22 Bituŋ wo luŋ kiliŋo la, Musa ye suukuwo ñiŋ safee, a ye Banisirayilankoolu karandi a la.
23 Wo to le Yaawe ye Yosuwa, Nuni dinkewo yaamari, a ko a ye ko, “I si bambaŋ, i ye fatiyaa. Kaatu ite le be Banisirayilankoolu ñaatonkayaa la ka ì samba bankoo kaŋ, ŋa ì laahidi daameŋ na, aduŋ m be tara la i fee le.”
24 Kabiriŋ Musa ye luwaa kumoolu bee baŋ safee la kitaaboo kono, 25 a ye Lewi lasili moolu kumandi, mennu ka Yaawe la Kambeŋ Kunewo* samba, a ko ì ye ko, 26 “Ali ñiŋ Luwaa Kitaaboo* taa, ali ye a ke Yaawe ali la Alla la Kambeŋ Kunewo karatantaŋo la. Ali si a tu jee ka ke seedoo ti, ali niŋ Yaawe teema. 27 Kaatu ŋa a loŋ ne ali kuŋo jaata ñaameŋ, aniŋ ali mu balannaalu ti ñaameŋ. M be ali fee ñaa-wo-ñaa, ali balanta Yaawe ma, sako niŋ n te baluwo to. 28 Ali ali la lasili ñaatonkoolu niŋ alifaalu bendi n ñaatiliŋo la, fo n si ñiŋ kumakaŋolu bee fo ì ye, saŋo niŋ bankoo ye ke ǹ teema seedoo ti. 29 Ŋa a loŋ ne ko, niŋ m faata, ali be kuu kuruŋolu le ke la, ali be ali koo dii la siloo la le, ŋa ali yaamari meŋ na. Waatoo be naa le, mantooroo be laa la ali kaŋ, kaatu ali be kuu jawoolu le ke la Yaawe ñaa koto. Ali kebaaroolu be a kamfandijawu la le.”
Musa la suukuwo
30 Bituŋ Musa naata suukuwo kumoolu bee karaŋ Banisirayila jamaa moolu ye fo a dandulaa to ko:
