1. These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan River, in the desert, on the plain across from Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. (
2. It is eleven days from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea along the Mount Seir route.)
3. It was in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, that Moses spoke to the Israelites precisely what the Lord had commanded him for them. (
4. This was after the defeat of Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon, and Og, Bashan’s king, who ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei.)
5. Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this Instruction. He said the following:
6. At Horeb, the Lord our God told us: You’ve been at this mountain long enough.
7. Get going! Enter the hills of the Amorites and the surrounding areas in the desert, the highlands, the lowlands, the arid southern region, and the seacoast—the land of the Canaanites—and the Lebanon range, all the way to the great Euphrates River.
8. Look, I have laid the land before you. Go and possess the land that I promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as to their descendants after them.
9. At that same time, I told you: I can’t handle all of you by myself.
10. The Lord your God has multiplied your number—you are now as countless as the stars in the sky.
11. May the Lord, your ancestors’ God, continue to multiply you—a thousand times more! And may God bless you, just as he promised.
12. But how can I handle all your troubles, burdens, and disputes by myself?
13. Now, for each of your tribes, choose wise, discerning, and well-regarded individuals. I will appoint them as your leaders.
14. You answered me: "What you have proposed is a good idea."
15. So I took leading individuals from your tribes, people who were wise and well-regarded, and I set them up as your leaders. There were commanders over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, as well as officials for each of your tribes.
16. At that same time, I commanded your judges: Listen to your fellow tribe members and judge fairly, whether the dispute is between one fellow tribe member or between a tribe member and an immigrant.
17. Don’t show favoritism in a decision. Hear both sides out, whether the person is important or not. Don’t be afraid of anyone because the ruling belongs to God. Any dispute that is too difficult for you to decide, bring to me and I will take care of it.
18. So at that time, I commanded you concerning everything you were to do.
19. We left Horeb and journeyed through that vast and terrifying desert you saw, on the way to the hills of the Amorites, exactly as the Lord our God commanded us. Then we arrived at Kadesh-barnea.