Deuteronomy 31:1–11

Joshua Becomes Moses’ Successor

31Moses continued speaking to the people of Israel, ^2*and said, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and am no longer able to be your leader. And besides this, the Lord has told me that I will not cross the Jordan. ³The Lord your God himself will go before you and destroy the nations living there, so that you can occupy their land; and Joshua will be your leader, as the Lord has said. ^4*The Lord will destroy those people, just as he defeated Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites, and destroyed their country. ⁵The Lord will give you victory over them, and you are to treat them exactly as I have told you. ⁶Be determined and confident. Do not be afraid of them. Your God, the Lord himself, will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.”

⁷Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the presence of all the people of Israel, “Be determined and confident; you are the one who will lead these people to occupy the land that the Lord promised to their ancestors. ^8*The Lord himself will lead you and be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you, so do not lose courage or be afraid.”

The Law is to Be Read Every Seven Years

⁹So Moses wrote down God’s Law and gave it to the levitical priests, who were in charge of the Lord’s Covenant Box, and to the leaders of Israel. ^10*He commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, when the year that debts are cancelled comes round, read this aloud at the Festival of Shelters. ¹¹Read it to the people of Israel when they come to worship the Lord your God at the one place of worship.