good land which he giveth thee. For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey; a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig copper. Beware lest, when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God. When therefore thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and dwellest therein, thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the land, and thou shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the Lord, that I am come unto the land which the Lord promised unto our fathers to give us. And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God. Then shalt thou answer and say before the Lord thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father; and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: and we cried unto the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression; and the Lord brought us forth. out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm; and he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people, and the land which thou hast given us. So shalt thou bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee, and worship before the Lord thy God. DEUTERONOMY XXVIII, XXIX, XXX Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God; your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, your little ones, your wives, and the stranger that is within thy gates; that thou mayest enter into the covenant of the Lord thy God, that he may establish thee this day for a people unto himself. Beware lest there be any man or woman among you whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God; and he say within himself, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my wicked heart. For if ye will not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep this covenant and to observe to do all his commandments, ye shall find no ease, neither rest; but ye shall have a trembling heart, and pining of soul; and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear night and day, and shalt have none assurance of thy life. In the morning thou shalt say, Would it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. But if thou shalt cleave unto these statutes and keep this covenant, then shall the Lord thy God. open unto thee his good treasure, and shall make thee plenteous in every good work, and shall rejoice over thee for good: if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep this covenant and this commandment, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul. For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thine heart, that thou mayest do it. See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, and to walk in his ways. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy children; to love the Lord thy God, to obey his voice, and to cleave unto him; for this is thy life, and the length of thy days. DEUTERONOMY XXXI Numbers xxvii. Joshua i And Moses prayed unto the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and who may lead them; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd. And the Lord said, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; and set him before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him; and he called unto him Joshua, and set him before all the congregation, and laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge. And Moses said unto Joshua in the sight of all the congregation: Be strong and of good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither will he forsake thee. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and shalt have good success. Be strong and of good courage; fear not, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. DEUTERONOMY XXXIII And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said: There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun for help, Who rideth upon the heavens, And in his majesty on the skies. The eternal God is thy refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms. Happy art thou, O Israel! Who is like unto thee, a people saved by the Lord, Who also is the shield of thy help, And the sword of thine excellency! Thou shalt be shod with iron and brass; DEUTERONOMY XXXII, XXXIV And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, Get thee up into this mountain |