These are the words that Moshe addressed to all of Yisroel across the Yardein; [as he had] in the wilderness— on the Arava plain facing Suf; [and as he had] between Poron and Tofel and Lovon and Chatzeiros and Di Zohov.

THESE are the words which Moshe spoke to all Yisra᾽el on the other side of the Yarden, in the wilderness over against Suf, between Paran, and Tofel, and Lavan, and Ḥażerot, and Di-zahav.

These are the words which Moses spoke [(Because they are words of reproof and he enumerated here all of the places where they angered the L-rd, he speaks only by way of allusion out of regard for the honor of Israel)] to all of Israel [(Had he spoken only to some of them, the others might have contended that were they there they could have countered the rebuke)] across the Jordan, concerning [their angering the L-rd in] the desert [(viz. Exodus 16:3)], concerning the plain [(their sinning through Ba'al Peor in Shittim, in the plains of Moav)], against Suf [i.e., concerning their rebelling against the L-rd at Suf (the Red Sea), (Exodus 14:11)], concerning [what they had done in the desert of] Paran [through the spies], and concerning [their] calumniating [the manna, saying that it was] white [i.e., "flimsy" (see Numbers 21:5)], and [concerning] Chatzeroth [the (encampment of the) Korach insurrection], and [concerning the golden calf that they made because of their] abundance of gold.

eleven days [traveling time] from Choreiv by the Mount Seir road, to Kadeish Barnei’a.

It is eleven days’ journey from Ḥorev by the way of mount Se῾ir to Qadesh-barnea.

[There is no shorter route from Chorev to Kadesh Barnea than that by way of Mount Seir, it taking] eleven days from Chorev by way of Mount Seir until Kadesh Barnea [and the L-rd, in His desire to hasten your entry into Eretz Yisrael, caused you to traverse it in three days; but because of your backsliding He led you around Mount Seir for forty years.]

[Beginning] in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, Moshe addressed Bnei Yisroel with every detail that Adonoy had commanded him [to say] to them.

And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moshe spoke to the children of Yisra᾽el, according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment to them;

And it was, in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the L-rd commanded him concerning them, [Moses reproving them only shortly before his death (taking Jacob as his precedent, who reproved his sons only shortly before his death)],

After he had smitten Sichon, King of the Emorites, who was living in Cheshbon; and Og, King of the Boshon, who was living in Ashtoros, in Edrei.

after he had slain Siĥon the king of the Emori, who dwelt in Ḥeshbon, and ῾Og the king of Bashan, who dwelt at ῾Ashtarot in Edre῾i:

[Moses reproving them only] after he had smitten Sichon, king of the Emori, [(reasoning that if he reproved them before entering (at least) part of the land they might regard the reproof as an excuse for his inability to take it)], who dwelt in Cheshbon ["a hard king living in a hard place" — in spite of which Moses defeated him!], and Og, the king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth [lit., "hardness" (again, "a hard king in a hard place")], in Edrei [(the name of the kingdom)].

Across the Yardein in the land of Moav, Moshe began to elucidate this Torah as follows:

beyond the Yarden, in the land of Mo᾽av, Moshe began to declare this Tora, saying,

Across the Jordan, in the land of Moav, Moses began to explain this Torah [in seventy languages], saying:

Adonoy, our God, addressed us at Choreiv, saying, ‘‘Enough of your living at this mountain!

The Lord our God spoke to us in Ḥorev, saying, You have dwelt long enough in this mountain:

The L-rd our G-d spoke to us in Chorev, saying: You have dwelt in this mountain long enough.

Turn and travel for yourselves and arrive at the Emorite hill [region] and at all its neighbors—on the plain, on the mountain, and in the lowland, and in the Negev, and on the seacoast; the land of the Canaanites and the Lebanon, up to the great river, the Euphrates River.

turn, and take your journey, and go to the mountain of the Emori, and to all the places near it, in the plain, in the hills, and in the lowland, and in the Negev, and by the sea side, to the land of the Kena῾ani, and the Levanon, as far as the great river, the river Perat.

Turn and journey [the way to Arad and Charmah] and come to the mountain of the Emori and to all of its neighbors [Ammon, Moav, and Mount Seir], in the plain [the forest plain], in the mountain [the "King's Mountain" (see Gittin 57a)], in the lowland [of the south], in the south and by the seacoast [Ashkelon, Azzah, Caesarea, etc.], the land of the Canaani and the Levanon, until the Great River, the Euphrates [(called the "Great River" because of its being mentioned in conjunction with Eretz Yisrael)].

See, I have set the land before you; come and inherit the land that Adonoy swore to your forefathers, to Avrohom, to Yitzchok, and to Yaakov, to give them and their descendants after them.’’

Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, Avraham, Yiżĥaq, and Ya῾aqov, to give to them and to their seed after them.

See, [with your own eyes], I have set the land before you. Come and possess the land [No one will contest your doing so; you will need no recourse to war (Had they not sent the spies, they would not have needed weapons)], which the L-rd swore to your fathers: to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [(Each was worthy of it in himself)], to give to them and to their seed after them.

I said to you at that time saying, ‘‘I cannot carry you by myself.

And I spoke to you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:

And I said to you at that time, saying [at the behest of the L-rd]: I shall not be able to bear you [i.e., to judge you] alone,

Adonoy, your God, has multiplied you, and you are today as numerous the stars in the sky.

the Lord your God has multiplied you, and, behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven for multitude.

[For] the L-rd your G-d has elevated you [over your judges (making them accountable for the punishment they impose upon you)], and, behold, you are [like] the day, [i.e., enduring forever like the sun and the constellations], like the stars of the heavens in multitude.

Adonoy, God of your forefathers, will add to you one thousandfold, and will bless you as He spoke about you.

(The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as you are, and bless you, as he has promised you!)

May the L-rd, the G-d of your fathers, add to you, such as you, a thousand times! [(At this point, Israel objects: "Would you limit our blessing when the L-rd has blessed us boundlessly (Genesis 13:16)!" Moses replies: "That was my blessing")], and let Him bless you [boundlessly] as He spoke to you!

How can I carry alone your troublesomeness, your burdensomeness, and your contentiousness ?

How can I myself alone bear your care, and your burden, and your strife?

How can I bear alone [see 9] your contentiousness, your heresy [against your judges], and your caviling!

Provide yourselves men, wise and understanding and renowned to your tribes, and I will designate them your leaders.’’

Take wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.

Ready yourselves (to appoint) [upright, desirable] men: wise, understanding [one thing from another], and known [i.e., familiar to you] among your tribes, and I shall set them at your heads [to be honored, respected, and feared by you.]

You replied to me and said, ‘‘[It is a] good thing that you said to do.’’

And you answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.

And you answered me, and you said: Good is the thing that you have spoken to do [(for if we have many judges, we can use a gift to "get on the good side" of those who don't know us!) — this, instead of beseeching me to judge you!]

I took the leaders of your tribes, men wise and renowned, and designated them leaders over you: masters of thousands and masters of hundreds, and masters of fifties and masters of tens, and court officers for your tribes.

So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.

And I "took" [with words of suasion] the heads of your tribes, men, wise and known [(but I could not find "understanding" ones)], and I made them heads over you [that you honor them and give them precedence in all matters]: officers of thousands, [one for a thousand], officers of hundreds, [one for a hundred], officers of fifties, and officers of tens, and [I appointed] bailiffs [over you, to enforce the decisions of the judges] for your tribes.

I commanded your judges at that time, to say, ‘‘Listen between your brothers and you are to judge right between a man and his brother and between his complainant.

And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.

And I charged your judges [to be deliberate in judgment (regardless of how many times an identical case comes up before them)] at that time, [impressing upon them that they were no longer "free agents," but subservient to the public]: Hear among your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother and his opponent.

Do not show favor in judgement; small and great alike will you hear out; do not fear any man; for justice belongs to God. And the matter that will be too difficult for you, present to me and I will hear it.’’

Do not respect persons in judgment; but hear the small as well as the great; do not be afraid of the face of any man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it to me, and I will hear it.

Do not play favorites in judgment [i.e., in appointing judges]. You shall hear [i.e., you shall attach as much importance to] a small [case] as [to] a large one. Do not fear any man, for the judgment is G-d's [(You "burden" Him with returning what you take from one unlawfully in judgment.)] And the thing that is too difficult for you, you shall bring near to me and I shall hear it [(— for which "presumptuousness" the judgment in the instance of the daughters of Tzelafchad (Numbers 27:5) evaded Moses)].

I commanded you at that time all the things that you are to do.

And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.

And I charged you at that time with all the things that you shall do [(regarding the ten differences between monetary and capital litigations (see Sanhedrin 32a)].

We traveled from Choreiv and walked the entire great wilderness, that awesome one that you saw, in the direction of the Emorite hill [region] as Adonoy, our God, commanded us; and we arrived at Kadeish Barnei’a.

And when we departed from Ḥorev, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which you saw; by the way of the mountain of the Emori, as the Lord our God commanded us; and we came to Qadesh-barnea.

And we journeyed from Chorev and we went through all the great and fearful desert [(containing gigantic snakes and scorpions)] that you saw, by way of the mountain of the Emori, as the L-rd our G-d commanded us, and we came to Kadesh Barnea.

I said to you, ‘‘You have arrived at the Emorite hill [region] that Adonoy, our God, is giving us.

And I said to you, You are come to the mountain of the Emori, which the Lord our God gives to us.

And I said to you: You have come to the mountain of the Emori, which the L-rd our G-d gives to us.

See! Adonoy, our God, has set the land before you. Go up, inherit [it] as promised by Adonoy, the God of your forefathers, about you; do not fear and do not tremble.’’

Behold, the Lord thy God has set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers has said to thee; fear not, nor be discouraged.

See, the L-rd your G-d has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the L-rd, the G-d of your fathers, has spoken to you. Do not fear and do not be broken.

You approached me, all of you, and said, ‘‘Let us send men ahead of us to spy out the land for us, and let them bring back word to us: the route we are to go up on and the cities we will be coming to.’’

And you came near to me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us back word by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

And all of you drew near to me ["promiscuously" (as opposed to (5:20): "And you approached me [deferentially], all the heads of your tribes and your elders, etc.")], and you said: Let us send out men before us and let them spy out the land for us. And let them return to us word [concerning the languages that they speak], the [straightest] way by which we should go up, and the cities to which we will come [first, to conquer].

The idea pleased me, so I took from you twelve men, one man per tribe.

And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one for a tribe:

And the thing was good in my eyes [i.e., I acceded to your request in the hope that my doing so would enhearten you to waive the sending of the spies — but it did not], and I took of you [(from the most select of you)] twelve men, one man to a tribe [(the tribe of Levi not being with them)].

They turned and went uphill and arrived at Wadi Eshkol, and they spied it out.

and they turned and went up to the mountain, and came to the wadi of Eshkol, and searched it out.

And they turned and they went up to the mountain, and they came to the river-bed of Eshkol [so called by reason of the cluster (eshkol) of grapes they were to take from there], and they spied it out, [traversing its boundaries, length and width (see Numbers 13:21)].

They took in their hand some fruit of the land and brought [it] down to us. They brought back word to us and said, ‘‘Good is the land that Adonoy, our God, is giving us.’’

And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down to us, and brought us back word, and said, It is a good land which the Lord our God gives us.

And they took in their hand from the fruit of the land and they brought it down to us [(whence it is seen that Eretz Yisrael is higher than all of the other lands)], and they returned word to us, and they [Joshua and Calev] said: Good is the land that the L-rd our G-d gives us.

But you were unwilling to go up, and you defied Adonoy, your God.

Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God:

And you did not desire to go up, and you opposed the word of the L-rd your G-d.

You grumbled in your tents and said, ‘‘Because of Adonoy’s hatred of us, He took us out of the land of Egypt to put us in the hand of the Emorite to destroy us.

and you murmured in your tents, and said, Because the Lord hated us, he has brought us forth out of the land of Miżrayim, to deliver us into the hand of the Emori, to destroy us.

And you caviled in your tents, and you said: In the L-rd's hatred of us [("As you are disposed to another, you think he is disposed to you!")] He took us out of the land of Egypt [(from a fertile land to an arid land)] to deliver us into the hands of the Emori to destroy us.

Where are we going up to? Our brothers have shattered our hopes by saying, ‘A people greater and more powerful than we, cities great and fortified sky-high, and also descendants of the Anakim—did we see there.’’’

Whither shall we go up? our brethren have made our heart faint, saying, The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the ῾Anaqim there.

Whither are we going up? Our brothers have melted our hearts, saying: A people greater and higher than we; cities great and fortified in heaven [(Scripture speaks hyperbolically here)], and also giants did we see there.

I said to you, ‘‘Do not crumble and do not fear them.

Then I said to you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

And I said to them: Do not break and do not fear them.

Adonoy, your God, who goes before you, He will wage war for you, as in everything that He did with you in Egypt before your eyes;

The Lord your God who goes before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Miżrayim before your eyes;

The L-rd your G-d who goes before you — He will war for you, as all that He did with you in Egypt before your eyes.

and in the wilderness, as you have seen, (where) Adonoy, your God, carried you the way a man carries his son all along the road you went until you arrived at this place.

and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bore thee, as a man bears his son, in all the way that you went, until you came to this place.

And [as all that He did with you] in the desert, where you saw how the L-rd your G-d bore you, as a man bears his son [(see Exodus 14:19-20)], in all the way that you went until you came to this place.

Yet in this matter, you do not trust Adonoy, your God,

Yet in this thing you did not believe the Lord your God,

And in this thing [that He promises to bring you to the land] you do not believe in the L-rd your G-d!

Who has been going ahead of you on the road to seek for you a place to encamp; with the fire at night to show you the way for you to go on, and with the cloud by day.

who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way you should go, and in a cloud by day.

Who goes before you on the way, to seek out for you a place for your encampment — in fire by night to show you the way wherein you should go, and in cloud by day!

Adonoy heard the intent of your words and angrily swore, to say:

And the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was angry, and swore, saying,

And the L-rd heard the voice of your words and He was wroth, and He swore, saying:

‘‘That [no] man will see—of these men, this wicked generation—the good land that I swore to give to your forefathers.

Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land, which I swore to give to your fathers,

No man of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land that I swore to give to their forefathers.

Except for Koleiv ben Yefuneh, who will see it, and to whom I will give the land that he trod upon and to his sons, because he perfected himself in fear of Adonoy.’’

save Kalev the son of Yefunne; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he has trodden upon, and to his children, because he has wholly followed the Lord.

Except Calev the son of Yefuneh — he shall see it, and to him shall I give the land whereon he trod [i.e., Chevron (see Numbers 13:22)], and to his sons, because he filled [his heart to follow] after the L-rd.

Also at me was Adonoy angry because of you, to say, ‘‘You, too, will not arrive there.

Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in there.

Against me, too, was the L-rd wroth because of you, saying: You, too, shall not come there.

Yehoshua son of Nun, who attends you, he will arrive there. Encourage him, for he will apportion it to Yisroel.

But Yehoshua the son of Nun, who stands before thee, he shall go in there: encourage him: for he shall cause Yisra᾽el to inherit it.

Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you — he shall come there; him shall you strengthen, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

As to your infants, about whom you said, ‘They will become spoils,’ and your children who cannot distinguish today good from evil, they will arrive there; and to them will I give it and they will inherit it.

And your little ones, concerning whom you said they should be a prey, and your children who in that day had no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there, and to them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

And your little ones, of whom you said that they would fall spoil, and your sons, who do not know this day good and evil — they will come there and to them will I give it, and they will inherit it.

As for you, turn yourselves [around], and travel into the wilderness by the Yam Suf road.’’

But as for you, turn, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Suf.

And you, turn you back, [instead of going directly north through the land of Edom as originally intended] and go through the desert in the direction of the Red Sea, [to the point of the exodus from Egypt, in the southwest corner (for the desert in which they were traveling was south of Mount Seir, between the Red Sea and Mount Seir. Now they were told to go back to the sea and to travel all around the south of Mount Seir from west to east.)]

You replied and said to me, ‘‘We have sinned to Adonoy. We will go up and wage war in [fulfillment of] all that Adonoy, our God commanded us.’’ And each of you girded his weapons, and you got ready to go up the mountain.

Then you answered and said to me, We have sinned against the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us. And you girded on every man his weapons of war, and ventured to go up into the hill.

And you answered and you said to me: We have sinned to the L-rd. We shall go up and do battle according to all that the L-rd our G-d commanded us, and you girded, each, his weapons of war, and you readied yourselves to go up to the mountain.

Adonoy said to me, ‘‘Say to them, ‘Do not go up and do not wage war, for I am not in your midst; so that you will not be shattered by your enemies.’’’

And the Lord said to me, Say to them, Neither go up, nor fight; for I am not among you; lest you be smitten before your enemies.

And the L-rd said to me: Say to them: Do not go up and do not do battle, for I am not in your midst, and do not be smitten before your foes.

I told you, but you did not obey. You defied Adonoy, and deliberately went up the hill.

So I spoke to you; and you would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, and went presumptuously up into the hill.

And I spoke to you, but you did not hearken. And you opposed the word of the L-rd, and you ventured, and you went up to the mountain.

The Emorites came out—those who live in those hills—toward you, and chased you as the bees do; and they crushed you in Se’ir till Chorma.

And the Emori, who dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down in Se῾ir, as far as Ḥorma.

And the Emori went out, who dwelt in that mountain, against you, and they pursued you, as the bees do [(dying when they smote you, just as a bee dies when it stings)], and they smote you from Seir until Charmah.

You returned and wept before Adonoy, but Adonoy did not accept your prayer; He paid no attention to you.

And you returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear to you.

And you turned back and you cried before the L-rd; but the L-rd [Yod-Keh-Vav-Keh, the attribute of mercy] did not heed your voice [(You transformed, as it were, His attribute of mercy to one of cruelty)], and He did not give ear to you.

You lived in Kodeish many years, like the years you lived [elsewhere].

So you abode in Qadesh many days, according to the days that you abode there.

And you abode in Kadesh many days (i.e., years), as the days that you abode [in all the other places (Israel wandering aimlessly in the desert for nineteen years before returning to Kadesh)].