18. The LORD said to Moses, "Take JOSHUA the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.

19. Set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and commission him in their sight.

20. You shall give authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may obey.

21. He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before The LORD. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation."

22. Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took JOSHUA, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation.

23. He laid his hands on him, and commissioned him, as the LORD spoke by Moses.

JOSHUA the son of Nun, who stands before you, shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

But commission JOSHUA, and encourage him, and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you shall see."

3. The LORD your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. JOSHUA will go over before you, as the LORD has spoken.

4. The LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land; whom he destroyed.

5. The LORD will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.

6. Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid or scared of them; for the LORD your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you."

7. Moses called to JOSHUA, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it.

8. The LORD himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Don't be afraid. Don't be discouraged."

9. Moses wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of The LORD's covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.

10. Moses commanded them, saying, "At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of tents,

11. when all Israel has come to appear before the LORD your God in the place which he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

12. Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and the foreigners who are within your gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law;

13. and that their children, who have not known, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land where you go over the Jordan to possess it."

14. The LORD said to Moses, "Behold, your days approach that you must die. Call JOSHUA, and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, that I may commission him."Moses and JOSHUA went, and presented themselves in the Tent of Meeting.

15. The LORD appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the Tent's door.

16. The LORD said to Moses, "Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up, and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land, where they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

17. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, 'Haven't these evils come on us because our God is not among us?'

18. I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.

19. "Now therefore write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

20. For when I have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat; then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.

21. It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore."

22. So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.

23. He commissioned JOSHUA the son of Nun, and said, "Be strong and courageous; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them. I will be with you."

JOSHUA the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands on him. The children of Israel listened to him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.