The Wilderness Years

These bee the wordes which Moses spake vnto all Israel, on this side Iorden in the wildernesse, in the plaine, ouer against the red Sea, betweene Paran and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab.

There are eleuen dayes iourney from Horeb vnto Kadesh-barnea, by the way of mout Seir.

And it came to passe in the first day of the eleuenth moneth, in the fourtieth yeere that Moses spake vnto the children of Israel according vnto all that the Lord had giuen him in commandement vnto them,

After that he had slaine Sihon the king of the Amorites which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, which dwelt at Ashtaroth in Edrei.

On this side Iorden in the lande of Moab began Moses to declare this lawe, saying,

The Lord our God spake vnto vs in Horeb, saying, Ye haue dwelt long ynough in this mount,

Turne you and depart, and goe vnto the mountaine of the Amorites, and vnto all places neere thereunto in the plaine, in the mountaine, or in the valley: both Southwarde, and to the Sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and vnto Lebanon: euen vnto the great riuer, the riuer Perath.

Beholde, I haue set the land before you: go in and possesse that land which the Lord sware vnto your fathers, Abraham, Izhak, and Iaakob, to giue vnto them and to their seede after them.

And I spake vnto you the same time, saying, I am not able to beare you my selfe alone:

The Lord your God hath multiplied you: and beholde, ye are this day as the starres of heauen in nomber:

(The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many moe as ye are, and blesse you, as he hath promised you)

Howe can I alone beare your combrance and your charge, and your strife?

Bring you men of wisedome and of vnderstanding, and knowen among your tribes, and I will make them rulers ouer you:

Then ye answered me and said, The thing is good that thou hast commanded vs to doe.

So I tooke the chiefe of your tribes wise and knowen men, and made them rulers ouer you, captaines ouer thousands, and captaines ouer hundreds, and captaines ouer fiftie, and captaines ouer tenne, and officers among your tribes.

And I charged your iudges that same time, saying, Heare the controuersies betweene your brethren, and iudge righteously betweene euery man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.

Ye shall haue no respect of person in iudgement, but shall heare the small aswell as the great: yee shall not feare the face of man: for the iudgement is Gods: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring vnto me, and I will heare it.

Also I commanded you the same time all the things which ye should doe.

Then we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wildernesse (as yee haue seene) by the way of the mountaine of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded vs: and we came to Kadesh-barnea.

And I saide vnto you, Yee are come vnto the mountaine of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doeth giue vnto vs.

Beholde, the Lord thy God hath layde the land before thee: go vp and possesse it, as the Lord the God of thy fathers hath saide vnto thee: feare not, neither be discouraged.

Then ye came vnto me euery one, and said, We wil send men before vs, to search vs out the land and to bring vs word againe, what way we must go vp by, and vnto what cities we shall come.

So the saying pleased me well, and I tooke twelue men of you, of euery tribe one.

Who departed, and went vp into the mountaine, and came vnto the riuer Eshcol, and searched out the land.

And tooke of the fruite of the land in their hands, and brought it vnto vs, and brought vs worde againe, and sayd, It is a good land, which the Lord our God doeth giue vs.