📖 Deuteronomy — Chapter 31 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Deuteronomy 31:1 And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.
Deuteronomy 31:2 And he said unto them, RI am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
Deuteronomy 31:3 The LORD Rthy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
Deuteronomy 31:4 And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
Deuteronomy 31:5 RAnd the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.
Deuteronomy 31:6 RBe strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deuteronomy 31:7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, RBe strong and of a 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.
Deuteronomy 31:8 And the LORD, Rhe it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Deuteronomy 31:9 And RMoses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.
Deuteronomy 31:10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
Deuteronomy 31:11 When all Israel is come Rto appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
Deuteronomy 31:12 RGather the people together, men and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy 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:
Deuteronomy 31:13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
Deuteronomy 31:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach Rthat thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.
Deuteronomy 31:15 And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.
Deuteronomy 31:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, Rthou shalt Tsleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
Deuteronomy 31:17 Then Rmy 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 Tbefall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?
Deuteronomy 31:18 And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
Deuteronomy 31:19 Now therefore write ye this song for you, Rand teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.
Deuteronomy 31:20 For Rwhen I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
Deuteronomy 31:21 And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify Tagainst them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for RI know their imagination which they Tgo about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.
Deuteronomy 31:22 Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
Deuteronomy 31:23 And Rhe gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.
Deuteronomy 31:24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of Rwriting the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
Deuteronomy 31:25 That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,
Deuteronomy 31:26 Take this book of the law, and put it Rin the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
Deuteronomy 31:27 For RI know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?
Deuteronomy 31:28 RGather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.
Deuteronomy 31:29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly Rcorrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
Deuteronomy 31:30 And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Deuteronomy 31:1–8 — Joshua and the LORD's presence
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Moses announces that he will not cross Jordan and charges Joshua to lead the people. Courage rests on the LORD's continuing presence.
Key Truth: The change of human leadership does not remove God's presence.
Check What You Remember
1. How old was Moses? (Deuteronomy 31:2)
Find it in Deuteronomy 31:2 (KJV).
2. Who would go over before the people as their leader? (Deuteronomy 31:3)
Find it in Deuteronomy 31:3 (KJV).
3. What two qualities were Joshua told to have? (Deuteronomy 31:7)
Find it in Deuteronomy 31:7 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Deuteronomy 31:9–21 — The law read and a song given
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Moses delivers the law to the priests and elders for public reading. The LORD also provides a song as a witness because he knows the danger of Israel's future unfaithfulness.
Key Truth: The community must hear God's instruction, including children and strangers.
Check What You Remember
1. Every how many years was the law to be read at the stated gathering? (Deuteronomy 31:10)
Find it in Deuteronomy 31:10 (KJV).
2. At what feast was this reading appointed? (Deuteronomy 31:10)
Find it in Deuteronomy 31:10 (KJV).
3. Who was included in the gathering along with men and women? (Deuteronomy 31:12)
Find it in Deuteronomy 31:12 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Deuteronomy 31:22–30 — The written law and the song's witness
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Moses writes the song, completes the book of the law, and orders its placement beside the ark. Leaders and the whole congregation hear the warning and the song.
Key Truth: Written instruction and public teaching preserve a witness for later generations.
Check What You Remember
1. Who was told to be strong because he would lead Israel into the land? (Deuteronomy 31:23)
Find it in Deuteronomy 31:23 (KJV).
2. Beside what was the book of the law to be placed? (Deuteronomy 31:26)
Find it in Deuteronomy 31:26 (KJV).
3. To whom did Moses speak the words of the song? (Deuteronomy 31:30)
Find it in Deuteronomy 31:30 (KJV).
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. What makes the call to courage more than confidence in Joshua alone?
2. Why are children and strangers included in the seven-year reading?
3. Why must the song be taught and put in Israel’s mouths?
4. How does the completed book of the law also function as a witness?
5. What contrast explains Moses’ warning about after his death?
Notes
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