CHAP. IX.

A REHEARSAL of Israel's REBELLIONS.

HEARKEN, O Israel; thou art now about to go over Jordan, to inherit the possessions of nations greater and mightier than myself, and cities great, and walled very high: 2. The people are great and tall, the progeny of the Anakims, of whom thou knowest, and hast heard it said, Who can stand before them. 3. Consider, therefore, this day, that the Eternal thy God goeth before thee, as a consuming fire, to destroy them-thus shalt thou drive them out quickly, as the Eternal said to thee.

4. Say not in thine heart, after the Eternal thy God has cast them out before thee, for my righteousness the Eternal hath given me this land; but for these nations' wickedness, the Eternal drives them out before thee, 5. To perform his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and not for thy righte ousness, nor integrity of heart, 6. For thou art a stubborn people.

7. Remember always, how thou provokedst the Eternal thy God in the wilderness; from thy departure from Egypt, till now, ye have been rebellious against bim. 8. In Horeb-Sinai also, ye provoked him; so that he was ready to destroy you.

9. When I ascended the mount to receive the ten commands, written on two tables of stone, the tables of the covenant which the Eternal made with you, I abode on it forty days and forty nights, without eating or drinking. 10. Then the Eternal delivered to me the two tables, written with the finger of God, containing all the words the Eternal spake to you out of the midst of the lightning on the mount, when ye were assembled there.

11. At the end of forty days, the Eternal gave me the tables, 12. And said to me, Go down quickly from hence; for thy people thou broughtest from

Egypt, have corrupted themselves, and quickly gone astray from the way of my commands; and made to themselves a molten image.

13. The Eternal also said to me, I have beheld this people, and lo, it is a stubborn people. 14. Suffer me to destroy them, with their memorial, from off the earth; and I will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than them.

15. Then 1 descended from the mount, (which still burned with fire), having the two tables in my two hands. 16. And I beheld that ye had sinned against the Eternal your God, in forsaking the way of his commands, and making a molten calf. 17. And I cast the tables out of my hands, and broke them before your eyes. 18. And I prostrated myself before the Eternal (for fasting and prayer), as before, without eating or drinking; because of all your sins and wickedness against him, to provoke him to anger. 19. For I was afraid of the Eternal's wrath against you to destroy you; but he was entreated by me at that time also.

20. The Eternal was very angry with Aaron also, to have destroyed him; and I prayed for him at the

same time.

21. And I took your sinful work, the golden calf ye made, and melted it, and reduced it to a small dust, which I cast into the brook that sprung out of the mount.

22. And at Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibrothhattaavah, ye provoked the Eternal to anger.

23. Likewise when he sent you from Kadeshbarnea, saying, Go and possess the land which I give you, ye rebelled against his command; ye distrusted him, and obeyed not his voice. 24. Ye have been rebellious against him ever since I knew you. 25. Therefore I prostrated myself before him forty days and forty nights, as before, because he was about to destroy you. 26. And I prayed, saying, O Eternal God, destroy not thy peculiar people,

whom thou hast delivered from Egyptian bondage, with great power. 27. Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and look not on this peoples' stubborness, nor their wickedness, nor sin; 28. Lest the land whence thou broughtest us say, Because the Eternal was not able to bring them to the land he promised them; or, Because he hated them, he brought them into the wilderness to slay them. 29. Yet they are the people of thine inheritance, whom thou deliveredst from Egypt, by a great display of thy mighty power.

CHAP. X.

GOD'S MERCY IN RESTORING THE TWO Tables.

AFTER this, the Eternal said to me, Hew two tables of stone like the first, and ascend the mount to me; 2. And I will write on them the words that were on the first, which thou brakest; and cause a wooden chest be made for them, and put them in it.

3. So I caused make an ark of Shittim wood, and hewed two tables like the first, and ascended the mount with them in mine hand. 4. And he wrote on them the ten commands, as at the first, which he spake to you, out of the midst of the fire on the mount, when ye assembled there; and he gave them to me. 5. Then I descended from the mount, and put the tables in the ark, where they continue; as the Eternal commanded.

6. And the Israelites journeyed from the wells of the Jaakanites to Mount Hor, where Aaron died, and was buried; and Eleazar his son executed the priesthood in his stead. 7. From whence they journeyed to Gudgodah: and from thence to Jotbath, a land of rivers. Numb. xxxiii.

8. Then the Eternal separated Levi's tribe to bear the ark of the covenant, and minister in holy things, and to bless the people in his name, as at this day. 9. Wherefore Levi hath no share of in

heritance among his brethren; the Eternal is his inheritance, as he promised to him.

10. I had staid on the mount forty days and forty nights, as before; and the Eternal was entreated by me not to destroy thee.

11. And he said to me, Go lead the people to the land which I promised to their fathers to give them.

13. And now, O Israel, what doth the Eternal thy God require of thee, but to fear him, and love him, keeping all his commands and statutes, serving him with all thy heart, and all thy soul; 13. As thou art commanded for thy good.

14. Behold the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, belongs to the Eternal thy God. 15. Yet he delighted to love thy fathers, so as to prefer you, their offspring, above all people, as at this day.

16. Circumcise, therefore, the foreskins of your hearts (i. e. love and obey him), and be no more stiff-necked: 17. For the Eternal your God, is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, mighty and terrible, who respects not persons; nor can bribes pervert his justice, 18. Which he exerciseth in behalf of the widow and fatherless, and shews kindness to strangers, giving them food and raiment.

19. Love ye the stranger, for ye were strangers in Egypt.

20. Thou shalt fear and serve the Eternal thy God, and cleave to him, and solemnly call on his name. 21. He is thy God, and the subject of thy praise; he hath done great and terrible things for thee, as thine eyes have seen.

22. Thy fathers went down to Egypt with seventy persons; and now the Eternal thy God hath made thee a great nation.

CHAP. XI.

AN EXHORTATION TÓ OBEDIENCE.

THEREFORE thou shalt love the Eternal thy God,

and carefully observe all his commands, statutes, and judgements, always. 2. And shew thereby that ye know them: for I address not your children, who have not seen and known the discipline of the Eternal your God, his great and mighty power display ed; 3. His miracles, and mighty acts in Egypt, on Pharaoh the king, and all the land, 4. On their ar my, the horses and chariots, in making the waters of the Weedy Sea overflow and destroy them, when they pursued you; 5. And what he did to you in the wilderness, till ye came to this place; 6. And what he did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, Reuben's son; how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up alive, with their household and tents, and all their substance, in the midst of all Israel. 7. Your eyes have seen all these mighty acts.

8. Therefore shall ye keep all the commands I give you this day, that ye may be able to go and possess the land promised you; 9. And that ye may prolong your days in that land which flows with milk and honey, which the Eternal promised to yout fathers to give their seed.

10. It is not like the land of Egypt, whence thou camest, where thou wateredst thy seed sown thyself, as a garden; 21. But it hath both hills and valleys, and is watered by rain from heaven. 12. It is under the peculiar care of Providence all the year.

13. If you diligently observe all the commands I give you this day, to love and serve the Eternal your God with all your heart and soul, 14. Ye shall have rain on your land in the due seasons, the former (in October,) and the latter (in March); that thou mayest have corn, wine, and oil; 15. And grass in thy fields for thy cattle; that thou mayest be satisfied. 16. But beware, lest your heart be deceived to forsake the Eternal, and worship other gods. 17. And his wrath be kindled against you, to shut up heaven from raining; so that the land produce no fruit, and