text taken from https://www.sefaria.org/
דברים
Metsudah Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009
Deuteronomy

Chapter 1

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.
eleven days [traveling time] from Choreiv by the Mount Seir road, to Kadeish Barnei’a.
[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.
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.
Across the Yardein in the land of Moav, Moshe began to elucidate this Torah as follows:
Adonoy, our God, addressed us at Choreiv, saying, ‘‘Enough of your living at this mountain!
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.
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.’’
I said to you at that time saying, ‘‘I cannot carry you by myself.
Adonoy, your God, has multiplied you, and you are today as numerous the stars in the sky.
Adonoy, God of your forefathers, will add to you one thousandfold, and will bless you as He spoke about you.
How can I carry alone your troublesomeness, your burdensomeness, and your contentiousness?
Provide yourselves men, wise and understanding and renowned to your tribes, and I will designate them your leaders.’’
You replied to me and said, ‘‘[It is a] good thing that you said to do.’’
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.
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.
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.’’
I commanded you at that time all the things that you are to do.
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.
I said to you, ‘‘You have arrived at the Emorite hill [region] that Adonoy, our God, is giving 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.’’
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.’’
The idea pleased me, so I took from you twelve men, one man per tribe.
They turned and went uphill and arrived at Wadi Eshkol, and they spied it out.
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.’’
But you were unwilling to go up, and you defied Adonoy, your God.
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.
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.’’’
I said to you, ‘‘Do not crumble 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;
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.
Yet in this matter, you do not trust Adonoy, your God,
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.
Adonoy heard the intent of your words and angrily swore, to say:
‘‘That [no] man will see—of these men, this wicked generation—the good land that I swore to give to your 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.’’
Also at me was Adonoy angry because of you, to say, ‘‘You, too, will not arrive there.
Yehoshua son of Nun, who attends you, he will arrive there. Encourage him, for he will apportion it to Yisroel.
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.
As for you, turn yourselves [around], and travel into the wilderness by the Yam Suf road.’’
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.
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.’’’
I told you, but you did not obey. You defied Adonoy, and deliberately went up the hill.
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.
You returned and wept before Adonoy, but Adonoy did not accept your prayer; He paid no attention to you.
You lived in Kodeish many years, like the years you lived [elsewhere].

Chapter 2

We turned and traveled into the wilderness by way of the Reed Sea [route] as Adonoy had told me, and we circled Mount Seir a long time.
Adonoy said to me to say,
‘‘Enough of you circling this mountain! Turn yourselves northward.
And command the people as follows, ‘‘You are crossing into the border of your brothers, the descendants of Eisov who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must be extrememly cautious.
Do not incite them. For I will not give you of their land as much as a footstep, because for Eisov’s inheritance have I designated Mount Seir.
Food are you to buy from them with money and eat [it]; also water are you to purchase from them with money and drink [it.]
For Adonoy, your God, has blessed you in all your handiwork; He has been intimately concerned with your traversing this great wilderness. It is now forty years [that] Adonoy, your God, is accompanying you; you have lacked nothing.’’
We passed over from our brothers, the descendants of Eisov, who live in Seir, from the Arava road, from Eilas and from Etzyon-Gover. We turned and passed over by way of the wilderness of Moav.
Adonoy said to me, ‘‘Do not besiege Moav and do not intimidate them with war. For I will not give you [any] of his land as inheritance, for to Lot’s descendants have I given Or as inheritance.
The Eimim originally lived there—a people great and numerous and powerful like the Anokim.
They, too, were considered Refaim like the Anokim; the Moabites called them Eimim.
And in Seir lived the Chorim originally, but the descendants of Eisov inherited them and drove them out [to make room] for themselves and settled in their stead, as Yisroel will have done to the land of its inheritance that Adonoy has given them.
Now, arise and cross for yourselves Wadi Zered.’’ And we crossed Wadi Zered.
The time that [it took] us to go from Kadeish Barnei’a until we crossed Wadi Zered was thirty-eight years, until the end of the entire generation, the men of war, from within the camp, as Adonoy had sworn about them.
Adonoy’s plague, too, attacked them to rout them from within the camp, until their end.
When they had finished—all the men of war—to die out from among the people;
Adonoy addressed me, to say,
‘‘You are today crossing the border of Moav—at ‘Or.
When you approach [the area] facing the descendants of Ammon, do not besiege them and do not intimidate them, for I will not give you of the land of the descendants of Ammon an inheritance, because to the descendants of Lot have I given it as an inheritance.
It, too, is considered a land of giants; giants having lived in it originally—the Ammonites called them Zamzumim.
A people great and numerous and powerful like the Anokim. Adonoy destroyed them from before them, and they drove them out and settled in their stead.
As He had done to the descendants of Eisov living in Seir, from before whom He destroyed the Chori, and they drove them out and settled in their stead until today.
And the Avim who had been living in Chatzeirim till Azah—Caftorim who had left Caftor destroyed them and settled in their stead.
Arise to travel, and cross Wadi Arnon. See, I have put into your hand Sichon, King of Cheshbon, the Emorite and his land—begin inheriting [it] by intimidating him with war.
Today I begin to place fear of you and awe of you upon the peoples under the whole heaven, so that they will hear your reputation and will shiver and tremble before you.’’
I sent emissaries from the wilderness of Kedeimos to Sichon, King of Cheshbon, with the following peaceful statement:
‘‘Let me pass through your land. I will travel only on the highway, I will not deviate right or left.
Food for money sell me so I can eat, and water for money sell me so I can drink—just let me cross on foot.
As the descendants of Eisov did for me who live in Seir and the Moavites who live in Or; until I will have crossed the Yardein into the land that Adonoy, our God, is giving us.’’
But Sichon, King of Cheshbon, was not willing to let us traverse it, because Adonoy, your God, had hardened his spirit and emboldened his mind in order to put him in your hand this day.
Adonoy said to me, ‘‘See, I have begun defeating before you Sichon and his land. Begin inheriting—to inherit his land.’’
And Sichon went out toward us, he and his entire people, to wage war in Yahatz.
Adonoy, our God, defeated him before us, and we smote him and his sons and his entire people.
We conquered all his cities at that time and annihilated every city’s men, woman, and children; we left no survivor.
Only the animals we plundered for ourselves, and the booty of the cities that we conquered.
From Aroer, which is on the bank of Wadi Arnon—and the city that is in the wadi—up to Gilad, there was no city that was stronger than we. All of it did Adonoy, our God, defeat before us.
Only the land of the descendants of Ammon did you not attack—all along Wadi Yabok and the hill cities—everything Adonoy, our God, commanded.

Chapter 3

We turned and went up the Boshon road. Og, King of the Boshon, went out toward us, he and his entire people, to [wage] war in Edrei.
Adonoy said to me, ‘‘Do not fear him, for I have put him in your hand, with all his people and his land, and you will do to him as you did to Sichon, King of the Emorites who was living in Cheshbon.’’
Adonoy, our God, put into our hand also Og, King of the Boshon, and his entire people; and we smote him without leaving him a survivor.
We conquered all his cities at that time; there was no city that we did not take from them—sixty cities, the entire province of Argov, the kingdom of Og in the Boshon.
All of these were fortified cities with high walls, gates and bolts; besides very many unwalled cities.
We annihilated them as we had done to Sichon, King of Cheshbon, annihilating every city’s men, women, and children.
And all the animals and the booty of the cities we plundered for ourselves.
At that time we took the land from the possession of the two Emorite kings who were on the other side of the Yardein, from Wadi Arnon to Mount Chermon.
The Tzidonites call Chermon Siryon, and the Emorites call it Sneer.
All the cities of the plain and entire Gilod and the entire Boshon to Salcho and Edre’i; cities of Og’s kingdom in the Boshon.
For only Og, King of the Boshon, survived from the remainder of the giants. Look, his bed—an iron bed—isn’t it in Rabbas of the descendants of Ammon: nine amohs its length and four amohs its width, in a man’s amoh.
And this land we inherited at that time. From Aro’er which is on Wadi Arnon and half of the Gilod hills and its cities—I gave to the Reuvenites and the Gaddites.
And the rest of the Gilod and all of the Boshon, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Menashe. The entire Argov province throughout the Boshon, that is called the land of the giants.
Yair son of Menashe took all of the Argov province until the border of the Geshurites and the Ma’achasites; and he named them for himself—the Boshon—the cities of Chavos Yair until this day.
And to Mochir I gave the Gilod.
And to the Reuvenites and to the Gaddites I gave from the Gilod to Wadi Arnon, within the wadi and the border, until Yabok, the wadi at the border of the descendants of Ammon;
and the Arava and the Yardein and the border; from Kinneres until Arava Lake, the salt lake, beneath the slopes of the crest to the east.
I commanded you at the time, saying, ‘‘Adonoy, your God, has given you this land to inherit it. Cross over in the forefront, ahead of your brothers the Bnei Yisroel, all valorous soldiers.
But your wives and your children and your cattle—I know you own much cattle—will live in your cities, which I have given you.
Until Adonoy grants your brothers [peace] like you, and they too inherit the land that Adonoy, your God, is giving them across the Yardein. Then will you return each of you to his inheritance that I have given you.
And Yehoshua I commanded at that time, to say, ‘‘Your eyes will be seeing that everything Adonoy, your God, did to these two kings, so will Adonoy do to all the kingdoms that your are crossing into.
Do not fear them, for Adonoy, your God, is the One Who is waging war for you.’’
I pleaded to Adonoy at that time, saying:
‘‘Adonoy, El him, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your powerful hand, that there is no power in heaven or on earth that can perform Your deeds and Your acts of power.
Please, allow me to cross over and see the good land that is across the Yardein, this good mountain and the Lebanon.’’
Adonoy grew angry at me through your fault and did not heed me; Adonoy said to me, ‘‘Enough for you! Do not go on speaking to Me any more about this matter.
Go up to the peak of the Pisgah and look around—west, north, south, and east—see with your own eyes; for you will not cross this Yardein.
And command Yehoshua, and encourage him and embolden him, because he will cross at the head of this people and he will apportion to them the land that you will see.’’
We lived in the valley facing Beis Peor.

Chapter 4

And now Yisroel, listen to the statutes and to the laws that I am teaching you to fulfill, in order that you will live, and will arrive in, and will inherit the land that Adonoy, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
Do not add to the matters that I am commanding you, and do not subtract from them; to guard the commandments of Adonoy, your God, that I am commanding you.
Your eyes have witnessed what Adonoy did regarding Ba’al Peor, that every man who followed Ba’al Peor—Adonoy, your God, destroyed him from within you.
But you who cling to Adonoy, your God—all of you are alive today.
See, I have taught you statutes and laws as I was commanded by Adonoy, my God, to fulfill within the land that you are arriving there to inherit.
You will preserve and you will fulfill [them], for that [displays] your wisdom and your understanding before the nations, who will hear all these statutes and will say, ‘‘The only wise and understanding people is this great nation.’’
For who is a great nation that has God close to it as [is] Adonoy, our God, whenever we call to Him?
And who is a great nation that has upright statutes and laws, like this entire Torah that I am putting before you today?
Look out for yourself and guard your life exceedingly, lest you forget the words your eyes witnessed, and lest they are removed from your mind, all the days of your life; you will make them known to your children and to your grandchildren.
The day you stood before Adonoy, your God, at Choreiv, when Adonoy said to me, ‘‘Assemble for Me the people, and I will let them hear My statements, so that they will learn to fear Me all the years that they are living on the land, and will teach their sons.’’
You approached and stood beneath the mountain, while the mountain was burning with fire up to the heart of the heavens—darkness, cloud, and thick cloud.
Adonoy addressed you from within the fire; you heard the sound of speech, seeing no image, solely sound.
He told you His covenant, which He commanded you to fulfill—the ten statements—and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.
Adonoy commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and laws, for you to fulfill them in the land that you are crossing over there to inherit.
Be extremely cautious for your lives, for you did not see any image on the day Adonoy addressed you at Choreiv from within the fire.
Lest you destructively make for yourselves a statue in the image of any form, the representation of a male or a female;
[or] the representation of any animal that is on earth; [or] the representation of any winged bird that flies in the sky;
[or] the representation of anything that crawls on the ground; [or] the representation of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth.
Or lest you raise your eyes heavenward and see the sun or the moon or the stars—the entire host of the heavens—and you will err and bow to them and worship them, when Adonoy, your God, has made them available to all the peoples who are under the whole sky.
But Adonoy took you [for Himself] when He took you out of the iron crucible, from Egypt, to be for Him a people-territory like this day.
Yet Adonoy grew angry at me on account of your statements, and He swore that I would not cross the Yardein and would not enter the good land that Adonoy, your God, is giving you as territory.
For I am to die in this land, I am not crossing the Yardein; but you are crossing, and will inherit this good land.
Look out for yourselves lest you forget the covenant of Adonoy, your God, that He made with you, and you make for yourselves a statue—an image of anything—that Adonoy, your God, commanded you.
For Adonoy, your God, is a consuming fire, a jealous Almighty.
When you have children and grandchildren, and have grown old in the land; and you will be corrupt and make a statue—an image of anything—and do what is evil in the eyes of Adonoy, your God, to anger Him.
I bring as witness against you today heaven and earth, that you will be completely and swiftly removed from upon the land, that you are crossing the Yardein there to inherit; you will not live long upon it, but will be completely destroyed.
Adonoy will disperse you among the peoples, and you will remain few in number among the nations that Adonoy leads you to.
There you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone that do not see, do not hear, do not eat, and do not smell.
You will seek from there Adonoy, your God, and you will find [Him], when you seek Him wholeheartedly and with your whole being.
When you are in distress and all these things happen to you, at the end of time, you will return to Adonoy, your God, and will obey Him.
For a merciful Almighty is Adonoy, your God; He will not forsake you nor destroy you; nor will He forget the covenant of your fathers that He swore to them.
Inquire now about the early years that preceded you, from the day that God created Adam on earth and from one end of the heavens to the other end of the heavens: Did anything ever happen comparable to this great event, or did anyone ever hear of such a thing?
Did any people [ever] hear God’s voice speaking from within the fire as you heard and survive?
Or did any god ever miraculously come and take for himself a nation from within a nation through tests, with signs and with wonders, and through warfare, and with a strong hand and with an extended arm, and with great displays; entirely as Adonoy, your God, did for you in Egypt as you watched?
You have been shown that you might know that Adonoy, He is the God; there is no [power] other than He.
From the sky He made audible to you His voice to teach you, and on the earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words form within the fire.
Because He loved your forefathers, He chose his descendants after him; and He took you out before Him with His great strength from Egypt.
To expel nations greater and stronger than you from before you; to bring you in [and] to give you their land as territory, like this day.
You will know today, and will restore to your perception that Adonoy is the God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other.
You will guard His statutes and His commandments, which I am commanding you today, so that you have it good and your children after you, and in order that you live long on the land that Adonoy, your God, is giving you for all time.
Then Moshe set aside three cities across the Yardein, where the sun rises,
for a murderer to escape there, who has murdered his neighbor without intent, and he had not been his enemy yesterday [or] the day before. He is to flee to one of these cities to survive:
Betzer in the wilderness in the plains of the Reuvenites, Romos in the Gil’od of the Gaddites, and Golon in the Boshon of the Menashians.
And this is the Torah that Moshe set before Bnei Yisroel.
These are the testimonies and the statutes and the laws that Moshe addressed to Bnei Yisroel when they came out of Egypt.
Across the Yardein, in the valley facing Beis Peor, in the land of Sichon, King of the Emorites, who lived in Cheshbon, whom Moshe and Bnei Yisrael smote when they came out of Egypt.
They inherited his land and the land of Og, King of the Boshon—the two Emorite kings who were across the Yardein, where the sun rises.
From Aroer, which is on the bank of Wadi Arnon, up to Mount Sion which is Chermon.
And the entire Arava across the Yardein to the east, to Arava Lake, beneath the slopes of the Pisgah.