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Thursday, September 4th, 2025
the Week of Proper 17 / Ordinary 22
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Read the Bible

Brenton's Septuagint

Deuteronomy 1:9

And I spoke to you at that time, saying, I shall not be able by myself to bear you.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Israel;   Moses;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Courts of Justice;   Desert, Journey of Israel through the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Blessing;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Beast;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Deuteronomy, the Book of;   Judges;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - On to Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Judge;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
I spoke to you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:
King James Version
And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:
Lexham English Bible
"And I spoke to them at that time, saying, ‘I am not able to bear you alone.
English Standard Version
"At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to bear you by myself.
New Century Version
At that time I said, "I am not able to take care of you by myself.
New English Translation
I also said to you at that time, "I am no longer able to sustain you by myself.
Amplified Bible
"I spoke to you at that time, saying, 'I am not able to bear the burden of you alone.
New American Standard Bible
"And I spoke to you at that time, saying, 'I am not able to endure you alone.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And I spake vnto you the same time, saying, I am not able to beare you my selfe alone:
Legacy Standard Bible
"And I spoke to you at that time, saying, ‘I am not able to bear the burden of you alone.
Contemporary English Version
Moses said: Right after the Lord commanded us to leave Mount Sinai, I told you: Israel, being your leader is too big a job for one person.
Complete Jewish Bible
"At that time I told you, ‘You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone.
Darby Translation
And I spoke unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone.
Easy-to-Read Version
"At that time I told you, ‘I can't take care of you by myself.
George Lamsa Translation
And I said to you at that time, I am not able to bear you myself alone;
Good News Translation
Moses said to the people, "While we were still at Mount Sinai, I told you, ‘The responsibility for leading you is too much for me. I can't do it alone.
Christian Standard Bible®
“I said to you at that time: I can’t bear the responsibility for you on my own.
Literal Translation
And I spoke to you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you by myself.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then saide I vnto you at the same tyme: I am not able to beare you my self alone,
American Standard Version
And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:
Bible in Basic English
At that time I said to you, I am not able to undertake the care of you by myself;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And I spake vnto you in the same time, saying: I am not able to beare you my selfe alone.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And I spoke unto you at that time, saying: 'I am not able to bear you myself alone;
King James Version (1611)
And I spake vnto you at that time, saying, I am not able to beare you my selfe alone:
English Revised Version
And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:
Berean Standard Bible
At that time I said to you, "I cannot carry the burden for you alone.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y seide to you in that time, Y may not aloone susteyne you, for youre Lord God hath multiplied you,
Young's Literal Translation
`And I speak unto you at that time, saying, I am not able by myself to bear you;
Update Bible Version
And I spoke to you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:
Webster's Bible Translation
And I spoke to you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:
World English Bible
I spoke to you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:
New King James Version
Exodus 18:13-27">[xr] "And I spoke to you at that time, saying: "I alone am not able to bear you.
New Living Translation
Moses continued, "At that time I told you, ‘You are too great a burden for me to carry all by myself.
New Life Bible
"At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to take care of you alone.
New Revised Standard
At that time I said to you, "I am unable by myself to bear you.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So spake unto you, at that time saying, I am unable, by myself, to carry you.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I said to you at that time:
Revised Standard Version
"At that time I said to you, 'I am not able alone to bear you;
THE MESSAGE
At the time I told you, "I can't do this, can't carry you all by myself. God , your God, has multiplied your numbers. Why, look at you—you rival the stars in the sky! And may God , the God-of-Your-Fathers, keep it up and multiply you another thousand times, bless you just as he promised. But how can I carry, all by myself, your troubles and burdens and quarrels? So select some wise, understanding, and seasoned men from your tribes, and I will commission them as your leaders."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"I spoke to you at that time, saying, 'I am not able to bear the burden of you alone.

Contextual Overview

9 And I spoke to you at that time, saying, I shall not be able by myself to bear you. 10 The Lord your God has multiplied you, and, behold, ye are to-day as the stars of heaven for multitude. 11 The Lord God of your fathers add to you a thousand-fold more than you are, and bless you as he has spoken to you. 12 How shall I alone be able to bear your labour, and your burden, and your gainsayings? 13 Take to yourselves wise and understanding and prudent men for your tribes, and I will set your leaders over you. 14 And ye answered me and said, The thing which thou hast told us is good to do. 15 So I took of you wise and understanding and prudent men, and I set them to rule over you as rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, and rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens, and officers to your judges. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear causes between your brethren, and judge rightly between a man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. 17 Thou shalt not have respect to persons in judgment, thou shalt judge small and great equally; thou shalt not shrink from before the person of a man, for the judgment is God’s; and whatsoever matter shall be too hard for you, ye shall bring it to me, and I will hear it. 18 And I charged upon you at that time all the commands which ye shall perform.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I am not: Exodus 18:18, Numbers 11:11-14, Numbers 11:17

Reciprocal: Numbers 11:14 - General Deuteronomy 1:12 - General Acts 6:2 - we should Romans 13:6 - attending 1 Corinthians 13:7 - Beareth

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:2
But the earth was unsightly and unfurnished, and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of God moved over the water.
Genesis 1:5
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night, and there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Genesis 1:6
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it be a division between water and water, and it was so.
Genesis 1:8
And God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good, and there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
Genesis 1:9
And God said, Let the water which is under the heaven be collected into one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so. And the water which was under the heaven was collected into its places, and the dry land appeared.
Genesis 1:11
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit-tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and it was so.
Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, saying, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the seas and flying creatures of heaven, and all the cattle and all the earth, and all the reptiles that creep on the earth.
Genesis 1:29
And God said, Behold I have given to you every seed-bearing herb sowing seed which is upon all the earth, and every tree which has in itself the fruit of seed that is sown, to you it shall be for food.
Job 26:7
He stretches out the north wind upon nothing, and he upon nothing hangs the earth;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And I spake unto you at that time,.... About that time; for it was after the rock in Horeb was smitten, and before they encamped at Mount Sinai, that Jethro gave the advice which Moses took, and proceeded on it, as here related; see Exodus 18:1

saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone; to rule and govern them, judge and determine matters between them. Jethro suggested this to Moses, and he took the hint, and was conscious to himself that it was too much for him, and so declared it to the people, though it is not before recorded; see Exodus 18:18.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This appointment of the “captains” (compare Exodus 18:21 ff) must not be confounded with that of the elders in Numbers 11:16 ff. The former would number 78,600; the latter were 70 only.

A comparison between this passage and that in Exodus makes it obvious that Moses is only touching on certain parts of the whole history, without regard to order of time, but with a special purpose. This important arrangement for the good government of the people took place before they left Horeb to march direct to the promised land. This fact sets more clearly before us the perverseness and ingratitude of the people, to which the orator next passes; and shows, what he was anxious to impress, that the fault of the 40 years’ delay rested only with themselves!


 
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