Deuteronomy 31:26

Contemporary English Version

This is The Book of God's Law. Keep it beside the sacred chest that holds the agreement the Lord your God made with Israel. This book is proof that you know what the Lord wants you to do.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God so that it may remain there as a witness against you.

Hebrew Names Version
Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.

King James Version
Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

Lexham English Bible
"Take the scroll of this law and put it at the side of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, and it will be there as a witness against you.

English Standard Version
"Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.

New Century Version
He said, "Take this Book of the Teachings and put it beside the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord your God. It must stay there as a witness against you.

New English Translation
"Take this scroll of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. It will remain there as a witness against you,

Amplified Bible
"Take this Book of the Law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you.

New American Standard Bible
"Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Take the booke of this Lawe, and put ye it in the side of the Arke of the couenant of the Lorde your God, that it may be there for a witnes against thee.

Legacy Standard Bible
"Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, that it may be there as a witness against you.

Complete Jewish Bible
"Take this book of the Torah and put it next to the ark with the covenant of Adonai your God, so that it can be there to witness against you.

Darby Translation
Take this book of the law, and put it at the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee;

Easy-to-Read Version
"Take this Book of Teachings and put it by the side of the Box of the Agreement of the Lord your God. Then it will be a witness against you.

George Lamsa Translation
Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you.

Good News Translation
"Take this book of God's Law and place it beside the Covenant Box of the Lord your God, so that it will remain there as a witness against his people.

Literal Translation
Take this book of the Law, and you shall put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, so that it may be there for a witness against you.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Take the boke of this lawe, and laye it by the syde of the Arke of the couenaunt of the LORDE youre God, that it maye be there a wytnesse agaynst the:

American Standard Version
Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

Bible in Basic English
Take this book of the law and put it by the ark of the Lord's agreement, so that it may be a witness against you.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Take ye the booke of this lawe, and put it in the syde of the arke of the couenaunt of the Lorde your God, that it may be there for a witnesse agaynst thee.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
'Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

King James Version (1611)
Take this booke of the Law, and put it in the side of the Arke of the Couenant of the Lord your God, that it may bee there for a witnesse against thee.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Take the book of this law, and ye shall put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God; and it shall be there among you for a testimony.

English Revised Version
Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

Berean Standard Bible
"Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and seide, Take ye this book, and putte ye it in the side of the arke of boond of pees of youre Lord God, that it be there ayens thee in to witnessyng.

Young's Literal Translation
`Take this Book of the Law, and thou hast set it on the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and it hath been there against thee for a witness;

Update Bible Version
Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.

Webster's Bible Translation
Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

World English Bible
Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.

New King James Version
"Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you;

New Living Translation
"Take this Book of Instruction and place it beside the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, so it may remain there as a witness against the people of Israel.

New Life Bible
"Take this book of the Law and put it beside the special box of the Law of the Lord your God. It will be there to speak against you.

New Revised Standard
"Take this book of the law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God; let it remain there as a witness against you.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Take this scroll of the law, and put it at the side of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, - so shall it be there in thy midst as a witness.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Take this book, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God: that it may be there for a testimony against thee.

Revised Standard Version
"Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you.

Contextual Overview

²² Moses wrote down the words to the song right away, and he taught it to the Israelites. ²³ The Lord told Joshua, "Be brave and strong! I will help you lead the people of Israel into the land that I have promised them." ²⁴ Moses wrote down all these laws and teachings in a book, ²⁵ then he went to the Levites who carried the sacred chest and said: ²⁶ This is The Book of God's Law. Keep it beside the sacred chest that holds the agreement the Lord your God made with Israel. This book is proof that you know what the Lord wants you to do. ²⁷ I know how stubborn and rebellious you and the rest of the Israelites are. You have rebelled against the Lord while I have been alive, and it will only get worse after I am gone. ²⁸ So call together the leaders and officials of the tribes of Israel. I will bring this book and read every word of it to you, and I will call the sky and the earth as witnesses that all of you know what you are supposed to do. ²⁹ I am going to die soon, and I know that in the future you will stop caring about what is right and what is wrong, and so you will disobey the Lord and stop living the way I told you to live. The Lord will be angry, and terrible things will happen to you. ³⁰ Moses called a meeting of all the people of Israel, so he could teach them the words to the song that the Lord had given him. And here are the words:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

in the side: 1 Kings 8:9, 2 Kings 22:8-11, 2 Chronicles 34:14, 2 Chronicles 34:15

a witness: Deuteronomy 31:19, 2 Kings 22:8, 2 Kings 22:13-19, Romans 3:19, Romans 3:20, Galatians 2:19

Reciprocal: Genesis 31:44 - a witness Exodus 25:16 - General Numbers 10:33 - the ark Deuteronomy 17:18 - out of that which Joshua 3:14 - bearing the ark Joshua 24:27 - General 1 Samuel 4:3 - the ark 1 Kings 8:21 - the covenant 2 Kings 23:2 - the book 1 Chronicles 15:29 - as the ark

Cross-References

Genesis 2:24
That's why a man will leave his own father and mother. He marries a woman, and the two of them become like one person.

Genesis 3:13
The Lord God then asked the woman, "What have you done?" "The snake tricked me," she answered. "And I ate some of that fruit."

Genesis 4:10
Then the Lord said: Why have you done this terrible thing? You killed your own brother, and his blood flowed onto the ground. Now his blood is calling out for me to punish you.

Genesis 12:18
Finally, the king sent for Abram and said to him, "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me Sarai was your wife?

Genesis 26:10
"Don't you know what you've done?" Abimelech exclaimed. "If someone had slept with her, you would have made our whole nation guilty!"

Genesis 31:9
That's how God has taken sheep and goats from your father and given them to me.

Genesis 31:10
Once, when the flocks were mating, I dreamed that all the rams were either spotted or speckled.

Genesis 31:16
Now do whatever God tells you to do. Even the property God took from our father and gave to you really belongs to us and our children.

Genesis 31:36
Jacob became very angry and said to Laban: What have I done wrong? Have I committed some crime? Is that why you hunted me down?

Genesis 34:29
After taking everything of value from the houses, they dragged away the wives and children of their victims.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Take this book of the law,.... Not Deuteronomy only, but the whole Pentateuch:

and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God; not in the ark, for there were nothing there but the two tables of stone with the ten commands on them, 1 Kings 8:9; but on one side of it; the Targum of Jonathan says, it was

"put in a chest (or box) on the right side of the ark of the covenant;''

which is very probable. Jarchi observes, that the wise men of Israel are divided about it in the Talmud e; some of them say there was a table (or ledge) that stood out from the ark without, and there it was put; others say it was put on the side of the tables of the law within the ark; the former are in the right:

that it may be therefore a witness against thee; when they fall into idolatry or any other sin, a transgression of any of the laws therein contained.

e T. B. Bava Bathra, fol. 14. 1. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Moses completes the writing out of the book of the Law, and directs it to be placed by the ark of the covenant.

Deuteronomy 31:24

The “book” here spoken of would contain the whole Pentateuch up to this verse, and be “the Book of Moses,” called generally by the Jews “the Law” (compare Matthew 22:40; Galatians 4:21).

Deuteronomy 31:25

The Levites, which bare the ark - i. e., as in Deuteronomy 31:9, “the priests the sons of Levi.” The non-priestly Levites could not so much as enter the sanctuary or touch the ark (compare Numbers 4:15). Though in the journeys through the wilderness the ark was borne by the non-priestly Kohathites, yet on occasions of a more solemn and public character it was carried by the priests themselves (Joshua 3:3 ff, Joshua 4:9-10; Joshua 6:6, Joshua 6:12; Joshua 8:33; 1 Kings 8:3).

Deuteronomy 31:26

Put it in the side of the ark - Rather, by the side of the ark. The two tables of the Decalogue were in the ark 1 Kings 8:9; the Book of the Law was to be laid up in the holy of holies close by the ark of the covenant, probably in a chest. Compare 2 Kings 22:8.

Deuteronomy 31:27

How much more after my death - Hence, Deuteronomy 31:24 and the rest of the book (with the exception of the song, Deuteronomy 31:19) must be regarded as a kind of appendix added after Moses’ death by another hand; though the Blessing Deuteronomy 33:0 is of course to be regarded as a composition of Moses.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 31:26. Take this book of the law — The standard copy to which all transcripts must ultimately refer: another copy was put into the bands of the priests. Deuteronomy 31:9; Deuteronomy 31:9.