Study Desk

For I will proclaim the Lord’s name.Declare the greatness of our God!

He found him in a desolate land,in a barren, howling wilderness;he surrounded him, cared for him,and protected him as the pupil of his eye.

He said: “I will hide my face from them;I will see what will become of them,for they are a perverse generation—unfaithful children.

For fire has been kindled because of my angerand burns to the depths of Sheol;it devours the land and its produce,and scorches the foundations of the mountains.

For their vine is from the vine of Sodomand from the fields of Gomorrah.Their grapes are poisonous;their clusters are bitter.

Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay.In time their foot will slip,for their day of disaster is near,and their doom is coming quickly.”

Who ate the fat of their sacrificesand drank the wine of their drink offerings?Let them rise up and help you;let it be a shelter for you.

Rejoice, you nations, concerning his people,for he will avenge the blood of his servants.He will take vengeance on his adversaries;he will purify his land and his people.

For they are not meaningless words to you but they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

For both of you broke faith with me among the Israelites at the Waters of Meribath-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin by failing to treat me as holy in their presence.

Moses gave us instruction,a possession for the assembly of Jacob.

He said about his father and mother,“I do not regard them.”He disregarded his brothersand didn’t acknowledge his sons,for they kept your wordand maintained your covenant.

He chose the best part for himself,because a ruler’s portion was assigned there for him.He came with the leaders of the people;he carried out the Lord’s justiceand his ordinances for Israel.

The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.

He was unparalleled for all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do against the land of Egypt—to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land,

and for all the mighty acts of power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

“Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance.

This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.

Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

“Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit.’”