Deuteronomy 1

1 ¹Moses talk dis words to all Israel for di oda side of Jordan, for di wilderness, for di Arabah wey face Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. ²Na eleven days journey from Horeb, if you follow di road wey pass Mount Seir go reach Kadesh-barnea. ³For di fortieth year, for di first day of di eleventh month, Moses tell Israel everytin wey our Papa command am make e tell dem, ⁴afta e don conquer Sihon di king of di Amorite people, wey dey live for Heshbon, and Og di king of Bashan, wey dey live for Ashtaroth and Edrei. ⁵For di oda side of Jordan, for di land of Moab, Moses start to explain dis instruction, e talk say:

⁶Our Papa talk to us for Horeb, e say, “Una don stay for dis mountain tey well well.

⁷Turn comot and travel go di hill-hill of di Amorite people and all di places wey dey near dem—di Arabah, di hills, di lowland, di Negev, di seaside—di land of Canaan, Lebanon, sotay reach di big River Euphrates. ⁸Look, I don put di land for una front. Go take di land wey I swear say I go give una papa-papa dem—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and dia pikin-pikin wey go come afta dem.”

Shoulder wey Dem Share

⁹For dat time I tell una say, “I no fit carry una by mysef alone. ¹⁰Una Papa don make una plenty, and today una don plenty like di stars for heaven. ¹¹Make our Papa make una plenty 1,000 times pass wetin una be, and bless una, just as e promise una. ¹²How I go fit carry by mysef alone di heavy load of una wahala and una quarrel-quarrel? ¹³Choose from una tribes men wey get sense, wey get understanding, and wey don experience tins, and I go make dem una leaders.”

¹⁴And una answer me say, “Di tin wey you talk good for us to do.” ¹⁵So I take una tribe leaders—men wey get sense and wey don experience tins—and I make dem leaders ova una: commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, tens, and officers for una tribes. ¹⁶For dat time I charge una judges say: “Hear di matter wey dey between una brothers, and judge am correct-correct between man and im brother, or di stranger wey dey with am. ¹⁷No do partiality for judgment; hear di small man and di big man di same way. No fear anybody, because judgment na our Papa own. Any matter wey hard too much for una, bring am come me; I go hear am.” ¹⁸And for dat time I command una everytin wey una suppose do.

Twelve Men Enter di Land

¹⁹We comot from Horeb and pass through dat whole big, fearful wilderness wey una see, we dey go di hill country of di Amorite people, just as our Papa command us, and we reach Kadesh-barnea. ²⁰I tell una say: Una don reach di hill country of di Amorite people, wey our Papa dey give us. ²¹See, una Papa don put di land for una front. Go up, take am, just as our Papa promise. No fear, and make una heart no weak.

²²All of una come meet me and una talk say, “Make we send men go front make dem check di land for us and bring back word about di road wey we go take and di towns wey we go reach.”

²³Di plan look good for my eye, so I take twelve of una men, one from each tribe. ²⁴Dem turn go up into di hill country, dem reach di Valley of Eshcol, and dem check am well well. ²⁵Dem take some of di fruit of di land for dia hand, bring am come down give us, and dem report say: “Di land wey our Papa dey give us good.”

How Israel Refuse

²⁶But still una no gree go up, and una rebel against di command of una Papa. ²⁷And una dey complain for una tents, una say, “Na because God hate us, na im make e bring us comot from di land of Egypt, to put us for di hand of di Amorite people, so dat dem go destroy us. ^a a v27 For here di people dey accuse our Papa of di exact opposite of wetin dey im heart — di old lie say di Papa no love im pikin dem, wen di true tin be say na so e dey carry dem all di way. ²⁸Where we dey go up sef? Our brothers don melt our heart, dem talk say, ‘Di people big pass us and tall pass us; di towns big well well with wall wey reach sky; and we see di sons of Anakim for dia too.’” ^b b v28 Di Anakite people na family of tall-tall soldier-men wey everybody for Canaan dey fear.

²⁹Den I tell una say, “No make fear catch una, and no fear dem. ³⁰Una Papa, wey dey go una front, na imsef go fight for una, just as e do for una for Egypt, for una very eye, ³¹and for di wilderness, where una see how una Papa carry una, like how papa dey carry im pikin, all di way wey una travel sotay una reach dis place.”

³²But even with dis word, una no believe una Papa, ³³wey dey go una front for di road to find place wey una go camp—fire for night, cloud for day—dey show una di way wey una go follow.

³⁴And our Papa hear wetin una talk, and vex catch am, and e swear say,

³⁵“Nobody among dis men, dis bad generation, go see di good land wey I swear say I go give una papa-papa dem, ³⁶except Caleb di son of Jephunneh. E go see am, and I go give am di land wey e waka on top, and im pikin dem, because e follow our Papa with im whole heart.’

³⁷“Our Papa vex with me too because of una, e say, ‘You too no go enter dia.’ ³⁸Joshua di son of Nun, wey dey stand for una front, na im go enter dia. Make una strong am; na im go give Israel dia inheritance. ³⁹Una small pikin dem, wey una talk say dem go turn to loot for enemy, and una children, wey today dem never sabi di difference between good and bad—na dem go enter am. I go give am to dem; na dem go take am own. ⁴⁰But una—turn comot go di wilderness, follow di road wey dey go di Red Sea.”

⁴¹Den una answer me say, “We don sin against our Papa. We go go up and fight, just as our Papa command us.” Each one of una tie im weapon for body, una think say e easy to go up into di hill country.

⁴²Our Papa tell me say, “Tell dem say: ‘No go up and no fight, because I no dey among una, if not enemy go knock una down for una front.’”

⁴³I talk give una, but una no gree hear. Una rebel against di command of our Papa, una do proud, and una go up into di hill country. ⁴⁴Di Amorite people wey dey live for dat hill country come out to fight una, dem chase una like bee, and dem scatter una for Seir sotay reach Hormah. ⁴⁵Una come back and cry for our Papa front, but our Papa no hear una voice or listen to una. ⁴⁶So una stay for Kadesh plenty days, di plenty days wey una remain for dia.