1Hear, Israel: you are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky.2The people are strong and tall – Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: ‘Who can stand up against the Anakites?’3But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you.4After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, ‘The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.’ No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you.5It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.6Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
The golden calf
7Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger of the Lord your God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the Lord.8At Horeb you aroused the Lord’s wrath so that he was angry enough to destroy you.9When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord had made with you, I stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water.10The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. On them were all the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.11At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant.12Then the Lord told me, ‘Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. They have turned away quickly from what I commanded them and have made an idol for themselves.’13And the Lord said to me, ‘I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed!14Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.’15So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was ablaze with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands.16When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you.17So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes.18Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and so arousing his anger.19I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the Lord listened to me.20And the Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too.21Also I took that sinful thing of yours, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain.22You also made the Lord angry at Taberah, at Massah and at Kibroth Hattaavah.23And when the Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, he said, ‘Go up and take possession of the land I have given you.’ But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust him or obey him.24You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you.25I lay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights because the Lord had said he would destroy you.26I prayed to the Lord and said, ‘Sovereign Lord, do not destroy your people, your own inheritance that you redeemed by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.27Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and their sin.28Otherwise, the country from which you brought us will say, “Because the Lord was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them, he brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.”29But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.’
Deuteronomy 9
English Standard Version
Not Because of Righteousness
1“Hear, O Israel: you are to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified up to heaven, (De 4:38; De 11:31; De 12:10; Jos 1:11)2a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’ (Nu 13:22; De 1:28)3Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the Lord has promised you. (Ex 23:29; De 4:24; De 7:24; De 31:3; Jos 3:11)4“Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you. (Le 18:24; Le 20:23; De 8:17; De 18:12; De 20:18)5Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. (Ge 50:24; Tit 3:5)6“Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. (De 10:16)7Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord. (Ex 14:11; Ex 15:24; Ex 16:2; Ex 17:2; Nu 11:4; Nu 14:2; Nu 14:11; Nu 14:41; Nu 20:2; Nu 21:5; Nu 25:2; De 9:24; De 31:27)8Even at Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath, and the Lord was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you. (Ex 32:4; Ps 106:19)9When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. (Ex 24:12; Ex 24:15; Ex 24:18; Ex 34:28; 1Ki 19:8; Mt 4:2; Lu 4:1)10And the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words that the Lord had spoken with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. (Ex 19:17; Ex 31:18; De 4:10; De 10:4; De 18:16)11And at the end of forty days and forty nights the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.12Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them; they have made themselves a metal image.’ (Ex 32:7; De 31:29; Jud 2:17)
The Golden Calf
13“Furthermore, the Lord said to me, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stubborn people. (Ex 32:9; De 9:6)14Let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’ (Ex 17:14; Ex 32:10; Nu 14:12; De 7:24; De 25:19; De 29:20)15So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. (Ex 19:18; Ex 32:15; De 4:11; De 5:23)16And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the Lord your God. You had made yourselves a golden[1] calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. (Ex 32:19; De 31:29; Jud 2:17)17So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes.18Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger. (Ex 34:28; De 4:25; De 9:9; De 10:10; Ps 106:23)19For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the Lord bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me that time also. (Ex 32:14; Ex 33:17; De 10:10)20And the Lord was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him. And I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.21Then I took the sinful thing, the calf that you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw the dust of it into the brook that ran down from the mountain. (Ex 32:20)22“At Taberah also, and at Massah and at Kibroth-hattaavah you provoked the Lord to wrath. (Ex 17:7; Nu 11:1; Nu 11:34)23And when the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, ‘Go up and take possession of the land that I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God and did not believe him or obey his voice. (Nu 13:3; Nu 14:1; Ps 106:24)24You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you. (De 9:7; De 31:27)25“So I lay prostrate before the Lord for these forty days and forty nights, because the Lord had said he would destroy you. (De 9:18)26And I prayed to the Lord, ‘O Lord God, do not destroy your people and your heritage, whom you have redeemed through your greatness, whom you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. (Ex 32:11)27Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not regard the stubbornness of this people, or their wickedness or their sin,28lest the land from which you brought us say, “Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land that he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.” (Nu 14:16)29For they are your people and your heritage, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.’ (De 4:20; 1Ki 8:51; Ne 1:10; Ps 95:7)