The Skeptics Annotated Bible (202 page)

8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

9 And
Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi
, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.

(31.9)
“Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi.”
135 Who wrote the Pentateuch?

10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,

11 When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

12 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and
fear the LORD your God
, and observe to do all the words of this law:

(31.12, 13)
“Fear the LORD your God.”
132 Should we fear God?

13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to
fear the LORD your God
, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.

15 And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.

16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?

18 And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.

19 Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.

(32.19-20)
“When the LORD saw it, he abhorred them … for they are … children in whom is no faith.”
God hates non-believers.

(32.21-26) When God gets mad— watch out! He’ll starve you to death, burn you with fire, and send vicious beasts to devour you. He’ll “destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.” Not even the helpless and innocent are spared by this psychotic God.

(32.21)
“They have moved me to jealousy … they have provoked me to anger with their vanities … I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.”

21 And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.

22 Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.

(32.22)
“For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth.”

23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.

(32.23)
“I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them.”

24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,

(32.24)
“They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents.”

25 That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,

(32.25)
“The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.”

26 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.

(32.26)
“I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men.”

27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?

28 Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.

29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.

30 And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.

32
Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.

4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.