Moses for Di Mountain

One old man dey climb mountain, alone. For down, one whole nation dey watch am as e dey go. E no look back. E dey go up to see land wey e don dey waka toward for forty years. And e no go come down again.

Israel camp for di plains of Moab, for di east side of River Jordan, opposite Jericho. Di long wilderness years don finish. Di generation wey comot from Egypt don pass away, and their children don ready to enter. Moses don use im last days teach dem, remind dem everything wey God don do, and put God law before dem one more time. Now e don reach one hundred and twenty years. And God don tell am clear: you go see di land, but you no go cross go there. Years before, for one place wey dem dey call Meribah, Moses strike di rock with vex instead of to talk to am as God command, and God talk say e no go lead di people enter di land. Moses beg. God answer no change.

So before e go, Moses call Joshua and stand am for everybody front. Joshua don dey im side since di battle with Amalek, since di mountain where God give di law, since di day wey di spies come back. Moses put im hands on top am. And e talk words wey Joshua, and all of dem, go hold. Di Lord, na im dey go before you. E go dey with you. E no go fail you or leave you. No fear, and no let your heart break. Then Moses bless di tribes of Israel, one by one, like papa wey dey say goodbye to im children.

Then e climb. Up from di plains, up di side of Mount Nebo, reach di top of di peak wey dem dey call Pisgah. Breeze dey pull im cloth. And when e reach di top, God show am di land. All of am. North reach Gilead and as far as Dan. Di hills of Naphtali. Di land of Ephraim and Manasseh. All of Judah, wey dey roll go west toward di sea. Di dry south country. And just under am, di green valley of Jericho, di city of palm trees, reach down to Zoar. And God talk, Dis na di land wey I promise Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, when I talk say, I go give am to your children-children. I don let you see am with your eyes. But you no go cross go there.

And there, di Bible talk, Moses di servant of di Lord die for di land of Moab, just as di Lord talk. God imself bury am, for one valley for Moab, and till today nobody know where im grave dey. E be one hundred and twenty years. Im eyes no dim. Im strength no leave am. Down for di plains, di people of Israel cry for Moses for thirty days. Then di crying end. And Joshua, di Bible talk, full with di spirit of wisdom, because Moses don put im hands on top am, and di people listen to am.

Di book of Deuteronomy end with one kind farewell. Since dat time, e talk, no prophet don ever rise for Israel like Moses, wey di Lord know face to face. No other person do dat kind signs and wonders for Egypt. No other person show dat kind mighty power for di eyes of all Israel. E no ever put leg for di promised land. But di people wey e don carry all dat years dey stand for im border, ready to enter. And many centuries after, di Gospels tell us, Moses go appear for another mountain, dey talk with Jesus, inside di land at last.

Mount Nebo still dey stand for di country of Jordan today, one ridge wey rise above di plains near di northern end of di Dead Sea. From im top, when di day clear, you go look down see di Jordan Valley and di green oasis of Jericho, with di hills of Judah behind. But di far western sea hide behind dat hills, and Dan dey far for north. Commentators don notice dis for long time, and many of dem read di view wey Moses receive as more than ordinary eyesight: God show am di whole land wey im people go inherit.

Di death of Moses dey for Deuteronomy, chapter thirty-four. E serve God faithfully reach di end, and e hand di work over to another person. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Which good work you fit start wey another person go finish, and you go fit dey content with dat?