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Moses Tells Israel to Obey

Now, Israel, listen to the ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and commands I will teach you. Obey them so that you will live and so that you will go over and ·take [possess] the land the Lord, the God of your ·ancestors [fathers], is giving to you. Don’t add to ·these commands [L the word], and don’t leave anything out, but obey the commands of the Lord your God that I ·give [command] you.

·You [L Your eyes] have seen for yourselves what the Lord did at Baal Peor, how the Lord your God destroyed everyone among you who ·followed [L walked after] Baal in Peor [Num. 25:1–18]. But all of you who ·continued following [clung to] the Lord your God are still alive today.

Look, I have taught you the ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and rules the Lord my God commanded me. Now you can obey the laws in the land you are entering, in the land you will ·take [possess]. ·Obey these laws carefully [Keep/Guard and do/obey], in order to show the other nations that you have wisdom and ·understanding [discernment]. When they hear about these laws, they will say, “This great nation of Israel is wise and ·understanding [discerning].” ·No [L What…?] other nation is as great as we are. Their gods do not come near them, but the Lord our God comes near when we pray to him. ·And no [L What…?] other nation has such good ·teachings [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and commands as those I am giving to you today.

But be ·careful [on guard]! Watch out and don’t forget the things ·you [L your eyes] have seen. Don’t ·forget them [L let them turn aside/slip from your heart/mind] ·as long as you live [L all the days of your life], but ·teach them [make them known] to your children and grandchildren. 10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at ·Mount Sinai [L Horeb; C another name for Sinai]. He said to me, “·Bring the people together [Assemble the people] so I can ·tell them [L let them hear] what I have to say. Then they will ·respect [fear] me ·as long as [L all the days] they live in the land, and they will teach these things to their children.” 11 When you ·came [approached] and stood at the bottom of the mountain, it blazed with fire that reached to the sky, and black clouds made it very dark [Ex. 19:16–20]. 12 The Lord spoke to you from the fire. You heard the sound of words, but you did not see ·him [L a form]; there was only a voice. 13 The Lord told you about his ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty], the Ten ·Commandments [L Words]. He told you to obey them, and he wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 Then at that time the Lord commanded me to teach you the ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and rules that you must obey in the land you will ·take [possess] when you cross ·the Jordan River [L there].

Laws About Idols

15 Since the Lord spoke to you from the fire at ·Mount Sinai [L Horeb; 4:10], but you did not see ·him [L any form], watch yourselves carefully! 16 Don’t ·sin [ruin/destroy/spoil/corrupt yourselves] by making idols of any kind, and don’t make statues—of men or women, 17 of animals on earth or birds that fly in the air, 18 of anything that ·crawls [swarms] on the ground, or of fish in the water below. 19 When you ·look up at [L lift your eyes to] the ·sky [heavens], you see the sun, moon, and stars, and ·everything in the sky [all the host of heaven]. But don’t bow down and worship them [5:8–9; Ex. 20:4–5], because the Lord your God has ·made these things [apportioned them] for all people everywhere [32:8]. 20 But the Lord brought you out of Egypt, ·which tested you like a furnace for melting iron [L the iron-smelter; 1 Kin. 8:51; Jer. 11:4], and he made you his ·very own people [L inheritance], as ·you are now [L this day].

21 The Lord was angry with me because of you, and he swore that I would not cross the Jordan River to go into the good land the Lord your God is giving you as ·your own [L an inheritance]. 22 I will die here in this land and not cross the Jordan [34:1–8], but you will soon go across and take that good land. 23 Be careful. Don’t forget the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] of the Lord your God that he made with you, and don’t make any idols for yourselves, as the Lord your God has commanded you not to do. 24 The Lord your God is a jealous God [5:9; 6:15; Ex. 20:5; 34:14; Josh. 24:19; Nah. 1:2], ·like a fire that burns things up [a consuming fire].

25 Even after you have ·lived [grown old; or become complacent] in the land a long time and have had children and grandchildren, don’t ·do evil things [ruin/destroy/spoil/corrupt yourselves]. Don’t make any kind of idol, and don’t do what ·the Lord your God says is evil [L what is evil/wrong in the eyes of the Lord your God], because that will make him angry. 26 If you do, I ask heaven and earth to ·speak [witness] against you this day that you will quickly be removed from this land that you are crossing the Jordan River to ·take [possess]. You will not live there long after that, but you will be completely destroyed. 27 The Lord will scatter you among the other nations. Only a few of you will be left alive, and those few will be in other nations where the Lord will ·send [lead] you. 28 There you will ·worship [serve] gods made by ·people [L human hands], gods made of wood and stone, that cannot see, hear, eat, or smell. 29 But even there you can look for the Lord your God, and you will find him if you look for him with ·your whole being [L all your heart/mind and all your inner being]. 30 It will be ·hard [distressful] when all these things happen to you. But after that you will come back to the Lord your God and ·obey [hear] him, 31 because the Lord your God is a merciful God [Ex. 34:6; 2 Chr. 30:9; Neh. 9:31; Ps. 111:4; Joel 2:3]. He will not ·leave [fail] you or ·destroy [ruin; spoil] you. He will not forget the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] with your ·ancestors [fathers], which he ·swore [promised] to them.

The Lord Is Great

32 ·Nothing like this has ever happened before! Look at the past [L Ask about the former days], long before ·you were even born [L you]. Go all the way back to when God ·made [created] humans on the earth [Gen. 1:26–27], and look from one end of heaven to the other. ·Nothing like this has ever [L Has anything as great as this…?] been heard of! 33 ·No [L What…?] other people have ever heard God speak from a fire and have still lived. But you have. 34 ·No [L What…?] other god has ever taken for himself one nation out of another. But the Lord your God did this for you in Egypt, right before your own eyes. He did it with tests, signs, miracles, war, and great sights, by his ·great power [L strong hand] and ·strength [L outstretched arm].

35 He ·showed you [revealed] things so you would know that the Lord is God, and there is no other God besides him. 36 He spoke to you from heaven to ·teach [instruct; or discipline] you. He ·showed [revealed to] you his great fire on earth, and you heard him speak from the fire. 37 Because the Lord loved your ·ancestors [fathers; Gen. 12:1–3], he chose you, their ·descendants [L seed], and he brought you out of Egypt himself by his great strength. 38 He ·forced [dispossessed] nations out of their land ahead of you, nations that were bigger and stronger than you were. The Lord did this so he could bring you into their land and give it to you as your ·own [L inheritance], ·and this land is yours today [L as it is this day].

39 Know and ·believe [take to heart; bear in mind] today that the Lord is God. He is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other god! 40 Obey his ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and commands that I am giving you today so that things will go well for you and your children. Then you will live a long time in the land that the Lord your God is giving to you forever.

Cities of Safety

41 Moses ·chose [set apart] three cities east ·of [beyond] the Jordan River, 42 where a person who ·accidentally [unintentionally] killed someone could go [Num. 35:9–34]. If the person was not killed because of hatred, the murderer’s life could be saved by running to one of these cities. 43 These were the cities: Bezer in the ·desert [wilderness] high plain was for the Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead was for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan was for the Manassites.

The Laws Moses Gave

44 These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] Moses gave to the ·people [L sons; T children] of Israel. 45 They are the rules, ·commands [statutes; ordinances; requirements], and laws he gave ·them [L the sons/T children of Israel] when they came out of Egypt. 46 They were in the ·valley [glen] near Beth Peor, ·east of [beyond] the Jordan River, in the land of Sihon. Sihon king of the Amorites ruled in Heshbon and was ·defeated [L struck] by Moses and the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] as they came out of Egypt [Num. 21:21–32]. 47 ·The Israelites [L They] took his land and the land of Og king of Bashan [Num. 21:33–35], the two Amorite kings east ·of [beyond] the Jordan River. 48 This land went from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon ·Ravine [Wadi], to Mount Hermon. 49 It included all the ·Jordan Valley [L Arabah] ·east of [beyond] the Jordan River, and it went as far as the ·Dead [L Salt] Sea below Mount Pisgah.

Obedience Commanded

Now, Israel, hear the decrees(A) and laws I am about to teach(B) you. Follow them so that you may live(C) and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Do not add(D) to what I command you and do not subtract(E) from it, but keep(F) the commands(G) of the Lord your God that I give you.

You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor.(H) The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.

See, I have taught(I) you decrees and laws(J) as the Lord my God commanded(K) me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering(L) to take possession of it. Observe(M) them carefully, for this will show your wisdom(N) and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”(O) What other nation is so great(P) as to have their gods near(Q) them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws(R) as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

Only be careful,(S) and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach(T) them to your children(U) and to their children after them. 10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb,(V) when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn(W) to revere(X) me as long as they live in the land(Y) and may teach(Z) them to their children.” 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain(AA) while it blazed with fire(AB) to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.(AC) 12 Then the Lord spoke(AD) to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form;(AE) there was only a voice.(AF) 13 He declared to you his covenant,(AG) the Ten Commandments,(AH) which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 And the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws(AI) you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

Idolatry Forbidden

15 You saw no form(AJ) of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb(AK) out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully,(AL) 16 so that you do not become corrupt(AM) and make for yourselves an idol,(AN) an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, 17 or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air,(AO) 18 or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. 19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun,(AP) the moon and the stars(AQ)—all the heavenly array(AR)—do not be enticed(AS) into bowing down to them and worshiping(AT) things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. 20 But as for you, the Lord took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace,(AU) out of Egypt,(AV) to be the people of his inheritance,(AW) as you now are.

21 The Lord was angry with me(AX) because of you, and he solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance. 22 I will die in this land;(AY) I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land.(AZ) 23 Be careful not to forget the covenant(BA) of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol(BB) in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. 24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire,(BC) a jealous God.(BD)

25 After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt(BE) and make any kind of idol,(BF) doing evil(BG) in the eyes of the Lord your God and arousing his anger, 26 I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses(BH) against you(BI) this day that you will quickly perish(BJ) from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. 27 The Lord will scatter(BK) you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive(BL) among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. 28 There you will worship man-made gods(BM) of wood and stone,(BN) which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.(BO) 29 But if from there you seek(BP) the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart(BQ) and with all your soul.(BR) 30 When you are in distress(BS) and all these things have happened to you, then in later days(BT) you will return(BU) to the Lord your God and obey him. 31 For the Lord your God is a merciful(BV) God; he will not abandon(BW) or destroy(BX) you or forget(BY) the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.

The Lord Is God

32 Ask(BZ) now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth;(CA) ask from one end of the heavens to the other.(CB) Has anything so great(CC) as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 Has any other people heard the voice of God[a] speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived?(CD) 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation,(CE) by testings,(CF) by signs(CG) and wonders,(CH) by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,(CI) or by great and awesome deeds,(CJ) like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other.(CK) 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice(CL) to discipline(CM) you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. 37 Because he loved(CN) your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength,(CO) 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance,(CP) as it is today.

39 Acknowledge(CQ) and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.(CR) 40 Keep(CS) his decrees and commands,(CT) which I am giving you today, so that it may go well(CU) with you and your children after you and that you may live long(CV) in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time.

Cities of Refuge(CW)

41 Then Moses set aside three cities east of the Jordan, 42 to which anyone who had killed a person could flee if they had unintentionally(CX) killed a neighbor without malice aforethought. They could flee into one of these cities and save their life. 43 The cities were these: Bezer in the wilderness plateau, for the Reubenites; Ramoth(CY) in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.

Introduction to the Law

44 This is the law Moses set before the Israelites. 45 These are the stipulations, decrees and laws Moses gave them when they came out of Egypt 46 and were in the valley near Beth Peor east of the Jordan, in the land of Sihon(CZ) king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon and was defeated by Moses and the Israelites as they came out of Egypt. 47 They took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan. 48 This land extended from Aroer(DA) on the rim of the Arnon Gorge to Mount Sirion[b](DB) (that is, Hermon(DC)), 49 and included all the Arabah east of the Jordan, as far as the Dead Sea,[c] below the slopes of Pisgah.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 4:33 Or of a god
  2. Deuteronomy 4:48 Syriac (see also 3:9); Hebrew Siyon
  3. Deuteronomy 4:49 Hebrew the Sea of the Arabah