Israel’s History after the Exodus

These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel (A)across the Jordan in the wilderness, in the (B)Arabah opposite [a]Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. It is eleven days’ journey from (C)Horeb by way of Mount (D)Seir to (E)Kadesh-barnea. In the (F)fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, (G)in accordance with everything that the Lord had commanded him to declare to them, after he had [b](H)defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and (I)Og the king of Bashan, who lived in (J)Ashtaroth [c]and in Edrei. Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this Law, saying,

“The Lord our God (K)spoke to us at Horeb, saying, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and set out on your journey, and go to (L)the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the lowland, in (M)the [d]Negev, by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. See, I have placed the land before you; go in and take possession of the land which the Lord (N)swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and their [e]descendants after them.’

“And I spoke to you at that time, saying, ‘(O)I am not able to endure you alone. 10 The Lord your God has (P)multiplied you, and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven in number. 11 May the Lord, the God of your fathers increase you a thousand times more than you are, and bless you, (Q)just as He has [f]promised you! 12 How can I alone endure the burden and weight of you and your strife? 13 (R)Obtain for yourselves men who are wise, discerning, and informed from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ 14 And you answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have said to do is good.’ 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and informed men, and [g]appointed them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, [h]hundreds, [i]fifties, and [j]tens, and officers for your tribes.

16 “Then I ordered your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen and (S)judge righteously between a person and his fellow countryman, or the stranger who is with him. 17 (T)You are not to [k]show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You are (U)not to be afraid of any person, for the judgment is God’s. (V)The case that is too difficult for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ 18 At that time (W)I commanded you all the things that you were to do.

19 “Then we set out from (X)Horeb, and went through all that (Y)great and terrible wilderness that you saw on the way to the (Z)hill country of the Amorites, just as the Lord our God had commanded us; and we came to (AA)Kadesh-barnea. 20 And I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is about to give us. 21 See, the Lord your God has placed the land before you; go up, take possession, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you. (AB)Do not fear or be dismayed.’

22 (AC)Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let us send men ahead of us, so that they may spy out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up, and the cities which we should enter.’ 23 The [l]plan pleased me, and I took twelve of your men, one man for each tribe. 24 Then (AD)they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. 25 And they took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us. They also brought us back a report and said, ‘The land that the Lord our God is about to give us is good.’

26 (AE)Yet you were unwilling to go up; instead you (AF)rebelled against the [m]command of the Lord your God; 27 and (AG)you grumbled in your tents and said, ‘Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to hand us over to the Amorites to destroy us. 28 Where can we go up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, by saying, “The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we saw (AH)the sons of the Anakim there.”’ 29 But I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, nor fear them. 30 The Lord your God, who goes before you, will (AI)Himself fight for you, [n]just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness where you saw how (AJ)the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, on all of the road which you have walked until you came to this place.’ 32 Yet [o](AK)in spite of all this, you did not trust the Lord your God, 33 (AL)who goes before you on your way, (AM)to seek out a place for you to make camp, in the fire by night to show you the way by which you should go, and in the cloud by day.

34 “Then the Lord heard the sound of your words, and He was angry and (AN)swore an oath, saying, 35 (AO)Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and (AP)to him I will give the land on which he has set foot, and to his sons, because he has followed the Lord fully.’ 37 (AQ)The Lord was angry with me also on your account, saying, ‘(AR)Not even you shall enter there. 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, (AS)shall himself enter there; encourage him, for (AT)he will give it to Israel as an inheritance. 39 Moreover, (AU)your little ones who, you said, would become plunder, and your sons, who this day have (AV)no knowledge of good and evil, shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall take possession of it. 40 But as for you, (AW)turn around and set out for the wilderness by the way of the [p]Red Sea.’

41 (AX)Then you replied to me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord; we ourselves will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ And every man of you strapped on his weapons of war, and you viewed it as easy to go up into the hill country. 42 (AY)But the Lord said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; otherwise you will be [q]defeated [r]by your enemies.”’ 43 So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. Instead, (AZ)you rebelled against the [s]command of the Lord, and acted presumptuously and went up into the hill country. 44 (BA)And the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you (BB)as bees do, and they scattered you from Seir to Hormah. 45 Then you returned and wept before the Lord; but the (BC)Lord did not listen to your voice, nor pay attention to you. 46 So you remained at (BD)Kadesh for many days, [t]the days that you spent there.

Wanderings in the Wilderness

(BE)Then we turned and set out for the wilderness by the way of the [u]Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me, and we circled (BF)Mount Seir for many days. And the Lord spoke to me, saying, ‘You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north, (BG)and command the people, saying, “You are going to pass through the (BH)territory of your brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir; and (BI)they will be afraid of you. So be very careful; do not [v]provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even as much as a [w]footprint, (BJ)because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. You are to buy food from them with money so that you may eat, and you shall also purchase water from them with money so that you may drink. For the Lord your God has blessed you in all [x]that you have done; He has known your [y]wandering through this (BK)great wilderness. These (BL)forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked anything.”’

“So we passed beyond our brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the (BM)Arabah road, away from Elath and (BN)Ezion-geber. And we turned and passed through by the way of the wilderness of Moab. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not attack Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of [z]their land as a possession, because I have given (BO)Ar to (BP)the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 10 (The (BQ)Emim lived there previously, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. 11 Like the Anakim, they too are regarded as (BR)Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 (BS)The Horites previously lived in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before [aa]them, and settled in their place; (BT)just as Israel did to the land of [ab]their possession which the Lord gave them.) 13 ‘Now arise and cross over the [ac]Wadi Zered yourselves.’ So we crossed over the [ad]Wadi Zered. 14 Now the [ae]time that it took for us to come from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the [af]Wadi Zered was (BU)thirty-eight years, until (BV)all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, just as (BW)the Lord had sworn to them. 15 (BX)Indeed, the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from within the camp until they all perished.

16 “So it came about, when (BY)all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, 17 that the Lord spoke to me, saying, 18 ‘Today you shall cross over (BZ)Ar, the border of Moab. 19 When you come opposite the (CA)sons of Ammon, do not attack them nor provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to (CB)the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 20 (It is also regarded as the land of the (CC)Rephaim, because the Rephaim previously lived in it, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin, 21 a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim; but the Lord destroyed them before [ag]them. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place, 22 just as He did for the sons of Esau, who (CD)live in Seir, when He destroyed (CE)the Horites from before them; they dispossessed them and settled in their place, where they remain even to this day. 23 And as for the (CF)Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the [ah](CG)Caphtorim, who came from [ai](CH)Caphtor, destroyed them and lived in their place.) 24 ‘Arise, set out, and pass through the [aj](CI)Valley of Arnon. Look! I have handed over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; start taking possession and plunge into battle with him. 25 This day I will begin to put (CJ)the dread and fear of you upon the faces of [ak]people everywhere, [al]who, when they hear the news of you, (CK)will tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

26 (CL)So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, 27 ‘Let me pass through your land; I will [am]travel only on the road. I will not turn aside to the right or to the left. 28 You will sell me food for money so that I may eat, and give me water for money so that I may drink, (CM)only let me pass through on [an]foot, 29 just as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in (CN)Ar did for me, until I cross over the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is giving us.’ 30 But (CO)Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass [ao]through his land; for the (CP)Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to hand him over to you, as he is today. 31 And the Lord said to me, ‘See, I have begun to turn Sihon and his land over [ap]to you. Begin taking possession, so that you may possess his land.’

32 “Then Sihon came out [aq]with all his people to meet us in battle at Jahaz. 33 And (CQ)the Lord our God turned him over [ar]to us, and we [as](CR)defeated him with his sons and all his people. 34 So we captured all his cities at that time and [at](CS)utterly destroyed [au]the men, women, and children of every city. We left no survivor. 35 We took (CT)only the animals as our plunder, and the spoils of the cities which we had captured. 36 From (CU)Aroer which is on the edge of the [av]Valley of Arnon and from the city which is in the [aw]valley, even to Gilead, there was no city that was too [ax]high for us; the Lord our God turned it all over [ay]to us. 37 (CV)Only you did not go near the land of the sons of Ammon, all along the [az]river (CW)Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the Lord our God had commanded us to avoid.

Conquests Recounted

(CX)Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og, king of Bashan, came out [ba]with all his people to meet us in battle at Edrei. But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have handed him and all his people and his land over to you; and you shall do to him just as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.’ So the Lord our God also handed over to us Og, king of Bashan, with all his people, and we struck [bb]them until no survivor was [bc]left. We captured all his cities at that time; there was not a city which we did not take from them: sixty cities, all the region of (CY)Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides a great many [bd]unwalled towns. We [be]utterly destroyed them, as we did to (CZ)Sihon king of Heshbon, [bf](DA)utterly destroying [bg]the men, women, and children of every city. (DB)But all the animals and the spoils of the cities we took as our plunder.

(DC)So at that time we took the land from the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the [bh]Valley of Arnon to Mount Hermon (Sidonians (DD)call Hermon (DE)Sirion, and the Amorites call it (DF)Senir): 10 all the cities of the plateau, all Gilead, and (DG)all Bashan, as far as Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 11 (For only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the (DH)Rephaim. Behold, his [bi]bed was a [bj]bed of iron; it is in (DI)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon. Its length was nine cubits, and its width four cubits by [bk]the usual cubit.)

12 “So we took possession of this land at that time. From (DJ)Aroer, which is by the [bl]Valley of Arnon, and half the hill country of (DK)Gilead and its cities I gave to the Reubenites and to the Gadites. 13 The rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh, all the region of Argob. (As to all Bashan, it is called the land of Rephaim. 14 (DL)Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, that is, Bashan, and named [bm]it after his own name: [bn]Havvoth-jair, as it is to this day.) 15 (DM)To Machir I gave Gilead. 16 To the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave from Gilead even as far as the [bo]Valley of Arnon, the middle of the [bp]valley [bq]as a border, and as far as the [br]river (DN)Jabbok, the border of the sons of Ammon; 17 the Arabah also, with the Jordan [bs]as a border, from [bt](DO)Chinnereth (DP)even as far as the sea of the Arabah, (DQ)the Salt Sea, [bu]at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah on the east.

18 “Then I commanded you at that time, saying, ‘(DR)The Lord your God has given you this land to possess it; (DS)all you [bv]valiant men shall cross over armed ahead of your brothers, the sons of Israel. 19 (DT)However, your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have (DU)much livestock) shall remain in your cities which I have given you, 20 (DV)until the Lord gives rest to your fellow countrymen as to you, and they also take possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them beyond the Jordan. (DW)Then you may return, each man to his possession which I have given you.’ 21 And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen everything that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; the Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross. 22 Do not fear them, for the Lord your God (DX)is the One fighting for you.’

23 “I also pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, 24 ‘Lord [bw]God, You have begun to show Your servant (DY)Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what (DZ)god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours? 25 Please let me cross over and see the (EA)good land that is beyond the Jordan, [bx]that good hill country, and Lebanon.’ 26 But (EB)the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me; instead, the Lord said to me, ‘[by]Enough! Do not speak to Me any more about this matter. 27 Go up to the top of (EC)Pisgah and raise your eyes to the west, the north, the south, and the east, and see it with your eyes; (ED)for you shall not cross over this Jordan. 28 (EE)But commission Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him, (EF)for he shall go across [bz]leading this people, and he will give to them, as an inheritance, the land which you will see.’ 29 So we remained in the valley opposite (EG)Beth-peor.

Israel Urged to Obey God’s Law

“Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which (EH)I am teaching you to perform, so that (EI)you will live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. (EJ)You shall not add to the word which (EK)I am commanding you, nor take away from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I am commanding you. (EL)Your eyes have seen what the Lord has done in the case of Baal-peor, for all the men who followed Baal-peor, the Lord your God has destroyed [ca]them from among you. But you who clung to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.

“See, I have taught you statutes and judgments (EM)just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you are to do these things in the land where you are entering to take possession of it. So keep and do them, (EN)for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For (EO)what great nation is there that has a god (EP)so near to it as is the Lord our God (EQ)whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation is there that has (ER)statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole Law which I am setting before you today?

“Only (ES)be careful for yourself and watch over your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart (ET)all the days of your life; but (EU)make them known to your sons and your grandsons. 10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may have them hear My words (EV)so that they may learn to [cb]fear Me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may (EW)teach their children.’ 11 You came forward and stood at the foot of the mountain, (EX)and the mountain was burning with fire to the heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud, and thick gloom. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—there was only a voice. 13 So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, (EY)the Ten [cc]Commandments; and (EZ)He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 The Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, so that you would perform them in the land where you are going over to take possession of it.

15 “So (FA)be very careful [cd]yourselves, since you did not see any (FB)form on the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, 16 so that you do not (FC)act corruptly and (FD)make a carved image for yourselves in the form of any figure, a representation of male or female, 17 a representation of any animal that is on the earth, a representation of (FE)any winged bird that flies in the sky, 18 a representation of anything that crawls on the ground, or a representation of any fish that is in the water below the earth. 19 And be careful not to raise your eyes to heaven and look at the sun, the moon, and the stars, (FF)all the heavenly [ce]lights, (FG)and allow yourself to be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20 But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of (FH)the iron furnace, from Egypt, to (FI)be a people of His own possession, as today.

21 (FJ)Now the Lord was angry with me on your account, and He swore that I would not cross the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. 22 For (FK)I am going to die in this land; I am not crossing the Jordan, but you are going to cross, and you will take possession of this (FL)good land. 23 So be careful [cf]yourselves, (FM)that you do not forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, and (FN)make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything against which the Lord your God has commanded you. 24 For the Lord your God is a (FO)consuming fire, a (FP)jealous God.

25 “When you father children and have [cg]grandchildren, and you grow old in the land, and you (FQ)act corruptly, and (FR)make [ch]an idol in the form of anything, and (FS)do what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God to provoke Him to anger, 26 I (FT)call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today, that you will (FU)certainly perish quickly from the land where you are going over the Jordan to take possession of it. You will not [ci]live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27 The Lord will (FV)scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord drives you. 28 (FW)There you will serve gods, the work of human hands, (FX)wood and stone, (FY)which neither see nor hear, nor eat nor smell anything. 29 (FZ)But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him (GA)with all your heart and all your soul. 30 When you (GB)are in distress and all these things happen to you, (GC)in the latter days (GD)you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. 31 For the Lord your God is a (GE)compassionate God; (GF)He will not abandon you nor (GG)destroy you, nor (GH)forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.

32 “Indeed, (GI)ask now about the earlier days that were [cj]before your time, since the (GJ)day that God created [ck]mankind on the earth, and inquire (GK)from one end of the heavens to the other. (GL)Has anything been done like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it? 33 (GM)Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived? 34 (GN)Or has a god ventured to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation (GO)by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, (GP)by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, [cl]just as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord, He is God; (GQ)there is no other besides Him. 36 (GR)Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice (GS)to discipline you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire. 37 (GT)Because He loved your fathers, He chose [cm]their descendants after them. And He [cn](GU)personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, 38 driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and (GV)to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is today. 39 Therefore know today, and take it to your heart, that (GW)the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. 40 (GX)So you shall keep His statutes and His commandments which I am [co]giving you today, so that (GY)it may go well for you and for your children after you, and (GZ)that you may [cp]live long on the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

41 (HA)Then Moses set apart three cities across the Jordan to the [cq]east, 42 for [cr]one to flee there who unintentionally killed his neighbor, without having hatred for him in time past; and by fleeing to one of these cities he might live: 43 (HB)Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.

44 Now this is the Law which Moses set before the sons of Israel; 45 these are the testimonies and the statutes, and the ordinances which Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, when they came out of Egypt, 46 across the Jordan, in the valley (HC)opposite Beth-peor, in the land of (HD)Sihon king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon, whom Moses and the sons of Israel [cs]defeated when they came out of Egypt. 47 And they took possession of his land and the land of (HE)Og king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who were across the Jordan to the [ct]east, 48 from (HF)Aroer, which is on the edge of the [cu]Valley of Arnon, even as far as (HG)Mount Sion (that is, Hermon), 49 with all the Arabah across the Jordan to the east, even as far as the sea of the Arabah, [cv]at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah.

The Ten Commandments Repeated

Now Moses summoned all Israel and said to them:

“Listen, Israel, to the statutes and ordinances which I am speaking today [cw]for you to hear, so that you may learn them and be careful to do them. The Lord our God made (HH)a covenant with us at Horeb. (HI)The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, all [cx]of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke with you (HJ)face to face at the mountain (HK)from the midst of the fire, while (HL)I was standing between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; (HM)for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up on the mountain. [cy]He said,

(HN)I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [cz]slavery.

(HO)You shall have no other gods besides Me.

(HP)You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any [da]likeness of what is in heaven above [db]or on the earth beneath [dc]or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, (HQ)inflicting the [dd]punishment of the fathers on the children, [de]even on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but (HR)showing [df]favor to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

11 (HS)You shall not take the name of the Lord your God [dg]in vain, for the Lord will not [dh]leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain.

12 (HT)Keep the Sabbath day to treat it as holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 For six days you [di]shall labor and do all your work, 14 but (HU)the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; you shall not do any work that day, you or your son or your daughter, or your male slave or your female slave, or your ox, your donkey, or any of your cattle, or your [dj]resident who [dk]stays with you, so that your male slave and your female slave may rest as well as you. 15 (HV)And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to [dl]celebrate the Sabbath day.

16 (HW)Honor your father and your mother, just as the Lord your God has commanded you, (HX)so that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well for you on the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

17 (HY)You shall not murder.

18 (HZ)You shall not commit adultery.

19 (IA)You shall not steal.

20 (IB)You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

21 (IC)You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male slave or his female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’

Moses Interceded

22 “These words the Lord spoke to your whole assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire, from the cloud, and from the thick darkness, with a great voice, and He added nothing more. (ID)He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23 And when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you approached me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. 24 You said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with mankind, yet he lives. 25 (IE)Now then, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, then we will die! 26 For (IF)who is there of [dm]humanity who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 [dn]Go near and listen to everything that the Lord our God says; then speak to us everything that the Lord our God speaks to you, and we will listen and do it.’

28 “Now the Lord heard the sound of your words when you spoke to me, (IG)and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the sound of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. 29 (IH)If only they had such a heart in them, to fear Me and (II)keep all My commandments always, so that (IJ)it would go well with them and with their sons forever! 30 Go, say to them, “Return to your tents.” 31 (IK)But as for you, stand here by Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, so that they may [do]follow them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’ 32 So you shall be careful to do just as the Lord your God has commanded you; (IL)you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left. 33 (IM)You shall walk [dp]entirely in the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, (IN)so that you may live and that it may be well for you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess.

Obey God and Prosper

“Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you may do them in the land where you are going over to take possession of it, so that you, your son, and your grandson will (IO)fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, (IP)all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Now Israel, you shall listen and be careful to do them, so that (IQ)it may go well for you and that you may increase greatly, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has [dq]promised you, in (IR)a land flowing with milk and honey.

(IS)Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the (IT)Lord is one! And (IU)you shall love the Lord your God (IV)with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (IW)These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. And (IX)you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. (IY)You shall also tie them as a [dr]sign to your [ds]hand, and they shall be as [dt]frontlets [du]on your forehead. (IZ)You shall also write them on the [dv]doorposts of your house and on your gates.

10 “Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land that He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you, (JA)great and splendid cities which you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and carved cisterns which you did not carve out, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and (JB)you eat and are satisfied, 12 be [dw]careful that (JC)you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [dx]slavery. 13 (JD)You shall [dy]fear only the Lord your God; and you shall [dz]worship Him and (JE)swear by His name. 14 (JF)You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, 15 for the Lord your God who is in the midst of you is a (JG)jealous God; so follow Him, or else the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you, and He will [ea]wipe you off the face of the earth.

16 (JH)You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, (JI)as you tested Him at Massah. 17 (JJ)You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and His provisions and His statutes which He has commanded you. 18 You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, so that (JK)it may go well for you and that you may go in and take possession of the good land which the Lord swore to give your fathers, 19 by driving out all your enemies from you, as the Lord has spoken.

20 (JL)When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the provisions and the statutes and the judgments mean which the Lord our God commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Moreover, the Lord provided great and terrible signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household; 23 He brought us out of there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers.’ 24 So the Lord commanded us to [eb]follow all these statutes, (JM)to fear the Lord our God for our own good always and (JN)for our survival, as it is today. 25 And (JO)it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to [ec]follow all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as He commanded us.

Warnings

(JP)When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to take possession of it, and He drives away many nations from before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, (JQ)seven nations greater and mightier than you, and when the Lord your God turns them over to you and you [ed]defeat them, (JR)you shall [ee]utterly destroy them. (JS)You shall not make a covenant with them (JT)nor be gracious to them. Furthermore, (JU)you shall not intermarry with them: you shall not give your [ef]daughters to [eg]their sons, nor shall you take [eh]their daughters for your [ei]sons. For [ej]they will turn your [ek]sons away from [el]following Me, and they will serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and (JV)He will quickly destroy you. But this is what you shall do to them: (JW)you shall tear down their altars, smash their memorial stones, cut their [em]Asherim to pieces, and burn their carved images in the fire. For you are (JX)a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be (JY)a people for His personal possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the [en]earth.

(JZ)The Lord did not [eo]make you His beloved nor choose you because you were greater in number than any of the peoples, since you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the (KA)oath which He swore to your forefathers, (KB)the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of [ep]slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God, (KC)He is God, (KD)the faithful God, (KE)who keeps [eq]His covenant and [er]His faithfulness to a thousand generations for those who (KF)love Him and keep His commandments; 10 but He (KG)repays those who hate Him to [es]their faces, to eliminate [et]them; He will not hesitate toward him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face. 11 Therefore, you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them.

Promises of God

12 (KH)Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep [eu]His covenant with you and [ev]His faithfulness which He swore to your forefathers. 13 And He will (KI)love you, bless you, and (KJ)make you numerous; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain, your new wine, and your oil, the newborn of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, [ew]in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. 14 You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no sterile male or (KK)infertile female among you or among your cattle. 15 And (KL)the Lord will remove from you all sickness; and He will not inflict upon you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known, but He will give them to all who hate you. 16 You shall consume all the peoples whom the Lord your God will turn over to you; (KM)your eye shall not pity them, nor shall you serve their gods, for that would be (KN)a snare to you.

17 “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I (KO)dispossess them?’ 18 you are not to be afraid of them; you shall (KP)remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: 19 (KQ)the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders, and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. 20 Indeed, the Lord your God will send (KR)the hornet against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish. 21 You are not to be terrified of them, because (KS)the Lord your God is in your midst, (KT)a great and awesome God. 22 (KU)And the Lord your God will drive away these nations from you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, otherwise the [ex]wild animals would become too numerous for you. 23 (KV)But the Lord your God will turn them over to you, and will [ey]throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed. 24 (KW)And He will hand over their kings to you, so that you will eliminate their name from under heaven; (KX)no one will be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. 25 The carved images of their gods you are to (KY)burn with fire; you shall (KZ)not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be (LA)trapped by it; for it is an (LB)abomination to the Lord your God. 26 And you shall not bring an abomination into your house and become (LC)designated for destruction, like it; you are to utterly detest it, and you are to utterly loathe it, for it is something designated for destruction.

God’s Gracious Dealings

“All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, so that you (LD)may live and increase, and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers. (LE)And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has (LF)led you in the wilderness these forty years, in order to humble you, (LG)putting you to the test, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you go hungry, and fed you with the manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, in order to make you [ez]understand that (LH)man shall not live on bread alone, but man shall live on everything that comes out of the mouth of the Lord. (LI)Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. (LJ)So you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to [fa]fear Him. For (LK)the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of streams of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines, fig trees, and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you will eat food without shortage, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 When (LL)you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

11 “Be careful that you do not (LM)forget the Lord your God by failing to keep His commandments, His ordinances, and His statutes which I am commanding you today; 12 otherwise, (LN)when you eat and are satisfied, and you build good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and your flocks increase, and your silver and gold increase, and everything that you have increases, 14 then your heart will [fb]become proud and you will (LO)forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [fc]slavery; 15 He who led you through (LP)the great and terrible wilderness, with its (LQ)fiery serpents and scorpions, and its thirsty ground where there was no water; He who (LR)brought water for you out of the rock of flint. 16 In the wilderness it was He who fed you manna (LS)which your fathers did not know, in order to humble you and in order to (LT)put you to the test, to do good for you [fd]in the end. 17 Otherwise, (LU)you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ 18 But you are to remember the Lord your God, for (LV)it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, in order to confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 And it shall come about, if you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and serve and worship them, (LW)I testify against you today that you will certainly perish. 20 Like the nations that the Lord eliminates from you, so (LX)you shall perish, because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God.

Israel Provoked God

“Hear, Israel! You are crossing the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess (LY)nations greater and mightier than you, cities that are great and (LZ)fortified to heaven, a people who are great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know and of whom you have heard it said, ‘(MA)Who can stand against the sons of Anak?’ So be aware today that (MB)it is the Lord your God who is crossing over ahead of you as (MC)a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that (MD)you may drive them out and eliminate them quickly, just as the Lord has spoken to you.

(ME)Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them away from [fe]you, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to take possession of this land.’ Rather, it is (MF)because of the [ff]wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. It is (MG)not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are going in to take possession of their land, [fg]but it is because of the [fh]wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and in order to confirm (MH)the [fi]oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

“Know, 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 (MI)a [fj]stubborn people. Remember, do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to anger in the wilderness; (MJ)from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord. Even (MK)at Horeb you provoked the Lord to anger, and the Lord was so angry with you that He would have destroyed you. When I went up to the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I remained on the mountain for forty days and nights; (ML)I neither ate bread nor drank water. 10 The Lord gave me the two tablets of stone (MM)written by the finger of God; and on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. 11 It came about (MN)at the end of forty days and nights that the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. 12 (MO)Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go down from here quickly, because your people, whom you brought out of Egypt, have behaved corruptly. They have (MP)quickly turned aside from the way that I commanded them; they have made a cast metal image for themselves.’ 13 The (MQ)Lord also said to [fk]me, ‘I have seen this people, and indeed, it is a [fl](MR)stubborn people. 14 (MS)Leave Me alone, that I may destroy them and (MT)wipe out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’

15 (MU)So I turned and came down from the mountain while the mountain was burning with fire, and the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. 16 And I saw that you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God. You had made for yourselves a cast metal image of a calf; you had quickly turned aside from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them from my two hands, and smashed them to pieces before your eyes! 18 (MV)Then I fell down before the Lord (MW)like the first time, for forty days and nights; (MX)I neither ate bread nor drank water, (MY)because of all your sin which you had committed by doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. 19 For (MZ)I was afraid of the anger and the rage with which the Lord was angry with you so as to destroy you; (NA)but the Lord listened to me that time as well. 20 The Lord was also angry enough with Aaron to destroy him; so I also prayed for Aaron at the same time. 21 (NB)And I took your [fm]sinful thing which you had made, the calf, and burned it in the fire and crushed it, grinding it thoroughly until it was as fine as dust; and I threw its dust into the stream that came down from the mountain.

22 “Then at (NC)Taberah, at (ND)Massah, and at (NE)Kibroth-hattaavah you kept provoking the Lord to anger. 23 And when the Lord sent you from (NF)Kadesh-barnea, saying, ‘(NG)Go up and take possession of the land which I have given you,’ you rebelled against the [fn]command of the Lord your God; (NH)you neither trusted Him nor listened to His voice. 24 (NI)You have been rebellious toward the Lord since the day I knew you.

25 (NJ)So I fell down before the Lord for the forty days and nights, which I [fo]did because the Lord said He would destroy you. 26 (NK)And I prayed to the Lord and said, ‘Lord God, do not destroy Your people, Your inheritance, whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand! 27 Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not turn Your attention to the stubbornness of this people, or to their wickedness, or their sin. 28 Otherwise, the people of the land from which You brought us will say, “(NL)Since the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which He had [fp]promised them, and since He hated them, He has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness!” 29 Yet they are Your people, and (NM)Your inheritance, whom You brought out by Your (NN)great power and Your outstretched arm.’

The Tablets Rewritten

10 “At that time the Lord said to me, ‘(NO)Cut out for yourself two tablets of stone like the first two, and come up to Me on the mountain, and (NP)make an [fq]ark of wood for yourself. Then (NQ)I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you smashed to pieces, and (NR)you shall put them in the ark.’ So (NS)I made an ark of acacia wood and (NT)cut out two tablets of stone like the first two, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. Then He wrote on the tablets, like the first writing, (NU)the Ten [fr]Commandments (NV)which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire (NW)on the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me. Then I turned and (NX)came down from the mountain, and I (NY)put the tablets in the ark which I had made; (NZ)and they are there, just as the Lord commanded me.”

(Now the sons of Israel set out from [fs]Beeroth (OA)Bene-jaakan to Moserah. (OB)There Aaron died and there he was buried, and his son Eleazar served as priest in his place. (OC)From there they set out to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of streams of water. (OD)At that time the Lord singled out the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord (OE)to serve Him and to bless in His name, until this day. (OF)Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, just as the Lord your God spoke to him.)

10 (OG)I, moreover, stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights like the first time, and the Lord listened to me that time also; the Lord was not willing to destroy you. 11 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, proceed on your journey ahead of the people, so that they may go in and take possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.’

12 (OH)And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to [ft]fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and (OI)love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with (OJ)all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the Lords commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? 14 Behold, (OK)to the Lord your God belong heaven and the [fu]highest heavens, (OL)the earth and all that is in it. 15 (OM)Yet the Lord set His affection on your fathers, to love them, and He chose their [fv]descendants after them, you over all the other peoples, as it is this day. 16 (ON)So circumcise [fw]your heart, and do not (OO)stiffen your neck any longer. 17 (OP)For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the (OQ)Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, (OR)who does not show partiality, nor (OS)take a bribe. 18 He executes justice for (OT)the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the stranger by giving him food and clothing. 19 (OU)So show your love for the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20 You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and (OV)cling to Him, and (OW)you shall swear by His name. 21 He is (OX)your glory and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. 22 (OY)Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons in all, (OZ)and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

Rewards of Obedience

11 “You shall therefore (PA)love the Lord your God, and always (PB)keep His directive, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments. Know this day (PC)that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the [fx]discipline of the Lord your God—His greatness, His mighty hand, His outstretched arm, and (PD)His signs and His works which He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land; and what He did to Egypt’s army, to its horses and its chariots, (PE)when He made the water of the [fy]Red Sea [fz]engulf them while they were pursuing you, and the Lord [ga]completely eliminated them; and what He did to you in the wilderness, until you came to this place; and (PF)what He did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and (PG)every living thing that [gb]followed them, among all Israel— but your own eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord which He did.

“You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, (PH)so that you may be strong and go in and take possession of the land into which you are about to cross to possess it; and (PI)so that you may prolong your days on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their [gc]descendants, (PJ)a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land, into which you are entering to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you used to sow your seed and water it [gd]by your foot like a vegetable garden. 11 But (PK)the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12 a land for which the Lord your God cares; (PL)the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it, from the [ge]beginning even to the end of the year.

13 “And it shall come about, (PM)if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, (PN)to love the Lord your God and to serve Him (PO)with all your heart and all your soul, 14 that [gf](PP)He will provide rain for your land in its season, the [gg](PQ)early and [gh]late rain, so that you may gather your grain, your new wine, and your oil. 15 [gi](PR)He will also provide grass in your field for your cattle, and (PS)you will eat and be satisfied. 16 [gj](PT)Beware that your hearts are not easily deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods, and worship them. 17 Otherwise, (PU)the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will (PV)shut up the sky (PW)so that there will be no rain, and the ground will not yield its produce; then (PX)you will quickly perish from the good land which the Lord is giving you.

18 (PY)You shall therefore take these words of mine to [gk]heart and to soul; and you shall tie them as a sign on your [gl]hand, and they shall be as [gm]frontlets [gn]on your forehead. 19 (PZ)You shall also teach them to your sons, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. 20 (QA)And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that (QB)your days and the days of your sons may be increased on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as [go](QC)long as the heavens are above the earth. 22 For if you are (QD)careful to keep all of this commandment which I am commanding you to do, (QE)to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and (QF)cling to Him, 23 then the Lord will [gp](QG)dispossess all these nations from you, and you will [gq](QH)dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. 24 (QI)Every place on which the sole of your foot steps shall be yours; (QJ)your border will be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as [gr]the western sea. 25 (QK)No one will be able to stand against you; the Lord your God will [gs]instill the dread of you and the fear of you in all the land on which you set foot, just as He has spoken to you.

26 (QL)See, I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the (QM)blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; 28 and the (QN)curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, [gt]by following other gods which you have not known.

29 “And it shall come about, when the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, (QO)that you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 30 Are they not across the Jordan, west of the road toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite (QP)Gilgal, beside (QQ)the [gu]oaks of Moreh? 31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to go in to take possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and (QR)you shall possess it and live in it, 32 and you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the judgments which I am placing before you today.

Laws of the Sanctuary

12 “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully [gv]follow in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess [gw](QS)as long as you live on the [gx]earth. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you are going to dispossess serve their gods, on the (QT)high mountains, on the hills, and under every leafy tree. And (QU)you shall tear down their altars and smash their memorial stones to pieces, and burn their [gy]Asherim in the fire, and cut to pieces the carved images of their gods; and you shall (QV)eliminate their name from that place. You shall not act this way toward the Lord your God. (QW)But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and you shall come there. You shall bring there your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, (QX)your tithes, the [gz]contribution of your hand, your vowed offerings, your [ha]voluntary offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. There you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and (QY)rejoice in all [hb]your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you.

“You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, (QZ)everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes; for you have not as yet come to (RA)the resting place and the (RB)inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. 10 When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and (RC)He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security, 11 (RD)then it shall come about that the place in which the Lord your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring everything that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the [hc]contribution of your hand, and all your choice vowed offerings which you will vow to the Lord. 12 And you shall (RE)rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the (RF)Levite who is within your gates, since (RG)he has no portion or inheritance with you.

13 (RH)Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in any cultic place that you see, 14 but only in the place which the Lord chooses in one of your tribes: there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do everything that I command you.

15 (RI)However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, [hd]whatever you desire, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as (RJ)the gazelle and the deer. 16 (RK)Only you shall not eat the blood; (RL)you are to pour it out on the ground like water. 17 (RM)You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, new wine, or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your vowed offerings which you vow, or your [he]voluntary offerings, or the [hf]contribution of your hand. 18 But (RN)you shall eat them before the Lord your God in (RO)the place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the (RP)Levite who is within your gates; and you shall (RQ)rejoice before the Lord your God in all [hg]your undertakings. 19 (RR)Be careful that you do not abandon the Levite [hh]as long as you live in your land.

20 “When the Lord your God extends your border (RS)as He has [hi]promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because [hj]you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, [hk]whatever you desire. 21 If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter animals from your herd and flock which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates [hl]whatever you desire. 22 Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten, so you may eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat it. 23 Only be sure (RT)not to eat the blood, for the blood is the [hm]life, and you shall not eat the [hn]life with the flesh. 24 You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. 25 You shall not eat it, so that (RU)it may go well for you and your sons after you, since (RV)you will be doing what is right in the sight of the Lord. 26 (RW)Only your holy things which you may have and your vowed offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses. 27 And (RX)you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, and (RY)you shall eat the flesh.

28 “Be careful and listen to all these words which I am commanding you, so that (RZ)it may go well for you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.

29 “When (SA)the Lord your God cuts off from you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and live in their land, 30 be careful that you are not ensnared [ho]to follow them, after they are destroyed from your presence, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’ 31 (SB)You shall not behave this way toward the Lord your God, because every abominable act which the Lord hates, they have done for their gods; for (SC)they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire for their gods.

32 [hp](SD)Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; (SE)you shall not add to nor take anything away from it.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 1:1 Perhaps the Red Sea
  2. Deuteronomy 1:4 Lit struck
  3. Deuteronomy 1:4 So ancient versions; MT omits and
  4. Deuteronomy 1:7 I.e., South country
  5. Deuteronomy 1:8 Lit seed
  6. Deuteronomy 1:11 Lit spoken to
  7. Deuteronomy 1:15 Lit gave them as
  8. Deuteronomy 1:15 Lit commanders of
  9. Deuteronomy 1:15 Lit commanders of
  10. Deuteronomy 1:15 Lit commanders of
  11. Deuteronomy 1:17 Lit recognize faces
  12. Deuteronomy 1:23 Lit word
  13. Deuteronomy 1:26 Lit mouth
  14. Deuteronomy 1:30 Lit according to all that
  15. Deuteronomy 1:32 Lit in this matter
  16. Deuteronomy 1:40 Lit Sea of Reeds
  17. Deuteronomy 1:42 Lit struck
  18. Deuteronomy 1:42 Lit before
  19. Deuteronomy 1:43 Lit mouth
  20. Deuteronomy 1:46 Lit as the days
  21. Deuteronomy 2:1 Lit Sea of Reeds
  22. Deuteronomy 2:5 Or engage in strife with
  23. Deuteronomy 2:5 Lit treading of a sole of a foot
  24. Deuteronomy 2:7 Lit the work of your hand
  25. Deuteronomy 2:7 Lit going
  26. Deuteronomy 2:9 Lit his
  27. Deuteronomy 2:12 I.e., the sons of Esau
  28. Deuteronomy 2:12 Lit his
  29. Deuteronomy 2:13 I.e., dry stream bed, except in the rainy season
  30. Deuteronomy 2:13 I.e., dry stream bed, except in the rainy season
  31. Deuteronomy 2:14 Lit days in which we went
  32. Deuteronomy 2:14 See note v 13
  33. Deuteronomy 2:21 I.e., the Ammonites
  34. Deuteronomy 2:23 I.e., Philistines
  35. Deuteronomy 2:23 I.e., Crete
  36. Deuteronomy 2:24 Or wadi
  37. Deuteronomy 2:25 Lit peoples under all the heavens
  38. Deuteronomy 2:25 Lit who will hear...and tremble
  39. Deuteronomy 2:27 Lit go on the road, on the road
  40. Deuteronomy 2:28 Lit my feet
  41. Deuteronomy 2:30 Lit by him
  42. Deuteronomy 2:31 Lit before you
  43. Deuteronomy 2:32 Lit he and
  44. Deuteronomy 2:33 Lit before us
  45. Deuteronomy 2:33 Lit struck
  46. Deuteronomy 2:34 Or put under the ban
  47. Deuteronomy 2:34 Lit every city of men...
  48. Deuteronomy 2:36 Or wadi
  49. Deuteronomy 2:36 Or wadi
  50. Deuteronomy 2:36 Or strong
  51. Deuteronomy 2:36 Lit before us
  52. Deuteronomy 2:37 Or wadi
  53. Deuteronomy 3:1 Lit he and
  54. Deuteronomy 3:3 Lit him
  55. Deuteronomy 3:3 Lit left to him
  56. Deuteronomy 3:5 Or rural
  57. Deuteronomy 3:6 Or put them under the ban
  58. Deuteronomy 3:6 Or putting under the ban
  59. Deuteronomy 3:6 Lit every city of men...
  60. Deuteronomy 3:8 Or wadi
  61. Deuteronomy 3:11 Or couch
  62. Deuteronomy 3:11 Or couch
  63. Deuteronomy 3:11 Lit by a man’s forearm; about 14 ft. long and 6 ft. wide or 4 m and 1.8 m
  64. Deuteronomy 3:12 Or wadi
  65. Deuteronomy 3:14 Lit them
  66. Deuteronomy 3:14 I.e., the towns of Jair
  67. Deuteronomy 3:16 Or wadi
  68. Deuteronomy 3:16 Or wadi
  69. Deuteronomy 3:16 Lit and
  70. Deuteronomy 3:16 Or wadi
  71. Deuteronomy 3:17 Lit and
  72. Deuteronomy 3:17 I.e., the Sea of Galilee
  73. Deuteronomy 3:17 Lit under
  74. Deuteronomy 3:18 Lit sons of valor
  75. Deuteronomy 3:24 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  76. Deuteronomy 3:25 Lit this
  77. Deuteronomy 3:26 Lit Much for you
  78. Deuteronomy 3:28 Lit before this
  79. Deuteronomy 4:3 Lit him
  80. Deuteronomy 4:10 Or revere
  81. Deuteronomy 4:13 Lit Words
  82. Deuteronomy 4:15 Or for your own lives
  83. Deuteronomy 4:19 Lit host
  84. Deuteronomy 4:23 Or for yourselves
  85. Deuteronomy 4:25 Lit children’s children
  86. Deuteronomy 4:25 Or a carved image
  87. Deuteronomy 4:26 Lit prolong your days
  88. Deuteronomy 4:32 Lit before you
  89. Deuteronomy 4:32 Or Adam
  90. Deuteronomy 4:34 Lit according to all that
  91. Deuteronomy 4:37 Lit his seed
  92. Deuteronomy 4:37 Lit with His presence
  93. Deuteronomy 4:40 Lit commanding
  94. Deuteronomy 4:40 Lit prolong your days
  95. Deuteronomy 4:41 Lit sunrise
  96. Deuteronomy 4:42 Lit one who committed manslaughter
  97. Deuteronomy 4:46 Lit struck
  98. Deuteronomy 4:47 Lit sunrise
  99. Deuteronomy 4:48 Or wadi
  100. Deuteronomy 4:49 Lit under
  101. Deuteronomy 5:1 Lit in your ears
  102. Deuteronomy 5:3 Lit these of us ourselves
  103. Deuteronomy 5:5 Lit saying
  104. Deuteronomy 5:6 Lit slaves
  105. Deuteronomy 5:8 Or manifestation
  106. Deuteronomy 5:8 Lit or what is on
  107. Deuteronomy 5:8 Lit or what is on
  108. Deuteronomy 5:9 I.e., punishment for the wrongdoing
  109. Deuteronomy 5:9 Or and on
  110. Deuteronomy 5:10 Or faithfulness
  111. Deuteronomy 5:11 I.e., uselessly or abusively
  112. Deuteronomy 5:11 Or hold guiltless
  113. Deuteronomy 5:13 Or may
  114. Deuteronomy 5:14 Lit stranger
  115. Deuteronomy 5:14 Lit is in your gates
  116. Deuteronomy 5:15 Lit perform
  117. Deuteronomy 5:26 Lit all flesh
  118. Deuteronomy 5:27 Lit Go yourself
  119. Deuteronomy 5:31 Lit perform
  120. Deuteronomy 5:33 Lit in all the way of
  121. Deuteronomy 6:3 Lit spoken to
  122. Deuteronomy 6:8 I.e., reminder
  123. Deuteronomy 6:8 Or forearm
  124. Deuteronomy 6:8 Or phylacteries
  125. Deuteronomy 6:8 Lit between your eyes
  126. Deuteronomy 6:9 Heb mezuzoth
  127. Deuteronomy 6:12 Or careful yourself
  128. Deuteronomy 6:12 Lit slaves
  129. Deuteronomy 6:13 Or revere
  130. Deuteronomy 6:13 Or serve
  131. Deuteronomy 6:15 Lit destroy
  132. Deuteronomy 6:24 Lit perform
  133. Deuteronomy 6:25 Lit perform
  134. Deuteronomy 7:2 Lit strike
  135. Deuteronomy 7:2 Or certainly devote to the ban
  136. Deuteronomy 7:3 Lit daughter
  137. Deuteronomy 7:3 Lit his son
  138. Deuteronomy 7:3 Lit his daughter
  139. Deuteronomy 7:3 Lit son
  140. Deuteronomy 7:4 Lit he
  141. Deuteronomy 7:4 Lit son
  142. Deuteronomy 7:4 Lit after
  143. Deuteronomy 7:5 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  144. Deuteronomy 7:6 Lit ground
  145. Deuteronomy 7:7 Or become so attached to
  146. Deuteronomy 7:8 Lit slaves
  147. Deuteronomy 7:9 Lit the
  148. Deuteronomy 7:9 Lit the
  149. Deuteronomy 7:10 Lit his face
  150. Deuteronomy 7:10 Lit him
  151. Deuteronomy 7:12 Lit the
  152. Deuteronomy 7:12 Lit the
  153. Deuteronomy 7:13 Lit on the ground
  154. Deuteronomy 7:22 Lit animals of the field
  155. Deuteronomy 7:23 Lit confuse them with
  156. Deuteronomy 8:3 Lit know
  157. Deuteronomy 8:6 Or revere
  158. Deuteronomy 8:14 Lit be high
  159. Deuteronomy 8:14 Lit slaves
  160. Deuteronomy 8:16 Lit at your end
  161. Deuteronomy 9:4 Lit you, saying
  162. Deuteronomy 9:4 Or godlessness
  163. Deuteronomy 9:5 Or for
  164. Deuteronomy 9:5 Or godlessness
  165. Deuteronomy 9:5 Lit word
  166. Deuteronomy 9:6 Lit stiff-necked
  167. Deuteronomy 9:13 Lit me, saying
  168. Deuteronomy 9:13 Lit stiff-necked
  169. Deuteronomy 9:21 Lit sin
  170. Deuteronomy 9:23 Lit mouth
  171. Deuteronomy 9:25 Lit fell down
  172. Deuteronomy 9:28 Lit spoken to
  173. Deuteronomy 10:1 I.e., sacred chest
  174. Deuteronomy 10:4 Lit Words
  175. Deuteronomy 10:6 Or the wells of the sons of Jaakan
  176. Deuteronomy 10:12 Or revere
  177. Deuteronomy 10:14 Lit heaven of heavens
  178. Deuteronomy 10:15 Lit seed
  179. Deuteronomy 10:16 Lit the foreskin of your heart,
  180. Deuteronomy 11:2 Or instruction
  181. Deuteronomy 11:4 Lit Sea of Reeds
  182. Deuteronomy 11:4 Lit flow over their faces
  183. Deuteronomy 11:4 Lit to this day
  184. Deuteronomy 11:6 Lit was at their feet
  185. Deuteronomy 11:9 Lit seed
  186. Deuteronomy 11:10 I.e., use of foot to facilitate irrigation
  187. Deuteronomy 11:12 Lit beginning of the year
  188. Deuteronomy 11:14 As in some ancient versions; MT I
  189. Deuteronomy 11:14 I.e., autumn
  190. Deuteronomy 11:14 I.e., spring
  191. Deuteronomy 11:15 As in some ancient versions; MT I
  192. Deuteronomy 11:16 Lit Watch yourselves
  193. Deuteronomy 11:18 Lit your heart
  194. Deuteronomy 11:18 Or forearm
  195. Deuteronomy 11:18 Or phylacteries
  196. Deuteronomy 11:18 Lit between your eyes
  197. Deuteronomy 11:21 Lit the days of the heavens
  198. Deuteronomy 11:23 Or drive out
  199. Deuteronomy 11:23 Or drive out
  200. Deuteronomy 11:24 I.e., the Mediterranean
  201. Deuteronomy 11:25 Lit give...over all
  202. Deuteronomy 11:28 Lit to follow
  203. Deuteronomy 11:30 Or terebinths
  204. Deuteronomy 12:1 Lit perform
  205. Deuteronomy 12:1 Lit all the days
  206. Deuteronomy 12:1 Lit ground
  207. Deuteronomy 12:3 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  208. Deuteronomy 12:6 Or uplifted offering
  209. Deuteronomy 12:6 Or freewill offerings
  210. Deuteronomy 12:7 Lit the putting forth of your hand
  211. Deuteronomy 12:11 Or uplifted offering
  212. Deuteronomy 12:15 Lit in every desire of your soul
  213. Deuteronomy 12:17 Or freewill offerings
  214. Deuteronomy 12:17 Or uplifted offering
  215. Deuteronomy 12:18 Lit the putting forth of your hand
  216. Deuteronomy 12:19 Lit all your days upon your land
  217. Deuteronomy 12:20 Lit spoken to
  218. Deuteronomy 12:20 Lit your soul desires
  219. Deuteronomy 12:20 Lit in every desire of your soul
  220. Deuteronomy 12:21 Lit in every desire of your soul
  221. Deuteronomy 12:23 Lit soul
  222. Deuteronomy 12:23 Lit soul
  223. Deuteronomy 12:30 Lit after them
  224. Deuteronomy 12:32 Lit Everything that

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