Deuteronomy 4
Expanded Bible
Moses Tells Israel to Obey
4 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. 2 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.
3 ·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]. 4 But all of you who ·continued following [clung to] the Lord your God are still alive today.
5 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]. 6 ·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].” 7 ·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. 8 ·And no [L What…?] other nation has such good ·teachings [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and commands as those I am giving to you today.
9 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.
Deuteronomio 4
La Biblia de las Américas
Moisés exhorta al pueblo a la obediencia
4 Ahora pues, oh Israel, escucha los estatutos y los decretos que yo os enseño para que los ejecutéis(A), a fin de que viváis y entréis a tomar posesión de la tierra que el Señor, el Dios de vuestros padres, os da(B). 2 No añadiréis nada a la palabra que yo os mando(C), ni quitaréis nada de ella(D), para que guardéis los mandamientos del Señor vuestro Dios que yo os mando. 3 Vuestros ojos han visto lo que hizo el Señor en el caso de Baal-peor, pues a todo hombre que siguió a Baal-peor, el Señor tu Dios lo destruyó de en medio de ti(E). 4 Mas vosotros, que permanecisteis fieles al Señor vuestro Dios, todos estáis vivos hoy. 5 Mirad, yo os he enseñado estatutos y decretos tal como el Señor mi Dios me ordenó(F), para que los cumpláis en medio de la tierra en que vais a entrar para poseerla. 6 Así que guardadlos y ponedlos por obra, porque esta será vuestra sabiduría y vuestra inteligencia ante los ojos de los pueblos que al escuchar todos estos estatutos, dirán: «Ciertamente esta gran nación es un pueblo sabio e inteligente(G)». 7 Porque, ¿qué nación grande(H) hay que tenga un dios tan cerca de ella como está el Señor nuestro Dios(I) siempre que le invocamos(J)? 8 ¿O qué nación grande hay que tenga estatutos y decretos(K) tan justos como toda esta ley que hoy pongo delante de vosotros?
Israel en Horeb
9 Por tanto, cuídate y guarda tu alma con diligencia, para que no te olvides(L) de las cosas que tus ojos han visto, y no se aparten de tu corazón todos los días de tu vida(M); sino que las hagas saber a tus hijos y a tus nietos(N). 10 Recuerda el día que estuviste delante del Señor tu Dios en Horeb, cuando el Señor me dijo: «Reúneme el pueblo para que yo les haga oír mis palabras, a fin de que aprendan a temerme[a] todos los días que vivan sobre la tierra(O) y las enseñen a sus hijos(P)». 11 Os acercasteis, pues, y permanecisteis al pie del monte, y el monte ardía en fuego(Q) hasta el mismo cielo[b]: oscuridad, nube y densas tinieblas. 12 Entonces el Señor os habló de en medio del fuego; oísteis su voz[c], solo la voz[d], pero no visteis figura alguna. 13 Y Él os declaró su pacto, el cual os mandó poner por obra: esto es, los diez mandamientos(R), y los[e] escribió en dos tablas de piedra(S). 14 Y el Señor me ordenó en aquella ocasión que os enseñara estatutos y decretos, a fin de que los cumpliérais en la tierra a la cual vais a entrar para poseerla.
Advertencia contra la idolatría
15 Así que guardaos bien(T), ya que no visteis ninguna figura(U) el día en que el Señor os habló en Horeb de en medio del fuego; 16 no sea que os corrompáis(V) y hagáis para vosotros una imagen tallada semejante a cualquier figura(W): semejanza de varón o hembra, 17 semejanza de cualquier animal que está en la tierra, semejanza de cualquier ave que vuela en el cielo(X), 18 semejanza de cualquier animal que se arrastra sobre la tierra, semejanza de cualquier pez que hay en las aguas debajo de la tierra. 19 No sea que levantes los ojos al cielo y veas el sol, la luna, las estrellas y todo el ejército del cielo(Y), y seas impulsado a adorarlos y servirlos(Z), cosas que el Señor tu Dios ha concedido a todos los pueblos debajo de todos los cielos. 20 Pero a vosotros el Señor os ha tomado y os ha sacado del horno de hierro, de Egipto(AA), para que fuerais pueblo de su heredad(AB) como lo sois ahora. 21 Y el Señor se enojó conmigo a causa de vosotros, y juró que yo no pasaría el Jordán, ni entraría en la buena tierra(AC) que el Señor tu Dios te da por heredad. 22 Porque yo moriré en esta tierra, no cruzaré el Jordán(AD); mas vosotros pasaréis y tomaréis posesión de esta buena tierra(AE). 23 Guardaos, pues, no sea que olvidéis el pacto que el Señor vuestro Dios hizo con vosotros(AF), y os hagáis imagen tallada en forma de cualquier cosa que el Señor tu Dios te ha prohibido[f](AG). 24 Porque el Señor tu Dios es fuego consumidor(AH), un Dios celoso(AI).
25 Cuando hayáis engendrado hijos y nietos, y hayáis permanecido largo tiempo en la tierra, y os corrompáis(AJ) y hagáis un ídolo[g] en forma de cualquier cosa(AK), y hagáis lo que es malo ante los ojos del Señor vuestro Dios para provocarle a ira(AL), 26 pongo hoy por testigo contra vosotros(AM) al cielo y a la tierra, que pronto seréis totalmente exterminados de la tierra donde vais a pasar el Jordán para poseerla. No viviréis por mucho tiempo[h] en ella, sino que seréis totalmente destruidos(AN). 27 Y el Señor os dispersará entre los pueblos(AO), y quedaréis pocos en número entre las naciones adonde el Señor os llevará. 28 Allí serviréis a dioses hechos por manos de hombre(AP), de madera y de piedra(AQ), que no ven, ni oyen, ni comen, ni huelen(AR). 29 Pero desde allí buscarás[i] al Señor tu Dios, y lo hallarás si lo buscas(AS) con todo tu corazón y con toda tu alma(AT). 30 En los postreros días(AU), cuando estés angustiado y todas esas cosas te sobrevengan(AV), volverás al Señor tu Dios y escucharás su voz(AW). 31 Pues el Señor tu Dios es Dios compasivo(AX); no te abandonará(AY), ni te destruirá(AZ), ni olvidará el pacto que Él juró a tus padres(BA).
32 Ciertamente, pregunta ahora acerca de los tiempos[j] pasados que fueron antes de ti(BB), desde el día en que Dios creó al hombre[k] sobre la tierra(BC); inquiere desde un extremo de los cielos hasta el otro(BD). ¿Se ha hecho cosa tan grande como esta(BE), o se ha oído algo como esto? 33 ¿Ha oído pueblo alguno la voz de Dios, hablando de en medio del fuego, como tú la has oído, y ha sobrevivido(BF)? 34 ¿O ha intentado dios alguno tomar para sí una nación de en medio de otra nación(BG), con pruebas, con señales y maravillas(BH), con guerra y mano fuerte y con brazo extendido(BI) y hechos aterradores[l], como[m] el Señor tu Dios hizo por ti en Egipto delante de tus ojos? 35 A ti te fue mostrado, para que supieras que el Señor, Él es Dios; ningún otro hay fuera de Él(BJ). 36 Desde los cielos te hizo oír su voz para disciplinarte[n]; y sobre la tierra te hizo ver su gran fuego, y oíste sus palabras de en medio del fuego(BK). 37 Porque[o] Él amó a tus padres, por eso escogió a su descendencia[p] después de ellos(BL); y personalmente[q] te sacó de Egipto con su gran poder(BM), 38 expulsando[r] delante de ti naciones más grandes y más poderosas que tú, para hacerte entrar y darte la tierra de ellos por heredad(BN), como sucede hoy. 39 Por tanto, reconoce hoy y reflexiona en tu corazón, que el Señor es Dios arriba en los cielos y abajo en la tierra; no hay otro(BO). 40 Así pues, guardarás sus estatutos y sus mandamientos(BP) que yo te ordeno hoy, a fin de que te vaya bien a ti y a tus hijos después de ti(BQ), y para que prolongues tus días sobre la tierra que el Señor tu Dios te da para siempre(BR).
Las ciudades de refugio
41 Entonces Moisés designó[s] tres ciudades al otro lado del Jordán, al oriente[t](BS), 42 para que huyera allí el homicida que involuntariamente[u] hubiera matado a su vecino sin haber tenido enemistad contra él en el pasado; y huyendo a una de estas ciudades, salvara su vida: 43 Beser en el desierto, sobre la meseta, para los rubenitas, y Ramot en Galaad para los gaditas, y Golán en Basán para los de Manasés(BT).
44 Esta es, pues, la ley que Moisés puso delante de los hijos de Israel. 45 Estos son los testimonios, los estatutos y las ordenanzas que Moisés dio[v] a los hijos de Israel cuando salieron de Egipto, 46 al otro lado del Jordán en el valle frente a Bet-peor(BU), en la tierra de Sehón, rey de los amorreos, que habitaba en Hesbón(BV), a quien Moisés y los hijos de Israel derrotaron[w] cuando salieron de Egipto. 47 Y tomaron posesión de su tierra y de la tierra de Og, rey de Basán(BW), los dos reyes de los amorreos que estaban al otro lado del Jordán hacia el oriente[x], 48 desde Aroer, que está a la orilla del valle[y] del Arnón(BX), hasta el monte Sión, es decir, Hermón(BY), 49 con todo el Arabá al otro lado del Jordán, al oriente, hasta el mar del Arabá, al pie[z] de las laderas del Pisga.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomio 4:10 O, reverenciarme
- Deuteronomio 4:11 Lit., el corazón de los cielos
- Deuteronomio 4:12 O, el sonido de palabras
- Deuteronomio 4:12 O, el sonido
- Deuteronomio 4:13 Lit., las diez palabras y las
- Deuteronomio 4:23 Lit., ordenado
- Deuteronomio 4:25 O, imagen tallada
- Deuteronomio 4:26 Lit., No prolongaréis vuestros días
- Deuteronomio 4:29 Lit., buscaréis
- Deuteronomio 4:32 Lit., días
- Deuteronomio 4:32 O, a Adán
- Deuteronomio 4:34 O, grandes terrores
- Deuteronomio 4:34 Lit., conforme a todo lo que
- Deuteronomio 4:36 O, enseñarte
- Deuteronomio 4:37 Lit., Y al contrario, porque
- Deuteronomio 4:37 Lit., simiente
- Deuteronomio 4:37 Lit., con su presencia
- Deuteronomio 4:38 Lit., desposeyendo
- Deuteronomio 4:41 Lit., separó
- Deuteronomio 4:41 Lit., hacia la salida del sol
- Deuteronomio 4:42 Lit., sin saber
- Deuteronomio 4:45 Lit., habló
- Deuteronomio 4:46 Lit., hirieron
- Deuteronomio 4:47 Lit., hacia la salida del sol
- Deuteronomio 4:48 O, torrente
- Deuteronomio 4:49 Lit., debajo
Deuteronomy 4
New King James Version
Moses Commands Obedience
4 “Now, O Israel, listen to (A)the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and [a]possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. 2 (B)You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at (C)Baal Peor; for the Lord your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. 4 But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.
5 “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. 6 Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is (D)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.’
7 “For (E)what great nation is there that has (F)God[b] so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? 8 And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently (G)keep yourself, lest you (H)forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And (I)teach them to your children and your grandchildren, 10 especially concerning (J)the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’
11 “Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. 12 (K)And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no [c]form; (L)you only heard a voice. 13 (M)So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, (N)the Ten Commandments; and (O)He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 And (P)the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might [d]observe them in the land which you cross over to possess.
Beware of Idolatry
15 (Q)“Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no (R)form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16 lest you (S)act corruptly and (T)make for yourselves a carved image in the [e]form of any figure: (U)the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth. 19 And take heed, lest you (V)lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, (W)all the host of heaven, you feel driven to (X)worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has [f]given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage. 20 But the Lord has taken you and (Y)brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be (Z)His people, an inheritance, as you are this day. 21 Furthermore (AA)the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and swore that (AB)I would not cross over the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. 22 But (AC)I must die in this land, (AD)I must not cross over the Jordan; but you shall cross over and [g]possess (AE)that good land. 23 Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, (AF)and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you. 24 For (AG)the Lord your God is a consuming fire, (AH)a jealous God.
25 “When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything, and (AI)do evil in the sight of the Lord your God to provoke Him to anger, 26 (AJ)I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not [h]prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27 And the Lord (AK)will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. 28 And (AL)there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, (AM)which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. 29 (AN)But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in [i]distress, and all these things come upon you in the (AO)latter days, when you (AP)turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice 31 (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor (AQ)destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.
32 “For (AR)ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask (AS)from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard. 33 (AT)Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? 34 Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, (AU)by trials, (AV)by signs, by wonders, by war, (AW)by a mighty hand and (AX)an outstretched arm, (AY)and by great [j]terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord Himself is God; (AZ)there is none other besides Him. 36 (BA)Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because (BB)He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their [k]descendants after them; and (BC)He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power, 38 (BD)driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is this day. 39 Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that (BE)the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. 40 (BF)You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that [l]it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may [m]prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”
Cities of Refuge East of the Jordan
41 Then Moses (BG)set apart three cities on this side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun, 42 (BH)that the manslayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without having hated him in time past, and that by fleeing to one of these cities he might live: 43 (BI)Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.
Introduction to God’s Law
44 Now this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel. 45 These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which Moses spoke to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt, 46 on this side of the Jordan, (BJ)in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel (BK)defeated[n] after they came out of Egypt. 47 And they took possession of his land and the land (BL)of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, who were on this side of the Jordan, toward the [o]rising of the sun, 48 (BM)from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, even to Mount [p]Sion (that is, (BN)Hermon), 49 and all the plain on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Sea of the Arabah, below the (BO)slopes of Pisgah.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 4:1 take possession of
- Deuteronomy 4:7 Or a god
- Deuteronomy 4:12 similitude
- Deuteronomy 4:14 do or perform
- Deuteronomy 4:16 similitude
- Deuteronomy 4:19 divided
- Deuteronomy 4:22 take possession of
- Deuteronomy 4:26 live long on it
- Deuteronomy 4:30 tribulation
- Deuteronomy 4:34 calamities
- Deuteronomy 4:37 Lit. seed
- Deuteronomy 4:40 you may prosper
- Deuteronomy 4:40 live long
- Deuteronomy 4:46 struck
- Deuteronomy 4:47 east
- Deuteronomy 4:48 Syr. Sirion
Deuteronomy 4
King James Version
4 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you.
2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
3 Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you.
4 But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day.
5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.
6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?
9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;
10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.
11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.
12 And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.
13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.
14 And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.
15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:
16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
17 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,
18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:
19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
20 But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.
21 Furthermore the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance:
22 But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land.
23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.
24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger:
26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
27 And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you.
28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
32 For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?
33 Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?
34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.
36 Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.
37 And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;
38 To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day.
39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.
40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.
41 Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;
42 That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live:
43 Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.
44 And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel:
45 These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt.
46 On this side Jordan, in the valley over against Bethpeor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, after they were come forth out of Egypt:
47 And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;
48 From Aroer, which is by the bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Hermon,
49 And all the plain on this side Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

