Moses Commands Obedience

4 “So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.^{(A) 2} You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you.^(B)

⁶ You must observe them and perform them, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!’^{(A) 7} For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him?^{(B) 8} And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?

⁹ “But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children^(C)—

¹⁷ Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.^{[a](A) 18} In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave birth to us by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.^(B)

Hearing and Doing the Word

¹⁹ You must understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger,^{(C) 20} for human anger does not produce God’s righteousness.^{[b] 21} Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.^(D)

²² But be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.^{(E) 23} For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves^[c] in a mirror;^{(F) 24} for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. ²⁵ But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.^(G)

²⁶ If any think they are religious and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.^{(H) 27} Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.^(I)