Deuteronomy 4:1–14

Obey the Lord

4Israel, listen to the rules and laws I’m going to teach you. Follow them. Then you will live. You will go in and take over the land. The Lord was the God of your people long ago. He’s giving you the land. ²Don’t add to what I’m commanding you. Don’t subtract from it either. Instead, obey the commands of the Lord your God that I’m giving you.

³Your own eyes saw what the Lord your God did at Baal Peor. He destroyed every one of your people who followed the Baal that was worshiped at Peor. ⁴But all of you who remained true to the Lord your God are still alive today.

⁵I have taught you rules and laws, just as the Lord my God commanded me. Follow them in the land you are entering to take as your very own. ⁶Be careful to keep them. That will show the nations how wise and understanding you are. They will hear about all of those rules. They’ll say, “That great nation certainly has wise and understanding people.”

⁷The Lord our God is near us every time we pray to him. What other nation is great enough to have its gods that close to them? ⁸I’m giving you the laws of the Lord today. What other nation is great enough to have rules and laws that are as fair as these?

⁹Don’t be careless. Instead, be very careful. Don’t forget the things your eyes have seen. As long as you live, don’t let them slip from your mind. Teach them to your children and their children after them. ¹⁰Remember the day you stood at Mount Horeb. The Lord your God was there. He said to me, “Bring the people to me to hear my words. I want them to learn to have respect for me as long as they live in the land. I want them to teach my words to their children.”

¹¹You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain. It blazed with fire that reached as high as the very heavens. There were black clouds and deep darkness.

¹²Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of his words. But you didn’t see any shape or form. You only heard a voice. ¹³He announced his covenant to you. That covenant is the Ten Commandments. He commanded you to follow them. Then he wrote them down on two stone tablets.

¹⁴At that time the Lord directed me to teach you his rules and laws. You must follow them in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to take as your own.