4"And now, Israel, listen carefully to these decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.H8085H3478H2706H4941H3925H6213H2421H935H3423H776H3068H430H1H54142Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you.H3254H1697H6680H1639H8104H4687H3068H430H66803"You saw for yourself what the LORD did to you at Baal-peor. There the LORD your God destroyed everyone who had worshiped Baal, the god of Peor.H5869H7200H3068H6213H1187H376H310H1980H1187H3068H430H8045H71304But all of you who were faithful to the LORD your God are still alive today—every one of you.H1695H3068H430H2416H31175"Look, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy.H7200H3925H2706H4941H834H3068H430H6680H6213H7130H776H935H34236Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, 'How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!'H8104H6213H2451H998H5869H5971H8085H2706H559H1419H1471H2450H995H59717For what great nation has a god as near to them as the LORD our God is near to us whenever we call on him?H1471H1419H430H7138H3068H430H71218And what great nation has decrees and regulations as righteous and fair as this body of instructions that I am giving you today?H1471H1419H2706H4941H6662H8451H5414H6440H31179"But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.H8104H8104H5315H3966H7911H1697H5869H7200H5493H3824H3117H2416H3045H1121H1121H112110Never forget the day when you stood before the LORD your God at Mount Sinai, where he told me, 'Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also.'H3117H5975H6440H3068H430H2722H3068H559H6950H5971H6950H8085H1697H3925H3372H3117H2416H127H3925H112111"You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while flames from the mountain shot into the sky. The mountain was shrouded in black clouds and deep darkness.H7126H5975H2022H2022H1197H784H3820H8064H6205H6051H282212And the LORD spoke to you from the heart of the fire. You heard the sound of his words but didn't see his form; there was only a voice.H3068H1696H8432H784H8085H6963H1697H7200H8544H2108H696313He proclaimed his covenant—the Ten Commandments—which he commanded you to keep, and which he wrote on two stone tablets.H5046H1285H6680H6213H6235H1697H3789H8147H3871H6814It was at that time that the LORD commanded me to teach you his decrees and regulations so you would obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy.H3068H6680H6256H3925H2706H4941H6213H776H5674H3423
A Warning against Idolatry
15"But be very careful! You did not see the LORD's form on the day he spoke to you from the heart of the fire at Mount Sinai.H3966H8104H5315H7200H8544H3117H3068H1696H2722H8432H78416So do not corrupt yourselves by making an idol in any form—whether of a man or a woman,H7843H6213H6459H8544H5566H8403H2145H534717an animal on the ground, a bird in the sky,H8403H929H776H8403H3671H6833H5774H806418a small animal that scurries along the ground, or a fish in the deepest sea.H8403H7430H127H8403H1710H4325H8478H77619And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don't be seduced into worshiping them. The LORD your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth.H5375H5869H8064H7200H8121H3394H3556H6635H8064H5080H7812H5647H3068H430H2505H5971H806420Remember that the LORD rescued you from the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt in order to make you his very own people and his special possession, which is what you are today.H3068H3947H3318H1270H3564H4714H5971H5159H311721"But the LORD was angry with me because of you. He vowed that I would not cross the Jordan River into the good land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession.H3068H599H1697H7650H5674H3383H935H2896H776H3068H430H5414H515922You will cross the Jordan to occupy the land, but I will not. Instead, I will die here on the east side of the river.H4191H776H5674H3383H5674H3423H2896H77623So be careful not to break the covenant the LORD your God has made with you. Do not make idols of any shape or form, for the LORD your God has forbidden this.H8104H7911H1285H3068H430H3772H6213H6459H8544H3605H3068H430H668024The LORD your God is a devouring fire; he is a jealous God.H3068H430H398H784H7067H41025"In the future, when you have children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time, do not corrupt yourselves by making idols of any kind. This is evil in the sight of the LORD your God and will arouse his anger.H3205H1121H1121H1121H3462H776H7843H6213H6459H8544H6213H7451H5869H3068H430H370726"Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you. If you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed.H5749H8064H776H5749H3117H4118H6H6H776H5674H3383H3423H748H3117H8045H804527For the LORD will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive.H3068H6327H5971H7604H4962H4557H1471H3068H509028There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.H5647H430H4639H120H3027H6086H68H7200H8085H398H730629But from there you will search again for the LORD your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.H1245H3068H430H4672H1875H3824H531530"In the distant future, when you are suffering all these things, you will finally return to the LORD your God and listen to what he tells you.H6862H1697H4672H319H3117H7725H3068H430H8085H696331For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.H3068H430H7349H410H7503H7843H7911H1285H1H7650
There Is Only One God
32"Now search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now, and search from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything as great as this ever been seen or heard before?H7592H3117H7223H1961H6440H3117H430H1254H120H776H7097H8064H1419H1697H808533Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire—as you did—and survived?H5971H8085H6963H430H1696H8432H784H8085H242134Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes.H430H5254H935H3947H1471H7130H1471H4531H226H4159H4421H2389H3027H5186H2220H1419H4172H3068H430H6213H4714H586935"He showed you these things so you would know that the LORD is God and there is no other.H7200H3045H3068H430H5750H90536He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it.H8064H8085H6963H3256H776H7200H1419H784H8085H1697H8432H78437Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants, and he personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power.H157H1H977H2233H310H3318H6440H1419H3581H471438He drove out nations far greater than you, so he could bring you in and give you their land as your special possession, as it is today.H3423H1471H6440H1419H6099H935H5414H776H5159H311739"So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The LORD is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other.H3045H3117H7725H3824H3068H430H8064H4605H77640If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you for all time."H8104H2706H4687H6680H3117H3190H1121H310H748H3117H127H3068H430H5414
Eastern Cities of Refuge
41Then Moses set apart three cities of refuge east of the Jordan River.H4872H914H7969H5892H5676H3383H8121H421742Anyone who killed another person unintentionally, without previous hostility, could flee there to live in safety.H7523H5127H7523H7453H1097H1847H8130H8543H8032H5127H259H411H5892H242543These were the cities: Bezer on the wilderness plateau for the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead for the tribe of Gad; Golan in Bashan for the tribe of Manasseh.H1221H4057H4334H776H7206H7216H1568H1425H1474H1316H4520
Introduction to Moses’ Second Address
44This is the body of instruction that Moses presented to the Israelites.H8451H4872H7760H6440H1121H347845These are the laws, decrees, and regulations that Moses gave to the people of Israel when they left Egypt,H5713H2706H4941H4872H1696H1121H3478H3318H471446and as they camped in the valley near Beth-peor east of the Jordan River. (This land was formerly occupied by the Amorites under King Sihon, who ruled from Heshbon. But Moses and the Israelites destroyed him and his people when they came up from Egypt.H5676H3383H1516H4136H1047H776H5511H4428H567H3427H2809H4872H1121H3478H5221H3318H471447Israel took possession of his land and that of King Og of Bashan—the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan.H3423H776H776H5747H4428H1316H8147H4428H567H5676H3383H4217H812148So Israel conquered the entire area from Aroer at the edge of the Arnon Gorge all the way to Mount Sirion, also called Mount Hermon.H6177H8193H5158H769H2022H7865H276849And they conquered the eastern bank of the Jordan River as far south as the Dead Sea, below the slopes of Pisgah.)H6160H5676H3383H4217H3220H6160H794H6449
Deuteronomy 5
Ten Commandments for the Covenant Community
5Moses called all the people of Israel together and said, "Listen carefully, Israel. Hear the decrees and regulations I am giving you today, so you may learn them and obey them!H4872H7121H3478H559H8085H3478H2706H4941H1696H241H3117H3925H8104H62132"The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Mount Sinai.H3068H430H3772H1285H27223The LORD did not make this covenant with our ancestors, but with all of us who are alive today.H3068H3772H1285H1H587H428H2416H31174At the mountain the LORD spoke to you face to face from the heart of the fire.H3068H1696H6440H6440H2022H8432H7845I stood as an intermediary between you and the LORD, for you were afraid of the fire and did not want to approach the mountain. He spoke to me, and I passed his words on to you. This is what he said.H5975H3068H6256H5046H1697H3068H3372H6440H784H5927H2022H5596"I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.H3068H430H3318H776H4714H1004H56507"You must not have any other god but me.H312H430H64408"You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.H6213H6459H8544H8064H4605H776H4325H7769You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.H7812H5647H3068H430H7067H410H6485H5771H1H1121H8029H7256H813010But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.H6213H2617H505H157H8104H468711"You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.H5375H8034H3068H430H7723H3068H5352H5375H8034H772312"Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you.H8104H7676H3117H6942H3068H430H668013You have six days each week for your ordinary work,H8337H3117H5647H6213H439914but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do.H7637H3117H7676H3068H430H6213H4399H1121H1323H5650H519H7794H2543H929H1616H8179H5650H519H511715Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the LORD your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.H2142H5650H776H4714H3068H430H3318H2389H3027H5186H2220H3068H430H6680H6213H7676H311716"Honor your father and mother, as the LORD your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.H3513H1H517H3068H430H6680H3117H748H3190H127H3068H430H541417"You must not murder.H752318"You must not commit adultery.H500319"You must not steal.H158920"You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.H6030H7723H5707H745321"You must not covet your neighbor's wife. You must not covet your neighbor's house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.H2530H7453H802H183H7453H1004H7704H5650H519H7794H2543H745322"The LORD spoke these words to all of you assembled there at the foot of the mountain. He spoke with a loud voice from the heart of the fire, surrounded by clouds and deep darkness. This was all he said at that time, and he wrote his words on two stone tablets and gave them to me.H1697H3068H1696H6951H2022H8432H784H6051H6205H1419H6963H3254H3789H8147H3871H68H541423"But when you heard the voice from the heart of the darkness, while the mountain was blazing with fire, all your tribal leaders and elders came to me.H8085H6963H8432H2822H2022H1197H784H7126H7218H7626H220524They said, 'Look, the LORD our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice from the heart of the fire. Today we have seen that God can speak to us humans, and yet we live!H559H3068H430H7200H3519H1433H8085H6963H8432H784H7200H3117H430H1696H120H242525But now, why should we risk death again? If the LORD our God speaks to us again, we will certainly die and be consumed by this awesome fire.H4191H1419H784H398H8085H6963H3068H430H3254H419126Can any living thing hear the voice of the living God from the heart of the fire as we did and yet survive?H1320H8085H6963H2416H430H1696H8432H784H242127Go yourself and listen to what the LORD our God says. Then come and tell us everything he tells you, and we will listen and obey.'H7126H8085H3068H430H559H1696H3068H430H1696H8085H621328"The LORD heard the request you made to me. And he said, 'I have heard what the people said to you, and they are right.H3068H8085H6963H1697H1696H3068H559H8085H6963H1697H5971H1696H3190H169629Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever.H2088H4310H3824H5414H3372H8104H4687H3117H3190H1121H576930Go and tell them, "Return to your tents."H3212H559H7725H168H772531But you stand here with me so I can give you all my commands, decrees, and regulations. You must teach them to the people so they can obey them in the land I am giving them as their possession.'"H5975H5978H1696H4687H2706H4941H3925H6213H776H5414H342332So Moses told the people, "You must be careful to obey all the commands of the LORD your God, following his instructions in every detail.H8104H6213H3068H430H6680H5493H3225H804033Stay on the path that the LORD your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.H3212H1870H3068H430H6680H2421H2895H748H3117H776H3423
Deuteronomy 6
A Call for Wholehearted Commitment
6"These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy,H4687H2706H4941H3068H430H6680H3925H6213H776H5674H34232and you and your children and grandchildren must fear the LORD your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life.H3372H3068H430H8104H2708H4687H6680H1121H1121H1121H3117H2416H3117H7483Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you.H8085H3478H8104H6213H3190H7235H3966H3068H430H1H1696H776H2100H2461H17064"Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.H8085H3478H3068H430H259H30685And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.H157H3068H430H3824H5315H39666And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.H1697H6680H3117H38247Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.H8150H1121H1696H3427H1004H3212H1870H7901H69658Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.H7194H226H3027H2903H58699Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.H3789H4201H1004H817910"The LORD your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build.H3068H430H935H776H7650H1H85H3327H3290H5414H1419H2896H5892H112911The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land,H1004H4392H2898H4390H953H2672H2672H3754H2132H5193H398H764612be careful not to forget the LORD, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.H8104H7911H3068H3318H776H4714H1004H565013You must fear the LORD your God and serve him. When you take an oath, you must use only his name.H3372H3068H430H5647H7650H803414"You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations,H3212H310H312H430H430H5971H543915for the LORD your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth.H3068H430H7067H410H7130H639H3068H430H2734H8045H6440H12716You must not test the LORD your God as you did when you complained at Massah.H5254H3068H430H5254H453217You must diligently obey the commands of the LORD your God—all the laws and decrees he has given you.H8104H8104H4687H3068H430H5713H2706H668018Do what is right and good in the LORD's sight, so all will go well with you. Then you will enter and occupy the good land that the LORD swore to give your ancestors.H6213H3477H2896H5869H3068H3190H935H3423H2896H776H3068H7650H119You will drive out all the enemies living in the land, just as the LORD said you would.H1920H341H6440H3068H169620"In the future your children will ask you, 'What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the LORD our God has commanded us to obey?'H1121H7592H4279H559H5713H2706H4941H3068H430H668021"Then you must tell them, 'We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand.H559H1121H6547H5650H4714H3068H3318H4714H2389H302722The LORD did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people.H3068H5414H226H4159H1419H7451H4714H6547H1004H586923He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had sworn to give our ancestors.H3318H935H5414H776H7650H124And the LORD our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day.H3068H6680H6213H2706H3372H3068H430H2896H3117H2421H311725For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the LORD our God has given us.'H6666H8104H6213H2063H4687H6440H3068H430H6680
Psalms 54
54[For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “We know where David is hiding.” To be accompanied by stringed instruments.] Come with great power, O God, and rescue me! Defend me with your might.H5329H5058H4905H1732H2130H935H559H7586H1732H5641H3467H430H8034H1777H13692Listen to my prayer, O God. Pay attention to my plea.H8085H8605H430H238H561H63103For strangers are attacking me; violent people are trying to kill me. They care nothing for God. InterludeH2114H6965H6184H1245H5315H7760H430H55424But God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive!H430H5826H136H5564H53155May the evil plans of my enemies be turned against them. Do as you promised and put an end to them.H7725H7725H7451H8324H6789H5716I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.H5071H2076H3034H8034H3068H28967For you have rescued me from my troubles and helped me to triumph over my enemies.H5337H6869H5869H7200H341
Dublin, OH
, where he told me, 'Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also.'H3117
