10"At that time the LORD said to me, 'Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. Also make a wooden Ark—a sacred chest to store them in. Come up to me on the mountain,H6256H3068H559H6458H8147H3871H68H7223H5927H2022H6213H727H60862and I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the ones you smashed. Then place the tablets in the Ark.'H3789H3871H1697H7223H3871H7665H7760H7273"So I made an Ark of acacia wood and cut two stone tablets like the first two. Then I went up the mountain with the tablets in my hand.H6213H727H7848H6086H6458H8147H3871H68H7223H5927H2022H8147H3871H30274Once again the LORD wrote the Ten Commandments on the tablets and gave them to me. They were the same words the LORD had spoken to you from the heart of the fire on the day you were assembled at the foot of the mountain.H3789H3871H7223H4385H6235H1697H3068H1696H2022H8432H784H3117H6951H3068H54145Then I turned and came down the mountain and placed the tablets in the Ark of the Covenant, which I had made, just as the LORD commanded me. And the tablets are still there in the Ark."H6437H3381H2022H7760H3871H727H6213H3068H66806(The people of Israel set out from the wells of the people of Jaakan and traveled to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried. His son Eleazar ministered as high priest in his place.H1121H3478H5265H885H4149H175H4191H6912H499H1121H35477Then they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from there to Jotbathah, a land with many brooks and streams.H5265H1412H1412H3193H776H5158H43258At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the LORD's Covenant, and to stand before the LORD as his ministers, and to pronounce blessings in his name. These are their duties to this day.H6256H3068H914H7626H3878H5375H727H1285H3068H5975H6440H3068H8334H1288H8034H31179That is why the Levites have no share of property or possession of land among the other Israelite tribes. The LORD himself is their special possession, as the LORD your God told them.)H3878H2506H5159H251H3068H5159H3068H430H169610"As for me, I stayed on the mountain in the LORD's presence for forty days and nights, as I had done the first time. And once again the LORD listened to my pleas and agreed not to destroy you.H5975H2022H7223H3117H705H3117H705H3915H3068H8085H6471H3068H14H784311Then the LORD said to me, 'Get up and resume the journey, and lead the people to the land I swore to give to their ancestors, so they may take possession of it.'H3068H559H6965H3212H4550H6440H5971H935H3423H776H7650H1H5414
A Call to Love and Obedience
12"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.H3478H3068H430H7592H3372H3068H430H3212H1870H157H5647H3068H430H3824H531513And you must always obey the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.H8104H4687H3068H2708H6680H3117H289614"Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the LORD your God.H8064H8064H8064H3068H430H77615Yet the LORD chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today.H3068H2836H1H157H977H2233H310H5971H311716Therefore, change your hearts and stop being stubborn.H4135H6190H3824H6203H718517"For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.H3068H430H430H430H113H113H1419H410H1368H3372H5375H6440H3947H781018He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.H6213H4941H3490H490H157H1616H5414H3899H807119So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.H157H1616H1616H776H471420You must fear the LORD your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone.H3372H3068H430H5647H1692H7650H803421He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes.H8416H430H6213H1419H3372H5869H720022When your ancestors went down into Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky!H1H3381H4714H7657H5315H3068H430H7760H3556H8064H7230
Deuteronomy 11
11"You must love the LORD your God and obey all his requirements, decrees, regulations, and commands.H157H3068H430H8104H4931H2708H4941H4687H31172Keep in mind that I am not talking now to your children, who have never experienced the discipline of the LORD your God or seen his greatness and his strong hand and powerful arm.H3045H3117H1121H3045H7200H4148H3068H430H1433H2389H3027H5186H22203They didn't see the miraculous signs and wonders he performed in Egypt against Pharaoh and all his land.H226H4639H6213H8432H4714H6547H4428H4714H7764They didn't see what the LORD did to the armies of Egypt and to their horses and chariots—how he drowned them in the Red Sea as they were chasing you. He destroyed them, and they have not recovered to this very day!H6213H2428H4714H5483H7393H4325H5488H3220H6687H6440H7291H310H3068H6H31175"Your children didn't see how the LORD cared for you in the wilderness until you arrived here.H6213H4057H935H47256They didn't see what he did to Dathan and Abiram (the sons of Eliab, a descendant of Reuben) when the earth opened its mouth in the Israelite camp and swallowed them, along with their households and tents and every living thing that belonged to them.H6213H1885H48H1121H446H1121H7205H776H6475H6310H1104H1004H168H3351H7272H7130H34787But you have seen the LORD perform all these mighty deeds with your own eyes!H5869H7200H1419H4639H3068H6213
The Blessings of Obedience
8"Therefore, be careful to obey every command I am giving you today, so you may have strength to go in and take over the land you are about to enter.H8104H4687H834H6680H3117H2388H935H3423H776H5674H34239If you obey, you will enjoy a long life in the land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors and to you, their descendants—a land flowing with milk and honey!H748H3117H127H3068H7650H1H5414H2233H776H2100H2461H170610For the land you are about to enter and take over is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you planted your seed and made irrigation ditches with your foot as in a vegetable garden.H776H935H3423H776H4714H3318H2232H2233H8248H7272H1588H341911Rather, the land you will soon take over is a land of hills and valleys with plenty of rain—H776H5674H3423H776H2022H1237H8354H4325H4306H806412a land that the LORD your God cares for. He watches over it through each season of the year!H776H3068H430H1875H5869H3068H430H8548H7225H8141H319H814113"If you carefully obey all the commands I am giving you today, and if you love the LORD your God and serve him with all your heart and soul,H8085H8085H4687H6680H3117H157H3068H430H5647H3824H531514then he will send the rains in their proper seasons—the early and late rains—so you can bring in your harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil.H5414H4306H776H6256H3138H4456H622H1715H8492H332315He will give you lush pastureland for your livestock, and you yourselves will have all you want to eat.H5414H6212H7704H929H398H764616"But be careful. Don't let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the LORD and serve and worship other gods.H8104H3824H6601H5493H5647H312H430H781217If you do, the LORD's anger will burn against you. He will shut up the sky and hold back the rain, and the ground will fail to produce its harvests. Then you will quickly die in that good land the LORD is giving you.H3068H639H2734H6113H8064H4306H127H5414H2981H6H4120H2896H776H3068H541418"So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.H7760H1697H3824H5315H7194H226H3027H2903H586919Teach them 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.H3925H1121H1696H3427H1004H3212H1870H7901H696520Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,H3789H4201H1004H817921so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors.H3117H7235H3117H1121H127H3068H7650H1H5414H3117H8064H77622"Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the LORD your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him.H8104H8104H4687H6680H6213H157H3068H430H3212H1870H169223Then the LORD will drive out all the nations ahead of you, though they are much greater and stronger than you, and you will take over their land.H3068H3423H1471H6440H3423H1419H1471H609924Wherever you set foot, that land will be yours. Your frontiers will stretch from the wilderness in the south to Lebanon in the north, and from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.H4725H3709H7272H1869H4057H3844H5104H5104H6578H314H3220H136625No one will be able to stand against you, for the LORD your God will cause the people to fear and dread you, as he promised, wherever you go in the whole land.H376H3320H6440H3068H430H5414H6343H4172H6440H776H1869H169626"Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse!H7200H5414H6440H3117H1293H704527You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today.H1293H8085H4687H3068H430H6680H311728But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the LORD your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.H7045H8085H4687H3068H430H5493H1870H6680H3117H3212H310H312H430H304529"When the LORD your God brings you into the land and helps you take possession of it, you must pronounce the blessing at Mount Gerizim and the curse at Mount Ebal.H3068H430H935H776H935H3423H5414H1293H2022H1630H7045H2022H585830(These two mountains are west of the Jordan River in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Jordan Valley, near the town of Gilgal, not far from the oaks of Moreh.)H5676H3383H310H1870H8121H3996H776H3669H3427H6160H4136H1537H681H436H417631For you are about to cross the Jordan River to take over the land the LORD your God is giving you. When you take that land and are living in it,H5674H3383H935H3423H776H3068H430H5414H3423H342732you must be careful to obey all the decrees and regulations I am giving you today.H8104H6213H2706H4941H5414H6440H3117
Deuteronomy 12
The Lord’s Chosen Place for Worship
12"These are the decrees and regulations you must be careful to obey when you live in the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must obey them as long as you live.H2706H4941H8104H6213H776H3068H430H1H5414H3423H3117H2416H1272"When you drive out the nations that live there, you must destroy all the places where they worship their gods—high on the mountains, up on the hills, and under every green tree.H6H6H4725H1471H834H3423H5647H430H7311H2022H1389H7488H60863Break down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their Asherah poles and cut down their carved idols. Completely erase the names of their gods!H5422H4196H7665H4676H8313H842H784H1438H6456H430H6H8034H47254"Do not worship the LORD your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.H6213H3068H4305Rather, you must seek the LORD your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his name will be honored.H4725H3068H430H977H7626H7760H8034H7933H1875H9356There you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, your offerings to fulfill a vow, your voluntary offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn animals of your herds and flocks.H935H5930H2077H4643H8641H3027H5088H5071H1062H1241H66297There you and your families will feast in the presence of the LORD your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the LORD your God has blessed you.H398H6440H3068H430H8055H4916H3027H1004H3068H430H12888"Your pattern of worship will change. Today all of you are doing as you please,H6213H6213H3117H376H3477H58699because you have not yet arrived at the place of rest, the land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession.H935H4496H5159H3068H430H541410But you will soon cross the Jordan River and live in the land the LORD your God is giving you. When he gives you rest from all your enemies and you're living safely in the land,H5674H3383H3427H776H3068H430H5157H5117H341H5439H3427H98311you must bring everything I command you—your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, and your offerings to fulfill a vow—to the designated place of worship, the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored.H4725H3068H430H977H8034H7931H935H6680H5930H2077H4643H8641H3027H4005H5088H5087H306812"You must celebrate there in the presence of the LORD your God with your sons and daughters and all your servants. And remember to include the Levites who live in your towns, for they will receive no allotment of land among you.H8055H6440H3068H430H1121H1323H5650H519H3881H8179H3588H2506H515913Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings just anywhere you like.H8104H5927H5930H4725H720014You may do so only at the place the LORD will choose within one of your tribal territories. There you must offer your burnt offerings and do everything I command you.H4725H3068H977H259H7626H5927H5930H6213H668015"But you may butcher your animals and eat their meat in any town whenever you want. You may freely eat the animals with which the LORD your God blesses you. All of you, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you now eat gazelle and deer.H2076H398H1320H8179H5315H185H1293H3068H430H5414H2931H2889H398H6643H35416But you must not consume the blood. You must pour it out on the ground like water.H398H1818H8210H776H432517"But you may not eat your offerings in your hometown—neither the tithe of your grain and new wine and olive oil, nor the firstborn of your flocks and herds, nor any offering to fulfill a vow, nor your voluntary offerings, nor your sacred offerings.H3201H398H8179H4643H1715H8492H3323H1062H1241H6629H5088H5087H5071H8641H302718You must eat these in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose. Eat them there with your children, your servants, and the Levites who live in your towns, celebrating in the presence of the LORD your God in all you do.H398H6440H3068H430H4725H3068H430H977H1121H1323H5650H519H3881H8179H8055H6440H3068H430H4916H302719And be very careful never to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.H8104H5800H3881H3117H12720"When the LORD your God expands your territory as he has promised, and you have the urge to eat meat, you may freely eat meat whenever you want.H3068H430H7337H1366H1696H559H398H1320H5315H183H398H1320H398H1320H5315H18521It might happen that the designated place of worship—the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored—is a long way from your home. If so, you may butcher any of the cattle, sheep, or goats the LORD has given you, and you may freely eat the meat in your hometown, as I have commanded you.H4725H3068H430H977H7760H8034H7368H2076H1241H6629H3068H5414H6680H398H8179H5315H18522Anyone, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you do now with gazelle and deer.H6643H354H398H398H2931H2889H398H316223But never consume the blood, for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the lifeblood with the meat.H2388H398H1818H1818H5315H398H5315H132024Instead, pour out the blood on the ground like water.H398H8210H776H432525Do not consume the blood, so that all may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what pleases the LORD.H398H3190H1121H310H6213H3477H5869H306826"Take your sacred gifts and your offerings given to fulfill a vow to the place the LORD chooses.H6944H5088H5375H935H4725H3068H97727You must offer the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out on the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat.H6213H5930H1320H1818H4196H3068H430H1818H2077H8210H4196H3068H430H398H132028Be careful to obey all my commands, so that all will go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and pleasing to the LORD your God.H8104H8085H1697H6680H3190H1121H310H5704H5769H6213H2896H3477H5869H3068H43029"When the LORD your God goes ahead of you and destroys the nations and you drive them out and live in their land,H3068H430H3772H1471H6440H935H3423H3423H3427H77630do not fall into the trap of following their customs and worshiping their gods. Do not inquire about their gods, saying, 'How do these nations worship their gods? I want to follow their example.'H8104H5367H310H310H8045H6440H1875H430H559H1471H5647H430H6213H157131You must not worship the LORD your God the way the other nations worship their gods, for they perform for their gods every detestable act that the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.H6213H3068H430H8441H3068H8130H6213H430H1121H1323H8313H784H43032"So be careful to obey all the commands I give you. You must not add anything to them or subtract anything from them.H1697H6680H8104H6213H3254H1639
Psalms 56
56[For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time the Philistines seized him in Gath. To be sung to the tune “Dove on Distant Oaks.”] O God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long.H5329H3128H4387H1732H6430H270H1661H2603H430H582H7602H3898H3117H39052I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me.H8324H3117H7602H7227H3898H47913But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.H3117H3372H9824I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?H430H1984H1697H430H982H3372H1320H62135They are always twisting what I say; they spend their days plotting to harm me.H3117H6087H1697H4284H74516They come together to spy on me—watching my every step, eager to kill me.H1481H6845H6845H8104H6119H6960H53157Don’t let them get away with their wickedness; in your anger, O God, bring them down.H6405H205H639H3381H5971H4308You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.H5608H5112H7760H1832H4997H56129My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!H3117H7121H341H7725H268H3045H43010I praise God for what he has promised; Yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised.H430H1984H1697H3068H1984H169711I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?H430H982H3372H120H621312I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help.H5088H430H7999H842613For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.H5337H5315H4194H7272H1762H1980H6440H430H216H2416
Dublin, OH
on the tablets and gave them to me. They were the same words the LORD had spoken to you from the heart of the fire on the day you were assembled at the foot of the mountain.H3789
