Deuteronomy 4

1 Hear now, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live and may enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

And now, O Israel, hear the commandments and judgments which I teach thee: that doing them, thou mayst live, and entering in mayst possess the land which the Lord the God of your fathers will give you.

2 You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you.

You shall not add to the word that I speak to you, neither shall you take away from it: keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal-peor, for the LORD your God destroyed from among you all who followed Baal of Peor.

Your eyes have seen all that the Lord hath done against Beelphegor, how he hath destroyed all his worshippers from among you.

4 But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive to this day, every one of you.

But you that adhere to the Lord your God, are all alive until this present day.

5 See, I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the LORD my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land that you are about to enter and possess.

You know that I have taught you statutes and justices, as the Lord my God hath commanded me: so shall you do them in the land which you shall possess:

6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the peoples, who will hear of all these statutes and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”

And you shall observe, and fulfill them in practice. For this is your wisdom, and understanding in the sight of nations, that hearing all these precepts, they may say: Behold a wise and understanding people, a great nation.

7 For what nation is great enough to have a god as near to them as the LORD our God is to us whenever we call on Him?

Neither is there any other nation so great, that hath gods so nigh them, as our God is present to all our petitions.

8 And what nation is great enough to have righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today?

For what other nation is there so renowned that hath ceremonies, and just judgments, and all the law, which I will set forth this day before your eyes?

9 Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.

Keep thyself therefore, and thy soul carefully. Forget not the words that thy eyes have seen, and let them not go out of thy heart all the days of thy life. Thou shalt teach them to thy sons and to thy grandsons,

10 The day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, “Gather the people before Me to hear My words, so that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach them to their children.”

From the day in which thou didst stand before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord spoke to me, saying: Call together the people unto me, that they may hear my words, and may learn to fear me all the time that they live on the earth, and may teach their children.

11 You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire to the heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.

And you came to the foot of the mount, which burned even unto heaven: and there was darkness, and a cloud and obscurity in it.

12 And the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.

And the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire. You heard the voice of his words, but you saw not any form at all.

13 He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to follow—the Ten Commandments that He wrote on two tablets of stone.

And he shewed you his covenant, which he commanded you to do, and the ten words that he wrote in two tables of stone.

14 At that time the LORD commanded me to teach you the statutes and ordinances you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

And he commanded me at that time that I should teach you the ceremonies and judgments which you shall do in the land, that you shall possess.

15 So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful

Keep therefore your souls carefully. You saw not any similitude in the day that the Lord God spoke to you in Horeb from the midst of the fire:

16 that you do not act corruptly and make an idol for yourselves of any form or shape, whether in the likeness of a male or female,

Lest perhaps being deceived you might make you a graven similitude, or image of male or female,

17 of any beast that is on the earth or bird that flies in the air,

The similitude of any beasts, that are upon the earth, or of birds, that fly under heaven,

18 or of any creature that crawls on the ground or fish that is in the waters below.

Or of creeping things, that move on the earth, or of fishes, that abide in the waters under the earth:

19 When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.

Lest perhaps lifting up thy eyes to heaven, thou see the sun and the moon, and all the stars of heaven, and being deceived by error thou adore and serve them, which the Lord thy God created for the service of all the nations, that are under heaven.

20 Yet the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of His inheritance, as you are today.

But the Lord hath taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace of Egypt, to make you his people of inheritance, as it is this present day.

21 The LORD, however, was angry with me on account of you, and He swore that I would not cross the Jordan to enter the good land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

And the Lord was angry with me for your words, and he swore that I should not pass over the Jordan, nor enter into the excellent land, which he will give you.

22 For I will not be crossing the Jordan, because I must die in this land. But you shall cross over and take possession of that good land.

Behold I die in this land, I shall not pass over the Jordan: you shall pass, and possess the goodly land.

23 Be careful that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you; do not make an idol for yourselves in the form of anything He has forbidden you.

Beware lest thou ever forget the covenant of the Lord thy God, which he hath made with thee: and make to thyself a graven likeness of those things which the Lord hath forbid to be made:

24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Because the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

25 After you have children and grandchildren and you have been in the land a long time, if you then act corruptly and make an idol of any form—doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and provoking Him to anger—

If you shall beget sons and grandsons, and abide in the land, and being deceived, make to yourselves any similitude, committing evil before the Lord your God, to provoke him to wrath:

26 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live long upon it, but will be utterly destroyed.

I call this day heaven and earth to witness, that you shall quickly perish out of the land, which, when you have passed over the Jordan, you shall possess. You shall not dwell therein long, but the Lord will destroy you,

27 Then the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you.

And scatter you among all nations, and you shall remain a few among the nations, to which the Lord shall lead you.

28 And there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.

And there you shall serve gods, that were framed with men’s hands: wood and stone, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

29 But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

And when thou shalt seek there the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him: yet so, if thou seek him with all thy heart, and all the affliction of thy soul.

30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice.

After all the things aforesaid shall and thee, in the latter time thou shalt return to the Lord thy God, and shalt hear his voice.

31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers, which He swore to them by oath.

Because the Lord thy God is a merciful God: he will not leave thee, nor altogether destroy thee, nor forget the covenant, by which he swore to thy fathers.

32 Indeed, ask now from one end of the heavens to the other about the days that long preceded you, from the day that God created man on earth: Has anything as great as this ever happened or been reported?

Ask of the days of old, that have been before thy time from the day that God created man upon the earth, from one end of heaven to the other end thereof, if ever there was done the like thing, or it hath been known at any time,

33 Has a people ever heard the voice of God speaking out of the fire, as you have, and lived?

That a people should hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of fire, as thou hast heard, and lived:

34 Or has any god tried to take as his own a nation out of another nation—by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors—as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, before your eyes?

If God ever did so as to go, and take to himself a nation out of the midst of nations by temptations, signs, and wonders, by fight, and a strong hand, and stretched out arm, and horrible visions according to all the things that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, before thy eyes.

35 You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.

That thou mightest know that the Lord he is God, and there is no other besides him.

36 He let you hear His voice from heaven to discipline you, and on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the fire.

From heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might teach thee. And upon earth he shewed thee his exceeding great fire, and thou didst hear his words out of the midst of the fire,

37 Because He loved your fathers, He chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by His presence and great power,

Because he loved thy fathers, and chose their seed after them. And he brought thee out of Egypt, going before thee with his great power,

38 to drive out before you nations greater and mightier than you, and to bring you into their land and give it to you for your inheritance, as it is this day.

To destroy at thy coming very great nations, and stronger than thou art, and to bring thee in, and give thee their land for a possession, as thou seest at this present day.

39 Know therefore this day and take to heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.

Know therefore this day, and think in thy heart that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath, and there is no other.

40 Keep His statutes and commandments, which I am giving you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for all time.

Keep his precepts and commandments, which I command thee: that it may be well with thee, and thy children after thee, and thou mayst remain a long time upon the land, which the Lord thy God will give thee.

41 Then Moses set aside three cities across the Jordan to the east

Then Moses set aside three cities beyond the Jordan at the east side,

42 to which a manslayer could flee after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice. To save one’s own life, he could flee to one of these cities:

That any one might flee to them who should kill his neighbour unwillingly, and was not his enemy a day or two before, and that he might escape to some one of these cities:

43 Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.

Bosor in the wilderness, which is situate in the plains of the tribe of Ruben: and Ramoth in Galaad, which is in the tribe of Gad: and Golan in Basan, which is in the tribe of Manasses.

44 This is the law that Moses set before the Israelites.

This is the law, that Moses set before the children of Israel,

45 These are the testimonies, statutes, and ordinances that Moses proclaimed to them after they had come out of Egypt,

And these are the testimonies and ceremonies and judgments, which he spoke to the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt,

46 while they were in the valley across the Jordan facing Beth-peor in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon and was defeated by Moses and the Israelites after they had come out of Egypt.

Beyond the Jordan in the valley over against the temple of Phogor, in the land of Sehon king of the Amorrhites, that dwelt in Hesebon, whom Moses slew. And the children of Israel coming out of Egypt,

47 They took possession of the land belonging to Sihon and to Og king of Bashan—the two Amorite kings across the Jordan to the east—

Possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Basan, of the two kings of the Amorrhites, who were beyond the Jordan towards the rising of the sun:

48 extending from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Siyon (that is, Hermon),

From Aroer, which is situate upon the bank of the torrent Amen, unto mount Sion, which is also called Hermon,

49 including all the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan and as far as the Sea of the Arabah, below the slopes of Pisgah.

All the plain beyond the Jordan at the east side, unto the see of the wilderness, and unto the foot of mount Phasga.