< Deuteronomy 4 >
1 Nowe therefore hearken, O Israel, vnto the ordinances and to the lawes which I teache you to doe, that ye may liue and goe in, and possesse the lande, which the Lord God of your fathers giueth you.
Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and to the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that you may live, and go in and possess the land which YHWH, the God of your fathers, gives you.
2 Ye shall put nothing vnto the word which I command you, neither shall ye take ought there from, that ye may keepe the commandements of the Lord your God which I commande you.
You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish from it, that you may keep the commandments of YHWH your God which I command you.
3 Your eyes haue seene what the Lord did because of Baal-Peor, for al the men that folowed Baal-Peor the Lord thy God hath destroyed euery one from among you.
Your eyes have seen what YHWH did because of Baal Peor; for all the men who followed Baal Peor, YHWH your God has destroyed them from the midst of you.
4 But ye that did cleaue vnto the Lord your God, are aliue euery one of you this day.
But you who were faithful to YHWH your God are all alive this day.
5 Behold, I haue taught you ordinances, and lawes, as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should doe euen so within the land whither ye goe to possesse it.
Look, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, even as YHWH my God commanded me, that you should do so in the midst of the land where you go in to possess it.
6 Keepe them therefore, and doe them; for that is your wisdome, and your vnderstanding in the sight of the people, which shall heare all these ordinances, and shall say, Onely this people is wise, and of vnderstanding, and a great nation.
Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who shall hear all these statutes, and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people."
7 For what nation is so great, vnto whome the gods come so neere vnto them, as the Lord our God is neere vnto vs, in all that we call vnto him for?
For what great nation is there, that has a god so near to them, as YHWH our God is whenever we call on him?
8 And what nation is so great, that hath ordinances and lawes so righteous, as all this Lawe, which I set before you this day?
What great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?
9 But take heede to thy selfe, and keepe thy soule diligently, that thou forget not the thinges which thine eyes haue seene, and that they depart not out of thine heart, all the dayes of thy life: but teach them thy sonnes, and thy sonnes sonnes:
Only take heed to yourself, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your children and your children's children;
10 Forget not the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said vnto me, Gather me the people together, and I wil cause them heare my wordes, that they may learne to feare me all the dayes that they shall liue vpon the earth, and that they may teache their children:
the day that you stood before YHWH your God in Horeb, when YHWH said to me, "Assemble me the people, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children."
11 Then came you neere and stoode vnder the mountaine, and the mountaine burnt with fire vnto the mids of heauen, and there was darkenesse, cloudes and mist.
You came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire to the heart of the sky, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.
12 And the Lord spake vnto you out of the middes of the fire, and ye heard the voyce of the wordes, but sawe no similitude, saue a voyce.
YHWH spoke to you out of the midst of the fire: you heard the voice of words, but you saw no form; you only heard a voice.
13 Then hee declared vnto you his couenant which he commanded you to doe, euen the ten commandements, and wrote them vpon two tables of stone.
He declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even the ten commandments; and he wrote them on two tablets of stone.
14 And the Lord commanded me that same time, that I should teach you ordinances and lawes, which ye should obserue in the lande, whither ye goe, to possesse it.
YHWH commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, that you might do them in the land where you go over to possess it.
15 Take therefore good heede vnto your selues: for ye sawe no image in the day that the Lord spake vnto you in Horeb out of the middes of the fire:
Therefore watch yourselves carefully; for you saw no kind of form on the day that YHWH spoke to you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire.
16 That ye corrupt not your selues, and make you a grauen image or representation of any figure: whither it be the likenes of male or female,
Lest you corrupt yourselves, and make yourself an engraved image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
17 The likenes of any beast that is on earth, or the likenesse of any fethered foule that flieth in the aire:
the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the sky,
18 Or the likenesse of any thing that creepeth on the earth, or the likenesse of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth,
the likeness of any crawling creature that crawls on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the land;
19 And lest thou lift vp thine eyes vnto heauen, and when thou seest the sunne and the moone and the starres with all the host of heauen, shouldest bee driuen to worship them and serue them, which the Lord thy God hath distributed to all people vnder the whole heauen.
and lest you lift up your eyes to the sky, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the host of heaven, you are drawn away and worship them, and serve them, which YHWH your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole sky.
20 But the Lord hath taken you and brought you out of the yron fornace: out of Egypt to be vnto him a people and inheritance, as appeareth this day.
But God has taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to him a people of inheritance, as at this day.
21 And the Lord was angrie with me for your words, and sware that I should not goe ouer Iorden, and that I should not goe in vnto that good land, which the Lord thy God giueth thee for an inheritance.
Furthermore YHWH was angry with me for your sakes, and swore that I should not go over the Jordan, and that I should not go in to that good land, which YHWH your God gives you for an inheritance:
22 For I must die in this land, and shall not go ouer Iorden: but ye shall goe ouer, and possesse that good land.
but I must die in this land, I must not go over the Jordan; but you shall go over, and possess that good land.
23 Take heede vnto your selues, least ye forget the couenant of the Lord your God which hee made with you, and least ye make you any grauen image, or likenes of any thing, as the Lord thy God hath charged thee.
Be careful, lest you forget the covenant of YHWH your God, which he made with you, and make you an engraved image in the form of anything which YHWH your God has forbidden you.
24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, and a ielous God.
For YHWH your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.
25 When thou shalt beget children and childrens children, and shalt haue remained long in the land, if ye corrupt your selues, and make any grauen image, or likenes of any thing, and worke euill in the sight of the Lord thy God, to prouoke him to anger,
When you shall father children, and children's children, and you shall have been long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make an engraved image in the form of anything, and shall do that which is evil in the sight of YHWH your God, to provoke him to anger;
26 I call heauen and earth to record against you this day, that ye shall shortly perish from the land, whereunto ye goe ouer Iorden to possesse it: ye shall not prolong your dayes therein, but shall vtterly be destroyed.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto you go over the Jordan to possess it; you shall not prolong your days on it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
27 And the Lord shall scatter you among the people, and ye shall be left few in nomber among the nations, whither the Lord shall bring you:
YHWH will scatter you among the peoples, and you shall be left few in number among the nations, where YHWH will drive you.
28 And there ye shall serue gods, euen ye worke of mans hand, wood, and stone, which neither see, nor heare, nor eate, nor smelll.
There you shall serve other gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
29 But if from thence thou shalt seeke the Lord thy God, thou shalt finde him, if thou seeke him with all thine heart, and with all thy soule.
But from there you shall seek YHWH your God, and you shall find him, when you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come vpon thee, at the length if thou returne to the Lord thy God, and bee obedient vnto his voyce,
When you are in oppression, and all these things have come on you, in the latter days you shall return to YHWH your God, and listen to his voice:
31 (For the Lord thy God is a mercifull God) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the couenant of thy fathers, which hee sware vnto them.
for YHWH your God is a merciful God; he will not fail you, neither destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which he swore to them.
32 For inquire now of the dayes that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man vpon the earth, and aske from the one ende of heauen vnto the other, if there came to passe such a great thing as this, or whether any such like thing hath bene heard.
For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created humankind on the earth, and from the one end of the sky to the other, whether there has been anything as this great thing is, or has been heard like it?
33 Did euer people heare the voyce of God speaking out of the middes of a fire, as thou hast heard, and liued?
Did a people ever hear the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live?
34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from among nations, by tentations, by signes, and by wonders, and by warre, and by a mightie hand, and by a stretched out arme, and by great feare, according vnto all that the Lord your God did vnto you in Egypt before your eyes?
Or has God tried to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that YHWH your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
35 Vnto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest knowe, that the Lord hee is God, and that there is none but he alone.
It was shown to you so that you might know that YHWH is God. There is no one else besides him.
36 Out of heauen hee made thee heare his voyce to instruct thee, and vpon earth he shewed thee his great fire, and thou heardest his voyce out of the middes of the fire.
Out of heaven he made you to hear his voice, that he might instruct you: and on earth he made you to see his great fire; and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire.
37 And because hee loued thy fathers, therefore hee chose their seede after them, and hath brought thee out of Egypt in his sight by his mightie power,
Because he loved your fathers, therefore he chose their descendants after them, and brought you out with his presence, with his great power, out of Egypt;
38 To thrust out nations greater and mightier then thou, before thee, to bring thee in, and to giue thee their land for inheritance: as appeareth this day.
to drive out nations from before you greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as at this day.
39 Vnderstande therefore this day, and consider in thine heart, that the Lord, he is God in heauen aboue, and vpon the earth beneath: there is none other.
Know therefore this day, and lay it to your heart, that YHWH he is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.
40 Thou shalt keepe therefore his ordinances, and his commandements which I commaund thee this day, that it may goe well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayst prolong thy dayes vpon the earth, which the Lord thy God giueth thee for euer.
You shall keep his statutes, and his commandments, which I command you this day, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land, which YHWH your God gives you, forever.
41 Then Moses separated three cities on this side of Iorden toward the sunne rising:
Then Moses set apart three cities beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise;
42 That the slayer should flee thither, which had killed his neighbour at vnwares, and hated him not in time past, might flee, I say, vnto one of those cities, and liue:
that the manslayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unawares, and did not hate him in time past; and that fleeing to one of these cities he might live:
43 That is, Bezer in the wildernesse, in the plaine countrey of the Reubenites: and Ramoth in Gilead among the Gadites: and Golan in Bashan among them of Manasseh.
Bezer in the wilderness, on the plateau, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.
44 So this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel.
This is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel:
45 These are the witnesses, and the ordinances, and the lawes which Moses declared to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt,
these are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which Moses spoke to the children of Israel, when they came forth out of Egypt,
46 On this side Iorden, in the valley ouer against Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon King of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, after they were come out of Egypt:
beyond the Jordan, in the valley over against Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel struck, when they came forth out of Egypt.
47 And they possessed his land, and the lande of Og King of Bashan, two Kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Iorden towarde the sunne rising:
They took his land in possession, and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise;
48 From Aroer, which is by the banke of the riuer Arnon, euen vnto mount Sion, which is Hermon,
from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, even to Mount Sion (that is, Hermon),
49 And all the plaine by Iorden Eastwarde, euen vnto the Sea, of ye plaine, vnder the springs of Pisgah.
and all the Arabah beyond the Jordan eastward, even to the sea of the Arabah, under the slopes of Pisgah.