Deuteronomy 4

1 And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances which I teach you to do; in order that ye may live, and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, giveth unto you.

Now, Israel [God prevails], sh'ma ·hear obey· the statutes and to the judgments, which I teach you, to do them; that you may live, and go in and possess the land which Adonai, the God of your fathers, gives you.

2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, nor shall ye diminish aught from it; that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

You shall not add to the word which I enjoin you, neither shall you take away from it, that you may keep the mitzvot ·instructions· of Adonai your God which I enjoin you.

3 Your own eyes have seen that which the Lord hath done because of Baal-peor; for every man that followed Baal-peor, him the Lord thy God hath destroyed from the midst of thee.

Your eyes have seen what Adonai did because of Baal Peor; for all the men who followed Baal Peor, Adonai your God has destroyed them from among you.

4 But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God, are alive, every one of you, this day.

But you who were faithful to Adonai your God are all alive today.

5 See, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, just as the Lord my God commanded me; that ye may do so in the midst of the land whither ye go to take possession of it.

Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as Adonai my God enjoined me, that you should do so in the middle of the land where you go in to possess it.

6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding before the eyes of the nations, that shall hear all these statutes, and they will say, Nothing but a wise and understanding people is this great nation.

Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who shall sh'ma ·hear obey· all these statutes, and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”

7 For what great nation is there that hath gods so nigh unto it, as is the Lord our God at all times that we call upon him.

For what great nation is there, that has a deity so near to them, as Yahweh Eloheikhem [Yahweh our God] is whenever we call on him?

8 And what great nation is there that hath statutes and ordinances so righteous as is all this law, which I lay before you this day?

What great nation is there, that has statutes and judgement so upright as all this Torah ·Teaching·, which I set before you today?

9 Only take heed to thyself, and guard thy soul diligently, that thou do not forget the things which thy eyes have seen, and that they depart not from thy heart all the days of thy life; but thou shalt make them known unto thy sons, and unto thy sons' sons;

Only be careful, 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 The day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God at Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Assemble for me the people, and I will cause them to hear my words, which they shall learn, to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and which they shall teach their children.

the day that you stood before Adonai your God in Horeb [Desert], when Adonai said to me, “Assemble the people to me, and I will make them sh'ma ·hear obey· 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 And ye came near and stood at the foot of the mount; and the mount was burning with fire unto the midst of the heaven, [from amidst] darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.

You came near and stood under the mountain. The mountain burned with fire to the heart of the sky, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.

12 And the Lord spoke unto you out of the midst of the fire; the sound of words ye heard, but any similitude ye saw not: there was nothing but a sound.

Adonai spoke to you out of the middle of the fire: you sh'ma ·hear obey· the voice of words, but you saw no form; you only heard a voice.

13 And he told unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, the ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

He declared to you his covenant ·binding contract between two or more parties·, which he enjoined you to perform, even the Ten Words. He wrote them on two stone tablets.

14 And me the Lord commanded at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.

Adonai enjoined me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might do them in the land where you go over to possess it.

15 Take ye therefore good heed of your souls; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spoke unto you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire:

Be very careful, for you saw no kind of form on the day that Adonai spoke to you in Horeb [Desert] out of the middle of the fire,

16 That ye become not corrupt, and make yourselves a graven image, the similitude of any idol-figure, the likeness of a male or of a 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 likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air of heaven,

the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the sky,

18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth;

the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth;

19 And that thou lift not up thy eyes unto the heavens, and thou see the sun, and the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be misled to bow down to them, and to serve them, those which the Lord thy God hath assigned unto all nations under the whole heaven.

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 army of the sky, you are drawn away and worship them, and abad ·serve· them, which Adonai your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole sky.

20 But you did the Lord take, and he brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be unto you a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.

But Adonai has taken you, and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt [Abode of slavery], to be to him a people of inheritance, as it is today.

21 Farthermore the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and he swore that I should not go over the Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the Lord thy God giveth unto thee for an inheritance;

Furthermore Adonai was angry with me for your sakes, and swore that I should not go over the Jordan [Descender], and that I should not go in to that good land, which Adonai your God gives you for an inheritance;

22 For I must die in this land; I shall not go over the Jordan; but ye will go over and take possession of this good land.

but I must die in this land. I must not go over the Jordan [Descender]; but you shall go over, and possess that good land.

23 Take heed unto yourselves, that ye do not forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he hath made with you, and make yourselves a graven image, the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.

Be careful, lest you forget the covenant ·binding contract between two or more parties· of Adonai your God, which he made with you, and make yourselves an engraved image in the form of anything which Adonai your God has enjoined forbidden for you.

24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire; yea, a watchful God.

For Yahweh [He sustains breathing] your God is 'Akal 'Esh [Consuming Fire], El Kana' [Jealous God].

25 When thou begettest children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and ye become corrupt, and make a graven image, the likeness of any thing, and do the evil in the eyes of the Lord thy God, to provoke 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 Adonai your God’s sight, to provoke him to anger;

26 I call this day the heavens and the earth to witness against you, that ye shall soon perish from off the land whereunto ye go over the Jordan to possess it; ye shall not remain many days upon it, but ye shall surely be destroyed.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from off the land which you go over the Jordan [Descender] to possess it. You will not prolong your days on it, but will utterly be destroyed.

27 And the Lord will scatter you among the nations, and ye will be left few in number among the nations, whither the Lord will lead you.

Adonai will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations, where Adonai will lead you away.

28 And ye will serve there gods, the work of man's hands, wood and stone, which neither can see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

There you shall abad ·serve· deities, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor sh'ma ·hear obey·, nor eat, nor smell.

29 But thou wilt seek from there the Lord thy God, and wilt find him, if thou apply to him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

But from there you shall seek Adonai 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 have overtaken thee, in the latter end of days: then wilt thou return to the Lord thy God, and be obedient unto his voice.

When you are in oppression, and all these things have come on you, in the latter days you shall teshuvah ·completely return· to Adonai your God, and sh'ma ·hear obey· to his voice.

31 For a merciful God is the Lord thy God; he will not forsake thee, nor destroy thee; and he will not forget the covenant of thy fathers which he hath sworn unto them.

For Adonai your God is a merciful God. He will not fail you, neither destroy you, nor forget the covenant ·binding contract between two or more parties· of your fathers which he swore to them.

32 For do but ask of former days, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from the one end of the heavens unto the other end of the heavens, whether there hath been the like of this great thing, or whether the like of it hath been heard.

For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man 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 sh'ma ·heard obeyed· like it?

33 Hath ever a people heard the voice of a god, speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and remained alive?

Did a people ever sh'ma ·hear obey· the voice of God speaking out of the middle of the fire, as you have sh'ma ·heard obeyed·, and live?

34 Or hath a god essayed to go to take himself a nation from the midst of a nation, by proofs, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, like all that which the Lord your God hath done for you in Egypt before thy eyes.

Or has God tried to go and take a nation for himself from among another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Adonai your God did for you in Egypt [Abode of slavery] before your eyes?

35 Unto thee it was shown, that thou mightest know, that the Eternal is the God: there is none else besides him.

It was shown to you so that you might know that Yahweh [He sustains breathing] is God. There is no one else besides him,

36 Out of the heavens he caused thee to hear his voice, to correct thee: and upon the earth he caused thee to see his great fire; and his words didst thou hear out of the midst of the fire.

Out of heaven he made you to sh'ma ·hear obey· his voice, that he might instruct you. On earth he made you to see his great fire; and you sh'ma ·heard obeyed· his words out of the middle of the fire.

37 And therefore, because he loved thy fathers, he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his presence with his mighty power out of Egypt;

Because he 'ahav ·affectionately loved· your fathers, therefore he chose their offspring after them, and brought you out with his presence, with his great power, out of Egypt [Abode of slavery];

38 To drive out nations greater and mightier than thou art, from before thee, to bring thee in, to give unto thee their land for an inheritance, as it is 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 it is today.

39 Know therefore this day, and reflect in thy heart, that the Eternal is the God in the heavens above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

Know therefore today, and take it to heart, that Yahweh [He sustains breathing] himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath. There is no one else.

40 And thou shalt keep his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee; and that thou mayest live many days upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for all times.

You shall keep his statutes, and his mitzvot ·instructions·, which I enjoin you today, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land, which Adonai your God gives you, forever.

41 Then Moses set aside three cities on this side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun;

Then Moses [Drawn out] set apart three cities beyond the Jordan [Descender] toward the sunrise;

42 That thither might flee the manslayer, who should kill his neighbor unawares, when he had not been an enemy to him in times past; and that he should flee unto one of these cities and live.

that the man slayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unawares, and didn’t hate him in time past; and that fleeing to one of these cities he might live:

43 Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gil'ad for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan for the Menassites.

Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.

44 And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel:

This is the Torah ·Teaching· which Moses [Drawn out] set before the children of Israel [God prevails].

45 These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which Moses spoke unto the children of Israel, when they came forth out of Egypt,

These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses [Drawn out] spoke to the children of Israel [God prevails], when they came out of Egypt [Abode of slavery],

46 On this side of the Jordan, in the valley opposite to Beth-peor, in the land of Sichon the king of the Emorites, who dwelt at Cheshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, after they were come forth out of Egypt;

beyond the Jordan [Descender], in the valley over against Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites [Descendants of Talkers], who lived at Heshbon, whom Moses [Drawn out] and the children of Israel [God prevails] struck, when they came out of Egypt [Abode of slavery].

47 And they took possession of his land, and of the land of 'Og the king of Bashan, the two kings of the Emorites, who were on this side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun;

They took his land in possession, and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites [Descendants of Talkers], who were beyond the Jordan [Descender] toward the sunrise;

48 From 'Aro'er, which is on the bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Chermon,

from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, even to Mount Sion (also called Hermon [Devoted to destruction]),

49 And all the plain on this side of the Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the declivities of Pisgah.

and all the Arabah beyond the Jordan [Descender] eastward, even to the sea of the Arabah, under the slopes of Pisgah.