Deuteronomy 4

1 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.

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.

2 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.

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.

3 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.

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.

4 But you who were faithful to YHWH your God are all alive this day.

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

5 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.

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.

6 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."

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.”

7 For what great nation is there, that has a god so near to them, as YHWH our God is whenever we call on him?

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?

8 What great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

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

9 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;

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.

10 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."

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.”

11 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.

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.

12 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.

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.

13 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.

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

14 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.

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.

15 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.

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

16 Lest you corrupt yourselves, and make yourself an engraved image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

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,

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

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

18 the likeness of any crawling creature that crawls on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the land;

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

19 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.

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.

20 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.

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.

21 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:

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.

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

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.

23 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.

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.

24 For YHWH your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.

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

25 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;

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—

26 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.

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.

27 YHWH will scatter you among the peoples, and you shall be left few in number among the nations, where YHWH will drive you.

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.

28 There you shall serve other gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

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

29 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.

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.

30 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:

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.

31 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.

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.

32 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?

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?

33 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?

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

34 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?

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?

35 It was shown to you so that you might know that YHWH is God. There is no one else besides him.

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

36 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.

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.

37 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;

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

38 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.

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.

39 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.

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.

40 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.

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.

41 Then Moses set apart three cities beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise;

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

42 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:

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:

43 Bezer in the wilderness, on the plateau, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.

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.

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

This is the law that Moses set before the Israelites.

45 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,

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

46 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.

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.

47 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;

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—

48 from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, even to Mount Sion (that is, Hermon),

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

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

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.