< Deuteronomy 6 >
1 Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances, which YHWH your God commanded to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you go over to possess it;
Now these are the orders and the laws and the decisions which the Lord your God gave me for your teaching, so that you might do them in the land of your heritage to which you are going:
2 that you might fear YHWH your God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, you, and your son, and your son's son, all the days of your life; and that your days may be prolonged.
So that living in the fear of the Lord your God, you may keep all his laws and his orders, which I give you: you and your son and your son's son, all the days of your life; and so that your life may be long.
3 Hear therefore, Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with you, and that you may increase mightily, as YHWH, the God of your fathers, has promised to you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
So give ear, O Israel, and take care to do this; so that it may be well for you, and you may be greatly increased, as the Lord the God of your fathers has given you his word, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
4 Hear, Israel: YHWH is our God, YHWH is one.
Give ear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And you shall love YHWH your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
And the Lord your God is to be loved with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
6 These words, which I command you this day, shall be on your heart;
Keep these words, which I say to you this day, deep in your hearts;
7 and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
Teaching them to your children with all care, talking of them when you are at rest in your house or walking by the way, when you go to sleep and when you get up.
8 You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for symbols between your eyes.
Let them be fixed as a sign on your hand, and marked on your brow;
9 You shall write them on the door posts of your house, and on your gates.
Have them lettered on the pillars of your houses and over the doors of your towns.
10 It shall be, when YHWH your God shall bring you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great and goodly cities, which you did not build,
And when the Lord your God has taken you into the land which he gave his oath to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, that he would give you; with great and fair towns which were not of your building;
11 and houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, and cisterns dug out, which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees, which you did not plant, and you shall eat and be full;
And houses full of good things not stored up by you, and places for storing water which you did not make, and vine-gardens and olive-trees not of your planting; and you have taken food and are full;
12 then beware lest you forget YHWH, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Then take care that you keep your hearts true to the Lord, who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the prison-house.
13 You shall fear YHWH your God; and you shall serve him only, and you shall cling to him, and take oaths by his name.
Let the fear of the Lord your God be in your hearts, and be his servants, taking your oaths by his name.
14 You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who are around you;
Do not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples round about you;
15 for YHWH your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; lest the anger of YHWH your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.
For the Lord your God who is with you is a God who will not let his honour be given to another; or the wrath of the Lord will be burning against you, causing your destruction from the face of the earth.
16 Do not test YHWH your God, as you tested him at Massah.
Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did in Massah.
17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of YHWH your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he has commanded you.
Keep with care the orders of the Lord your God, and his rules and his laws which he has given you;
18 You shall do that which is right and good in the sight of YHWH; that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land which YHWH swore to your fathers,
And do what is upright and good in the eyes of the Lord your God, so that it may be well for you and you may go in and take for your heritage that good land from which the Lord undertook by an oath to your fathers,
19 to thrust out all your enemies from before you, as YHWH has spoken.
To send out from before you all those who are against you.
20 When your son asks you in time to come, saying, "What do the testimonies, the statutes, and the ordinances, which YHWH our God has commanded you mean?"
And when your son says to you in time to come, What is the reason for these rules and laws and decisions which the Lord our God has given you?
21 then you shall tell your son, "We were Pharaoh's bondservants in Egypt: and YHWH brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand;
Then you will say to your son, We were servants under Pharaoh's yoke in Egypt; and the Lord took us out of Egypt with a strong hand:
22 and YHWH showed great and awesome signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his house, before our eyes;
And the Lord did great signs and wonders against Egypt, and against Pharaoh and all his house, before our eyes:
23 and he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he swore to our fathers.
And he took us out from that place, guiding us here to give us this land, as he said in his oath to our fathers.
24 YHWH commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear YHWH our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as at this day.
And the Lord gave us orders to keep all these laws, in the fear of the Lord our God, so that it might be well for us for ever, and that he might keep us from death, as he has done to this day.
25 It shall be righteousness to us, if we observe to do all this commandment before YHWH our God, as he has commanded us."
And it will be our righteousness if we take care to keep all this order before the Lord our God as he has given it to us.