Deuteronomy 8

1 All the commandment which I am commanding thee to-day, shalt thou, observe, to do, —that ye may, live, and multiply, and enter in and possess the land, which Yahweh sware unto your fathers.

“You must faithfully obey all the commandments that I am giving you today. If you do that, you will live [a long time], you will become very numerous, and you will occupy the land that Yahweh solemnly promised your ancestors that he would give [to you].

2 So then, thou shalt remember all the way in which Yahweh thy God caused thee to journey these forty years in the desert, —that he might humble thee to put thee to the proof to know what was in thy heart, —whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or not.

And do not forget how Yahweh our God led us as we traveled through the desert during these past 40 years. He [caused you to have many problems/difficulties], because he wanted to cause you to realize that you needed to trust him and not yourselves. And he wanted to test you, to find out what you intended to do [IDM], whether you would obey his commandments or not.

3 So he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna which thou hadst not known, neither had thy fathers known, —that he might lead thee to consider that not on bread alone, shall the son of earth live, but on whatsoever cometh from the bidding of Yahweh, shall the son of earth live.

So he caused you to have/experience difficulties. He allowed you to become hungry. Then he gave you manna [food from heaven], food that you and your ancestors had never eaten before. He did that to teach you that people need food [for their bodies]; but [they also need food for their spirits, which comes from paying attention to] everything that Yahweh says [MTY].

4 Thy mantle, hath not fallen with age from off thee, and, thy foot, hath not become swollen, —these forty years.

During those 40 years [of walking through the desert], our clothes did not wear out and our feet did not swell [from walking a very long way through the desert].

5 Thou must consider, then with thy heart, —that as a man chasteneth his son, Yahweh thy God, hath been chastening thee.

Do not forget that Yahweh our God disciplines us, like parents discipline their children.

6 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments of Yahweh thy God, —to walk in his ways and to revere him.

“Do obey the commandments of Yahweh our God, and conduct your lives as he wants you to do, and revere him.

7 For, Yahweh thy God, is bringing thee into a good land; a land of ravines of water, of fountains and depths, coming forth in valley, and in mountain:

He is about to bring you into a good/fertile land, which has streams which flow down from the hills and pour/flow out of springs in the valleys.

8 a land of wheat and barley, and vine and fig-tree, and pomegranate, —a land of olive oil, and honey:

It is a land on which wheat and barley grow, a land where there are fig trees and pomegranates, and a land where there are olive trees and honey.

9 a land wherein not in scarcity, shalt thou eat food, thou shalt lack nothing therein, —a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest hew copper.

It is a land where there will be plenty of food for you, where you will (not lack anything/have everything that you need) [LIT], a land which has iron [ore] in its rocks and from which you can dig copper [ore] from its hills.

10 So then thou shalt eat and be satisfied, —and bless Yahweh thy God, for the good land which he hath given unto thee.

[Every day] you will eat until your stomachs are full, and you will thank Yahweh our God for the fertile/good land that he has given you.

11 Take heed to thyself, lest thou forget Yahweh thy God, —so as not to keep his commandments and his regulations and his statutes, which I am commanding thee to-day;

But, [when that happens], be sure not to forget Yahweh our God by disobeying his commandments and rules and regulations that I am giving to you today.

12 lest thou eat, and be satisfied, —and goodly houses, thou build and inhabit;

When your stomachs are full [every day], and when you have built good houses and are living in them,

13 and thy herd and thy flock, increase, and silver and gold, increase unto thee, —and all that thou hast, increase;

and when the number of your cattle and sheep has greatly increased, and when you have accumulated a large amount of silver and gold, and the amount of all your other possessions has greatly increased,

14 and so thy heart be lifted up, —and thou forget Yahweh thy God, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt out of the house of servants;

be sure that you do not become proud [IDM] and forget Yahweh our God, who rescued your ancestors from being slaves in Egypt and brought them out from there.

15 who caused thee to journey through the great and terrible desert, of fiery serpents and scorpions, and thirsty wastes where was no water, —who brought forth for thee water out of the flinty rock;

Do not forget that he led them [while they traveled] through that huge and terrible desert, where there were poisonous snakes and scorpions. And do not forget that where the ground was very dry and there was no water, he caused water to flow for them out of (solid/very hard) rock.

16 who fed thee with manna in the desert, which thy fathers had not known, —that he might humble thee, and that he might put thee to the proof, to do thee good in thy hereafter,

Do not forget that in that desert he gave your ancestors manna to eat, food that they had never eaten before. He [caused them to have/experience many problems/difficulties], because he wanted them to realize that they needed to trust him and not themselves. And he wanted to test them, to find out whether they intended to obey him, in order that when [those difficulties] ended, he would do many good things for them.

17 and lest thou shouldest say in thy heart, —Mine own strength and the might of mine own hand, have gotten me this wealth.

Be sure that you do not think to yourselves, ‘I have acquired all these things by my own power [MTY] and ability.’

18 But thou shalt remember Yahweh thy God, that it was, he, who had been giving thee strength to get wealth, —that so he might establish his covenant which he sware to thy fathers (as at this day).

Do not forget that it is Yahweh our God who has enabled you to become rich. He does this because he faithfully does what he solemnly promised our ancestors that he would do.

19 But it shall be if thou forget, Yahweh thy God, and go after ether gods, and serve them, and bow thyself down to them, I testify against you to-day, that ye shall perish:

“solemnly warn you that if you forget Yahweh our God and turn to other gods and start to serve them and worship them, you will certainly be destroyed.

20 like the nations which, Yahweh, is causing to perish from before you, so, shall ye perish, because ye would not hearken unto the voice of Yahweh your God.

If you do not obey Yahweh our God, he will certainly destroy you just like he will destroy the people-groups that you will fight against.”