Deuteronomy 10

1 “Then Yahweh said to me, ‘Cut two stone tablets like the first ones. And make a wooden chest to put them in. Then [bring the tablets] up to me on this mountain.

At that time the Lord said to me, Hew for yourself two stone tables as the first, and come up to me into the mountain, and you shall make for yourself an ark of wood.

2 I will write on those tablets the same words that I wrote on the first tablets, the ones that you broke. Then you can put them in the chest.’

And you shall write upon the tables the words which were on the first tables which you did break, and you shall put them into the ark.

3 “So I made a chest. I used wood from an acacia tree to make it. Then I cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I went up the mountain carrying the tablets.

So I made an ark of boards of incorruptible wood, and I hewed tables of stone like the first, and I went up to the mountain, and the two tables were in my hand.

4 There Yahweh wrote on the tablets the [same] Ten Commandments [that he had written on the first tablet]. They are the commandments that he told to your ancestors from the middle of the fire on the mountain, when they were gathered [at the bottom of the mountain]. Then Yahweh gave the tablets to me,

And he wrote upon the tables according to the first writing the ten commandments, which the Lord spoke to you in the mountain out of the midst of the fire, and the Lord gave them to me.

5 and I turned and went down the mountain. Then, just as he had commanded, I put them in the chest that I had made. And they are still there.”

And I turned and came down from the mountain, and I put the tables into the ark which I had made; and there they were, as the Lord commanded me.

6 (Then, from the wells that belonged to the people of Jaakan, the Israeli people traveled to Moserah. There Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar took his place and became the Supreme Priest.

And the children of Israel departed from Beeroth of the sons of Jakim [to] Misadai: there Aaron died, and there he was buried, and Eleazar his son was priest in his stead.

7 From there, the Israelis traveled to Gudgodah, and from there to Jotbathah, which was a place that had many streams.

Thence they departed to Gadgad; and from Gadgad to Etebatha, a land [wherein are] torrents of water.

8 At that time, Yahweh (set apart/appointed) the tribe of Levi to carry the chest that contained [the tablets on which were written] the Ten Commandments, and to stand in Yahweh’s presence [in the sacred tent], to offer sacrifices, and to pray for Yahweh to bless [the people. They are still doing those things] at the present time.

At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand near before the Lord, to minister and bless in his name to this day.

9 That is the reason that the tribe of Levi did not receive any land like the other tribes did. What they received was the work/privilege of being Yahweh’s [priests], which is what he said that they should do.)

Therefore the Levites have no part nor inheritance among their brethren; the Lord himself [is] their inheritance, as he said to them.

10 “I stayed on the mountain 40 days and nights, just like I did the first time. [I prayed to] Yahweh, and he (answered my prayers/did what I requested) again and said that he would not destroy your ancestors.

And I remained in the mount forty days and forty nights: and the Lord heard me at that time also, and the Lord would not destroy you.

11 Then Yahweh said to me, ‘Continue your journey, going in front of the people, to occupy the land that I vowed your ancestors that I would give to you.’”

And the Lord said to me, Go, set out before this people, and let them go in and inherit the land, which I sware to their fathers to give to them.

12 “Now, you Israeli people, [I will tell you] [RHQ] what Yahweh our God requires/demands that you do. He requires you to revere him, to conduct your lives as he wants you to, to love him, and to serve him wholeheartedly [DOU],

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul;

13 and to obey all of his commandments [DOU] which I am giving to you today for your benefit.

to keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his ordinances, all that I charge you today, that it may be well with you?

14 “Do not forget that Yahweh our God owns even the sky and everything that is in it. He also owns the earth and everything that is on it.

Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the Lord your God, the earth and all things that are in it.

15 But [in spite of owning all those things], Yahweh loved your ancestors, and from all the people-groups [on the earth] he chose us, their descendants, and we are still his people.

Only the Lord chose your fathers to love them, and he chose out their seed after them, [even] you, beyond all nations, as at this day.

16 So you must stop sinning [MET] and stop being stubborn [IDM]!

Therefore you shall circumcise the hardness of your heart, and you shall not harden your neck.

17 Yahweh our God is greater than all gods, and he is greater than all rulers. He is very powerful [DOU] and awesome. He (is impartial/does not do things that favor one (group/person) more than others), and he does not accept bribes.

For the Lord your God, he [is] God of gods, and the Lord of lords, the great, and strong, and terrible God, who does not accept persons, nor will he by any means accept a bribe:

18 He makes sure that orphans and widows are treated fairly. He loves even (foreigners/people from other countries) who live among us Israeli people, and he gives them food and clothes.

executing judgment for the stranger and orphan and widow, and he loves the stranger to give him food and raiment.

19 So you must love those foreigners too, because you were once foreigners when you were living in Egypt.

And you shall love the stranger; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

20 Revere Yahweh our God and worship only him. (Be faithful to/Have a close relationship with) him, and say that he should punish you if you do not do what you promise.

You shall fear the Lord your God, and serve him, and shall cleave to him, and shall swear by his name.

21 He is the one whom you must praise. He is our God, and we have seen the great and amazing things that he has done for us.

He [is] your boast, and he [is] your God, who has wrought in the midst of you these great and glorious things, which your eyes have seen.

22 When our ancestors, [Jacob and his family], went down to Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now Yahweh our God has caused us to be as numerous as the stars in the sky.”

With seventy souls your fathers went down into Egypt; but the Lord your God has made you as the stars of heaven in multitude.