1 These now are the commandements, ordinances, and lawes, which the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that ye might doe them in the land whither ye go to possesse it: 2 That thou mightest feare the Lord thy God, and keepe all his ordinances, and his commandements which I commaund thee, thou, and thy sonne, and thy sonnes sonne all the dayes of thy life, euen that thy dayes may be prolonged. 3 Heare therefore, O Israel, and take heede to doe it, that it may go well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily in the land that floweth with milke and hony, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee. 4 Heare, O Israel, The Lord our God is Lord onely, 5 And thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soule, and with all thy might. 6 And these wordes which I commaund thee this day, shalbe in thine heart. 7 And thou shalt rehearse them continually vnto thy children, and shalt talke of them when thou tariest in thine house, and as thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest downe, and when thou risest vp: 8 And thou shalt binde them for a signe vpon thine hand, and they shalbe as frontlets betweene thine eyes. 9 Also thou shalt write them vpon ye postes of thine house, and vpon thy gates. 10 And when the Lord thy God hath brought thee into the land, which he sware vnto thy fathers, Abraham, Izhak, and Iaakob, to giue to thee, with great and goodly cities which thou buildedst not, 11 And houses full of all maner of goods which thou filledst not, and welles digged which thou diggedst not, vineyards and oliue trees which thou plantedst not, and when thou hast eaten and art full, 12 Beware least thou forget the Lord, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God, and serue him, and shalt sweare by his Name. 14 Ye shall not walke after other gods, after any of the gods of the people which are round about you, 15 (For the Lord thy God is a ielous God among you:) least the wrath of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from the face of the earth. 16 Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye did tempt him in Massah: 17 But ye shall keepe diligently the commandements of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his ordinances which he hath commanded thee, 18 And thou shalt doe that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that thou mayest prosper, and that thou mayest go in, and possesse that good land which the Lord sware vnto thy fathers, 19 To cast out all thine enemies before thee, as the Lord hath sayd. 20 When thy sonne shall aske thee in time to come, saying, What meane these testimonies, and ordinances, and Lawes, which the Lord our God hath commanded you? 21 Then shalt thou say vnto thy sonne, We were Pharaohs bondmen in Egypt: but the Lord brought vs out of Egypt with a mightie hand. 22 And the Lord shewed signes and wonders great and euill vpon Egypt, vpon Pharaoh, and vpon all his housholde, before our eyes, 23 And brought vs out from thence, to bring vs in, and to giue vs the land which he sware vnto our fathers. 24 Therefore the Lord hath commanded vs, to doe all these ordinances, and to feare the Lord our God, that it may goe euer well with vs, and that he may preserue vs aliue as at this present. 25 Moreouer, this shall be our righteousnes before the Lord our God, if we take heede to keepe all these commandements, as he hath commanded vs.
The Great Commandment
1 “These are all the laws that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. Obey them in the land that you are about to enter and occupy. 2 As long as you live, you and your descendants are to honor the Lord your God and obey all his laws that I am giving you, so that you may live in that land a long time. 3 Listen to them, people of Israel, and obey them! Then all will go well with you, and you will become a mighty nation and live in that rich and fertile land, just as the Lord, the God of our ancestors, has promised.
4 “Israel, remember this! The Lord—and the Lord alone—is our God. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 Never forget these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Teach them to your children. Repeat them when you are at home and when you are away, when you are resting and when you are working. 8 Tie them on your arms and wear them on your foreheads as a reminder. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.
Warning against Disobedience
10 “Just as the Lord your God promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he will give you a land with large and prosperous cities which you did not build. 11 The houses will be full of good things which you did not put in them, and there will be wells that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant. When the Lord brings you into this land and you have all you want to eat, 12 make certain that you do not forget the Lord who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves. 13 Honor the Lord your God, worship only him, and make your promises in his name alone. 14 Do not worship other gods, any of the gods of the peoples around you. 15 If you do worship other gods, the Lord's anger will come against you like fire and will destroy you completely, because the Lord your God, who is present with you, tolerates no rivals.
16 “Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure that you obey all the laws that he has given you. 18 Do what the Lord says is right and good, and all will go well with you. You will be able to take possession of the fertile land that the Lord promised your ancestors, 19 and you will drive out your enemies, as he promised.
20 “In times to come your children will ask you, ‘Why did the Lord our God command us to obey all these laws?’ 21 Then tell them, ‘We were slaves of the king of Egypt, and the Lord rescued us by his great power. 22 With our own eyes we saw him work miracles and do terrifying things to the Egyptians and to their king and to all his officials. 23 He freed us from Egypt to bring us here and give us this land, as he had promised our ancestors he would. 24 Then the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these laws and to honor him. If we do, he will always watch over our nation and keep it prosperous. 25 If we faithfully obey everything that God has commanded us, he will be pleased with us.’