Deuteronomy 11
1 Therefore thou shalt love Jehovah thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his ordinances, and his commandments, alway.2 And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children that have not known, and that have not seen the chastisement of Jehovah your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm,3 and his signs, and his works, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land;4 and what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how Jehovah hath destroyed them unto this day;5 and what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came unto this place;6 and what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben; how the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel:7 but your eyes have seen all the great work of Jehovah which he did.
8 Therefore shall ye keep all the commandment which I command thee this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go over to possess it;9 and that ye may prolong your days in the land, which Jehovah sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land flowing with milk and honey.10 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs;11 but the land, whither ye go over to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven,12 a land which Jehovah thy God careth for: the eyes of Jehovah thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.
13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love Jehovah your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,14 that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy grain, and thy new wine, and thine oil.15 And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be full.16 Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;17 and the anger of Jehovah be kindled against you, and he shut up the heavens, so that there shall be no rain, and the land shall not yield its fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which Jehovah giveth you.
18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.19 And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.20 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates;21 that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which Jehovah sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.22 For if ye shall diligently keep all this commandment which I command you, to do it, to love Jehovah your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;23 then will Jehovah drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves.24 Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness, and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the hinder sea shall be your border.25 There shall no man be able to stand before you: Jehovah your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath spoken unto you.
26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse:27 the blessing, if ye shall hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah your God, which I command you this day;28 and the curse, if ye shall not hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.29 And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt set the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.30 Are they not beyond the Jordan, behind the way of the going down of the sun, in the land of the Canaanites that dwell in the Arabah, over against Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh?31 For ye are to pass over the Jordan to go in to possess the land which Jehovah your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein.32 And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and the ordinances which I set before you this day.
Deuteronomy 11
Reiteration of the Call to Obedience
1 You must love the Lord your God and do what he requires; keep his statutes, ordinances, and commandmentst at all times.2 Bear in mind today that I am not speakingt to your children who have not personally experienced the judgmentst of the Lord your God, which revealedt his greatness, strength, and power.t3 They did not seet the awesome deeds he performedt in the midst of Egypt against Pharaoh king of Egypt and his whole land,4 or what he did to the army of Egypt, including their horses and chariots, when he made the waters of the Red Seat overwhelm them while they were pursuing you and het annihilated them.t5 They did not seet what he did to you in the desert before you reached this place,6 or what he did to Dathan and Abiram,s sons of Eliab the Reubenite,t when the earth opened its mouth in the middle of the Israelite campt and swallowed them, their families,t their tents, and all the property they brought with them.t
7 I am speaking to yout because you are the ones who saw all the great deeds of the Lord!
The Abundance of the Land of Promise
8 Now pay attention to all the commandmentst I am givingt you today, so that you may be strong enough to enter and possess the land where you are headed,t9 and that you may enjoy long life in the land the Lord promised to give to your ancestorst and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.10 For the land where you are headedt is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, a land where you planted seed and which you irrigated by handt like a vegetable garden.11 Instead, the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupyt is one of hills and valleys, a land that drinks in water from the rains,t12 a land the Lord your God looks after.t He is constantly attentive to itts from the beginning to the end of the year.s13 Now, if you pay close attentiont to my commandments that I am giving you today and lovet the Lord your God and serve him with all your mind and being,t14 then he promises,t “I will send rain for your landt in its season, the autumn and the spring rains,s so that you may gather in your grain, new wine, and olive oil.
15 I will provide pasturet for your livestock and you will eat your fill.”
Exhortation to Instruction and Obedience
16 Make sure you do not turn away to serve and worship other gods!t17 Then the anger of the Lord will eruptt against you and he will close up the skyt so that it does not rain. The land will not yield its produce, and you will soon be removedt from the good land that the Lordt is about to give you.18 Fix these words of mine into your mind and being,t and tie them as a reminder on your hands and let them be symbolst on your forehead.19 Teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road,t as you lie down, and as you get up.20 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates21 so that your days and those of your descendants may be extended in the land which the Lord promised to give to your ancestors, like the days of heaven itself.t22 For if you carefully observe all of these commandmentst I am giving yout and love the Lord your God, live according to his standards,t and remain loyal to him,23 then het will drive out all these nations ahead of you, and you will dispossess nations greater and stronger than you.24 Every place you set your foott will be yours; your border will extend from the desert to Lebanon and from the River (that is, the Euphrates) as far as the Mediterranean Sea.t
25 Nobody will be able to resist you; the Lord your God will spread the fear and terror of you over the whole land on which you walk, just as he promised you.
Anticipation of a Blessing and Cursing Ceremony
26 Take note – I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:s27 the blessing if you take to heartt the commandments of the Lord your God that I am giving you today,28 and the curse if you pay no attentiont to hist commandments and turn from the way I am setting beforet you today to pursuet other gods you have not known.29 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are to possess, you must pronounce the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.s30 Are they not across the Jordan River,t toward the west, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgals near the oaks of Moreh?31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to possess the land the Lord your God is giving you, and you will possess and inhabit it.
32 Be certain to keep all the statutes and ordinances that I am presenting to you today.