Deuteronomy 6

The Greatest Commandment

1 Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess,2 that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you a land flowing with milk and honey.4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.6 And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Caution Against Disobedience

10 So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build,11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant when you have eaten and are full12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you15 (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.16 You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you.18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers,19 to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken.20 When your son asks you in time to come, saying, What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?21 then you shall say to your son: We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand;22 and the Lord showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household.23 Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers.24 And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.

DEUTERONOMY 6

The Most Important //Commandment

Moses said to Israel:

1 The [Lord] told me to give you these laws and teachings, t so you can obey them in the land he is giving you. Soon you will cross the Jordan River and take that land. 2 And if you and your descendants want to live a long time, you must always worship the [Lord] and obey his laws.

3 Pay attention, Israel! Our ancestors worshiped the [Lord], and he promised to give us this land that is rich with milk and honey. Be careful to obey him, and you will become a successful and powerful nation.
4  t Listen, Israel! The [Lord] our God is the only true God!t 5 t So love the [Lord] your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. 6 t Memorize his laws 7 and tell them to your children over and over again. Talk about them all the time, whether you're at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning. 8 Write down copies and tie them to your wrists and foreheads to help you obey them.

9 Write these laws on the door frames of your homes and on your town gates.

Worship Only the [Lord]

Moses said to Israel:

13 t Worship and obey the [Lord] your God with fear and trembling, and promise that you will be loyal to him.
14 Don't have anything to do with gods that are worshiped by the nations around you. 15 If you worship other gods, the [Lord] will be furious and wipe you off the face of the earth. The [Lord] your God is with you, 16 t so don't try to make him prove that he can help you, as you did at Massah.t 17 Always obey the laws that the [Lord] has given you

18-19 and live in a way that pleases him. Then you will be able to go in and take this good land from your enemies, just as he promised your ancestors.

20 Someday your children will ask, “Why did the [Lord] give us these laws and teachings?”

21 Then you will answer:
We were slaves of the king of Egypt, but the [Lord] used his great power and set us free. 22 We saw him perform miracles and make horrible things happen to the king, his officials, and everyone else. 23 The [Lord] rescued us from Egypt, so he could bring us into this land, as he had promised our ancestors. 24-25 That's why the [Lord] our God demands that we obey his laws and worship him with fear and trembling. And if we do, he will protect us and help us be successful.