Deuteronomy 6
Chapter 6
A Call for Wholehearted Commitment
1 “These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy,2 and you and your children and grandchildren must fear the LORD your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life.
3 Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
4 “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.t5 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.
9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
10 “The LORD your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build.11 The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land,12 be careful not to forget the LORD, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.
13 You must fear the LORD your God and serve him. When you take an oath, you must use only his name.
14 “You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations,15 for the LORD your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth.16 You must not test the LORD your God as you did when you complained at Massah.17 You must diligently obey the commands of the LORD your God—all the laws and decrees he has given you.18 Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight, so all will go well with you. Then you will enter and occupy the good land that the LORD swore to give your ancestors.
19 You will drive out all the enemies living in the land, just as the LORD said you would.
20 “In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the LORD our God has commanded us to obey?’
21 “Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand.22 The LORD did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people.23 He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had sworn to give our ancestors.24 And the LORD our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day.
25 For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the LORD our God has given 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:
10 t The [Lord] promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give you this land. Now he will take you there and give you large towns, with good buildings that you didn't build, 11 and houses full of good things that you didn't put there. The [Lord] will give you wellst that you didn't have to dig, and vineyards and olive orchards that you didn't have to plant. But when you have eaten so much that you can't eat any more, 12 don't forget it was the [Lord] who set you free from slavery and brought you out of Egypt.
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.
