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Deuteronomy 6

1  NOW THIS is the instruction, the laws, and the precepts which the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land to which you go to possess it,2  That you may [reverently] fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, and keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.3  Hear therefore, O Israel, and be watchful to do them, that it may be well with you and that you may increase exceedingly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.4  Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord [the only Lord].5  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being and with all your might.6  And these words which I am commanding you this day shall be [first] in your [own] minds and hearts; [then]7  You shall whet and sharpen them so as to make them penetrate, and teach and impress them diligently upon the [minds and] hearts of your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up.8  And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets (forehead bands) between your eyes.9  And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates.10  And when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you, with great and goodly cities which you did not build,11  And houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and cisterns hewn out which you did not hew, and vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and when you eat and are full,12  Then beware lest you forget the Lord, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.13  You shall [reverently] fear the Lord your God and serve Him and swear by His name [and presence].14  You shall not go after other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are round about you;15  For the Lord your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and He destroy you from the face of the earth.16  You shall not tempt and try the Lord your God as you tempted and tried Him in Massah. 17  You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God and His exhortations and His statutes which He commanded you.18  And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you and that you may go in and possess the good land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers,19  To cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.20  When your son asks you in time to come, What is the meaning of the testimonies and statutes and precepts which the Lord our God has commanded you?21  Then you shall say to your son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.22  And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and evil, against Egypt, against Pharaoh, and all his household, before our eyes;23  And He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in to give us the land which He swore to give our fathers.24  And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to [reverently] fear the Lord our God for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.25  And it will be accounted as righteousness (conformity to God’s will in word, thought, and action) for us if we are watchful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.

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.’