Deuteronomy 6
Love the Lord Your God
1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess,2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.t5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build,11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied,12 be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you;15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.17 Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you.18 Do what is right and good in the Lord's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors,19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.
20 In the future, when your son asks you, "What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?"21 tell him: "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.22 Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household.23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors.24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness."
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.
