The Tablets Rewritten

10 “At that time the Lord said to me, ‘(A)Cut out for yourself two tablets of stone like the first two, and come up to Me on the mountain, and (B)make an [a]ark of wood for yourself. Then (C)I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you smashed to pieces, and (D)you shall put them in the ark.’ So (E)I made an ark of acacia wood and (F)cut out two tablets of stone like the first two, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. Then He wrote on the tablets, like the first writing, (G)the Ten [b]Commandments (H)which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire (I)on the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me. Then I turned and (J)came down from the mountain, and I (K)put the tablets in the ark which I had made; (L)and they are there, just as the Lord commanded me.”

(Now the sons of Israel set out from [c]Beeroth (M)Bene-jaakan to Moserah. (N)There Aaron died and there he was buried, and his son Eleazar served as priest in his place. (O)From there they set out to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of streams of water. (P)At that time the Lord singled out the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord (Q)to serve Him and to bless in His name, until this day. (R)Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, just as the Lord your God spoke to him.)

10 (S)I, moreover, stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights like the first time, and the Lord listened to me that time also; the Lord was not willing to destroy you. 11 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, proceed on your journey ahead of the people, so that they may go in and take possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.’

12 (T)And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to [d]fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and (U)love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with (V)all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the Lords commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? 14 Behold, (W)to the Lord your God belong heaven and the [e]highest heavens, (X)the earth and all that is in it. 15 (Y)Yet the Lord set His affection on your fathers, to love them, and He chose their [f]descendants after them, you over all the other peoples, as it is this day. 16 (Z)So circumcise [g]your heart, and do not (AA)stiffen your neck any longer. 17 (AB)For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the (AC)Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, (AD)who does not show partiality, nor (AE)take a bribe. 18 He executes justice for (AF)the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the stranger by giving him food and clothing. 19 (AG)So show your love for the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20 You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and (AH)cling to Him, and (AI)you shall swear by His name. 21 He is (AJ)your glory and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. 22 (AK)Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons in all, (AL)and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 10:1 I.e., sacred chest
  2. Deuteronomy 10:4 Lit Words
  3. Deuteronomy 10:6 Or the wells of the sons of Jaakan
  4. Deuteronomy 10:12 Or revere
  5. Deuteronomy 10:14 Lit heaven of heavens
  6. Deuteronomy 10:15 Lit seed
  7. Deuteronomy 10:16 Lit the foreskin of your heart,

A New Copy of the Covenant

10 “At that time the Lord said to me, ‘Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. Also make a wooden Ark—a sacred chest to store them in. Come up to me on the mountain, and I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the ones you smashed. Then place the tablets in the Ark.’

“So I made an Ark of acacia wood and cut two stone tablets like the first two. Then I went up the mountain with the tablets in my hand. Once again the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments[a] on the tablets and gave them to me. They were the same words the Lord had spoken to you from the heart of the fire on the day you were assembled at the foot of the mountain. Then I turned and came down the mountain and placed the tablets in the Ark of the Covenant, which I had made, just as the Lord commanded me. And the tablets are still there in the Ark.”

(The people of Israel set out from the wells of the people of Jaakan[b] and traveled to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried. His son Eleazar ministered as high priest in his place. Then they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from there to Jotbathah, a land with many brooks and streams. At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and to stand before the Lord as his ministers, and to pronounce blessings in his name. These are their duties to this day. That is why the Levites have no share of property or possession of land among the other Israelite tribes. The Lord himself is their special possession, as the Lord your God told them.)

10 “As for me, I stayed on the mountain in the Lord’s presence for forty days and nights, as I had done the first time. And once again the Lord listened to my pleas and agreed not to destroy you. 11 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and resume the journey, and lead the people to the land I swore to give to their ancestors, so they may take possession of it.’

A Call to Love and Obedience

12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. 13 And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.

14 “Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God. 15 Yet the Lord chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today. 16 Therefore, change your hearts[c] and stop being stubborn.

17 “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. 18 He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. 19 So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20 You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone. 21 He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes. 22 When your ancestors went down into Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky!

Footnotes

  1. 10:4 Hebrew the ten words.
  2. 10:6 Or set out from Beeroth of Bene-jaakan.
  3. 10:16 Hebrew circumcise the foreskin of your hearts.