Deuteronomy 4:25-31

Contemporary English Version

^25-26 Soon you will cross the Jordan River and settle down in the land. Then in the years to come, you will have children, and they will give you grandchildren. After many years, you might lose your sense of right and wrong and make idols, even though the Lord your God hates them. So I am giving you fair warning today, and I call the earth and the sky as witnesses. If you ever make idols, the Lord will be angry, and you won't have long to live, because the Lord will let you be wiped out. ^27 (A) Only a few of you will survive, and the Lord will force you to leave the land and will scatter you among the nations. ²⁸ There you will have to worship gods made of wood and stone, and these are nothing but idols that can't see or hear or eat or smell.

^29-30 (B) In all of your troubles, you may finally decide that you want to worship only the Lord. And if you turn back to him and obey him completely, he will again be your God. ³¹ The Lord your God will have mercy—he won't destroy you or desert you. The Lord will remember his promise, and he will keep the agreement he made with your ancestors.