Rewards of Obedience

11 “You shall therefore (A)love the Lord your God, and always (B)keep His directive, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments. Know this day (C)that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the [a]discipline of the Lord your God—His greatness, His mighty hand, His outstretched arm, and (D)His signs and His works which He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land; and what He did to Egypt’s army, to its horses and its chariots, (E)when He made the water of the [b]Red Sea [c]engulf them while they were pursuing you, and the Lord [d]completely eliminated them; and what He did to you in the wilderness, until you came to this place; and (F)what He did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and (G)every living thing that [e]followed them, among all Israel— but your own eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord which He did.

“You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, (H)so that you may be strong and go in and take possession of the land into which you are about to cross to possess it; and (I)so that you may prolong your days on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their [f]descendants, (J)a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land, into which you are entering to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you used to sow your seed and water it [g]by your foot like a vegetable garden. 11 But (K)the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12 a land for which the Lord your God cares; (L)the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it, from the [h]beginning even to the end of the year.

13 “And it shall come about, (M)if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, (N)to love the Lord your God and to serve Him (O)with all your heart and all your soul, 14 that [i](P)He will provide rain for your land in its season, the [j](Q)early and [k]late rain, so that you may gather your grain, your new wine, and your oil. 15 [l](R)He will also provide grass in your field for your cattle, and (S)you will eat and be satisfied. 16 [m](T)Beware that your hearts are not easily deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods, and worship them. 17 Otherwise, (U)the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will (V)shut up the sky (W)so that there will be no rain, and the ground will not yield its produce; then (X)you will quickly perish from the good land which the Lord is giving you.

18 (Y)You shall therefore take these words of mine to [n]heart and to soul; and you shall tie them as a sign on your [o]hand, and they shall be as [p]frontlets [q]on your forehead. 19 (Z)You shall also teach them to your sons, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. 20 (AA)And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that (AB)your days and the days of your sons may be increased on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as [r](AC)long as the heavens are above the earth. 22 For if you are (AD)careful to keep all of this commandment which I am commanding you to do, (AE)to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and (AF)cling to Him, 23 then the Lord will [s](AG)dispossess all these nations from you, and you will [t](AH)dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. 24 (AI)Every place on which the sole of your foot steps shall be yours; (AJ)your border will be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as [u]the western sea. 25 (AK)No one will be able to stand against you; the Lord your God will [v]instill the dread of you and the fear of you in all the land on which you set foot, just as He has spoken to you.

26 (AL)See, I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the (AM)blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; 28 and the (AN)curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, [w]by following other gods which you have not known.

29 “And it shall come about, when the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, (AO)that you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 30 Are they not across the Jordan, west of the road toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite (AP)Gilgal, beside (AQ)the [x]oaks of Moreh? 31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to go in to take possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and (AR)you shall possess it and live in it, 32 and you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the judgments which I am placing before you today.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 11:2 Or instruction
  2. Deuteronomy 11:4 Lit Sea of Reeds
  3. Deuteronomy 11:4 Lit flow over their faces
  4. Deuteronomy 11:4 Lit to this day
  5. Deuteronomy 11:6 Lit was at their feet
  6. Deuteronomy 11:9 Lit seed
  7. Deuteronomy 11:10 I.e., use of foot to facilitate irrigation
  8. Deuteronomy 11:12 Lit beginning of the year
  9. Deuteronomy 11:14 As in some ancient versions; MT I
  10. Deuteronomy 11:14 I.e., autumn
  11. Deuteronomy 11:14 I.e., spring
  12. Deuteronomy 11:15 As in some ancient versions; MT I
  13. Deuteronomy 11:16 Lit Watch yourselves
  14. Deuteronomy 11:18 Lit your heart
  15. Deuteronomy 11:18 Or forearm
  16. Deuteronomy 11:18 Or phylacteries
  17. Deuteronomy 11:18 Lit between your eyes
  18. Deuteronomy 11:21 Lit the days of the heavens
  19. Deuteronomy 11:23 Or drive out
  20. Deuteronomy 11:23 Or drive out
  21. Deuteronomy 11:24 I.e., the Mediterranean
  22. Deuteronomy 11:25 Lit give...over all
  23. Deuteronomy 11:28 Lit to follow
  24. Deuteronomy 11:30 Or terebinths

 神的偉大

11 「你要愛耶和華—你的 神,天天遵守他的吩咐、律例、典章、誡命。 今日你們應當知道,而不是你們的兒女,因為他們不知道,也沒有見過耶和華—你們 神的管教、他的偉大、他大能的手和伸出來的膀臂, 以及他在埃及埃及王法老和其全地所行的神蹟奇事; 他怎樣對待埃及的軍隊、馬和戰車,他們追趕你們的時候,耶和華怎樣用紅海的水淹沒他們,消滅了他們,直到今日; 他在曠野怎樣待你們,直到你們來到這地方, 以及他怎樣待呂便子孫,以利押的兒子大坍亞比蘭,地怎樣在以色列人中開了裂口,吞了他們和他們的家眷,帳棚,以及跟他們在一起所有活着的。 惟有你們親眼見過耶和華所做的一切大事。」

應許之地的福澤

「所以,你們要遵守我今日所吩咐的一切誡命,使你們剛強,可以進去得你們所要得的那地,就是你們將過河到那裏要得的, 也使你們的日子,在耶和華向你們列祖起誓要給他們和他們後裔的地上得以長久,那是流奶與蜜之地。 10 你要進去得為業的那地,不像你出來的埃及地。在埃及,你撒種後,要用腳澆灌,像澆灌菜園一樣。 11 你們要過去得為業的那地乃是有山有谷、天上的雨水滋潤之地, 12 是耶和華—你 神所眷顧的地;從歲首到年終,耶和華—你 神的眼目時常看顧那地。

13 「你們若留心聽從我今日所吩咐你們的誡命,愛耶和華—你們的 神,盡心盡性事奉他, 14 [a]必按時降下雨水在你們的地上,就是秋雨和春雨,使你們可以收藏五穀、新酒和新的油, 15 也必使田野為你的牲畜長出草來;這樣,你必吃得飽足。 16 你們要謹慎,免得心受誘惑,轉去事奉別神,敬拜它們, 17 以致耶和華的怒氣向你們發作,使天封閉不下雨,使地不出產,使你們在耶和華所賜給你們的美地上速速滅亡。

18 「你們要將我這些話存在心裏,留在意念中,繫在手上作記號,戴在額上[b]作經匣。 19 你們也要將這些話教導你們的兒女,無論坐在家裏,行在路上,躺下,起來,都要講論, 20 又要寫在房屋的門框上和你的城門上。 21 這樣,你們和你們子孫的日子必在耶和華向你們列祖起誓要給他們的地上得以增多,如天地之長久。 22 你們若留心謹守遵行我所吩咐這一切的誡命,愛耶和華—你們的 神,遵行他一切的道,緊緊跟隨他, 23 他必從你們面前趕出這一切國家,你們也要佔領比你們更大更強的國家。 24 凡你們腳掌所踏之地都必歸於你們;從曠野到黎巴嫩,從幼發拉底大河,直到西邊的海,都要成為你們的疆土。 25 必無一人能在你們面前站立得住;耶和華—你們的 神必照他所說的,使懼怕驚恐臨到你們所踏的全地。

26 「看,我今日將祝福與詛咒都陳明在你們面前。 27 你們若聽從耶和華—你們 神的誡命,就是我今日所吩咐你們的,就必蒙福。 28 你們若不聽從耶和華—你們 神的誡命,偏離我今日所吩咐你們的道,去隨從你們所不認識的別神,就必受詛咒。 29 當耶和華—你的 神領你進入要得為業的那地,你就要在基利心山上宣佈祝福,在以巴路山上宣佈詛咒。 30 這二座山豈不是在約旦河的那邊,日落的方向,在住亞拉巴迦南人之地,吉甲的前面,靠近摩利橡樹嗎? 31 你們過約旦河,進去得耶和華—你們的 神所賜你們為業之地;當你們佔領它,在那地居住的時候, 32 你們要謹守遵行我今日在你們面前頒佈的一切律例典章。」

Footnotes

  1. 11.14 「我」:撒瑪利亞五經、七十士譯本和其他古譯本是「他」。
  2. 11.18 「額上」:原文是「兩眼之間」。

Love and Obey the Lord

11 Love(A) the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.(B) Remember today that your children(C) were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God:(D) his majesty,(E) his mighty hand, his outstretched arm;(F) the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country;(G) what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots,(H) how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea[a](I) as they were pursuing you, and how the Lord brought lasting ruin on them. It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the wilderness until you arrived at this place, and what he did(J) to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened(K) its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them. But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done.(L)

Observe therefore all the commands(M) I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess,(N) and so that you may live long(O) in the land the Lord swore(P) to your ancestors to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.(Q) 10 The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt,(R) from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. 11 But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys(S) that drinks rain from heaven.(T) 12 It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes(U) of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.

13 So if you faithfully obey(V) the commands I am giving you today—to love(W) the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul(X) 14 then I will send rain(Y) on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains,(Z) so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. 15 I will provide grass(AA) in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.(AB)

16 Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.(AC) 17 Then the Lord’s anger(AD) will burn against you, and he will shut up(AE) the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce,(AF) and you will soon perish(AG) from the good land the Lord is giving you. 18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.(AH) 19 Teach them to your children,(AI) talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.(AJ) 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,(AK) 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many(AL) in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.(AM)

22 If you carefully observe(AN) all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love(AO) the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast(AP) to him— 23 then the Lord will drive out(AQ) all these nations(AR) before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.(AS) 24 Every place where you set your foot will be yours:(AT) Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River(AU) to the Mediterranean Sea. 25 No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he promised you, will put the terror(AV) and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.(AW)

26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing(AX) and a curse(AY) 27 the blessing(AZ) if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey(BA) the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods,(BB) which you have not known. 29 When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim(BC) the blessings, and on Mount Ebal(BD) the curses.(BE) 30 As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, westward, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh,(BF) in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal.(BG) 31 You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession(BH) of the land the Lord your God is giving(BI) you. When you have taken it over and are living there, 32 be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 11:4 Or the Sea of Reeds