不可忘記耶和華

「你們要謹遵我今日吩咐你們的一切誡命,以便能夠存活,生養眾多,並且得到耶和華起誓要賜給你們祖先的土地。 要記住這四十年來你們的上帝耶和華怎樣在曠野引領你們,祂磨煉你們、考驗你們,好知道你們的心意如何、肯不肯遵守祂的誡命。 祂讓你們忍饑挨餓,然後賜給你們祖祖輩輩從未見過的嗎哪吃,為了使你們明白人活著不是單靠食物,乃是靠祂口中的每一句話。 這四十年來,你們的衣服沒有穿破,雙腳也沒有走腫。 你們心裡要明白,你們的上帝耶和華管教你們,如同父親管教兒子。

「所以,你們要遵守你們的上帝耶和華的誡命,行祂的道,敬畏祂, 因為祂要帶你們到一個佳美之地。那裡的谷中和山間流淌著條條溪流、股股清泉; 那裡盛產大麥、小麥、葡萄、無花果、石榴、橄欖油和蜂蜜; 那裡食物充足,一無所缺;那裡礦產資源豐富,石頭就是鐵,山中可以採銅。 10 你們吃飽喝足後,要讚美你們的上帝耶和華,因為祂賜給你們那佳美之地。

11 「你們要謹慎,免得忘記你們的上帝耶和華,不遵守我今天吩咐你們的誡命、典章和律例。 12 當你們豐衣足食、居室華美、 13 牛羊眾多、金銀日增的時候, 14 切勿心驕氣傲,忘記你們的上帝耶和華。祂把你們從受奴役之地——埃及救出來, 15 帶領你們走過乾旱、可怕、毒蛇和蠍子出沒的大曠野。祂使堅硬的磐石流出水來給你們喝, 16 在曠野中把你們祖先從未見過的嗎哪賜給你們吃,為要磨煉你們、考驗你們,使你們最終得到益處。 17 你們切勿以為是憑自己的雙手和能力致富的。 18 要記住,是你們的上帝耶和華賜給你們致富的能力,為要堅立祂給你們祖先的誓約,正如今日的情形。

19 「我今天警告你們,如果你們忘記你們的上帝耶和華,去追隨、供奉、祭拜其他神明,你們必滅亡。 20 如果你們不聽從你們的上帝耶和華,你們必滅亡,正如祂使列國在你們面前滅亡一樣。

“You must obey all the commandments I give you today. If you do, you will not only live, you will multiply and will go in and take over the land promised to your fathers by the Lord. Do you remember how the Lord led you through the wilderness for all those forty years, humbling you and testing you to find out how you would respond, and whether or not you would really obey him? Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to both you and your ancestors. He did it to help you realize that food isn’t everything, and that real life comes by obeying every command of God. For all these forty years your clothes haven’t grown old, and your feet haven’t been blistered or swollen. So you should realize that, as a man punishes his son, the Lord punishes you to help you.

“Obey the laws of the Lord your God. Walk in his ways and fear him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of brooks, pools, gushing springs, valleys, and hills; it is a land of wheat and barley, of grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, olives, and honey; it is a land where food is plentiful, and nothing is lacking; it is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. 10 When you have eaten your fill, bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

11 “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty[a] you don’t forget the Lord your God and begin to disobey him. 12-13 For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large, and your silver and gold have multiplied, 14 that is the time to watch out that you don’t become proud and forget the Lord your God who brought you out of your slavery in the land of Egypt. 15 Beware that you don’t forget the God who led you through the great and terrible wilderness with the dangerous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! 16 He fed you with manna in the wilderness (it was a kind of bread unknown before) so that you would become humble and so that your trust in him would grow, and he could do you good. 17 He did it so that you would never feel that it was your own power and might that made you wealthy. 18 Always remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you power to become rich, and he does it to fulfill his promise to your ancestors.

19 “But if you forget about the Lord your God and worship other gods instead, and follow evil ways, you shall certainly perish, 20 just as the Lord has caused other nations in the past to perish. That will be your fate, too, if you don’t obey the Lord your God.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 8:11 Beware that in your plenty, implied.

All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers.

And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.

Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.

Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.

Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.

For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;

A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.

10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

11 Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:

12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;

13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;

14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

18 But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

20 As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.

Do Not Forget the Lord

Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live(A) and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors.(B) Remember how the Lord your God led(C) you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test(D) you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled(E) you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna,(F) which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach(G) you that man does not live on bread(H) alone but on every word that comes from the mouth(I) of the Lord.(J) Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.(K) Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.(L)

Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him(M) and revering him.(N) For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land(O)—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills;(P) a land with wheat and barley,(Q) vines(R) and fig trees,(S) pomegranates, olive oil and honey;(T) a land where bread(U) will not be scarce and you will lack nothing;(V) a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.(W)

10 When you have eaten and are satisfied,(X) praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget(Y) the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down,(Z) 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget(AA) the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness,(AB) that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes(AC) and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.(AD) 16 He gave you manna(AE) to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known,(AF) to humble and test(AG) you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself,(AH) “My power and the strength of my hands(AI) have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,(AJ) and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods(AK) and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.(AL) 20 Like the nations(AM) the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.(AN)