The Covenant Renewed

10 “The Lord said to me at that time, ‘Cut two stone tablets like the first ones and come to me on the mountain and make a wooden ark. I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets you broke, and you are to place them in the ark.’ So I made an ark of acacia wood,(A) cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and climbed the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. Then on the day of the assembly, the Lord wrote on the tablets what had been written previously, the Ten Commandments that he had spoken to you on the mountain from the fire. The Lord gave them to me, and I went back down the mountain and placed the tablets in the ark I had made. And they have remained there, as the Lord commanded me.”(B)

The Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-jaakan[a] to Moserah. Aaron died and was buried there, and Eleazar his son became priest in his place.(C) They traveled from there to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with flowing streams.(D)

“At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi(E) to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to pronounce blessings in his name, as it is today. For this reason, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance like his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God told him.(F)

10 “I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights like the first time. The Lord also listened to me on this occasion;(G) he agreed not to annihilate you. 11 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Get up. Continue your journey ahead of the people, so that they may enter and possess the land I swore to give their ancestors.’(H)

What God Requires

12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you except to fear(I) the Lord your God by walking in all his ways, to love him, and to worship the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul?(J) 13 Keep the Lord’s commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good.(K) 14 The heavens, indeed the highest heavens, belong to the Lord your God, as does the earth and everything in it.(L) 15 Yet the Lord had his heart set on your ancestors and loved them.(M) He chose their descendants after them—he chose you out of all the peoples, as it is today.(N) 16 Therefore, circumcise your hearts(O) and don’t be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the Lord your God is the God of gods(P) and Lord of lords,(Q) the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God, showing no partiality and taking no bribe.(R) 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving him food and clothing.(S) 19 You are also to love the resident alien, since you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt.(T) 20 You are to fear the Lord your God and worship him. Remain faithful[b] to him and take oaths in his name.(U) 21 He is your praise and he is your God, who has done for you these great and awe-inspiring works your eyes have seen. 22 Your ancestors went down to Egypt, seventy people in all,(V) and now the Lord your God has made you numerous, like the stars of the sky.(W)

Footnotes

  1. 10:6 Or from the wells of Bene-jaakan, or from the wells of the Jaakanites
  2. 10:20 Lit Hold on

10 “At that time Yahweh said to me, ‘Carve for yourself two tablets of stone just as the former ones, and come up the mountain to me, and you shall make for yourself an ark of wood. And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets, which you smashed, and you must put them in the ark.’ And so I made an ark of acacia wood,[a] and I carved two tablets of stone like the former ones, and I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. And he wrote upon the tablets according to the first writing,[b] the ten words that Yahweh spoke to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly, and Yahweh gave them to me. And I turned, and I came down from the mountain, and I put the tablets in the ark that I had made, and they are there, just as Yahweh commanded me.

“And the Israelites[c] journeyed from the wells of Bene-Yaqan to Moserah; there Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar, his son, served as a priest in place of him. From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land flowing with streams of water. At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to stand before[d] Yahweh, to serve him and to bless the people in his name until this day. Therefore there was not[e] for Levi an allotment or an inheritance along with his brothers; rather Yahweh is his inheritance just as Yahweh your God promised[f] to him.

10 And I stayed on the mountain just as during the former forty days[g] and forty nights,[h] and Yahweh listened to me also on that occasion;[i] Yahweh was not willing to destroy you. 11 And Yahweh said to me, ‘Come, continue[j] your journey before the people, [k] so that you may go and take possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors[l] to give to them.’

12 And now, Israel, what is Yahweh your God asking[m] from you, except[n] to revere Yahweh your God, to go[o] in all his ways and to love him and to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul,[p] 13 to keep the commandments of Yahweh and his statutes that I am commanding you today for your own good.[q] 14 Look! For to Yahweh your God belong[r] heaven and the highest heavens,[s] the earth and all that is in it. 15 Yet[t] to your ancestors[u] Yahweh was very attached, so as to love them, and so he chose their offspring after them, namely you, from all the peoples, as it is today.[v] 16 So you shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn.[w] 17 For Yahweh your God, he is God of the gods and Lord of the lords, the great and mighty God, the awesome one who is not partial,[x] and he does not take bribes. 18 And he executes justice for the orphan and widow, and he is one who loves the alien, to give to them food and clothing. 19 And you shall love the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. 20 Yahweh your God, you shall revere him, you shall serve him, and to him you shall cling, and by his name you shall swear. 21 He is your praise, and he is your God, who has done with you these great and awesome things that your eyes have seen. 22 With only seventy persons your ancestors[y] went down to Egypt, but now Yahweh your God has made you as the stars of the heaven with respect to multitude.[z]

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 10:3 Literally “of wood of acacia trees”
  2. Deuteronomy 10:4 Literally “as the writing the first”
  3. Deuteronomy 10:6 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  4. Deuteronomy 10:8 Literally “the faces of”
  5. Deuteronomy 10:9 Literally “it/he was not”
  6. Deuteronomy 10:9 Literally “spoke”
  7. Deuteronomy 10:10 Hebrew “day”
  8. Deuteronomy 10:10 Hebrew “night”
  9. Deuteronomy 10:10 Or “occurrence” or “that time”
  10. Deuteronomy 10:11 Literally “Arise, go”
  11. Deuteronomy 10:11 Literally “in the faces of the people”
  12. Deuteronomy 10:11 Or “fathers”
  13. Deuteronomy 10:12 Or “requiring”
  14. Deuteronomy 10:12 Or “but only”
  15. Deuteronomy 10:12 Or “to walk”
  16. Deuteronomy 10:12 Or “inner self”
  17. Deuteronomy 10:13 Literally “for good to you”
  18. Deuteronomy 10:14 Literally “is”
  19. Deuteronomy 10:14 Literally “heavens of the heavens”
  20. Deuteronomy 10:15 Literally “Only”
  21. Deuteronomy 10:15 Or “fathers”
  22. Deuteronomy 10:15 Literally “the day the this”
  23. Deuteronomy 10:16 Literally “your neck you shall not make stiff any longer”
  24. Deuteronomy 10:17 Literally “does not lift up faces”
  25. Deuteronomy 10:22 Or “fathers”
  26. Deuteronomy 10:22 Literally “as far as number”