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The Commandment to Love Yahweh

“Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments, which Yahweh your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do it in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might (A)fear Yahweh your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I am commanding you, (B)all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. O Israel, you shall listen and [a]be careful to do it, that (C)it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in (D)a land flowing with milk and honey.

(E)Hear, O Israel! [b]Yahweh is our God, (F)Yahweh is one! (G)You shall love Yahweh your God (H)with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (I)These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. (J)You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. (K)You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as [c]phylacteries between your eyes. (L)You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

10 “Then it will be, when Yahweh your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, (M)great and good cities which you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and (N)you will eat and be satisfied, 12 then beware, lest (O)you forget Yahweh who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of [d]slavery. 13 (P)Yahweh your God you shall [e]fear; and Him you shall serve; and by His name you shall (Q)swear. 14 (R)You shall not walk after other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, 15 for Yahweh your God in the midst of you is a (S)jealous God—lest the anger of Yahweh your God be kindled against you, and He destroy you from the face of the earth.

16 (T)You shall not put Yahweh your God to the test, (U)as you tested Him at Massah. 17 (V)You should diligently keep the commandments of Yahweh your God and His testimonies and His statutes which He has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of Yahweh, that (W)it may be well with you and that you may go in and possess the good land which Yahweh swore to give your fathers, 19 by driving out all your enemies from before you, as Yahweh has spoken.

20 (X)When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which Yahweh our God commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and Yahweh brought us from Egypt with a strong hand. 22 Moreover, Yahweh showed great and calamitous signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household; 23 But He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers.’ 24 So Yahweh commanded us to do all these statutes, (Y)to fear Yahweh our God for our good all our days and (Z)for our survival, as it is today. 25 (AA)And it will be righteousness for us if we [f]are careful to do all this commandment before Yahweh our God, just as He commanded us.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 6:3 Lit keep
  2. Deuteronomy 6:4 Or Yahweh our God is one Yahweh, Yahweh our God, Yahweh is unique; cf. Mark 12:29
  3. Deuteronomy 6:8 Or frontlet bands
  4. Deuteronomy 6:12 Lit slaves
  5. Deuteronomy 6:13 Or reverence
  6. Deuteronomy 6:25 Lit keep

The Covenant of Love

“Now these are the commands, decrees, and ordinances that the Lord commanded me[a] to teach you. Obey them in the land you are entering to possess, so that you, your children, and your grandchildren may fear the Lord your God. Keep all his decrees and commandments that I’m giving you every day of your life, so you may live a long time. Listen, Israel! Be careful to obey, so that life[b] may go well for you and that you may increase greatly. Just as the Lord God of your ancestors told you, you’ll have a land flowing with milk and honey.

“Listen, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.[c] You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Let these words that I’m commanding you today be always[d] on your heart. Teach them repeatedly to your children. Talk about them while sitting in your house or walking on the road, and as you lie down or get up. Tie them as reminders[e] on your forearm, bind them on your forehead,[f] and write them on the door frames of your house and on your gates.”

Serve the Lord Only

10 “When the Lord your God brings you to the land that he promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he will give you large and beautiful cities that you didn’t build, 11 houses filled with every good thing that you didn’t supply, wells that you didn’t dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you didn’t plant. When you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful not to forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and slavery.[g] 13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him, and make your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods from the gods of the nations[h] around you, 15 because the Lord your God who is among you is a jealous God. He will turn his anger against you and destroy you from the surface of the land.”

Do What is Right

16 “Don’t test the Lord your God like you did in Massah. 17 Be sure to observe the commands of the Lord your God, his testimonies, and his decrees that he gave you. 18 Do what is good and right in the Lord’s sight so it may go well with you. Then you’ll enter and possess the good land that the Lord your God promised to your ancestors, 19 expelling all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.”

Remember What the Lord has Done

20 “When your son asks you in the future, ‘What is the meaning of the instructions, decrees, and ordinances that the Lord our God commanded you?’ 21 tell him, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with great power. 22 Before our very eyes, the Lord did great and terrible signs and wonders in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to his entire household. 23 But as for us, he brought us out from there to bring us into the land and give it to us, as he promised our ancestors. 24 Then the Lord commanded us to observe all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God for our own good, so that he may keep us alive as we are today. 25 It will be credited as[i] righteousness for us if we’re careful to obey the entire Law in the presence of the Lord our God, as he commanded.’”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 6:1 The Heb. lacks me
  2. Deuteronomy 6:3 Lit. it
  3. Deuteronomy 6:4 Or The Lord our God, the Lord is one
  4. Deuteronomy 6:6 The Heb. lacks always
  5. Deuteronomy 6:8 Lit. signs
  6. Deuteronomy 6:8 Lit. them as frontlets between your eyes
  7. Deuteronomy 6:12 Lit. Egypt, out of the house of slavery
  8. Deuteronomy 6:14 Lit. peoples
  9. Deuteronomy 6:25 The Heb. lacks credited as