Deuteronomy 10
New International Reader's Version
The New Stone Tablets
10 At that time the Lord spoke to me. He said, “Carve out two stone tablets, just like the first ones. Then come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden ark. 2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you must put the tablets in the ark.”
3 So I made the ark out of acacia wood. I carved out two stone tablets that were just like the first ones. I went up the mountain. I carried the two tablets in my hands. 4 The Lord wrote on the tablets what he had written before. It was the Ten Commandments. He had announced them to you out of the fire on the mountain. It was on the day you had gathered together there. So the Lord gave the tablets to me. 5 Then I came back down the mountain. I put the tablets in the ark I had made, just as the Lord had commanded me. And that’s where they are now.
6 Remember how the Israelites traveled from the wells of Bene Jaakan to Moserah. That’s where Aaron died. And his body was buried there. His son Eleazar became the next priest after him. 7 From Moserah the people traveled to Gudgodah. Then they went on to Jotbathah. That land has streams of water. 8 At that time the Lord set the tribe of Levi apart. He appointed them to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He wanted them to serve him. He told them to bless the people in his name. And they still do it today. 9 That’s why the Levites don’t have any part of the land the Lord gave the other tribes in Israel. They don’t have any share among them. The Lord himself is their share. That’s what the Lord your God told them.
10 I had stayed on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights, just as I did the first time. The Lord listened to me that time also. He didn’t want to destroy you. 11 “Go,” the Lord said to me. “Lead the people on their way. Then they can enter the land and take it over. I have given my word. I promised I would give the land to their fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Honor the Lord
12 And now, Israel, what is the Lord your God asking you to do? Honor him. Live exactly as he wants you to live. Love him. Serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. 13 Obey the Lord’s commands and rules. I’m giving them to you today for your own good.
14 The heavens belong to the Lord your God. Even the highest heavens belong to him. He owns the earth and everything in it. 15 But the Lord loved your people of long ago very much. You are their children. And he chose you above all the other nations. His love and his promise remain with you to this very day. 16 So don’t be stubborn anymore. Obey the Lord. 17 The Lord your God is the greatest God of all. He is the greatest Lord of all. He is the great God. He is mighty and wonderful. He treats everyone the same. He doesn’t accept any money from those who want special favors. 18 He stands up for widows and for children whose fathers have died. He loves outsiders living among you. He gives them food and clothes. 19 So you also must love outsiders. Remember that you yourselves were outsiders in Egypt. 20 Honor the Lord your God. Serve him. Remain true to him. When you make promises, do so in his name. 21 He is the one you should praise. He’s your God. With your own eyes you saw the great and amazing things he did for you. 22 Long ago, your people went down into Egypt. The total number of them was 70. And now the Lord your God has made you as many as the stars in the sky.
Deuteronomy 10
New King James Version
The Second Pair of Tablets(A)
10 “At that time the Lord said to me, [a]‘Hew for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to Me on the mountain and make yourself an (B)ark of wood. 2 And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke; and (C)you shall put them in the ark.’
3 “So I made an ark of acacia wood, hewed two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain, having the two tablets in my hand. 4 And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing, the Ten [b]Commandments, (D)which the Lord had spoken to you in the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and (E)came down from the mountain, and (F)put the tablets in the ark which I had made; (G)and there they are, just as the Lord commanded me.”
6 (Now the children of Israel journeyed from the wells of Bene Jaakan to Moserah, where Aaron (H)died, and where he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered as priest in his [c]stead. 7 (I)From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of [d]rivers of water. 8 At that time (J)the Lord [e]separated the tribe of Levi (K)to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, (L)to stand before the Lord to minister to Him and (M)to bless in His name, to this day. 9 (N)Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance, just as the Lord your God promised him.)
10 “As at the first time, (O)I stayed in the mountain forty days and forty nights; (P)the Lord also heard me at that time, and the Lord chose not to destroy you. 11 (Q)Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, begin your journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.’
The Essence of the Law
12 “And now, Israel, (R)what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to (S)love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today (T)for your [f]good? 14 Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the (U)Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it. 15 The Lord delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their [g]descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. 16 Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your (V)heart, and be (W)stiff-necked[h] no longer. 17 For the Lord your God is (X)God of gods and (Y)Lord of lords, the great God, (Z)mighty and awesome, who (AA)shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. 18 (AB)He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. 19 Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20 (AC)You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name. 21 He is your praise, and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen. 22 Your fathers went down to Egypt with seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as the stars of heaven in multitude.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 10:1 Cut out
- Deuteronomy 10:4 Lit. Words
- Deuteronomy 10:6 place
- Deuteronomy 10:7 brooks
- Deuteronomy 10:8 set apart
- Deuteronomy 10:13 benefit or welfare
- Deuteronomy 10:15 Lit. seed
- Deuteronomy 10:16 rebellious
Deuteronomy 10
English Standard Version
New Tablets of Stone
10 “At that time the Lord said to me, (A)‘Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain and (B)make an ark of wood. 2 And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and (C)you shall put them in the ark.’ 3 So I made an ark (D)of acacia wood, and (E)cut two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 4 And (F)he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments[a] (G)that the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire (H)on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and (I)came down from the mountain and (J)put the tablets in the ark that I had made. (K)And there they are, as the Lord commanded me.”
6 (The people of Israel (L)journeyed from Beeroth Bene-jaakan[b] to Moserah. (M)There Aaron died, and there he was buried. And his son Eleazar ministered as priest in his place. 7 (N)From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with brooks of water. 8 At that time (O)the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi (P)to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord (Q)to stand before the Lord to minister to him and (R)to bless in his name, to this day. 9 (S)Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God said to him.)
10 (T)“I myself stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights, (U)and the Lord listened to me that time also. The Lord was unwilling to destroy you. 11 (V)And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go on your journey at the head of the people, so that they may go in and possess the land, which I swore to their fathers to give them.’
Circumcise Your Heart
12 “And now, Israel, (W)what does the Lord your God require of you, but (X)to fear the Lord your God, (Y)to walk in all his ways, (Z)to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and (AA)to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today (AB)for your good? 14 Behold, (AC)to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, (AD)the earth with all that is in it. 15 Yet (AE)the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. 16 Circumcise therefore (AF)the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer (AG)stubborn. 17 For the Lord your God is (AH)God of gods and (AI)Lord of lords, (AJ)the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is (AK)not partial and takes no bribe. 18 (AL)He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 19 (AM)Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 20 (AN)You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and (AO)hold fast to him, and (AP)by his name you shall swear. 21 (AQ)He is your praise. He is your God, (AR)who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. 22 Your fathers went down to Egypt (AS)seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you (AT)as numerous as the stars of heaven.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 10:4 Hebrew the ten words
- Deuteronomy 10:6 Or the wells of the Bene-jaakan
Deuteronomy 10
Evangelical Heritage Version
10 At that time the Lord said to me, “Cut out two tablets of stone like the first ones, and come up to me on the mountain, and make an ark[a] out of wood. 2 Then I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the first ones that you shattered, and you are to put them in the ark.”
3 So I made an ark of acacia wood and I cut out two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 He wrote on the tablets the same writing as on the first tablets, the Ten Commandments[b] that the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the middle of the fire, on the day of the assembly. Then the Lord gave them to me. 5 I turned and came back down the mountain, and I put the tablets in the ark that I had made. There they are kept, as the Lord commanded me to do.
6 The people of Israel traveled from Be’eroth Bene Ja’akan to Moserah. Aaron died there, and he was buried there, and Eleazar his son served as priest in his place. 7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of gullies filled with water.
8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord and to serve him, and to pronounce a blessing in his name, as they do to this day. 9 That is why Levi did not have an allotment of land and an inheritance with his brothers. The Lord himself is their inheritance, as the Lord your God promised him.
10 I had stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights like the first time, and the Lord listened to me again on this second occasion. The Lord agreed not to destroy you. 11 So the Lord said to me, “Set out and continue the journey at the head of the people, and they will enter and take possession of the land that I promised to give them with an oath to their fathers.”
12 So now, Israel, what is the Lord your God asking of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 to keep the commandments of the Lord and his statutes that I am commanding you today for your own good.
14 Indeed, the heavens and the heaven of heavens,[c] the earth and everything that is on it—these belong to the Lord your God. 15 Still, the Lord attached himself to your fathers, loved them, and he chose their descendants after them (that’s you!) from all peoples, as it is today.
16 So cut away the tough shell of your sinful nature,[d] and do not be stubborn any longer.
17 The Lord your God is God of Gods and Lord of Lords, the great God, the mighty one and the awesome one, who does not show favoritism and does not take a bribe. 18 He carries out justice for the fatherless and widows. He loves the alien who dwells among you and gives him food and clothing. 19 So you are to love the alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
20 Fear the Lord your God, serve him, cling to him, and take your oaths in his name.
21 He is your glory. He is your God, who performed for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen.
22 When your fathers went down to Egypt, they numbered seventy people, but now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 10:1 An ark is a box. This is not the same Hebrew word as Noah’s ark.
- Deuteronomy 10:4 Literally the Ten Words
- Deuteronomy 10:14 The heavens are where the birds and stars are. The heaven of heavens is where God dwells.
- Deuteronomy 10:16 Literally circumcise the foreskin of your hearts
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.


