Deuteronomy 10
New Life Version
The Second Pieces of Stone
10 “At that time the Lord said to me, ‘Cut out for yourself two pieces of stone like the other ones. Then come up to Me on the mountain, and make a box of wood. 2 I will write on the pieces of stone the words that were on the other pieces of stone which you broke. And you will put them in the box.’ 3 So I made a box of acacia wood and cut out two pieces of stone like the other ones. Then I went up the mountain with the two stone pieces in my hand. 4 The Lord wrote the Ten Laws the same as before on the pieces of stone which He had spoken to you on the mountain from the fire on the day of the meeting. And the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the stone pieces in the box I had made. There they are, as the Lord told me.”
6 (The people of Israel traveled from the wells of the sons of Jaakan to Moserah. Aaron died there and was buried and his son Eleazar took his place as religious leader. 7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah. And from Gudgodah they went to Jotbathah, a land of rivers of water. 8 At that time the Lord set apart the family of Levi to carry the special box of the Law of the Lord, and to stand before the Lord to work for Him and honor His name to this day. 9 So Levi does not have a share of what is given to his brothers. The Lord is his share, just as the Lord your God promised him.)
10 “Once more I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights, like the first time. And the Lord listened to me that time also. The Lord did not destroy you. 11 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Get up. Travel in front of the people, so they may go in and take the land which I promised to give their fathers.’
What God Wants
12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you? He wants you to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him. He wants you to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul. 13 He wants you to keep all the Laws of the Lord which I am telling you today for your good. 14 See, heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it belong to the Lord your God. 15 The Lord had joy in loving your fathers more than other nations, and you are still His chosen people to this day. 16 So then, from now on, obey the Lord. Do not be strong-willed any more. 17 For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords. He is the great and powerful God and is to be honored with fear. He does not show favor, and cannot be bought with money. 18 He does what is right and fair for the child without parents and the woman whose husband has died. He shows His love for the stranger by giving him food and clothing. 19 So show your love for the stranger. For you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20 Fear the Lord your God. Work for Him, hold on to Him, and swear by His name. 21 He is your praise and He is your God. You have seen the great and powerful things He has done for you. 22 Your fathers went to Egypt, seventy people in all. And now the Lord your God has made you as many as the stars of heaven.
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
The Voice
10 Moses: Then the Eternal answered my prayer: “Cut out two stone tablets like the first ones, come back up the mountain to Me, and make a wooden chest. 2 I’ll write on those tablets the same words that were on the first ones, the ones you smashed into pieces, and you can put the new tablets in the chest you make.”
3 So I made a chest of acacia wood and cut out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went back up the mountain carrying the two tablets. 4 The Eternal engraved on them what He had engraved on the first ones: the Ten Directives the Eternal gave you on the day you gathered at the mountain when He spoke to you from inside the fire. He gave the new tablets to me, 5 and I came back down the mountain and put them in the chest I’d made, as the Eternal had commanded me. And they’re still there today.
When they make and worship the young bull idol, the people are breaking the first covenant at Horeb, the one the Lord makes with them when He speaks to them from inside the fire and gives them the Ten Directives. Moses signifies that this first covenant is null and void when he smashes the two stone tablets that are the official copies of the covenant terms. That covenant has been conditional on the people maintaining an exclusive allegiance to the Lord, and they have violated this essential requirement. Now, however, through the intercession of Moses, the people are accepted into a second, new covenant on the basis of His forgiveness and mercy. Its continuation is also conditional on their obedience, but its deepest foundation is a grace anticipating the new covenant God ultimately makes with us through Jesus.
6 The children of Israel had been staying by the wells that belong to the descendants of Jaakan. They moved from there to Moserah. There, Aaron died and was buried. His son, Eleazar, succeeded him as high priest. 7 The people then moved to Gudgodah, and then to Jotbathah where the land is watered by streams. 8 There the Eternal set apart the tribe of Levi under Eleazar’s new leadership to carry the covenant chest of the Eternal One to serve Him in His presence and to bless the people in His name, as they still do today. 9 That’s why the tribe of Levi doesn’t have any familial hereditary territory alongside the other tribes: the Eternal Himself is Levi’s inheritance, just as the Eternal your God told Levi He would be.
Moses: 10 I stayed on the mountain just as long as I had before, for 40 days and nights. The Eternal listened to my prayers once again and agreed not to destroy you. 11 He told me, “Stand up again—I’ve granted your request. Now go and lead the people the rest of the way, so they can enter and take possession of the land I promised their ancestors I’d give them.”
12 And now, Israel, what is the Eternal your God asking of you? Only that you fear Him, live as He wants you to, and love Him; serve Him with every part of you, heart and soul; 13 and obey His commands and rules, which I’m giving you today for your good.
14 Think of it—everything already belongs to the Eternal your God: the sky and His own dwelling place beyond the sky, the earth and everything on it. 15 Nevertheless He devotedly loved your ancestors; and out of all the peoples He chose you, their descendants, to be His own, as you still are today. 16 Cut away that hard covering around your heart, and do not harden your neck against me, 17 because the Eternal your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great and mighty and amazing God! He doesn’t favor the powerful, and He can’t be bribed.
The imagery of cutting the foreskin of one’s heart and not hardening the neck are graphic depictions of how God desires internal devotion to reflect external obedience.
18 He enforces His justice for the powerless, such as orphans and widows, and He loves foreigners, making sure they have food and clothing. 19 You must love those foreigners living with you in the same way. Remember how you were foreigners in the land of Egypt! 20 So fear the Eternal your God; serve Him, and be devoted to Him. Show your loyalty by swearing oaths only in His name. 21 He’s the One you must praise—He’s your God who has done such great and amazing things for you, as you’ve seen with your own eyes. 22 When your ancestors went into Egypt, there were only 70 people in their whole clan.[a] But He kept increasing your numbers, and now there are as many of you as there are stars in the sky!
Footnotes
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.