Love and Obey the Lord

11 Love^(A) the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.^{(B) 2} Remember today that your children^(C) were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God:^(D) his majesty,^(E) his mighty hand, his outstretched arm;^{(F) 3} the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country;^{(G) 4} what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots,^(H) how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea^[a](I) as they were pursuing you, and how the Lord brought lasting ruin on them. ⁵ It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the wilderness until you arrived at this place, ⁶ and what he did^(J) to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened^(K) its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them. ⁷ But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done.^(L)

⁸ Observe therefore all the commands^(M) I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess,^{(N) 9} and so that you may live long^(O) in the land the Lord swore^(P) to your ancestors to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.^{(Q) 10} The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt,^(R) from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. ¹¹ But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys^(S) that drinks rain from heaven.^{(T) 12} It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes^(U) of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.

¹³ So if you faithfully obey^(V) the commands I am giving you today—to love^(W) the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul^(X)— ¹⁴ then I will send rain^(Y) on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains,^(Z) so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. ¹⁵ I will provide grass^(AA) in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.^(AB)

¹⁶ Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.^{(AC) 17} Then the Lord’s anger^(AD) will burn against you, and he will shut up^(AE) the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce,^(AF) and you will soon perish^(AG) from the good land the Lord is giving you. ¹⁸ Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.^{(AH) 19} Teach them to your children,^(AI) talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.^{(AJ) 20} Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,^{(AK) 21} so that your days and the days of your children may be many^(AL) in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.^(AM)

²² If you carefully observe^(AN) all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love^(AO) the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast^(AP) to him— ²³ then the Lord will drive out^(AQ) all these nations^(AR) before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.^{(AS) 24} Every place where you set your foot will be yours:^(AT) Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River^(AU) to the Mediterranean Sea. ²⁵ No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he promised you, will put the terror^(AV) and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.^(AW)

²⁶ See, I am setting before you today a blessing^(AX) and a curse^(AY)— ²⁷ the blessing^(AZ) if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; ²⁸ the curse if you disobey^(BA) the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods,^(BB) which you have not known. ²⁹ When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim^(BC) the blessings, and on Mount Ebal^(BD) the curses.^{(BE) 30} As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, westward, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh,^(BF) in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal.^{(BG) 31} You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession^(BH) of the land the Lord your God is giving^(BI) you. When you have taken it over and are living there, ³² be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.

Various Laws

19 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel^(A) and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God,^(B) am holy.^(C)

³ “‘Each of you must respect your mother and father,^(D) and you must observe my Sabbaths.^(E) I am the Lord your God.^(F)

⁴ “‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves.^(G) I am the Lord your God.^(H)

⁵ “‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. ⁶ It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up.^{(I) 7} If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted.^{(J) 8} Whoever eats it will be held responsible^(K) because they have desecrated what is holy^(L) to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.^(M)

⁹ “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges^(N) of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.^{(O) 10} Do not go over your vineyard a second time^(P) or pick up the grapes that have fallen.^(Q) Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.^(R) I am the Lord your God.

¹¹ “‘Do not steal.^(S)

“‘Do not lie.^(T)

“‘Do not deceive one another.^(U)

¹² “‘Do not swear falsely^(V) by my name^(W) and so profane^(X) the name of your God. I am the Lord.

¹³ “‘Do not defraud or rob^(Y) your neighbor.^(Z)

“‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker^(AA) overnight.^(AB)

¹⁴ “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,^(AC) but fear your God.^(AD) I am the Lord.

¹⁵ “‘Do not pervert justice;^(AE) do not show partiality^(AF) to the poor or favoritism to the great,^(AG) but judge your neighbor fairly.^(AH)

¹⁶ “‘Do not go about spreading slander^(AI) among your people.

“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.^(AJ) I am the Lord.

¹⁷ “‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart.^(AK) Rebuke your neighbor frankly^(AL) so you will not share in their guilt.

¹⁸ “‘Do not seek revenge^(AM) or bear a grudge^(AN) against anyone among your people,^(AO) but love your neighbor^(AP) as yourself.^(AQ) I am the Lord.

¹⁹ “‘Keep my decrees.^(AR)

“‘Do not mate different kinds of animals.

“‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.^(AS)

“‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.^(AT)

²⁰ “‘If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man^(AU) but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment.^[a] Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. ²¹ The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the tent of meeting for a guilt offering to the Lord.^{(AV) 22} With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.^(AW)

²³ “‘When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden.^[b] For three years you are to consider it forbidden^[c]; it must not be eaten. ²⁴ In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy,^(AX) an offering of praise to the Lord. ²⁵ But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.

²⁶ “‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.^(AY)

“‘Do not practice divination^(AZ) or seek omens.^(BA)

²⁷ “‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.^(BB)

²⁸ “‘Do not cut^(BC) your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

²⁹ “‘Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute,^(BD) or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.^(BE)

³⁰ “‘Observe my Sabbaths^(BF) and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.^(BG)

³¹ “‘Do not turn to mediums^(BH) or seek out spiritists,^(BI) for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

³² “‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect^(BJ) for the elderly^(BK) and revere your God.^(BL) I am the Lord.^(BM)

³³ “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. ³⁴ The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.^(BN) Love them as yourself,^(BO) for you were foreigners^(BP) in Egypt.^(BQ) I am the Lord your God.

³⁵ “‘Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity.^{(BR) 36} Use honest scales^(BS) and honest weights, an honest ephah^[d](BT) and an honest hin.^[e](BU) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.^(BV)

³⁷ “‘Keep all my decrees^(BW) and all my laws^(BX) and follow them. I am the Lord.’”