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Deuteronomy 6
American Standard Version

6 Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances, which Jehovah your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it; 2 that thou mightest fear Jehovah thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as Jehovah, the God of thy fathers, hath promised unto thee, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

4 Hear, O Israel: [a]Jehovah our God is one Jehovah: 5 and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; 7 and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.

10 And it shall be, when Jehovah thy God shall bring thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee, great and goodly cities, which thou buildest not, 11 and houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and cisterns hewn out, which thou hewedst not, vineyards and olive-trees, which thou plantedst not, and thou shalt eat and be full; 12 then beware lest thou forget Jehovah, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 13 Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God; and him shalt thou serve, and shalt swear by his name. 14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you; 15 for Jehovah thy God in the midst of thee is a jealous God; lest the anger of Jehovah thy God be kindled against thee, and he destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

16 Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your God, as ye tempted him in Massah. 17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of Jehovah your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. 18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of Jehovah; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, 19 to thrust out all thine enemies from before thee, as Jehovah hath spoken.

20 When thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which Jehovah our God hath commanded you? 21 then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt: and Jehovah brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 22 and Jehovah showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his house, before our eyes; 23 and he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers. 24 And Jehovah commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Jehovah our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as at this day. 25 And it shall be righteousness unto us, if we observe to do all this commandment before Jehovah our God, as he hath commanded us.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 6:4 Or, Jehovah our God, Jehovah is one. Or, Jehovah is our God, Jehovah is one. Or, Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone
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申命记 6
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified)

劝民毕生遵行诫命

6 “这是耶和华你们神所吩咐教训你们的诫命、律例、典章，使你们在所要过去得为业的地上遵行， 2 好叫你和你子子孙孙一生敬畏耶和华你的神，谨守他的一切律例、诫命，就是我所吩咐你的，使你的日子得以长久。 3 以色列啊，你要听，要谨守遵行，使你可以在那流奶与蜜之地得以享福，人数极其增多，正如耶和华你列祖的神所应许你的。

4 “以色列啊，你要听！耶和华我们神是独一的主。 5 你要尽心、尽性、尽力爱耶和华你的神。 6 我今日所吩咐你的话都要记在心上， 7 也要殷勤教训你的儿女。无论你坐在家里、行在路上，躺下、起来，都要谈论。 8 也要系在手上为记号，戴在额上为经文。 9 又要写在你房屋的门框上，并你的城门上。

勿从他神

10 “耶和华你的神领你进他向你列祖亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各起誓应许给你的地，那里有城邑，又大又美，非你所建造的； 11 有房屋，装满各样美物，非你所装满的；有凿成的水井，非你所凿成的；还有葡萄园、橄榄园，非你所栽种的，你吃了，而且饱足。 12 那时你要谨慎，免得你忘记将你从埃及地为奴之家领出来的耶和华。 13 你要敬畏耶和华你的神，侍奉他，指着他的名起誓。 14 不可随从别神，就是你们四围国民的神， 15 因为在你们中间的耶和华你神是忌邪的神；唯恐耶和华你神的怒气向你发作，就把你从地上除灭。

16 “你们不可试探耶和华你们的神，像你们在玛撒那样试探他。 17 要留意遵守耶和华你们神所吩咐的诫命、法度、律例。 18 耶和华眼中看为正、看为善的，你都要遵行，使你可以享福，并可以进去得耶和华向你列祖起誓应许的那美地， 19 照耶和华所说的，从你面前撵出你的一切仇敌。

20 “日后，你的儿子问你说：‘耶和华我们神吩咐你们的这些法度、律例、典章是什么意思呢？’ 21 你就告诉你的儿子说：‘我们在埃及做过法老的奴仆，耶和华用大能的手将我们从埃及领出来， 22 在我们眼前，将重大可怕的神迹奇事施行在埃及地和法老并他全家的身上， 23 将我们从那里领出来，要领我们进入他向我们列祖起誓应许之地，把这地赐给我们。 24 耶和华又吩咐我们遵行这一切律例，要敬畏耶和华我们的神，使我们常得好处，蒙他保全我们的生命，像今日一样。 25 我们若照耶和华我们神所吩咐的一切诫命谨守遵行，这就是我们的义了。’

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Deuteronomy 6
New English Translation

Exhortation to Keep the Covenant Principles

6 Now these are the commandments,[a] statutes, and ordinances that the Lord your God instructed me to teach you so that you may carry them out in the land where you are headed[b] 2 and that you may so revere the Lord your God that you will keep all his statutes and commandments[c] that I am giving[d] you—you, your children, and your grandchildren—all your lives, to prolong your days. 3 Pay attention, Israel, and be careful to do this so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in number[e]—as the Lord, the God of your ancestors,[f] said to you, you will have a land flowing with milk and honey.

The Essence of the Covenant Principles

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one![g] 5 You must love[h] the Lord your God with your whole mind,[i] your whole being,[j] and all your strength.[k]

Exhortation to Teach the Covenant Principles

6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 7 and you must teach[l] them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road,[m] as you lie down, and as you get up. 8 You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm[n] and fasten them as symbols[o] on your forehead. 9 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates.[p]

Exhortation to Worship the Lord Exclusively

10 Then when the Lord your God brings you to the land he promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you—a land with large, fine cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with choice things you did not accumulate, hewn-out cisterns you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—and you eat your fill, 12 be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, that place of slavery.[q] 13 You must revere the Lord your God, serve him, and take oaths using only his name. 14 You must not go after other gods, those[r] of the surrounding peoples, 15 for the Lord your God, who is present among you, is a jealous God—his anger will erupt against you and remove you from the land.[s]

Exhortation to Obey the Lord Exclusively

16 You must not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.[t] 17 Keep his[u] commandments very carefully,[v] as well as the stipulations and statutes he commanded you to observe. 18 Do whatever is proper[w] and good before the Lord so that it may go well with you and that you may enter and occupy the good land that he[x] promised your ancestors, 19 and that you may drive out all your enemies just as the Lord said.

Exhortation to Remember the Past

20 When your children[y] ask you later on, “What are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord our God commanded you?” 21 you must say to them,[z] “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt in a powerful way.[aa] 22 And he[ab] brought signs and great, devastating wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on his whole family[ac] before our very eyes. 23 He delivered us from there so that he could give us the land he had promised our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these statutes and to revere him[ad] so that it may always go well for us and he may preserve us, as he has to this day. 25 We will be innocent if we carefully keep all these commandments[ae] before the Lord our God, just as he demands.”[af]

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 6:1 tn Heb “commandment.” The word מִצְוָה (mitsvah) again is in the singular, serving as a comprehensive term for the whole stipulation section of the book. See note on the word “commandments” in 5:31.
  2. Deuteronomy 6:1 tn Heb “where you are going over to possess it” (so NASB); NRSV “that you are about to cross into and occupy.”
  3. Deuteronomy 6:2 tn Here the terms are not the usual חֻקִּים (khuqqim) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim; as in v. 1) but חֻקֹּת (khuqqot, “statutes”) and מִצְוֹת (mitsvot, “commandments”). It is clear that these terms are used interchangeably and that their technical precision ought not be overly stressed.
  4. Deuteronomy 6:2 tn Heb “commanding.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.
  5. Deuteronomy 6:3 tn Heb “may multiply greatly” (so NASB, NRSV); the words “in number” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  6. Deuteronomy 6:3 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 10, 18, 23).
  7. Deuteronomy 6:4 tn Heb “the Lord, our God, the Lord, one.” (1) One option is to translate: “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone” (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT). This would be an affirmation that the Lord was the sole object of their devotion. This interpretation finds support from the appeals to loyalty that follow (vv. 5, 14). (2) Another option is to translate: “The Lord is our God, the Lord is unique.” In this case the text would be affirming the people’s allegiance to the Lord, as well as the Lord’s superiority to all other gods. It would also imply that he is the only one worthy of their worship. Support for this view comes from parallel texts such as Deut 7:9 and 10:17, as well as the use of “one” in Song 6:8-9, where the starstruck lover declares that his beloved is unique (literally, “one,” that is, “one of a kind”) when compared to all other women.sn Verses 4-5 constitute the so-called Shema (after the first word שְׁמַע, shemaʿ, “hear”), widely regarded as the very heart of Jewish confession and faith. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment of all, he quoted this text (Matt 22:37-38).
  8. Deuteronomy 6:5 tn The verb אָהֵב (ʾahev, “to love”) in this setting communicates not so much an emotional idea as one of covenant commitment. To love the Lord is to be absolutely loyal and obedient to him in every respect, a truth Jesus himself taught (cf. John 14:15). See also the note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37.
  9. Deuteronomy 6:5 tn Heb “heart.” In OT physiology the heart (לֵב, לֵבָב; levav, lev) was considered the seat of the mind or intellect, so that one could think with one’s heart. See A. Luc, NIDOTTE 2:749-54.
  10. Deuteronomy 6:5 tn Heb “soul”; “being.” Contrary to Hellenistic ideas of a soul that is discrete and separate from the body and spirit, OT anthropology equated the “soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) with the person himself. It is therefore best in most cases to translate נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) as “being” or the like. See H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 10-25; D. Fredericks, NIDOTTE 3:133-34.
  11. Deuteronomy 6:5 sn For NT variations on the Shema see Matt 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-30; Luke 10:27.
  12. Deuteronomy 6:7 tn Heb “repeat” (so NLT). If from the root I שָׁנַן (shanan), the verb means essentially to “engrave,” that is, “to teach incisively” (Piel); note NAB “Drill them into your children.” Cf. BDB 1041-42 s.v.
  13. Deuteronomy 6:7 tn Or “as you are away on a journey” (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT); NAB “at home and abroad.”
  14. Deuteronomy 6:8 sn Tie them as a sign on your forearm. Later Jewish tradition referred to the little leather containers tied to the forearms and foreheads as tefillin. They were to contain the following passages from the Torah: Exod 13:1-10, 11-16; Deut 6:5-9; 11:13-21. The purpose was to serve as a “sign” of covenant relationship and obedience.
  15. Deuteronomy 6:8 sn Fasten them as symbols on your forehead. These were also known later as tefillin (see previous note) or phylacteries (from the Greek term). These box-like containers, like those on the forearms, held the same scraps of the Torah. It was the hypocritical practice of wearing these without heartfelt sincerity that caused Jesus to speak scathingly about them (cf. Matt 23:5).
  16. Deuteronomy 6:9 sn The Hebrew term מְזוּזֹת (mezuzot) refers both to the door frames and to small cases attached on them containing scripture texts (always Deut 6:4-9 and 11:13-21; and sometimes the decalogue; Exod 13:1-10, 11-16; and Num 10:35-36). See J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy (JPSTC), 443-44.
  17. Deuteronomy 6:12 tn Heb “out of the house of slavery” (so NASB, NRSV).
  18. Deuteronomy 6:14 tn Heb “from the gods.” The demonstrative pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
  19. Deuteronomy 6:15 tn Heb “lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you and destroy you from upon the surface of the ground.” Cf. KJV, ASV “from off the face of the earth.”
  20. Deuteronomy 6:16 sn The place name Massah (מַסָּה, massah) derives from a root (נָסָה, nasah) meaning “to test; to try.” The reference here is to the experience in the Sinai desert when Moses struck the rock to obtain water (Exod 17:1-2). The complaining Israelites had, thus, “tested” the Lord, a wickedness that gave rise to the naming of the place (Exod 17:7; cf. Deut 9:22; 33:8).
  21. Deuteronomy 6:17 tn Heb “the commandments of the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
  22. Deuteronomy 6:17 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb to emphasize the statement. The imperfect verbal form is used here with an obligatory nuance that can be captured in English through the imperative. Cf. NASB, NRSV “diligently keep (obey NLT).”
  23. Deuteronomy 6:18 tn Heb “upright.”
  24. Deuteronomy 6:18 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on the word “his” in v. 17.
  25. Deuteronomy 6:20 tn Heb “your son.”
  26. Deuteronomy 6:21 tn Heb “to your son.”
  27. Deuteronomy 6:21 tn Heb “by a strong hand.” The image is that of a warrior who, with weapon in hand, overcomes his enemies. The Lord is commonly depicted as a divine warrior in the Book of Deuteronomy (cf. 5:15; 7:8; 9:26; 26:8).
  28. Deuteronomy 6:22 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on the word “his” in v. 17.
  29. Deuteronomy 6:22 tn Heb “house,” referring to the entire household.
  30. Deuteronomy 6:24 tn Heb “the Lord our God.” See note on the word “his” in v. 17.
  31. Deuteronomy 6:25 tn The term “commandment” (מִצְוָה, mitsvah), here in the singular, refers to the entire body of covenant stipulations.
  32. Deuteronomy 6:25 tn Heb “as he has commanded us” (so NIV, NRSV).
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Deuteronomy 6
New International Version

Love the Lord Your God

6 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear(A) the Lord your God as long as you live(B) by keeping all his decrees and commands(C) that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.(D) 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey(E) so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly(F) in a land flowing with milk and honey,(G) just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised(H) you.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a](I) 5 Love(J) the Lord your God with all your heart(K) and with all your soul and with all your strength.(L) 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.(M) 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.(N) 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.(O) 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.(P)

10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build,(Q) 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig,(R) and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied,(S) 12 be careful that you do not forget(T) the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

13 Fear the Lord(U) your God, serve him only(V) and take your oaths(W) in his name.(X) 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the Lord your God(Y), who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test(Z) as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep(AA) the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you.(AB) 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight,(AC) so that it may go well(AD) with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, 19 thrusting out all your enemies(AE) before you, as the Lord said.

20 In the future, when your son asks you,(AF) “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” 21 tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.(AG) 22 Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God,(AH) so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.(AI) 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law(AJ) before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.(AK)”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 6:4 Or The Lord our God is one Lord; or The Lord is our God, the Lord is one; or The Lord is our God, the Lord alone
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