Deuteronomy 6
English Standard Version
The Greatest Commandment
6 “Now this is (A)the commandment—the statutes and the rules[a]—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that (B)you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and (C)that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, (D)as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
4 “Hear, O Israel: (E)The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[b] 5 You (F)shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And (G)these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 (H)You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 (I)You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 (J)You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
10 “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities (K)that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 (L)then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 It is (M)the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and (N)by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not (O)go after other gods, (P)the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for (Q)the Lord your God in your midst (R)is a jealous God—(S)lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.
16 (T)“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, (U)as you tested him at Massah. 17 You shall (V)diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. 18 (W)And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers 19 (X)by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.
20 (Y)“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, (Z)‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And (AA)the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. 23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, (AB)to fear the Lord our God, (AC)for our good always, that (AD)he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. 25 And (AE)it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 6:1 Or just decrees; also verse 20
- 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
Deuteronomy 6
New American Standard Bible
Obey God and Prosper
6 “Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you may do them in the land where you are going over to take possession of it, 2 so that you, your son, and your grandson will (A)fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, (B)all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 Now Israel, you shall listen and be careful to do them, so that (C)it may go well for you and that you may increase greatly, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has [a]promised you, in (D)a land flowing with milk and honey.
4 “(E)Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the (F)Lord is one! 5 And (G)you shall love the Lord your God (H)with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 (I)These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 And (J)you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. 8 (K)You shall also tie them as a [b]sign to your [c]hand, and they shall be as [d]frontlets [e]on your forehead. 9 (L)You shall also write them on the [f]doorposts of your house and on your gates.
10 “Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land that He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you, (M)great and splendid cities which you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and carved cisterns which you did not carve out, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and (N)you eat and are satisfied, 12 be [g]careful that (O)you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [h]slavery. 13 (P)You shall [i]fear only the Lord your God; and you shall [j]worship Him and (Q)swear by His name. 14 (R)You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, 15 for the Lord your God who is in the midst of you is a (S)jealous God; so follow Him, or else the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you, and He will [k]wipe you off the face of the earth.
16 “(T)You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, (U)as you tested Him at Massah. 17 (V)You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and His provisions and His statutes which He has commanded you. 18 You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, so that (W)it may go well for you and that you may go in and take possession of the good land which the Lord swore to give your fathers, 19 by driving out all your enemies from you, as the Lord has spoken.
20 “(X)When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the provisions and the statutes and the judgments mean which the Lord our God commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Moreover, the Lord provided great and terrible signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household; 23 He brought us out of there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers.’ 24 So the Lord commanded us to [l]follow all these statutes, (Y)to fear the Lord our God for our own good always and (Z)for our survival, as it is today. 25 And (AA)it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to [m]follow all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as He commanded us.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 6:3 Lit spoken to
- Deuteronomy 6:8 I.e., reminder
- Deuteronomy 6:8 Or forearm
- Deuteronomy 6:8 Or phylacteries
- Deuteronomy 6:8 Lit between your eyes
- Deuteronomy 6:9 Heb mezuzoth
- Deuteronomy 6:12 Or careful yourself
- Deuteronomy 6:12 Lit slaves
- Deuteronomy 6:13 Or revere
- Deuteronomy 6:13 Or serve
- Deuteronomy 6:15 Lit destroy
- Deuteronomy 6:24 Lit perform
- Deuteronomy 6:25 Lit perform
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
