For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival(A) to the Lord. Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. On that day tell your son,(B) ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand(C) and a reminder on your forehead(D) that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.(E) 10 You must keep this ordinance(F) at the appointed time(G) year after year.

11 “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites(H) and gives it to you, as he promised on oath(I) to you and your ancestors,(J) 12 you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord.(K) 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey,(L) but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.(M) Redeem(N) every firstborn among your sons.(O)

14 “In days to come, when your son(P) asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.(Q) 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’(R) 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead(S) that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

Read full chapter

Love the Lord Your God

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, 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) 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.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a](I) Love(J) the Lord your God with all your heart(K) and with all your soul and with all your strength.(L) These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.(M) 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) Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.(O)

Read full chapter

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

18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.(A)

Read full chapter

Bible Gateway Recommends