Deuteronomy 4:32-40
New American Standard Bible
32 “Indeed, (A)ask now about the earlier days that were [a]before your time, since the (B)day that God created [b]mankind on the earth, and inquire (C)from one end of the heavens to the other. (D)Has anything been done like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it? 33 (E)Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived? 34 (F)Or has a god ventured to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation (G)by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, (H)by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, [c]just as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord, He is God; (I)there is no other besides Him. 36 (J)Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice (K)to discipline you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire. 37 (L)Because He loved your fathers, He chose [d]their descendants after them. And He [e](M)personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, 38 driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and (N)to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is today. 39 Therefore know today, and take it to your heart, that (O)the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. 40 (P)So you shall keep His statutes and His commandments which I am [f]giving you today, so that (Q)it may go well for you and for your children after you, and (R)that you may [g]live long on the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”
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- Deuteronomy 4:32 Lit before you
- Deuteronomy 4:32 Or Adam
- Deuteronomy 4:34 Lit according to all that
- Deuteronomy 4:37 Lit his seed
- Deuteronomy 4:37 Lit with His presence
- Deuteronomy 4:40 Lit commanding
- Deuteronomy 4:40 Lit prolong your days
Deuteronomy 4:32-40
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
32 “For ask now about former ages, long before your own, ever since the day that God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of heaven to the other: Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has its like ever been heard of?(A) 33 Has any people ever heard the voice of a god speaking out of a fire, as you have heard, and lived?(B) 34 Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by terrifying displays of power, as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?(C) 35 To you it was shown so that you would acknowledge that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.(D) 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, while you heard his words coming out of the fire.(E) 37 And because he loved your ancestors, he chose their descendants after them. He brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power,(F) 38 driving out before you nations greater and mightier than yourselves, to bring you in, giving you their land for a possession, as it is still today.(G) 39 So acknowledge today and take to heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.(H) 40 Keep his statutes and his commandments, which I am commanding you today for your own well-being and that of your descendants after you, so that you may long remain in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”(I)
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Deuteronomy 4:32-40
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
32 Ask of the days of old, that have been before thy time from the day that God created man upon the earth, from one end of heaven to the other end thereof, if ever there was done the like thing, or it hath been known at any time,
33 That a people should hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of fire, as thou hast heard, and lived:
34 If God ever did so as to go, and take to himself a nation out of the midst of nations by temptations, signs, and wonders, by fight, and a strong hand, and stretched out arm, and horrible visions according to all the things that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, before thy eyes.
35 That thou mightest know that the Lord he is God, and there is no other besides him.
36 From heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might teach thee. And upon earth he shewed thee his exceeding great fire, and thou didst hear his words out of the midst of the fire,
37 Because he loved thy fathers, and chose their seed after them. And he brought thee out of Egypt, going before thee with his great power,
38 To destroy at thy coming very great nations, and stronger than thou art, and to bring thee in, and give thee their land for a possession, as thou seest at this present day.
39 Know therefore this day, and think in thy heart that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath, and there is no other.
40 Keep his precepts and commandments, which I command thee: that it may be well with thee, and thy children after thee, and thou mayst remain a long time upon the land, which the Lord thy God will give thee.
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Deuteronomy 4:32-40
The Message
32-33 Ask questions. Find out what has been going on all these years before you were born. From the day God created man and woman on this Earth, and from the horizon in the east to the horizon in the west—as far back as you can imagine and as far away as you can imagine—has as great a thing as this ever happened? Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? Has a people ever heard, as you did, a god speaking out of the middle of the fire and lived to tell the story?
34 Or has a god ever tried to select for himself a nation from within a nation using trials, miracles, and war, putting his strong hand in, reaching his long arm out, a spectacle awesome and staggering, the way God, your God, did it for you in Egypt while you stood right there and watched?
35-38 You were shown all this so that you would know that God is, well, God. He’s the only God there is. He’s it. He made it possible for you to hear his voice out of Heaven to discipline you. Down on Earth, he showed you the big fire and again you heard his words, this time out of the fire. He loved your ancestors and chose to work with their children. He personally and powerfully brought you out of Egypt in order to displace bigger and stronger and older nations with you, bringing you out and turning their land over to you as an inheritance. And now it’s happening. This very day.
39-40 Know this well, then. Take it to heart right now: God is in Heaven above; God is on Earth below. He’s the only God there is. Obediently live by his rules and commands which I’m giving you today so that you’ll live well and your children after you—oh, you’ll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you.
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Read full chapterNew American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson