Beginning
Great Things Israel Saw
11 Love the Lord your God and always obey his orders, ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements], laws, and commands. 2 ·Remember [L You know] today it was not your children who saw and ·felt [experienced; knew] the ·correction [discipline] of the Lord your God. They did not see his ·majesty [greatness], his ·power [L strong hand], his ·strength [L outstretched arm], 3 or his signs and the things he did in Egypt to Pharaoh, the king, and his whole country. 4 They did not see what he did to the Egyptian army, its horses and chariots, when he drowned them in the ·Red [or Reed] Sea [Ex. 10:19] as they were chasing you. The Lord ·ruined [destroyed] them forever. 5 They did not see what he did for you in the ·desert [wilderness] until you arrived here. 6 They did not see what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the ground opened ·up [L its mouth] and swallowed them, their ·families [L houses], their tents, and everyone who stood ·with them in Israel [L on their feet in all Israel; Num. 16]. 7 It was ·you who [L your eyes that] saw all these great things the Lord has done.
8 So ·obey [keep] all the commands I am ·giving [commanding] you today so that you will be strong and can go in and ·take [possess] the land you are ·going to take as your own [L crossing over to possess]. 9 Then you will live a long time in the land that the Lord ·promised [swore] to give to your ·ancestors [fathers] and their ·descendants [L seed], a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; Ex. 3:8]. 10 The land you are going to take is not like Egypt, where you were. There you had to plant your seed and water it, like a vegetable garden, by using your feet. 11 But the land that you will soon cross ·the Jordan River [L there] to ·take [possess] is a land of hills and valleys, ·a land that drinks [watered by] rain from heaven. 12 It is a land the Lord your God ·cares for [looks after]. His eyes are on it continually, and he watches it from the beginning of the year to the end.
13 If you carefully ·obey [L listen to] the commands I am ·giving [commanding] you today and love the Lord your God and serve him with ·your whole being [L all your heart/mind and all your soul], 14 then he[a] will send rain on your land at the right time, in the ·fall [L early rain] and ·spring [L late rain], and you will be able to gather your grain, new wine, and oil. 15 He[b] will put grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will have plenty to eat.
16 Be careful, or you will be ·fooled [tricked; deceived; seduced] and will turn away to serve and worship other gods. 17 If you do, the Lord will become angry with you and will ·shut [close up] the heavens so it will not rain [1 Kin. 17:1]. Then the land will not ·grow [produce] crops, and you will soon ·die [perish] in the good land the Lord is giving you. 18 ·Remember my words with your whole being [L Put these words of mine on your hearts/minds and on your soul]. ·Write them down and tie [L Bind] them to your hands as a sign; tie them ·on your foreheads [L between your eyes] ·to remind you [as an emblem/headband/frontlet; 6:8]. 19 Teach them well to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on ·your doors [L the lintels/doorposts of your house] and gates 21 so that both you and your children will live a long time in the land the Lord promised your ·ancestors [fathers], as long as the ·skies [heavens] are above the earth.
22 If you are careful to obey every command I am ·giving you to follow [L commanding you to do], and love the Lord your God, and ·do what he has told you to do [L walk on all his ways/paths], and ·are loyal [cling] to him, 23 then the Lord will ·force [dispossess] all those nations out of the land ahead of you, and you will ·take [possess] the land from nations that are bigger and stronger than you. 24 Everywhere ·you step [L the heel of your foot treads] will be yours. Your land will go from the ·desert [wilderness] to Lebanon and from the Euphrates River to the ·Mediterranean [L Great] Sea. 25 No one will be able to ·stop [stand against] you. The Lord your God will ·do what he promised and will make the people afraid everywhere you go [L put the dread and fear of you on all the land on which you tread as he promised].
26 See, today I am ·letting you choose [setting before you] a blessing or a curse. 27 You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am ·giving [commanding] you today. 28 But you will be cursed if you ·disobey [L do not listen to] the commands of the Lord your God. So do not ·disobey the commands [L turn aside from the way] I am ·giving [commanding] you today, and do not ·worship [go after] other gods you do not know. 29 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you will ·take as your own [possess], you are to announce the blessings from Mount Gerizim and the curses from Mount Ebal [27–28; Josh. 8:30–35]. 30 (·These mountains are [L Are they not…?] ·on the other side of [beyond] the Jordan River, to the west, toward the sunset. They are near the great trees of Moreh [Gen. 12:6] in the land of the Canaanites who live in the ·Jordan Valley [L Arabah] opposite Gilgal.) 31 You will soon cross the Jordan River to enter and ·take [possess] the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you ·take it over [possess it] and live there, 32 be careful to obey all the commands and ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] I am giving you today.
The Place for Worship
12 These are the ·commands [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and laws you must carefully obey in the land the Lord, the God of your ·ancestors [fathers], is giving you to possess. Obey them as long as you live in the land. 2 When you ·inherit [possess] the lands of these nations, you must completely destroy all the places where they serve their gods, on high mountains and hills and under every green tree. 3 Tear down their altars, smash their holy stone pillars, and burn their ·Asherah idols [L Asherim; 7:5; Judg. 3:7] in the fire. Cut down their idols and destroy their names from those places.
4 Don’t ·worship [act for] the Lord your God that way, 5 but look for the place the Lord your God will choose—·a place among your tribes where he is to be worshiped [L as his dwelling where he will place his name]. Go there, 6 and bring to that place your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and sacrifices; bring ·a tenth of what you gain [T your tithes] and your special gifts; bring what you have ·promised [vowed] and the special gifts you want to give the Lord, and bring the first animals born to your herds and flocks.
7 There you and your families will eat in the presence of the Lord, and you will enjoy all ·the good things for which you have worked [your undertakings; L all that is sent out from your hand], because the Lord your God has blessed you.
8 Do not ·worship [act] the way we have been ·doing [acting] today, each person doing what ·he thinks is right [L is right/virtuous in his own eyes]. 9 You have not yet come to a resting place, to the ·land [L inheritance] the Lord your God will give you as your own. 10 But soon you will cross the Jordan River to live in the land the Lord your God is ·giving you as your own [L causing you to inherit], where he will give you rest from all your enemies and you will live in safety [2 Sam. 7:1; C David would achieve rest from enemies; Solomon would build the temple in an era of peace]. 11 Then the Lord your God will choose a place where he ·is to be worshiped [L will cause his name to dwell; C Zion, where the Temple would be built]. To that place you must bring everything I ·tell [command] you: your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and sacrifices, your ·offerings of a tenth of what you gain [T tithes], your special gifts, and all your best things you ·promised [vowed] to the Lord. 12 There rejoice before the Lord your God. Everyone should rejoice: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites ·from your towns [L in your gates] who have no ·land [allotment] of their own. 13 Be careful that you don’t sacrifice your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] just anywhere you ·please [L see]. 14 Offer them only in the place the Lord will choose [C Zion; v. 11]. He will choose a place in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I am commanding you.
15 But you may ·kill [slaughter] your animals in any of your ·towns [L gates] and eat ·as much of the meat as you want [L as much of the meat as your soul desires; or when your soul desires], as if it were a deer or a gazelle; this is the blessing the Lord your God is giving you. Anyone, clean or unclean [C in a ritual sense], may eat this meat, 16 but do not eat the blood [Gen. 9:4; Lev. 3:17; Acts 15:20, 29]. Pour it out on the ground like water. 17 Do not eat in your own ·towns [L gates] what belongs to the Lord: ·one-tenth [T a tithe] of your grain, new wine, or oil; the first animals born to your herds or flocks; whatever you have ·promised to give [vowed]; the special gifts you want to give to the Lord, or any other gifts. 18 Eat these things when you are together with the Lord your God, in the place the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped. Everyone must do this: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your ·towns [L gates]. Rejoice in the Lord your God’s presence about ·the things you have worked for [your undertakings; L all that is sent out from your hand]. 19 Be careful not to ·forget [L abandon; forsake] the Levites as long ·as you live [L all your days] in the land.
20 When the Lord your God enlarges your ·country [borders] as he has promised, and ·you want [L your soul desires] some meat so you say, “I want some meat,” you may eat ·as much meat as you want [L what your soul desires; or when your soul desires]. 21 If the Lord your God chooses a place where he ·is to be worshiped [L puts his name] that is too far away from you, you may ·kill [slaughter] animals from your herds and flocks, which the Lord has given to you. I have commanded that you may do this. You may eat ·as much of them as you want [L as much as your soul desires; or when your soul desires] in your own ·towns [L gates], 22 as you would eat gazelle or deer meat. Both clean and unclean people [C in a ritual sense] may eat this meat, 23 but be sure you don’t eat the blood, because the life is in the blood [Gen. 9:4; Lev. 3:17; Acts 15:20, 29]. Don’t eat the life with the meat. 24 Don’t eat the blood, but pour it out on the ground like water. 25 If you don’t eat it, things will go well for you and your children, because you will be doing what ·the Lord says is right [L is right/virtuous in the eyes of the Lord].
26 Take your holy ·things [gifts; donations] and ·the things you have promised to give [L your vows that you have lifted up], and go to the place the Lord will choose. 27 Present your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] on the altar of the Lord your God, both the meat and the blood. The blood of your sacrifices should be poured beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat. 28 Be careful to ·obey [L listen to] all the rules I am ·giving [commanding] you so that things will always go well for you and your children, and you will be doing what the Lord your God says is good and ·right [virtuous in his eyes].
29 You will enter the land and ·take it away from [dispossess] the nations that the Lord your God will ·destroy [L cut them off] ahead of you. When you ·force them out [dispossess] and live in their land, 30 they will be destroyed for you, but be careful not to be ·trapped [snared] by asking about their gods. Don’t say, “How do these nations ·worship [L serve]? I will do the same.” 31 Don’t ·worship [act toward] the Lord your God that way, because the Lord hates the ·evil [detestable; abhorrent; abominable] ways they ·worship [act toward] their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods!
32 Be sure to do everything I have commanded you. Do not add anything to it, and do not take anything away from it.
False Prophets
13 Prophets or ·those who tell the future with dreams [L dreamers of dreams] might come to you and ·say they will show [L give] you a sign or a ·miracle [wonder]. 2 The sign or ·miracle [wonder] might even happen, and then they might say, “Let’s serve other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let’s ·worship [L go after] them.” 3 But you must not listen to those prophets or dreamers. The Lord your God is testing you, to ·find out [know] if you love him with ·your whole being [L all your heart/mind and all your soul]. 4 Serve only the Lord your God. ·Respect [Fear] him, keep his commands, and ·obey him [L listen to his voice]. Serve him and ·be loyal [cling] to him. 5 The prophets or dreamers must be killed, because they said you should turn against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and ·saved [ransomed; redeemed] you from the ·land where you were slaves [L house of bondage]. They tried to turn you from ·doing what [L the way] the Lord your God commanded you to ·do [go]. You must ·get rid of [banish; purge] the evil among you.
6 Someone might try to ·lead you to serve other gods [L secretly entice you]—it might be your brother, your son or daughter, the wife you ·love [embrace], or a ·close [intimate] friend. The person might say, “Let’s go and worship other gods.” (These are gods that neither you nor your ·ancestors [fathers] have known, 7 gods of the people who live around you, either nearby or far away, from one end of the ·land [or earth] to the other.) 8 Do not ·give in to [agree with; consent to] such people. Do not listen or ·feel sorry for [L let your eyes look compassionately on] them, and do not ·let them go free [pity them] or ·protect [shield] them. 9 You must ·put them to death [kill them]. ·You must be the first one to start [L Your own hand will be the first on them] to kill them, and then ·everyone else must join in [L the hand of all the people]. 10 You must ·throw stones at them until they die [stone them to death], because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, ·where you were slaves [L the house of bondage]. 11 Then everyone in Israel will hear about this and be afraid, and no one among you will ever do such an evil thing again.
Cities to Destroy
12 The Lord your God is giving you cities in which to live, and you might hear something about one of them. Someone might say 13 that ·evil people [worthless people; scoundrels] have moved in among you. And they might lead the people of that city away from God, saying, “Let’s go and ·worship [L serve] other gods.” (These are gods you have not known.) 14 Then you must ask about it, ·looking into [investigating] the matter and checking carefully whether it is true. If it is proved that a ·hateful [detestable; abhorrent; abominable] thing has happened among you, 15 you must ·kill [L strike] with a sword everyone who lives in that city. ·Destroy the city completely and kill everyone in it [Devote that city to the Lord; 20:15–18; Josh. 6:17], as well as the animals, with a sword. 16 Gather up ·everything those people owned [L all its plunder], and put it in the middle of the city square. Then completely burn the city and ·everything they owned [L all its plunder] as a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] to the Lord your God. That city should never be rebuilt; let it be ·ruined [a ruin heap] forever. 17 Don’t ·keep for yourselves [L grasp in your hand] any of the ·things found in that city [L devoted things; 20:15–18; Josh. 6:17], so the Lord will not be angry anymore. He will give you ·mercy and feel sorry for you, and he [L …mercy/compassion, and his mercy/compassion] will make your nation grow larger, as he ·promised [swore] to your ·ancestors [fathers]. 18 You will have ·obeyed [L listened to the voice of] the Lord your God by keeping all his commands that I am ·giving [commanding] to you today, and you will be doing what ·the Lord says is right [L is right/virtuous in the eyes of the Lord].
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