| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Hear now, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live and may enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. | 1“And now, Israel, listen carefully to these decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. |
| 2You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you. | 2Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you. |
| 3Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal-peor, for the LORD your God destroyed from among you all who followed Baal of Peor. | 3“You saw for yourself what the LORD did to you at Baal-peor. There the LORD your God destroyed everyone who had worshiped Baal, the god of Peor. |
| 4But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive to this day, every one of you. | 4But all of you who were faithful to the LORD your God are still alive today—every one of you. |
| 5See, I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the LORD my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land that you are about to enter and possess. | 5“Look, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy. |
| 6Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the peoples, who will hear of all these statutes and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” | 6Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, ‘How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!’ |
| 7For what nation is great enough to have a god as near to them as the LORD our God is to us whenever we call on Him? | 7For what great nation has a god as near to them as the LORD our God is near to us whenever we call on him? |
| 8And what nation is great enough to have righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today? | 8And what great nation has decrees and regulations as righteous and fair as this body of instructions that I am giving you today? |
| 9Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren. | 9“But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. |
| 10The day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, “Gather the people before Me to hear My words, so that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach them to their children.” | 10Never forget the day when you stood before the LORD your God at Mount Sinai, where he told me, ‘Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also.’ |
| 11You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire to the heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. | 11“You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while flames from the mountain shot into the sky. The mountain was shrouded in black clouds and deep darkness. |
| 12And the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. | 12And the LORD spoke to you from the heart of the fire. You heard the sound of his words but didn’t see his form; there was only a voice. |
| 13He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to follow—the Ten Commandments that He wrote on two tablets of stone. | 13He proclaimed his covenant—the Ten Commandments —which he commanded you to keep, and which he wrote on two stone tablets. |
| 14At that time the LORD commanded me to teach you the statutes and ordinances you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. | 14It was at that time that the LORD commanded me to teach you his decrees and regulations so you would obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy. A Warning against Idolatry |
| 15So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful | 15“But be very careful! You did not see the LORD’s form on the day he spoke to you from the heart of the fire at Mount Sinai. |
| 16that you do not act corruptly and make an idol for yourselves of any form or shape, whether in the likeness of a male or female, | 16So do not corrupt yourselves by making an idol in any form—whether of a man or a woman, |
| 17of any beast that is on the earth or bird that flies in the air, | 17an animal on the ground, a bird in the sky, |
| 18or of any creature that crawls on the ground or fish that is in the waters below. | 18a small animal that scurries along the ground, or a fish in the deepest sea. |
| 19When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. | 19And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don’t be seduced into worshiping them. The LORD your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth. |
| 20Yet the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of His inheritance, as you are today. | 20Remember that the LORD rescued you from the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt in order to make you his very own people and his special possession, which is what you are today. |
| 21The LORD, however, was angry with me on account of you, and He swore that I would not cross the Jordan to enter the good land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. | 21“But the LORD was angry with me because of you. He vowed that I would not cross the Jordan River into the good land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession. |
| 22For I will not be crossing the Jordan, because I must die in this land. But you shall cross over and take possession of that good land. | 22You will cross the Jordan to occupy the land, but I will not. Instead, I will die here on the east side of the river. |
| 23Be careful that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you; do not make an idol for yourselves in the form of anything He has forbidden you. | 23So be careful not to break the covenant the LORD your God has made with you. Do not make idols of any shape or form, for the LORD your God has forbidden this. |
| 24For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. | 24The LORD your God is a devouring fire; he is a jealous God. |
| 25After you have children and grandchildren and you have been in the land a long time, if you then act corruptly and make an idol of any form—doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and provoking Him to anger— | 25“In the future, when you have children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time, do not corrupt yourselves by making idols of any kind. This is evil in the sight of the LORD your God and will arouse his anger. |
| 26I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live long upon it, but will be utterly destroyed. | 26“Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you. If you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed. |
| 27Then the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you. | 27For the LORD will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive. |
| 28And there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. | 28There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. |
| 29But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. | 29But from there you will search again for the LORD your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him. |
| 30When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. | 30“In the distant future, when you are suffering all these things, you will finally return to the LORD your God and listen to what he tells you. |
| 31For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers, which He swore to them by oath. | 31For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors. There Is Only One God |
| 32Indeed, ask now from one end of the heavens to the other about the days that long preceded you, from the day that God created man on earth: Has anything as great as this ever happened or been reported? | 32“Now search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now, and search from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything as great as this ever been seen or heard before? |
| 33Has a people ever heard the voice of God speaking out of the fire, as you have, and lived? | 33Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire—as you did—and survived? |
| 34Or has any god tried to take as his own a nation out of another nation—by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors—as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, before your eyes? | 34Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes. |
| 35You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him. | 35“He showed you these things so you would know that the LORD is God and there is no other. |
| 36He let you hear His voice from heaven to discipline you, and on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the fire. | 36He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it. |
| 37Because He loved your fathers, He chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by His presence and great power, | 37Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants, and he personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power. |
| 38to drive out before you nations greater and mightier than you, and to bring you into their land and give it to you for your inheritance, as it is this day. | 38He drove out nations far greater than you, so he could bring you in and give you their land as your special possession, as it is today. |
| 39Know therefore this day and take to heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. | 39“So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The LORD is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other. |
| 40Keep His statutes and commandments, which I am giving you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for all time. | 40If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you for all time.” Eastern Cities of Refuge |
| 41Then Moses set aside three cities across the Jordan to the east | 41Then Moses set apart three cities of refuge east of the Jordan River. |
| 42to which a manslayer could flee after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice. To save one’s own life, he could flee to one of these cities: | 42Anyone who killed another person unintentionally, without previous hostility, could flee there to live in safety. |
| 43Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites. | 43These were the cities: Bezer on the wilderness plateau for the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead for the tribe of Gad; Golan in Bashan for the tribe of Manasseh. Introduction to Moses’ Second Address |
| 44This is the law that Moses set before the Israelites. | 44This is the body of instruction that Moses presented to the Israelites. |
| 45These are the testimonies, statutes, and ordinances that Moses proclaimed to them after they had come out of Egypt, | 45These are the laws, decrees, and regulations that Moses gave to the people of Israel when they left Egypt, |
| 46while they were in the valley across the Jordan facing Beth-peor in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon and was defeated by Moses and the Israelites after they had come out of Egypt. | 46and as they camped in the valley near Beth-peor east of the Jordan River. (This land was formerly occupied by the Amorites under King Sihon, who ruled from Heshbon. But Moses and the Israelites destroyed him and his people when they came up from Egypt. |
| 47They took possession of the land belonging to Sihon and to Og king of Bashan—the two Amorite kings across the Jordan to the east— | 47Israel took possession of his land and that of King Og of Bashan—the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan. |
| 48extending from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Siyon (that is, Hermon), | 48So Israel conquered the entire area from Aroer at the edge of the Arnon Gorge all the way to Mount Sirion, also called Mount Hermon. |
| 49including all the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan and as far as the Sea of the Arabah, below the slopes of Pisgah. | 49And they conquered the eastern bank of the Jordan River as far south as the Dead Sea, below the slopes of Pisgah.) |
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