The Readable Bible: Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy

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Deuteronomy

Israel’s History and God’s Laws Repeated

Translated and Edited by Rodney S. Laughlin Brendan I. Kennedy, PhD

Birmingham, Alabama

The Readable Bible: Deuteronomy

Iron Stream

An imprint of Iron Stream Media 100 Missionary Ridge Birmingham, AL 35242 www.ironstreammedia.com

Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin

The Readable Bible text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred verses without express written permission of the publisher provided that (a) the verses quoted do not account for more than 25 percent of the total work in which they are quoted, (b) no more than 25 percent of a book of the Bible is quoted, (c) all quotations conform accurately to The Readable Bible text, and (d) one of the following credit lines appears on the copyright page or title page of the work:

Scripture quotations marked TRB are taken from The Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from The Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2022938636

Cover design: twoline | | Studio

Interior designer/illustrator: Clyde Adams (www.clydeadams.com)

Map geographic features courtesy of Bible Mapper (www.biblemapper.com).

Typeface: Veritas AE from Altered Ego Fonts, a division of Aespire

The Book of Deuteronomy

Part 1. Moses’ First Address

Mount Horeb to the Jordan River

Horeb

Part 4. The Last Days of Moses

To the Reader

One day I was standing in an airport bookstore looking for a book to read. I asked myself, “Why am I looking for something to read when I have a Bible in my briefcase?” I answered, “The Bible is hard to read. I want to read something easier.” Then I asked myself, “Why is it so hard to read? You’re a seminary graduate, a former pastor, a Bible teacher!” Thus began a quest that has led to The Readable Bible—the Bible as it would look if Moses, Joshua, Matthew, Mark, Paul, and the other writers had been sitting in front of a computer when God spoke through them.

It seems to me that the Bible is hard to read because all material is presented in sentence format. Today we use tables to present census information and charts for genealogies. When we want something built, we draw up a specification document. Law codes are organized in outline form. We use bullet points, bold text, and other aids to help us grasp information. Yet in today’s Bibles, all the information is still presented in sentence format in plain text. Surely those men of old would have used modern formats if they had known about them when God spoke through them. Modern formatting does not change the information; it simply presents it in a way that makes it easier to grasp. The Readable Bible brings you the biblical text in modern formats.

You may struggle with the idea of Scripture in modern formats. Actually, all of today’s Bibles present the text in a form much different from that of the original manuscripts. Consider how many format changes that were developed over the past two thousand years led to the format considered normal today. Each change was radical in its time:

• Vowels: The earliest Hebrew manuscripts have no vowels; they were added hundreds of years later.

• Capital Letters: The Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament manuscripts have no uppercase and lowercase letters.

• Punctuation: The original manuscripts have no punctuation (no commas or periods!).

• Chapter Numbers: These were not common in Bibles until the thirteenth century AD.

• Verse Numbers: The first verse-numbering system was developed over a thousand years after the last Bible book was written. It had one-third of today’s verse numbers, making verses three or four times longer. Today’s Christian Bible numbering system was not developed until the sixteenth century.

• Paragraphs: The first paragraphed King James Bible was published in the mid-1800s.

So presenting the words of Scripture in tables, cascading the text of long, complex sentences, and using other modern formatting techniques is simply continuing the long-term trend of making the Bible easier to understand.

Our hope is that people who have never read the Bible will decide to read this version because it is so approachable. Please give a copy to someone who struggles to understand the Bible and, especially, to those who do not read the Bible.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to all the members of our editing team, our volunteer development team, and the many others who have donated funds and worked to bring The Readable Bible to completion.

A big “thank you” to my designer and partner in this project, Clyde Adams, for joining me in this faith venture. He has turned the translation into well-laid-out text and my formatting concepts into reality. The maps, tables, charts, book layout, and cover are all his work.

Most of all, I thank my wife, Rebecca, for her ideas, her love, and her strong support of this endeavor over the past twelve years.

Dedication

And now I dedicate to our Lord this translation of his holy Word, humbly asking him to grant that it may bring forth fruit to his glory and the building up of his people.

L

Spring 2022

Introduction to Deuteronomy a

In Deuteronomy, Moses reviews Israel’s recent history (their forty years of wandering in the wilderness) and the laws God gave them. The book is composed primarily of Moses’ final three addresses to the Israelites, given in the hope that they would be obedient to God. In his first address he reminds the Israelites of their history and God’s role in it. In the second he reminds them of key aspects of the law. And in the third he emphasizes the need for obedience. Of course, Moses had a hopeless hope—for he could see that Israel would not be faithful, and God confirmed it.b

Before I wrote this introduction, I read through Deuteronomy one more time. I was struck by how much Moses loved God and loved his people. Over and over he told them about God’s lovingkindness and his heart’s desire for their obedience. Look for that in the text, and then in your own heart. Look for examples to follow, examples not to follow, and moral law. Look for what God says about our attitude toward him and our care for others. Love God; love his people like Moses did.

Once a ruler asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”c Another time an expert in the law asked him, “What is the most important commandment of all?”d Jesus responded to both questions with a quote from Deuteronomy: “You shall love the L your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”e Jesus knew that the timeless truths in Deuteronomy can guide us in godly living. The words of Deuteronomy are still necessary today to remind us of God’s role in history, his desire for us, and our need to be obedient.

Some verses have been moved to provide subject matter continuity. When they appear on a different page than the previous and/or later verses, their location is noted.

Before You Read

In the context of commands, rules, and regulations, “shall,” “must,” and “are/is to” are equal terms, all the same strength. Read lists from top to bottom in the first column then read the next column.

Law code portions are formatted like modern law codes—in outline form, with headings and subheadings and bold text. The following are editorial additions, not part of the biblical text: words in italics, outline and list letters and numbers, and headings that are not part of sentences.

We encourage you to read “Translation Notes” and “Format and Presentation Notes” in the back of the book. They are easy reading and will increase your understanding of the text.

Please browse the glossary before you begin reading. You will find helpful information about words that appear frequently in this book, as well as important explanations of the words “L

” and “Yahweh.”

a “Deuteronomy”: A transliterated Greek word that means “second law.” The Hebrew Bible title, devarim (i.e., “words”), from the opening phrase eleh hadd’barim, meaning “these are the words.”

b See Deuteronomy 31:17–18, 26–29.

c See Luke 18:18.

d See Matthew 22:36.

e See Deuteronomy 6:5.

BASHAN

wandering in the wilderness. From Kadesh

to the Wadi

years.

GILEAD AMMONITES

KEDEMOTH

northern part of the wilder-

runs from the Sea

the Gulf

be the location shown on this map, or

of Mount

The Book of Deuteronomy

Part 1. Moses’ First Address

From Mount Horeb to the Jordan River

1

Departure from Mount Horeb

1–4 It is normally an eleven-day journey from Mount Horeb to Kadesh Barnea via the Seir Highlands, but it took the Israelites forty years a In mid-Januaryb of the fortieth year after leaving Egypt, after Moses had defeated Sihon (the king of the Amorites, who had lived in Heshbon) and Og (the king of Bashan, who had lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei ), Moses proclaimed to the Israelites everything that the L had commanded him to give them. Moses spoke these words to all Israel when they were in the wilderness beyond (i.e., east of) the Jordan River in the Arabah opposite Suph,c between the Wilderness of Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

5 There, beyond the Jordan in Moab, Moses undertook to explain God’s instructions, saying, 6 “The L our God said to us at Mount Horeb, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough. 7 Turn and set out on your journey. Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Northern Arabah, in the hill country and the Judean foothills, in the Negev, along the Mediterranean coast, in the land of the Canaanites, Lebanon, and all the way to the great river Euphrates.

8 Look, I’ve given this land to you.d Go in and take possession of the land that I, the L, swore to give to your ancestors—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.’

Leaders Appointed

9 “At that time e I, Moses, told you,f ‘I’m not able to bear the burden of leading you alone.

10 The L your God has multiplied you. And look, today you’re as numerous as the stars in the sky.’

11 (May the L, the God of your ancestors, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you—just as he promised you.)

a See Deuteronomy 2:7; 8:2; 29:5.

b Literally, “On the first day of the eleventh month.”

c Suph and Laban are unknown locations.

d Literally, “I have set the land before you.”

e “At that time”: forty years ago in the wilderness near Mount Horeb. See Exodus 18:13–27.

f “You,” meaning the people who left Egypt. Spoken to the second generation, a continuation of the first.

12 “And I said, ‘How can I bear the weight and burden of you and your disagreements by myself ? I cannot. 13 So choose wise, understanding, and experienced men from your tribes, and I’ll appoint them as your leaders.’ 14 And you responded, ‘What you suggested is a good thing for us to do.’ 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and appointed officialsa over you and officers throughout your tribes (as commanders of tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands). 16 And at that time I gave this order to your judges:

• ‘Hear the cases between your fellow Israelites and judge righteously between a person and their fellow Israelite or the foreigner who is with them.

• 17 Do not show partiality in judgmentb—you are to hear the small and the great alike.

• You are not to be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s.

• Bring me any case that is too hard for you, and I will hear it.’ 18 And at that time I gave you instructions about everything that you should do.

Israel’s Refusal to Enter the Landc

19 “Then we set out from Mount Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness that you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, just as the L our God commanded us. And when we arrived at Kadesh Barnea, 20 I said to you, ‘We’ve reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the L our God is giving us. 21 Look, the L your God has given you this land.d Go up and take possession of it, as the L, the God of your ancestors, has told you. Don’t be afraid or discouraged. ’

22 “Then all of you came to me and said, ‘Let’s send some men ahead of us to explore the land and bring us word about the route we must take and the cities that we will enter.’ e

23 “The idea f seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from you, one man from each tribe. 24 And they turned and went up into the hill country. When they scoutedg the Valley of Eshcol, 25 they pickedh some of the fruit of the land and brought it down to us. And they brought us a report, telling us, ‘It is a good land that the L our God is giving us.’

26 “But you wouldn’t go up! You rebelled against the L your God’s command. 27 And you grumbled in your tents, saying, ‘The L has brought us out of Egypt to hand us over to the Amorites, to wipe us out, because he hates us! 28 Where will we go? Our brothers scared us to deathi when they said, “The people are bigger and

a Literally, “heads.” In this case, referring to positions such as judges and other officials.

b Literally, “Do not regard faces in judgment.”

c See Numbers 13–14.

d Literally, “set the land before you.”

e See Numbers 13:22–25.

f Literally, “thing” or “matter.”

g Literally, “came to and searched out.”

h Literally, “took in their hands.”

i Literally, “made our hearts melt.”

taller than we are. The cities are large—and fortified up to heaven! And besides, we’ve seen the Anakites (i.e., giants) there.” ’

29 “And I said to you, ‘Don’t tremble or be afraid of them. 30 The L your God, who goes ahead of you, will himself fight for you, just as he did for you right before your eyes in Egypt 31 and in the wilderness. Everywhere you’ve gone, right up until you came here, you’ve seen how the L your God carried you, as a man carries his son.’

32 “Yet, in spite of this counsel, you didn’t believe the L your God, 33 who goes before you on the way to find you a place to pitch your tents (leading you in fire by night and in the cloud by day) and to show you which way you should go.

Penalty for Israel’s Rebellion

34 “When the L heard what you said, he became angry and swore, 35 ‘Not one from these men of this evil generation will see the good land that I swore to give to your ancestors, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I’ll give him and his descendants the land he has set his feet upon, because he has wholeheartedly a followed the L!’

37 “The L was angry with me too because of you, and he told me, ‘Not even you will enter it.b 38 But your assistantc Joshua son of Nun will enter it. Encourage him, for he will lead Israel to take its inheritance.d

39 “ ‘And as for your little ones, those you said would become your enemies’ prey— your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil—they will go in there. And I will give the promised land to them, and they will possess it. 40 But as for you, turn around and travel back into the wilderness, back in the direction of e the Red Sea.’

41 “Then you replied, ‘We have sinned against the L. We will go up and fight, just as the L our God commanded us.’ And all of you fastened on your weapons of war—now thinking it would be easy to go up into the hill country! f

42 “And the L said to me, ‘Tell them: Don’t go up and fight, for I am not among you. Otherwise you’ll be defeated by your enemies.’ 43 And that is what I told you. “But you wouldn’t listen. You rebelled against the command of the L and arrogantly went up into the hill country. 44 Then the Amorites who lived in the hills came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees—beating you down through the Seir Highlands all the way to Hormah. 45 And you returned to Kadesh and wept before the L, but the L didn’t listen to your voice; he paid no attention to you.g 46 And you stayed there for a long time.h

a Literally, “wholly.”

b See Deuteronomy 3:23–27.

c Literally, “He who stands before you.”

d Literally, “inherit it.”

e Literally, “by the way of.”

f See Numbers 14:40-45.

g Literally, “did not listen nor gave ear.”

h Literally, “stayed at Kadesh many days, the days you spent there.”

The Wilderness Years

1 “Then we turned around and journeyed back into the wilderness of Paran, back south on the route toward the Red Sea, as the L had instructed me. And we circled the Seir Highlands for many days. 2 Then the L said to me, 3 ‘You’ve circled this high country long enough. Turn north 4 and command the people, “You’re about to pass through the territory of your relatives the Edomites, who live in Seir. They’ll be afraid of you, so be very careful. 5 Don’t provoke them to war, for I won’t give you any of their land—not even a square foota—for I have given the Seir Highlands to the descendants of Esau as their possession. 6 You’re to pay themb for food and water, so you can eat and drink. 7 For the L your God has blessed you in all that you have done,c and he has known your journey in this great desert. These forty years the L your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.” ’

8 “So we passed beyond our Edomite relatives living in Seir by turning on to the eastern road by the Moab wilderness (avoiding the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber).

Note About Pre-Israel Moabite and Edomite Wars

10 “The Emites used to live in Moab. They were a mighty and numerous people, as tall as the Anakites. 11 Like the Anakites, they are also counted as Rephaites, but the Moabites call them Emites.

12 “The Horites also used to live in Seir, but the Edomites defeated them and settled on their land, just as Israel did by dispossessing the Canaanites and settling on their land, which the L gave them as their possession.

9 “Then the L said to me, ‘Don’t harass the Moabites or provoke them to fight, because I won’t give you any of their land for a possession, since I’ve given Ar to the people of Lot for a possession. 13 Now get up and cross over the Wadi Zered.’

“So we crossed it. 14 And the time from when we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered was thirty-eight years, during which the entire generation of fighting men had died,d just as the L had sworn to them.e 15 For indeed, the hand of the L was against them to completely eliminate them.f

16 “When all the fighting men had perished (i.e., died amongst the people), 17 the L said to me, 18 ‘Today you’re to cross the border of Moab at Ar. 19 And when you draw up opposite the Ammonites, don’t harass them or struggle against them, for I won’t give you any of the land of the Ammonites as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot for a possession.’ ”

a Literally, “the stepping place of a footstep.”

b Literally, “buy with money.”

c Literally, “in all the works of your hands.”

d Literally, “were finished from the camp.”

e See Numbers 14:21–23.

f Literally, “to destroy them from the camp until they were all finished.”

Note About Pre-Israel Ammonite, Edomite, and Caphtorite Wars

That land is also considered the land of the Rephaites (whom the Ammonites called Zamzummites), because the Rephaites used to live there. 21 They were great people, numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. But the L destroyed them before the Ammonites, who then drove them out and settled in their place.

20

22 And he did likewise for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites ahead of them. Then they drove them out and settled in their place, and are there even today.

23 As for the Avvites, who lived in villages as far south as Gaza, the Caphtorites (who came from Caphtor a) defeated them and settled in their place.

Defeat of King Sihon

‘So get up and head out on your journey; cross the Arnon Gorge. Look, I have handed over to you Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon, and his land. Start to take possession; fight him in battle. 25 Today I will start putting dread and fear of you into all people everywhere under heaven. When they hear reports about you, they’ll tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

24 “

26 “While in the Kedemoth wilderness, I sent messengers to Sihon the king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, 27 ‘Let me pass through your land. I’ll go only by the main road, turning neither to the right nor to the left. 28 Sell me food for money, so I can eat, and give me water in exchange for money so I can drink. Just let me pass through on foot, 29 as did the Edomites who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar, until I cross the Jordan River and enter the land that the L our God is giving me.’

30 “But King Sihon of Heshbon wouldn’t let us pass through, for the L your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate so that he might deliver him into your hand, as he has done today. 31 And the L said to me, ‘Look, I have begun to give Sihon and his land to you. Start taking possession; occupy his land.’

32 “Then Sihon and all his people came out against us to fight at Jahaz. 33 And the L our God handed him over to us, and we defeated him, his sons, and all his people. 34 At that time we captured all his cities and utterly destroyed them—their men, women, and children. We left no survivors. 35 And for ourselves we took as plunder the livestock and the spoils of the cities that we captured. 36 From Aroer (on the rim of the Arnon Gorge) and from the town that is in the gorge up to Gilead, there wasn’t a city too strong for us. The L our God delivered them all into our hands,b 37 except the land of the Ammonites (around the eastern portion of the Jabbok River) and the cities in the hill country (where you didn’t go, as it was forbidden by the L our God).

a Caphtor is today’s Crete.

b Literally, “delivered them all before us.”

Deuteronomy

Defeat of King Og

1 “Next we turned and went up the road to Bashan. And King Og of Bashan rose up and came out against us, he and all his army, to fight at Edrei. 2 But the L said to me, ‘Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand. You will do to him just as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.’ 3 So the L our God delivered King Og of Bashan and all his people into our hand also. We struck them down until no survivors were left.

4–5 “At that time we took all sixty of his cities and many unwalled villages, the whole region of Argob (Og’s kingdom in Bashan). There wasn’t a city that we didn’t take from them, though all of them were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars. 6 We completely destroyed them, just like we did to King Sihon of Heshbon, wiping out every city—its men, women, and children. 7 And again, we took as plunder all the livestock and the spoils of the cities.

8 “ To summarize, at that time we took from the hand of the two Amorite kings who were east of the Jordan River

• the land from the Arnon Gorge north to Mount Hermon 9 (which the Sidonians refer to as Mount Sirion, while the Amorites call it Mount Senir);

• 10 all the cities of the plateau;

• all of Gilead;

• all of Bashan, as far as Salecah and Edrei (cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan).”

11 (Bashan’s King Og was the last of the remnant of the Rephaite giants Imagine, his bed is a bed of iron! You can see it ina Rabbah in the land of the Ammonites. It’s thirteen and a half feet long and six feet wide.b)

Land Given to Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh

12 “At that time, when we took possession of this land, I gave the Reubenites and the Gaditesc the territory from Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Gorge) northward, including half the hill country of Gilead with its cities.

3:13–15 follow verse 17 below

16 To the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave from Gilead south to its border at the middle of the Arnon River, east alongd the Jabbok River to the Ammonite border, 17 and the east side of the Jordan River from the Sea of Galileee to the Dead Seaf in the Arabah below the slopes of Pisgah Peak on the east.

a Literally, “Isn’t it in.”

b Literally, “nine cubits long and four cubits wide, according to the common cubit.”

c “I gave the Reubenites and the Gadites” is repeated at the beginning of verse 16.

d Literally, “as far as.”

e Literally, “Sea of Chinnereth” (i.e., “of harps”): an old name for the Sea of Galilee.

f Literally, “to the Sea of Arabah, the Salt Sea.”

13, 15 I gave to the half-tribe a of Manasseh, to the clan of Makir, Manasseh’s son, the rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the former kingdom of Og (all the region of Argob; i e., all Bashan called ‘the land of giants’). 14 And the clan of Jair, a descendant (i.e., great-grandson) of Manasseh, took all the Argob region of Bashan, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites. The villages were named after him and are known as Havvoth Jair (i.e., the towns of Jair) to this day.

18 “And at that time I commanded them, ‘The L your God has given you this land to possess. Nevertheless, all your able-bodied men, armed for battle, are to cross the Jordan before your brother Israelites. 19 But your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have a lot of livestock) are to remain in the cities that I have given you, 20 until the L gives rest from war to your brothers as he has to you. When they too occupy the land that the L your God has given them on the other side of the Jordan, then each of you may go back to your possession that I have given you.’

21 “And at that time I instructed Joshua, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the L your God has done to these two kings. The L will do the same to all the kingdoms into which you’re about to enter. 22 Don’t be afraid of them, for the L your God is the one who fights for you.’

Moses Forbidden to Enter the Land

23 “And at that time I pleaded with the L: 24 ‘O Lord G, you’ve just begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand—for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? 25 Please let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that wonderful hill country and Lebanon.’ 26 But the L was angry with me because of you, so he wouldn’t listen to me. He replied, ‘Enough! Do not speak to me about this matter again. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah Peak and lift up your eyes to the west, north, south, and east. Look with your eyes, because you will not cross over this Jordan River. 28 But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will go across at the head of his people, and he will give them as an inheritance the land that you will see.’ 29 So we remained in the valley opposite Beth Peor.

4 Deuteronomy

Obedience Commanded

1 “Now, O Israel, listen to the rules and regulations that I’m teaching you. Do them so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land that the L, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Don’t add to the word that I am commanding you, nor shall you subtract from it—that you may keep the commands of the L your God

a Jacob had twelve sons, eleven plus Joseph. He adopted Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (see Genesis 48). As a result, each became the patriarch of his own tribe, called half-tribes because the two came out of one son of Jacob.

that I am giving you. 3 Your eyes saw what the L did at Baal Peor,a where the L your God wiped out those among you who followed Baal of Peor. 4 But you who held fast to the L your God are all alive today.

5 “Look, I have taught you rules and regulations as the L my God has commanded me, that you should follow them in the land that you’re taking over.b 6 Follow them carefully,c for that will be your wisdom and your understanding before the peoples. When they hear of all these statutes, they’ll say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the L our God is to us whenever we call upon him? 8 And what other great nation has rules and regulations as righteous as all this law that I’m setting before you today?

9 “Only take care, and watch yourself d diligently, so you don’t forget the things that your eyes have seen, and so they don’t depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your grandchildren. 10 Remember the day that you stood before the L your God at Mount Horeb, when the L said to me, ‘Assemble the people, that I may let them hear my words so that they may learn to fear me as long as they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children also.’ 11 Teach them

how you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, though it was wrapped in dark, thick clouds, and the mountain was burning with fire blazing to the heart of heaven;

12 how the L spoke to you out of the midst of the fire; how you heard the sound of words but saw no form—only a voice;

13 how he proclaimed his covenant to you, the Ten Commandments,e which he commanded you to obey, and he wrote on two stone tablets;f 14 and how at that time the L ordered me to teach you rules and regulations, that you might do them in the land that you’re going over the Jordan River to possess.

Warning About Idolatry

15 “You saw no form on the day that the L spoke to you at Mount Horeb out of the midst of the fire. So watch yourselves very carefully 16 so that you don’t act corruptly and make yourselves an idol in the form of any figure—a replication of g a man or a woman,

17 any animal that walks on the earth, any winged bird that flies in the air,

18 anything that slithers on the ground, or any fish in the waters below the earth.

a See Numbers 25.

b Literally, “that you are entering to possess.”

c Literally, “You will keep them and do them.”

d Or “watch your soul.”

e Literally, “ten words” or “ten matters.” See Exodus 20:1–17.

f See Exodus 31:18.

g “A replication of” appears twice in verse 17 and twice in verse 18.

19 “And when you lift your eyes to the skya and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, beware that you’re not drawn away to worship b and serve them, things that the L your God has made and allocated for all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20 For the L has taken you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people for his own possession, as you are today.

21 “Remember, the L was angry with me because of you, and he swore that I should not cross the Jordan River and enter the good land that the L your God is giving you as an inheritance. 22 I’ll die in this land. I won’t go over the Jordan. But you will go over it and take possession of that good land. 23 So be careful that you do not forget the covenant of the L your God that he made with you, by making an idol, a replication of anything, as the L your God has forbidden. 24 For the L your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

25 “When you have children and grandchildren and have lived in the land for a long time,c if you provoke him to anger by acting corruptly in the sight of the L your God by making an idol in the form of anything, by doing this evil, then 26 today I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you, that you will quickly and utterly perish from the land that you’re going over the Jordan to possess; your days on it won’t be long; you will be completely destroyed; 27 the L will scatter you among the nations, and you will be left few in number among the nations to which the L will drive you; 28 and you will serve the work of man’s hands there, gods of wood and stone— gods that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

Israel’s Repentance Prophesied

29 “But you will seek the L your God from there, and you will find him if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

30 “When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you,d then in later days you will return to the L your God and obey his voice. 31 For the L your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors that he swore to them.

a Or “to heaven.”

b Or “bow down to.”

c Literally, “and have remained.”

d Literally, “have found you.”