OVERVEW for the Book

of DEUTERONOMY
(Approximate Time covered – 1406BCE – 1366BCE)

The Book of Deuteronomy (literally

"second law," from the Greek
deuteros + nomos) is the fifth book in
most Christian O.T. Bible versions
and of the traditional Jewish Torah,
where it is called "Devarim" (Heb.
‫)ספר דברים‬.

The core of Deuteronomy concerns a

covenant which binds YHWH and
Israel by oaths of fidelity (YHWH
and Israel each remain faithful to
each other, with Israel obedient to
YHWH God). He will give Israel
land, fertility, and prosperity so long
as they remain faithful to GOD's
teachings. Disobedience will lead to
deprivation of blessings, curses and
punishment.
Terms of the treaty include that
Israel occupies the land, received
from YHWH, but Israel's tenancy of
the land is conditional on keeping
the covenant, which in turn
necessitates loyalty by secondary
rulers such as regional and village
leaders who must keep the covenant:
The book of Deuteronomy focuses on
the important facts around Moses
and Israel when they were camped
in the land of Moab and on the verge
of entering the ‘promised land’ It
chronicles the final days which
Moses experienced as GOD’s premier
servant to the house of Israel,
consisting of both a retrospective by
Moses tenure as Israel’s appointed
leader and a record of the things he
said to them as they were poised and
on the verge of possessing the
promised land.

At that time Moses warns the nation

about their tendency toward
idolatry which would be a breach of
the covenant they had entered into
with YHWH god. He also reminds
them of other terms and conditions
which they agreed to when they
entered into the covenant
relationship as a people belonging to
YHWH.

In re-instituting the same laws

which he had given them in the past,
Moses was confirming anew the
covenant relationship between them
as a people for his name and him as
their fatherly benefactor.
 Toward the end of the book of
Deuteronomy Moses makes a
rousing farewell speech to the
nation.

The book of Deuteronomy concludes

by stating; “There has never been
another prophet in Israel like Moses,
one whom YHWH dealt directly
with, face to face. He was the one
YHWH sent to do all the miraculous
signs and amazing things in Egypt
to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to
his whole country. Moses used
GOD’s mighty hand to do all the
spectacular and awe-inspiring deeds
that were seen by all”.

The book of Joshua which opens the

next section in this five-part series in
this annotated MTFV, begins a
whole new set of related experiences
people had with their creator. A set
of experiences which YHWH god
saw fit to preserve as a historical
record his people might benefit from
in the future.

DEUTERONOMY

DEUTERONOMY Chapter 1
Time to Occupy the Promised Land

Deuteronomy 1:1 This book contains the dialogs that

Moses made while Israel was in the land of Moab,
camped near the town of Suph in the desert east of the
Jordan River. The town of Paran was in one direction
from their camp, and the towns of Tophel, Laban,
Hazeroth, and Dizahab were in the opposite direction.

Earlier, Moses had defeated the Amorite King Sihon

of Heshbon. Moses had also defeated King Og of
Bashan, who used to live in Ashtaroth for part of the
year and in Edrei for the rest of the year.

2 Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from

Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount
Seir. 3 Yet, It was in the fortieth year, on the first day
of the eleventh month, 3 that Moses told the Israelites
everything that YHWH had ordered him to tell them.
4 This was after he defeated Sihon and Og. (Sihon was
the king of the Amorites and lived in Heshbon. Og was
the king of Bashan and lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.)

5 The Israelites were in Moab on the east side of the

Jordan River when Moses began to explain what GOD
had commanded:

6 "At Mount Horeb YHWH our god spoke to us. He

said, 'You have stayed at this mountain long enough. 7
Go to the hill country where the Amorites live and to
all the neighboring areas in the Jordan Valley, the hill
country, the western slopes, the Negev, and the
seacoast. Go throughout the land of Canaan and
Lebanon as far as the great river, the Euphrates.

8 Behold, Moses said; I have set before you the land;

go in and possess the land which YHWH has sworn to
your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to
give to them and to their seed after them.

Moses Designates Leaders for the Nation of

Israel

9 Right after YHWH commanded us to leave Mount

Sinai, I said, being your leader is too big a job for one
person. 10 for YHWH your god has multiplied you,
and you are this day as numerous as the stars of
heaven. 11 And may YHWH, the god of your
ancestors, multiply you a thousand times more and
bless you as he promised! 12 So how can I cope by
myself with the bitter burden that you are, and with
all your bickering?

13 So. I said, each family group must choose some

experienced men who are known for their wisdom and
understanding, and I will make those men the official
leaders of their families. 14 And you answered me and
said to me, It is good for us to do as you say.

15 So I took the wise and respected men you had

selected from your family groups and appointed them
to serve as judges and officials over you. Some were
responsible for a thousand people, some for a
hundred, some for fifty, and some for ten.
16 And others became judges. I gave these judges the
following instructions: When you settle legal cases,
your decisions must be fair. It doesn't matter if the
case is between two Israelites, or between an Israelite
and a foreigner living in your community.

17 And I said, You must treat everyone the same when

you judge. You must listen carefully to everyone--
whether they are important or not. Don't be afraid of
anyone because your decision is from GOD. But if
there is a case too hard for you to judge, bring it to me
and I will judge it.'

Spies Are Sent Out

18 At the same time I gave you instructions for

everything else you were to do.

19 YHWH had commanded us to leave Mount Sinai

and go to the hill country that belonged to the
Amorites, so we started out into the huge desert. You
remember how frightening it was, but soon we were at
Kadesh-Barnea, 20 And I said to you: 'You have come
to the hill-country of the Amorites, which YHWH our
god gave us.

21 Look, there it is! Go up and take the land for your

own. YHWH, the god of your ancestors, told you to do
this, so don't be fearful or troubled about anything.'

22 "But you responded, 'First, let's send out scouts to

explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best
route to take and decide which towns we should
capture.'
23 Your suggestion seemed good advice to me and I
selected twelve men from among you, one from each
family group. 24 Who, when they had set forward and
had gone up to the mountains, came as far as the
valley of the cluster: and having viewed the land, 25
And they even took back some fruit of the land in their
hands and brought it down to us and brought us word
again, and said, It is a good land which YHWH our
god gives us.

You People Rebelled

26 Yet, you did not want to go into the land, and you
refused to obey YHWH your god.

27 You stayed in your tents and grumbled, "YHWH

must hate us. He brought us out of Egypt, just so he
could hand us over to the Amorites to get rid of us. 28
Why should we go there? We have reason for fear. The
men we sent tell us that the people there are stronger
and taller than we are, and that they live in cities with
walls that reach the sky. They saw giants there!'

29 Then I said to you, Dread not, neither be afraid of

them. 30 YHWH, your god will lead the way. He will
fight on our side, just as he did when we saw him do
all those things to the Egyptians.

31 And you know that YHWH has taken care of us the

whole time we've been in the desert, just as you might
carry one of your children."
32 But you still would not trust YHWH, 33 even
though he had always been with us in the desert.
During the daytime, YHWH was in the cloud, leading
us in the right direction and showing us where to
camp. And at night, he was there in the fire.

YHWH was Angered and Penalized You

34 "YHWH heard your complaints and became angry,

and so he solemnly declared, 35 'Not one of you from
this entire wicked generation will live to see the good
land I swore to give your ancestors, 36 except for
Joshua and for Caleb the son of Jephunneh; they shall
see it, and to Caleb and to his children I will give the
land upon which he has walked, because he has
wholly followed God.

37 And YHWH was angry with me for your sake,

saying. Neither shall you by any means enter into the
land. 38 Instead, your associate, Joshua the son of
Nun, will lead the people into the land. So, encourage
him as he prepares to enter it. 39 And as for your little
ones, who you thought would become booty for your
enemies, your children, who today do not yet know
right from wrong, they shall enter there; to them I will
give it, and they shall take possession of it. 40 But as
for you, turn around and go back into the wilderness
by way of the Red Sea.

People Recanted, but Presumptuously

41 "Then you said, 'Moses, we sinned against YHWH,

but now we will do what YHWH our god commanded
us before. We will go and fight.'
"Then each of you put on your weapons. You thought
it would be easy to go and take the hill country.

42 "But YHWH said to me, 'Warn them not to attack,

for I will not be with them, and their enemies will
defeat them.'

43 "I spoke to you, but you did not listen. You refused
to obey GOD’s command. You thought you could use
your own power, so you went up into the hill country.

44 Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country

came out against you and chased you as bees do and
struck you down in Seir as far as Hormah.

45 So you cried out to YHWH for help, but he would

not listen to you or pay any attention to you.

46 After we had been in Kadesh for a few months, we

obeyed YHWH and headed back into the desert by
way of Red Sea Road.

DEUTERONOMY 2:1

Deuteronomy 2:1 Then we turned around and set out

across the wilderness toward the Red Sea, just as
YHWH had instructed me, and we wandered around
Mount Seir for a long time. 2 until YHWH said:
Moses, 3 Israel has wandered in these hills long
enough.

Time for the Wandering to Cease

Turn and go north. 4 And give the people these
orders: "Be very careful, because you will soon go
through the land that belongs to your relatives, the
descendants of Esau.

They are afraid of you, 5 but do not start a war with

them. I have given them the hill country of Seir, so I
won't give any of it to you, not even enough to set a
foot on.

6 And as you go through their land, you will have to

buy food and water from them." 7 for YHWH your god
has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He has
seen you walking through this great wilderness.

These forty years YHWH your god has been with you;
You had everything you needed. 8 Remember that
YHWH your god has blessed you in everything you
have done.

He knows about everything that happened on your

travels through this great desert. YHWH your god has
been with you these 40 years. You have always had all
you needed.
9' YHWH said to me, 'Don't trouble the people of
Moab, the descendants of Lot, or start a war against
them. I have given them the city of Ar, and I am not
going to give you any of their land.' "

10 A mighty race of giants called the Emim used to

live in Ar. They were as tall as the Anakim, another
race of giants. 11 Like the Anakim they were also
known as Rephaim; but the Moabites called them
Emim.

12 The Horites used to live in Edom, but the

descendants of Esau chased them out, destroyed their
nation, and settled there themselves, just as the
Israelites later chased their enemies out of the land
that YHWH gave them.

13 Then YHWH said, "Now cross the Zered River." So,

we crossed the Zered River. 14 This was thirty-eight
years after we left Kadesh-Barnea, and by that time all
the men who had been in the army at Kadesh-Barnea
had died, just as YHWH had said they would. 15 For
the hand of GOD was against them, working their
destruction, till all were dead.

16 So it came to pass, when all the men of war were

consumed and dead from among the people,17 that
YHWH spoke to me, saying, 18 'Today you will cross
the border of Moab at Ar 19 and enter the land of
Ammon.

But do not bother the Ammonites, the descendants of

Lot, or start a war with them. I have given the land of
Ammon to them as their property, and I will not give
you any of their land.'

20 It was considered a land of giants: and indeed,

giants formerly dwelt in it, whom the Ammonites call
Zomzommims, 21 They were a numerous and
powerful race, as tall as the Anakites. But YHWH
destroyed them so the Ammonites could occupy their
land. 22 He had similarly helped the descendants of
Esau at Mount Seir, for he destroyed the Horites so
they could settle there in their place. And the
descendants of Esau live there to this day.

23 The same thing happened to the Avvites who lived

in villages as far away as Gaza. The Caphtorites, who
came from Crete, wiped them out and took their place.

24 "YHWH told me, 'Get ready to go across Arnon

Valley. I will let you defeat Sihon the Amorite, the
king of Heshbon. I will let you take his country. So,
fight against him and take his land. ' 25 Beginning
today I will start making all other nations afraid of
you. They will tremble with fear when anyone
mentions you, and they will be terrified when you
show up.

26 Then from the waste land of Kedemoth I sent

representatives to Sihon, king of Heshbon, with words
of peace, saying, 27 "Let us pass through your country.
We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside
to the right or to the left. 28 We will pay for every bite
of food we eat and all the water we drink. All we want
from you is your permission to pass through your
land. 29 as the people of Esau who dwell in Seir, and
the Moabites who dwell in Ar, did for me; until I shall
pass over the Jordan into the land which YHWH, our
God has given us.

Sihon’s Defeat Evidence of YHWH’s Support:

30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass

by him; for YHWH your God hardened his spirit, and
made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him
into your hands, as of this day.

31 And YHWH said to me, 'Behold, I have begun to

give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to take
possession, that you may occupy his land.' 32 So
Sihon and all his people advanced against us to battle
with us at Jahaz; 33 But YHWH, our god delivered
him over to us and we struck him down, together with
his sons and his whole army. 34 At that time we seized
all his cities and doomed them all, with their men,
women and children; leaving no survivors. 35 "We
took only the livestock as our booty and the spoil of
the cities which we had captured.

36 YHWH helped us capture every town from the

Arnon River gorge north to the boundary of Gilead,
including the town of Aroer on the edge of the gorge
and the town in the middle of the gorge. 37 However,
in obedience to the command of YHWH, our god, you
did not encroach upon any of the Ammonite land,
neither the region bordering on the river Jabbok, nor
the cities of the highlands.

‘DEUTERONOMY Chapter 3

Og Also Defeated

Deuteronomy 3:1 Then we turned and went up the

way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out
against us, he and all his people, to do battle at
Edrei.
2 And YHWH said to me, Have no fear of him: for I
have given him and all his people and his lands into
your hands, So, do to him as you did to Sihon, king of
the Amorites, who was ruling in Heshbon.

3 So YHWH, our god delivered Og, the king of Bashan

into our hands also, all his people: and we thrashed
him until nothing was left of them. 4 And we took all
his cities at that time; there was not a city which we
didn’t take from them; sixty cities, the whole region of
Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.

5 All these places had high walls round them with

doors and locks; and in addition, we took a great
number of un- protected towns.

6 We completely destroyed the kingdom of Bashan,

just as we had destroyed King Sihon of Heshbon. We
destroyed all the people in every town we conquered
men, women, and children alike. 7 But we kept all the
livestock for ourselves and took plunder from all the
towns.

8 So we took the land at that time out of the hand of

the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the
Jordan, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount
Hermon 9 Which the Sidonians call Sarion, and the
Amorites call Sanir.

10 We had now conquered all the cities on the plateau,

and all Gilead and Bashan as far as the towns of
Salecah and Edrei, which were part of Og's kingdom
in Bashan.
11 Incidentally, King Og of Bashan was the last of the
giant Rephaites. His iron bed was more than thirteen
feet long and six feet wide. It can still be seen in the
Ammonite city of Rabbah.)

Land Divided East of the Jordan

12 And when we took possession of this land, I gave

the territory beyond Aroer along the Arnon Gorge,
plus half of the hill country of Gilead with its towns, to
the family groups of Reuben and Gad.

13 Then I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan --

Og's former kingdom -- to the half-tribe of Manasseh.
(The Argob region of Bashan used to be known as the
land of the Rephaites). 14 Jair the son of Manasseh
took all the region of Argob, to the border of the
Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called them,
even Bashan, after his own name, Havvoth-jair, to this
day. 15 And I gave Gilead unto Machir. 16 And to the
tribes of Reuben and Gad I gave the area extending
from Gilead to the middle of the Arnon Gorge, all the
way to the Jabbok River on the Ammonite frontier.

17 They also got the Jordan Valley, including the

Jordan River and its eastern banks, all the way from
the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea, with the
slopes of Pisgah on the east.

18 At that time I gave you orders, saying, YHWH has

given you this land for your heritage: all the men of
war are to go over armed before your brothers the
people of Israel. 19 Only your wives, and your little
ones, and your cattle, -- I know that you have much
cattle, -- shall stay in the cities which I have given you,
20 until YHWH gives rest to your fellow countrymen
as to you, and they also possess the land which your
god will give them beyond the Jordan. Then you may
return every man to his land which I have given you.'

21 And I gave orders to Joshua at that time, saying;

your eyes have seen what YHWH, your god has done
to these two kings, so will he do to all the kingdoms
into which you come. 22 Do not be afraid of them; for
YHWH your god himself will fight for you.

I Moses, was not allowed to cross The Jordan

23 Then, I pleaded with YHWH at that time,

saying:24 4 O lord YHWH, you have begun to show
your servant your greatness, and your strong hand:
for what god is there in heaven or in earth, that can do
according to your works, and according to your
mighty acts?

24 'Let me, I pray, cross over and see the fair land that
is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and
Lebanon.

25 But, YHWH was angry with me on your account

and would not hear it. 26 He said to me: It is enough:
speak no more to me of this matter.

27 You may go up to the top of Pisgah and turning

your eyes to the west and the north, to the south and
the east, you will be able to see the land with your eyes
but you are not to cross over Jordan.
 28 Commission Joshua, and encourage and
strengthen him, for he shall cross the Jordan at the
head of this people and shall put them in possession
of the land you are only to see. 29 So we remained in
the valley opposite Beth-peor.

DEUTERONOMY Chapter 4

Exhorting Israel to Obedience

Deuteronomy 4:1 "And now, Israel, listen carefully to

these laws and regulations that I am about to teach
you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter
and occupy the land YHWH, the god of your
ancestors, is about to give you.2 Do not add to what I
command you and do not subtract from it but obey
the commands of YHWH your god that I give.

3 You saw what YHWH did to you at Baal-peor, where

he wrecked everyone who had worshiped the god Baal
of Peor. 4 But all of you who were faithful to YHWH
your god are still alive today. 5 "You must obey these
laws and regulations when you arrive in the land you
are about to enter and occupy.

YHWH my god gave them to me and commanded me

to pass them on to you. 6 If you obey them carefully,
you will display your wisdom and intelligence to the
nations around you.

When they hear about these laws, they will exclaim,

'What other nation is as wise and prudent as this!' 7
For what great nation has a god as near to them as
YHWH our god is near to us whenever we call on him?
8 And what other large and important nation has
statutes and ordinances so righteous and just as all
this law which I set before you today?

9 But you must be careful! Be sure that as long as you

live you never forget what you have seen and heard.
You must teach these things to your children and your
children’s children.

10 Remember the day you stood before YHWH your

god at Mount Horeb. YHWH said to me, 'Gather the
people together to listen to what I have to say. Then
they will learn to respect me as long as they live on
earth, and they will teach these things to their
children.'

11 You came near and stood at the foot of the

mountain. You saw the mountain burning with fire
that reached up to the sky. There were thick black
clouds and darkness.

12 Then YHWH spoke to you from the fire. You heard

the sound of someone speaking, but you did not see
any form. There was only a voice. 13 YHWH told you
about his covenant, which he commanded you to
obey. And he told you about the Ten Commandments,
which he wrote on two stone tablets.

14 And at that time he commanded that I should teach

you other laws and rules for you to follow in the land,
that he will give you to possess.
15 Be mindful, on the day YHWH spoke to you from
the fire at Mount Horeb, you could not see him--there
was no recognizable shape or form for GOD.

Warning Israel Against Idolatry

16 So, be careful! Don't sin and destroy yourselves by

making for yourselves an idol in any form at all---
whether a man or a woman, 17 or like an animal on
the earth, or like a bird that flies in the sky. 18 And
don't make an idol that looks like anything that crawls
on the ground or like a fish in the sea.

19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun,
the moon, and the stars, all the many things in the
sky. Be careful that you are not tempted to worship
and serve those things which YHWH your god has
given to all people under heaven as a heritage.

20 But he took you and led you forth out of a land that
was like an iron smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be
to him a people of inheritance, as of this day. 21 "But
YHWH was very angry with me because of you. He
vowed that I would never cross the Jordan River into
the good land YHWH your god is giving you as your
special possession.

22 Therefore, while you will cross the Jordan to

occupy the promised land, I will die here on this side
of the river.

23 So be careful not to break the covenant YHWH

your god has made with you. You will break it if you
make idols of any shape or form, for YHWH your god
has absolutely forbidden this 24 because your God
hates for his people to worship other gods. And he can
be like a fire that destroys everything in its path.

25 Neither 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 YHWH your god and will be
certain to arouse his anger.

26 If you do, today I call heaven and earth to witness

against you. You will quickly vanish from the country
which you are crossing the Jordan to possess. Your
days will not be prolonged there, for you will be
utterly destroyed. 27 YHWH will scatter you among
the nations, and there shall remain but a handful of
you among the nations to which YHWH will lead you.
28 There you will serve gods made by human hands,
of wood and of stone, that cannot see or hear, eat or
smell.

29 But if from there you seek YHWH your god, you

will find him if you look for him with all your heart
and with all your soul. 30 And when you're in distress
and all these things happen to you, then you will
finally come back to YHWH your god and obey him.

31 Because YHWH your god is a god of mercy, he will

not cease helping in your needs or let destruction
overtake you. He will not be false to the agreement
which he made by an oath with your ancestors.

YHWH Alone is Your God

32 Give thought now to the days which are past,
before your time, from the day when Elohim first gave
life to man on the earth. And searching from one end
of heaven to the other, see if such a great thing as this
has ever been, or if anything like it has even been
spoken of in history. 33 Did ever a people hear the
voice of GOD speaking out of the midst of the fire, as
you have heard, and lived?

34 Has any other god created one nation, a people for

himself by rescuing it from another by means of trials,
miraculous signs, wonders, war, awesome power, and
terrifying acts? Yet that is what YHWH your god did
for you in Egypt, right before your very eyes.

35 YHWH wants you to know he is the only true god,

and he wants you to obey him. That is why he allowed
you see his mighty miracles and his fierce fire on
earth, and why you heard his voice from that fire and
from the sky. 36 And because He loved your
forefathers, 37 He chose you, their descendants after
them, and brought you out from Egypt with His own
Presence, and by His mighty power, 38 driving out
before you, nations greater and stronger than you, to
take you into their land and give it to you for your
heritage, as of this day.

39 So today be certain, and keep the knowledge deep

in your hearts, that YHWH is GOD, in heaven on high
and here on earth. For you, there is no other god.

40 If you obey all the laws and commands that I will

give you today, all will be well with you and your
children. Then you will enjoy a long life in the land
YHWH, your god is giving you for all time."

Cities of Refuge

41 Then Moses designated three cities in the region

east of the Jordan as cities of refuge, 42 where anyone
who had accidentally killed someone without having
any previous hostility could flee for safety. 43 The
names of the cities were Bezer in the waste land, in
the tableland, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in
Gilead for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan for
Manasseh. 44 So this is the law which Moses set
before the children of Israel.

Moses Lays Down the Law

45 These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the

rules, which Moses spoke to the people of Israel when
they came out of Egypt, 46 On the far side of Jordan,
in the valley facing Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon,
king of the Amorites, who was ruling in Heshbon,
whom Moses and the children of Israel overcame after
they had come out of Egypt:47 and they took his land
in possession, and the land of Og king of Bashan, the
two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the
Jordan toward the sunrising; 48 This land extended
from the town of Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon
River, all the way north to Mount Sirion, that is,
Mount Hermon. It also included all the region east of
the Jordan River as far south as the Dead Sea and east
to the foot of Mount Pisgah.
DEUTERONOMY Chapter 5

Deuteronomy 5:1 Then Moses called all Israel

together and said to them, 'Listen, Israel, to the laws
and customs that I proclaim to you today. Learn them
and be sure to obey them constantly.2. YHWH our
god made a covenant with us at Mt. Horeb. (Mt. Zion)
3 Not merely with our fathers did he make this
covenant, but with us, all of us who are here alive this
day.

The Covenant of Horeb Reiterated

4 YHWH himself spoke to you out of the fire, 5 but

you were afraid of the fire and refused to go up the
mountain. So, I spoke with YHWH on your behalf,
then I told you that he had said:

The Ten Commandments

6 I am YHWH your god, the one who brought you out

of Egypt where you were slaves. 7 'You must not
worship any other gods except me.8 'You shall not
make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water
under the earth. 9 Don't worship or serve idols of any
kind, because I am YHWH your God. I hate for my
people to worship other gods. People who sin against
me become my enemies. And I will hold them to
account, and their children, their grandchildren, and
even their great-grandchildren. 10 But if you love me
and obey my laws, I will be kind to you and your
families for thousands of generations. 11 Do not
misuse my name. I am YHWH your God, and I will
punish anyone who dishonors my name. 12 "Guard
the Sabbath day as a day set aside and kept holy. This
is what YHWH your God has commanded you. 13 You
have six days when you can do your work, 14 but the
seventh day of the week belongs to me, your God. No
one is to work on that day--not you, your children,
your oxen or donkeys or any other animal, not even
those foreigners who live in your towns. And do not
make your slaves do any work. 15 This special day of
rest will remind you that I reached out my mighty arm
and rescued you from slavery in Egypt.

16 "`Highly respect your father and your mother, as

YHWH, your god commanded you; that your days
may be extended, and that it may go well with you, in
the land which YHWH your god gives you. 17 'You
must not murder anyone. 18 'You must not commit
the sin of adultery. 19 Neither shall you act slyly or
steal. 20 'You must not tell lies about other people or
accuse anyone falsely. 21 "You must not set your heart
on your neighbor's spouse, you must not set your
heart on your neighbor's house, or field, or servant or
ox, or donkey or any of your neighbour's possessions."

Moses Intercedes for the People

22 "YHWH spoke about these things with a loud voice

to all of you from the heart of the fire, surrounded by
clouds and deep darkness. This was all he said at that
time, and he wrote his words on two stone tablets and
gave them to me.

23 But when you heard the voice from the darkness,

while the mountain was blazing with fire, all your
family leaders came to me. 24 They said, YHWH has
let us see his glory and his power, and his voice has
come to us out of the fire: today we have seen that a
man may go on living even after hearing the voice of
GOD. 25 But now, why should we die? This great fire
will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of
YHWH our god any longer. 26 For what man is there
in all the earth, who, upon hearing the voice of the
living god as we have, out of the heart of the fire, has
still remained alive?

27 Moses, you go and listen to everything that YHWH

our god says. Then tell us whatever he tells you. We'll
listen and obey."

28 "YHWH heard your words as you were speaking to

me and said to me, 'I have heard the words these
people have spoken to you, which are all well said. 29
If only they would always feel this way! If only they
would always honor me and obey all my commands,
so that everything would go well with them and their
descendants forever.

30 Now, go and tell them; Return into your tents. 31

Then you come and wait here near me and I will give
you all the commandments, the statutes and decrees
you must teach them, that they may observe them in
the land which I am giving them to possess.'

32 "So you people must be careful to do everything

YHWH commanded you. Do not stop following GOD!
33 You must live the way YHWH God commanded
you. Then you will keep on living, and everything will
be fine with you. You will live long lives in a land of
your very own.

DEUTERONOMY Chapter 6

Deuteronomy 6:1 Now, these are the commands,

decrees and laws YHWH your god charged me to
teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing
the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and
their children after them may reverence, honor and
respect YHWH your god as long as you live by keeping
all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so
that you may enjoy a long life.

3 Listen closely, Israel, to everything I say. Be careful

to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will
have many children in the land flowing with milk and
honey, just as YHWH, the god of your ancestors,
promised you.

The Greatest Commandment

4 "Listen, people of Israel! YHWH is our god. YHWH

is our only god. 5 So, you must love YHWH your god
with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves
wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you
today. 7 And tell them to your children over and over
again. Talk about them all the time, whether you are
at home or walking along the road, going to bed at
night or getting up in the morning. 8 And you shall
fasten them for a sign upon all the works of your
hand, and they shall be immoveable before the eyes of
your mind. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your
house and on your gates.

10 And when YHWH your god has taken you into the
land which he gave his oath to your fathers, to
Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, that he would give
you; with great and beautiful towns which you didn’t
have to build; 11 and houses full of good things that
you didn't put there. YHWH will give you wells that
you didn't have to dig, and vineyards and olive
orchards that you didn't have to plant. But when you
have eaten so much that you can't eat any more, 12
don't forget it was YHWH who set you free from
slavery and brought you out of Egypt.

13 Honor and respect YHWH your god and serve only

him. You must use only his name to make vows. 14 Do
not follow after other gods, the gods of the peoples
around you; 15 for YHWH your god is zealous over
you and the wrath of YHWH your god would blaze out
against you if you followed other gods and he would
wipe you off the face of the earth.

16 You shall not test YHWH God, as you did in the

past. So, do not try to make him prove that he can
help you, as you did at Massah. 17 Always obey the
laws that YHWH has given you 18 and live in a way
that pleases him. Then you will be able to go in and
take this good land from your enemies, just as he
promised your ancestors. 19 And, so that he will drive
out all your enemies from in your paths, just as he has
spoken. (Exodus 23:32)

Tell your Children

20 And when your sons ask you in time to come; What
is the meaning of the testimonies and statutes and
precepts which YHWH has commanded us? 21 Then
you will answer: We were slaves of the king of Egypt,
but YHWH used his great power and set us free.

22 We saw him perform miracles and make horrible

things happen to the king, his officials, and everyone
else. 23 YHWH rescued us from Egypt, so he could
bring us into this land, as he had promised our
ancestors. 24 That's why YHWH our god demands
that we obey his laws and worship him with respect
and reverence. And if we do, he will protect us and
help us be successful. 25 If we faithfully obey
everything that GOD has commanded us, he will be
pleased with us.'

DEUTERONOMY Chapter 7

Clear Out Nations From the Land YHWH is

Giving You

Deuteronomy 7:1 When YHWH your god shall bring

you into the land where you are going, to possess it,
and shall drive out many nations before you, the
Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the
Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the
Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than you;
2 YHWH your God will put these nations under your
power. And you will defeat them. Then, you must beat
them completely. Do not make an agreement with
them or show them mercy. 3 And do not let your sons
and daughters marry any of them.

4 If you do, those people will lead your descendants to

worship other gods and to turn their backs on YHWH.
That will make him terribly angry, and he will soon
devastate Israel. 5 So when you conquer these nations,
tear down the altars where they worship their gods.
Break up their sacred stones, cut down the poles that
they use in worshiping the goddess Asherah, and
throw their idols in the fire.

6 Do this because you are YHWH’s own people. From

all the people on earth, YHWH your god chose you to
be his special people, a people who belong only to
him.

7 "YHWH did not set His love on you or choose you

because you were greater or more numerous in
number than any other people, for you were among
the least of all peoples; 8 but he chose you because he
loves you and because he had made a promise to your
ancestors.

Then with his mighty arm, he rescued you from the

king of Egypt, who had made you his slaves.

9 From this you can see that YHWH your god is the
only true god, the faithful god who, though he is true
to his covenant and his faithful love for a thousand
generations as regards those who love him and keep
his commandments, 10 if you turn against him,
becoming an enemy to him, he will quickly devastate
you.
GOD’s Promise

11 So you must be careful to obey the commands,

laws, and rules that I give you today.12 And it will be,
that if you give attention to these decisions and keep
and do them, then YHWH will keep his covenant with
you and extend you his mercy, as he said in his oath to
your fathers.

13 He will love you and bless you, so that you will

increase in number and have many children; he will
bless your fields, so that you will have grain, wine, and
olive oil; and he will bless you by giving you many
cattle and sheep. He will give you all these blessings in
the land that he promised your ancestors he would
give to you.

14 You will be blessed above all peoples; no man or

woman among you shall be childless nor shall any of
your livestock be barren. 15 You will no longer suffer
with the same horrible diseases that you sometimes
had in Egypt. You will be healthy, but YHWH will
make your enemies suffer from those diseases.

16 When YHWH helps you conquer your enemies, you

must devastate them without mercy! And do not get
trapped into worshiping their gods. 17 Perhaps you
will think to yourselves, 'How can we ever conquer
these nations that are so much more powerful than we
are?' 18 But do not be fearful of them! Just remember
what YHWH your god did to Pharaoh and to all the
nation of Egypt. 19 You saw how YHWH used his
tremendous power to work great miracles and bring
you out of Egypt. And he will again work miracles for
you when you face these enemies you fear so much
now.

20 Some of them may try to survive by hiding

themselves from you, but YHWH will make them
panic, and soon they will be dead. 21 So do not be
frightened when you face them in battle. YHWH your
god is great and fearsome, and he will fight at your
side.

22 YHWH your god will drive those nations out ahead

of you little by little. You will not clear them away all
at once, for if you did, the wild animals would
multiply too quickly among you. 23 But YHWH your
god will put them at your mercy, disaster after
disaster will overtake them until they are finally
decimated.

24 He will put their kings at your mercy, and you will

blot out their names under heaven; no one will be able
to resist you -- until you have conquered them all. 25
"You must burn their idols in fire, and do not desire
the silver or gold with which they are made. Do not
take it or it will become a snare to you, for it is
detestable to YHWH your god.

26 Neither shall you bring a detestable idol into your

house, lest you become an accursed thing just like it;
but you shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is an
accursed thing to YHWH.

DEUTERONOMY Chapter 8
Keep GOD in Mind

Deuteronomy 8:1 Be careful to follow every command

I am giving you today, so that you may live and
increase and may enter and possess the land that
YHWH promised on oath to your forefathers. 2 And
keep in mind how YHWH your god has caused you to
wander through the waste land these forty years, so
that he might make low your pride and put you to the
test, to see what was in your heart and if you would
keep his orders or not.

3 And He humbled you and allowed you to hunger

and fed you with manna, which you and your
forefathers never knew that He might make you
realize and personally know that man does not live by
bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds
out of the mouth of YHWH. 4 During these past forty
years your clothes did not wear out, neither have your
feet swollen up. 5 So keep this in mind; YHWH has
been correcting you, just as parents correct their
children. 6 So you shall keep the commandments of
YHWH your god, to walk in His ways and reverently
respect Him.

7 YHWH is bringing you into a good land. It is a land

with rivers that don't dry up. There are springs and
underground streams flowing through the valleys and
hills. 8 The land has wheat and barley, grapevines, fig
trees, and pomegranates. The land has honey and
olive trees for olive oil. 9 The land will have enough
food for you, and you will have everything you need.
The land has rocks with iron ore, and you will be able
to mine copper ore in the hills. 10 And when you have
eaten all you want, thank YHWH your God for the
good land he has given you. 11 "But at time to be
careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget
YHWH your God and disobey his commands,
regulations, and laws.

12 You will have plenty to eat, and you will build good
houses to live in. 13 You will get more and more cattle,
sheep, silver, gold, and other possessions.

14 But when all this happens, do not become proud!

Don't forget that you were once slaves in Egypt and

that it was YHWH who set you free. 15 Remember
how he led you in that huge and frightening desert
where poisonous snakes and scorpions live. There was
no water, but YHWH split open a rock, and water
poured out so you could drink. 16 He also gave you
manna, a kind of food your ancestors had never even
heard about.

YHWH was testing your trust him, so that later on he

could bless you. 17 He did it so you would realize that
it was not your own strength and energy that made
you wealthy.

18 So, beware lest you say in your mind and heart; My

power and the might of my own hands have gotten me
all this wealth.

19 Keep in mind YHWH your god; for it is he who

allows you the power to gain wealth, so that he may
give effect to the agreement which he made by his
oath with your fathers, as at this day. 20 If you forget
this, like the nations which YHWH makes to perish
before you, so shall you perish, because you would not
obey the voice of YHWH your god.

DEUTERONOMY Chapter 9

GOD’s Presence Assures Victory

Deuteronomy 9:1 "Listen, people of Israel! Today you

are about to cross the Jordan River and occupy the
land belonging to nations greater and more powerful
than you. Their cities are large, with walls that reach
the sky. 2 Some of these nations are descendants of
the Anakim. And, you know how tall and strong they
are, and you have heard that no one can defeat them
in battle.

3 But YHWH your god has promised to go ahead of

you, like a raging fire burning everything in its path.
So, when you attack your enemies, they will be no
match for you, and it will be easy for you to take their
land.

Not due to Your Righteousness, but Their

Wickedness

4 "After YHWH your god has done this for you, don't
say to yourselves, YHWH has given us this land
because we are so righteous!'

5 No, it is not because you are righteous, rather

because of their wickedness as nations that he is doing
it, and to fulfill the oath he had sworn to your
ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

6 Be sure that YHWH is not giving you this fertile land

because you deserve it. The truth is that you are very
stubborn people!

Remember What you Did to Anger Him?

7 Don't ever forget how you kept rebelling and making

YHWH angry the whole time you were in the
wilderness. You rebelled from the day you left Egypt
until the day you arrived here.

8 At Mount Sinai you made him so angry that he was

about to destroy you. 9 It happened during those forty
days and nights that I was on the mountain, without
anything to eat or drink. He had told me to come up
there so he could give me the covenant he made with
us.

And this covenant included the same Ten

Commandments he had announced to you when he
spoke from the fire on the mountain. 10 YHWH had
written them on two flat stones with his own hand.
But after giving me the two stones, 11 And it came to
pass after forty days and forty nights, YHWH gave me
the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.
12 He said: Moses, hurry down the mountain to those
people you led out of Egypt. They have already
disobeyed me and committed the terrible sin by
making for themselves a golden idol.
13 I've been watching the Israelites, and I've seen how
stubborn and rebellious they are. 14 So, don't try to
stop me! I am going to wipe them out, and no one on
earth will remember they ever lived. Then I will let
your descendants become an even bigger and more
powerful nation than Israel.

15 So I turned and came down from the mountain and

left the mountain burning with fire. And the two
tablets of the covenant were in my two hands.

The Golden Calf

16 "Remember how you made YHWH your god angry

in the wilderness. Never forget that! From the day you
left the land of Egypt to the day you came to this
place; you have refused to obey him. 17 Now, I saw
how quickly you had sinned and disobeyed YHWH
your god. There you were, worshiping the metal idol
you had made in the shape of a calf. 17 So I threw
down the two stones and smashed them before your
very eyes.

18 Then I fell down before YHWH as I had before, for

forty days and forty nights; I neither ate food nor
drank water, because of all the sin you had committed
in doing wickedly in his sight, to provoke him to
anger.

19 YHWH hated what you had done. He was angry

enough to destroy all of you and Aaron as well. 20 So,
I prayed for you and Aaron, as I had done before, and
this time YHWH answered my prayers.
21 I took that sinful thing that you had made, that
metal bull-calf-and threw it into the fire. Then I
smashed it into pieces and ground it to dust. I threw
the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain.

22 You also made YHWH angry when you were

camping at Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth-
Hattaavah.

23 Likewise when YHWH sent you from Kadesh-

barnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I
have given you, then you rebelled against the
commandment of YHWH god, and you did not believe
Him or trust and rely on Him or obey his voice.
24 In fact, you've rebelled against YHWH for as long
as he has known you.

25 After you had made the idol in the shape of a calf,

YHWH said he was going to destroy you. So, I bowed
down in front of the sacred tent for forty days and
nights, 26 and I prayed: Our LORD, please don't wipe
out your people. You used your great power to rescue
them from Egypt and to make them your very own. 27
I pray you keep in mind your servants, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, who obeyed you and pay no heed to
the stubbornness of this people, its wickedness, and
its sinfulness. 28 If you punish your people, the
Egyptians might claim; "YHWH was not able to take
his people into the land he promised them. And he
hated them. So, he took them into the desert to kill
them."
29 After all, these are the people whom you chose to
be your own and whom you brought out of Egypt by
your great power and might.'

DEUTERONOMY Chapter 10

New Stone Tablets

Deuteronomy 10:1 "At that time YHWH said to me,

'You must cut out two stone tablets like the first two
stones. Then you must come up to me on the
mountain. Also make a wooden chest. 2 He told me
that he would write the same words on the new stones
that he had written on the ones I broke, and that then
I could put these stones in this sacred chest.

3 So I made a chest out of acacia wood, and I chiseled

two flat stones like the ones I broke. Then I carried the
stones up the mountain, 4 where YHWH wrote the
Ten Commandments on them, just as he had done the
first time.

The commandments were exactly what he had

announced from the fire, when you were gathered at
the mountain. After YHWH returned the stones to me,
5 I took them down the mountainside and put them in
the chest, just as he had commanded. And they are
still there.

6 The Israelites set out from the wells that belonged to

the people of Jaakan and went to Moserah where
Aaron died and was buried, and where his son Eleazar
succeeded him as priest.
7 Next, we camped at Gudgodah and then at
Jotbathah, where there are flowing streams. 8 After I
put the two stones in the sacred chest, YHWH chose
the family of Levi, not only to carry the chest, but also
to serve as his priests at the place of worship and to
bless the other families in his name. And they still do
these things today.

9 YHWH promised that he himself would always

provide for the family of Levi, and that is why he won't
give them any land, when he divides it among the
other tribes.

10 When I had taken the second set of stones up the

mountain, I spent forty days and nights there, just as I
had done before. Once again, YHWH answered my
prayer and abstained from destroying you.

11 Instead, he said to me, "Moses, lead the people on

their journey. They will enter and take possession of
the land I will give them, as I swore to their
ancestors."

A Call for Obedience

12 And now, people of Israel, what does YHWH

require of you but reverently to respect YHWH your
god, that is to walk in all His ways, and to love Him,
and to serve YHWH your god with all your mind and
heart and with your entire being, 13 and to obey his
laws and teachings that I am giving you today. Do
this, and all will go well for you.
14 "Everything belongs to YHWH your god. The
heavens, even the highest heavens, belong to him. The
earth and everything on it belong to him.

15 Still, YHWH set his heart on your ancestors and

loved them. Because of this, today he chooses you,
their descendants, out of all the people of the world.
16 Therefore you must circumcise the hardness of
your heart, and stop being so stubborn.

17 YHWH your god is more powerful than all other

gods and lords, and his tremendous power is to be
respected. His decisions are always fair, and you
cannot bribe him to change his mind.

18 YHWH cares for our needs, he defends the rights of

orphans and widows. He cares for foreigners and
gives them food and clothing. 19 And you should also
care for them, because you also were foreigners in
Egypt.

20 You shall reverently respect YHWH your god; you

shall serve Him and cling to Him, and by His name
and presence you shall make your oaths. 21 He is your
god, the one who is worthy of your praise, the one who
has done mighty miracles that you yourselves have
seen. 22 When your ancestors went to live in Egypt,
there were only seventy of them. But YHWH has
blessed you, and now you have become as many as
there are stars in the sky.