Deuteronomy 4
4
1‘And now, Israel, hearken unto the statutes, and unto the judgments which I am teaching you to do, so that ye live, and have gone in, and possessed the land which Jehovah God of your fathers is giving to you.
2Ye do not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor diminish from it, to keep the commands of Jehovah your God which I am commanding you.
3‘Your eyes are seeing that which Jehovah hath done in Baal-Peor, for every man who hath gone after Baal-Peor, Jehovah thy God hath destroyed him from thy midst;
4and ye who are cleaving to Jehovah your God, [are] alive, all of you, to-day.
5‘See, I have taught you statutes and judgments, as Jehovah my God hath commanded me — to do so, in the midst of the land whither ye are going in to possess it;
6and ye have kept and done [them] (for it [is] your wisdom and your understanding) before the eyes of the peoples who hear all these statutes, and they have said, Only, a people wise and understanding [is] this great nation.
7‘For which [is] the great nation that hath God near unto it, as Jehovah our God, in all we have called unto him?
8and which [is] the great nation which hath righteous statutes and judgments according to all this law which I am setting before you to-day?
9‘Only, take heed to thyself, and watch thy soul exceedingly, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they turn aside from thy heart, all days of thy life; and thou hast made them known to thy sons, and to thy sons' sons.
10‘The day when thou hast stood before Jehovah thy God in Horeb — in Jehovah's saying unto me, Assemble to Me the people, and I cause them to hear My words, so that they learn to fear Me all the days that they are alive on the ground, and their sons they teach; —
11and ye draw near and stand under the mountain, and the mountain is burning with fire unto the heart of the heavens — darkness, cloud, yea, thick darkness:
12‘And Jehovah speaketh unto you out of the midst of the fire; a voice of words ye are hearing and a similitude ye are not seeing, only a voice;
13and He declareth to you His covenant, which He hath commanded you to do, the Ten Matters, and He writeth them upon two tables of stone.
14‘And me hath Jehovah commanded at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, for your doing them in the land whither ye are passing over to possess it;
15and ye have been very watchful of your souls, for ye have not seen any similitude in the day of Jehovah's speaking unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
16lest ye do corruptly, and have made to you a graven image, a similitude of any figure, a form of male or female —
17a form of any beast which [is] in the earth — a form of any winged bird which flieth in the heavens —
18a form of any creeping thing on the ground — a form of any fish which [is] in the waters under the earth;
19‘And lest thou lift up thine eyes towards the heavens, and hast seen the sun, and the moon, and the stars, all the host of the heavens, and thou hast been forced, and hast bowed thyself to them, and served them, which Jehovah thy God hath apportioned to all the peoples under the whole heavens.
20‘And you hath Jehovah taken, and He is bringing you out from the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be to Him for a people — an inheritance, as [at] this day.
21‘And Jehovah hath shewed himself wroth with me because of your words, and sweareth to my not passing over the Jordan, and to my not going in unto the good land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee — an inheritance;
22for I am dying in this land; I am not passing over the Jordan, and ye are passing over, and have possessed this good land.
23‘Take heed to yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of Jehovah your God, which He hath made with you, and have made to yourselves a graven image, a similitude of anything [concerning] which Jehovah thy God hath charged thee:
24for Jehovah thy God is a fire consuming — a zealous God.
25‘When thou begettest sons and sons' sons, and ye have become old in the land, and have done corruptly, and have made a graven image, a similitude of anything, and have done the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, to provoke Him to anger: —
26I have caused to testify against you this day the heavens and the earth, that ye do perish utterly hastily from off the land whither ye are passing over the Jordan to possess it; ye do not prolong days upon it, but are utterly destroyed;
27and Jehovah hath scattered you among the peoples, and ye have been left few in number among the nations, whither Jehovah leadeth you,
28and ye have served there gods, work of man's hands, wood and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
29‘And — ye have sought from thence Jehovah thy God, and hast found, when thou seekest Him with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
30in distress [being] to thee, and all these things have found thee, in the latter end of the days, and thou hast turned back unto Jehovah thy God, and hast hearkened to His voice;
31for a merciful God [is] Jehovah thy God; He doth not fail thee, nor destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers, which He hath sworn to them.
32‘For, ask, I pray thee, at the former days which have been before thee, from the day that God prepared man on the earth, and from the [one] end of the heavens even unto the [other] end of the heavens, whether there hath been as this great thing — or hath been heard like it?
33Hath a people heard the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, thou — and doth live?
34Or hath God tried to go in to take to Himself, a nation from the midst of a nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a strong hand, and by a stretchedout arm, and by great terrors — according to all that Jehovah your God hath done to you, in Egypt, before your eyes?
35Thou, thou hast been shewn [it], to know that Jehovah He [is] God; there is none else besides Him.
36‘From the heavens He hath caused thee to hear His voice, to instruct thee, and on earth He hath shewed thee His great fire, and His words thou hast heard out of the midst of the fire.
37‘And because that He hath loved thy fathers, He doth also fix on their seed after them, and doth bring thee out, in His presence, by His great power, from Egypt:
38to dispossess nations greater and stronger than thou, from thy presence, to bring thee in to give to thee their land — an inheritance, as [at] this day.
39‘And thou hast known to-day, and hast turned [it] back unto thy heart, that Jehovah He [is] God, in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath — there is none else;
40and thou hast kept His statutes and His commands which I am commanding thee to-day, so that it is well to thee, and to thy sons after thee, and so that thou prolongest days on the ground which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee — all the days.’
41Then Moses separateth three cities beyond the Jordan, towards the sun-rising,
42for the fleeing thither of the man-slayer, who slayeth his neighbour unknowingly, and he is not hating him heretofore, and he hath fled unto one of these cities, and he hath lived:
43Bezer, in the wilderness, in the land of the plain, of the Reubenite; and Ramoth, in Gilead, of the Gadite; and Golan, in Bashan, of the Manassahite.
44And this [is] the law which Moses hath set before the sons of Israel;
45these [are] the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses hath spoken unto the sons of Israel, in their coming out of Egypt,
46beyond the Jordan, in the valley over-against Beth-Peor, in the land of Sihon, king of the Amorite, who is dwelling in Heshbon, whom Moses and the sons of Israel have smitten, in their coming out of Egypt,
47and they possess his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorite who [are] beyond the Jordan, [towards] the sun-rising;
48from Aroer, which [is] by the edge of the brook Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which [is] Hermon —
49and all the plain beyond the Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah.
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Deuteronomy 4: YLT98
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Deuteronomy 4
4
Moses Commands Obedience
1“Now, O Israel, listen to #Lev. 19:37; 20:8; 22:31; Deut. 5:1; 8:1; Ezek. 20:11; (Rom. 10:5)the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. 2#Deut. 12:32; (Josh. 1:7); Prov. 30:6; (Rev. 22:18, 19)You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. 3Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at #Num. 25:1–9; Josh. 22:17; Ps. 106:28Baal Peor; for the Lord your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. 4But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.
5“Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. 6Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is #Deut. 30:19, 20; 32:46, 47; Job 28:28; Ps. 19:7; 111:10; Prov. 1:7; (2 Tim. 3:15)your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’
7“For #(Deut. 4:32–34; 2 Sam. 7:23)what great nation is there that has #(Ps. 46:1; Is. 55:6)God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? 8And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? 9Only take heed to yourself, and diligently #Prov. 4:23keep yourself, lest you #Deut. 29:2–8forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And #Gen. 18:19; Deut. 4:10; 6:7, 20–25; Ps. 78:5, 6; Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4teach them to your children and your grandchildren, 10especially concerning #Ex. 19:9, 16, 17the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’
11“Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. 12#Deut. 5:4, 22And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; #Ex. 19:17–19; 20:22; 1 Kin. 19:11–18you only heard a voice. 13#Deut. 9:9, 11So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, #Ex. 34:28; Deut. 10:4the Ten Commandments; and #Ex. 24:12He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14And #Ex. 21:1the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess.
Beware of Idolatry
15#Josh. 23:11“Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no #Is. 40:18form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16lest you #Ex. 32:7; Deut. 9:12; 31:29act corruptly and #Ex. 20:4, 5make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: #Rom. 1:23the likeness of male or female, 17the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth. 19And take heed, lest you #Deut. 17:3; Job 31:26–28lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, #2 Kin. 21:3all the host of heaven, you feel driven to #(Rom. 1:25)worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage. 20But the Lord has taken you and #1 Kin. 8:51; Jer. 11:4brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be #Deut. 7:6; 27:9; (Titus 2:14)His people, an inheritance, as you are this day. 21Furthermore #Num. 20:12; Deut. 1:37; 3:26the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and swore that #Num. 27:13, 14I would not cross over the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. 22But #2 Pet. 1:13–15I must die in this land, #Deut. 3:27I must not cross over the Jordan; but you shall cross over and possess #Deut. 3:25that good land. 23Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, #Ex. 20:4, 5; Deut. 4:16and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you. 24For #Ex. 24:17; Deut. 9:3; Is. 33:14; Heb. 12:29the Lord your God is a consuming fire, #Ex. 20:5; 34:14a jealous God.
25“When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything, and #2 Kin. 17:17do evil in the sight of the Lord your God to provoke Him to anger, 26#Deut. 30:18, 19; 2 Chr. 36:14–20; Is. 1:2; Mic. 6:2I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27And the Lord #Lev. 26:33; Deut. 28:62; Neh. 1:8will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. 28And #Deut. 28:64; 1 Sam. 26:19; Jer. 16:13there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, #Ps. 115:4–7; 135:15–17; Is. 44:9; 46:7which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. 29#(Lev. 26:39–45; Deut. 30:1–3; 2 Chr. 15:4; Neh. 1:9)But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the #Gen. 49:1; Deut. 31:29; Jer. 23:20; Hos. 3:5latter days, when you #Joel 2:12; Heb. 1:2turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice 31(for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor #Lev. 26:44; Jer. 30:11destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.
32“For #Deut. 32:7; Job 8:8ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask #Deut. 28:64; Matt. 24:31from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard. 33#Ex. 20:22; 24:11; Deut. 5:24–26Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? 34Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, #Deut. 7:19by trials, #Ex. 7:3by signs, by wonders, by war, #Ex. 13:3by a mighty hand and #Ex. 6:6an outstretched arm, #Deut. 26:8and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord Himself is God; #Ex. 8:10; 9:14; (Deut. 4:39; 32:12, 39; 1 Sam. 2:2; Is. 43:10–12; 44:6–8; 45:5–7); Mark 12:32there is none other besides Him. 36#Ex. 19:9, 19; 20:18, 22; Deut. 4:33; Neh. 9:13; Heb. 12:19, 25Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. 37And because #Deut. 7:7, 8; 10:15; 33:3He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and #Ex. 13:3, 9, 14He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power, 38#Deut. 7:1driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is this day. 39Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that #Deut. 4:35; Josh. 2:11the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. 40#Lev. 22:31; Deut. 5:16; 32:46, 47You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”
Cities of Refuge East of the Jordan
41Then Moses #Num. 35:6; Deut. 19:2–13; Josh. 20:7–9set apart three cities on this side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun, 42#Deut. 19:4that the manslayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without having hated him in time past, and that by fleeing to one of these cities he might live: 43#Josh. 20:8Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.
Introduction to God’s Law
44Now this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel. 45These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which Moses spoke to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt, 46on this side of the Jordan, #Deut. 3:29in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel #Num. 21:24; Deut. 1:4defeated after they came out of Egypt. 47And they took possession of his land and the land #Num. 21:33–35of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, who were on this side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun, 48#Deut. 2:36; 3:12from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, even to Mount Sion (that is, #Deut. 3:9; Ps. 133:3Hermon), 49and all the plain on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Sea of the Arabah, below the #Deut. 3:17slopes of Pisgah.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.