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Deuteronomy 10
New English Translation

The Opportunity to Begin Again

10 At that same time the Lord said to me, “Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain to me; also make for yourself a wooden ark.[a] 2 I will write on the tablets the same words[b] that were on the first tablets you broke, and you must put them into the ark.” 3 So I made an ark of acacia[c] wood and carved out two stone tablets just like the first ones. Then I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 The Lord[d] then wrote on the tablets the same words,[e] the Ten Commandments,[f] which he[g] had spoken to you at the mountain from the middle of the fire at the time of that assembly, and he[h] gave them to me. 5 Then I turned, went down the mountain, and placed the tablets into the ark I had made—they are still there, just as the Lord commanded me.

Conclusion of the Historical Résumé

6 During those days the Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene Jaakan[i] to Moserah.[j] There Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar became priest in his place. 7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah,[k] and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah,[l] a place of flowing streams. 8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi[m] to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to formulate blessings[n] in his name, as they do to this very day. 9 Therefore Levi has no allotment or inheritance[o] among his brothers;[p] the Lord is his inheritance just as the Lord your God told him. 10 As for me, I stayed at the mountain as I did the first time, forty days and nights. The Lord listened to me that time as well and decided not to destroy you. 11 Then he[q] said to me, “Get up, set out leading[r] the people so they may go and possess[s] the land I promised to give to their ancestors.”[t]

An Exhortation to Love Both God and People

12 Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to revere him,[u] to obey all his commandments,[v] to love him, to serve him[w] with all your mind and being,[x] 13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and statutes that I am giving[y] you today for your own good? 14 The heavens—indeed the highest heavens—belong to the Lord your God, as does the earth and everything in it. 15 However, only to your ancestors did he[z] show his loving favor,[aa] and he chose you, their descendants,[ab] from all peoples—as is apparent today. 16 Therefore, cleanse[ac] your hearts and stop being so stubborn![ad] 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe, 18 who justly treats[ae] the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing. 19 So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20 Revere the Lord your God, serve him, be loyal to him, and take oaths only in his name. 21 He is the one you should praise;[af] he is your God, the one who has done these great and awesome things for you that you have seen. 22 When your ancestors went down to Egypt, they numbered only seventy, but now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky.[ag]

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 10:1 tn Or “chest” (so NIV, CEV); NLT “sacred chest”; TEV “wooden box.” This chest was made of acacia wood; it is later known as the ark of the covenant.
  2. Deuteronomy 10:2 sn The same words. The care with which the replacement copy must be made underscores the importance of verbal precision in relaying the Lord’s commandments.
  3. Deuteronomy 10:3 sn Acacia wood (Heb “shittim wood”). This is wood from the acacia, the most common timber tree of the Sinai region. Most likely it is the species Acacia raddiana because this has the largest trunk. See F. N. Hepper, Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Plants, 63.
  4. Deuteronomy 10:4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  5. Deuteronomy 10:4 tn Heb “according to the former writing.” See note on the phrase “the same words” in v. 2.
  6. Deuteronomy 10:4 tn Heb “ten words.” The “Ten Commandments” are known in Hebrew as the “Ten Words,” which in Greek became the “Decalogue.”
  7. Deuteronomy 10:4 tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
  8. Deuteronomy 10:4 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” earlier in this verse.
  9. Deuteronomy 10:6 sn Beeroth Bene Jaakan. This Hebrew name could be translated “the wells of Bene Jaakan” or “the wells of the sons of Jaakan,” a site whose location cannot be determined (cf. Num 33:31-32; 1 Chr 1:42).
  10. Deuteronomy 10:6 sn Moserah. Since Aaron in other texts (Num 20:28; 33:38) is said to have died on Mount Hor, this must be the Arabah region in which Hor was located.
  11. Deuteronomy 10:7 sn Gudgodah. This is probably the same as Haggidgad, which is also associated with Jotbathah (Num 33:33).
  12. Deuteronomy 10:7 sn Jotbathah. This place, whose Hebrew name can be translated “place of wadis,” is possibly modern Ain Tabah, just north of Eilat, or Tabah, 6.5 mi (11 km) south of Eilat on the west shore of the Gulf of Aqaba.
  13. Deuteronomy 10:8 sn The Lord set apart the tribe of Levi. This was not the initial commissioning of the tribe of Levi to this ministry (cf. Num 3:11-13; 8:12-26), but with Aaron’s death it seemed appropriate to Moses to reiterate Levi’s responsibilities. There is no reference in the Book of Numbers to this having been done, but the account of Eleazar’s succession to the priesthood there (Num 20:25-28) would provide a setting for this to have occurred.
  14. Deuteronomy 10:8 sn To formulate blessings. The most famous example of this is the priestly “blessing formula” of Num 6:24-26.
  15. Deuteronomy 10:9 sn Levi has no allotment or inheritance. As the priestly tribe, Levi would have no land allotment except for forty-eight towns set apart for their use (Num 35:1-8; Josh 21:1-42). But theirs was a far greater inheritance, for the Lord himself was their apportionment, that is, service to him would be their full-time and lifelong privilege (Num 18:20-24; Deut 18:2; Josh 13:33).
  16. Deuteronomy 10:9 tn That is, among the other Israelite tribes.
  17. Deuteronomy 10:11 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 10:4.
  18. Deuteronomy 10:11 tn Heb “before” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NRSV “at the head of.”
  19. Deuteronomy 10:11 tn After the imperative these subordinated jussive forms (with prefixed vav) indicate purpose or result.
  20. Deuteronomy 10:11 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 15, 22).
  21. Deuteronomy 10:12 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 10:4.
  22. Deuteronomy 10:12 tn Heb “to walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “follow his ways exactly”; NLT “to live according to his will.”
  23. Deuteronomy 10:12 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 10:4.
  24. Deuteronomy 10:12 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being”; NCV “with your whole being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
  25. Deuteronomy 10:13 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.
  26. Deuteronomy 10:15 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 10:4.
  27. Deuteronomy 10:15 tn Heb “take delight to love.” Here again the verb אָהֵב (ʾahev, “love”), juxtaposed with בָחַר (bakhar, “choose”), is a term in covenant contexts that describes the Lord’s initiative in calling the patriarchal ancestors to be the founders of a people special to him (cf. the note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37).
  28. Deuteronomy 10:15 tn The Hebrew text includes “after them,” but it is redundant in English style and has not been included in the translation.
  29. Deuteronomy 10:16 tn Heb “circumcise the foreskin of” (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV). Reference to the Abrahamic covenant prompts Moses to recall the sign of that covenant, namely, physical circumcision (Gen 17:9-14). Just as that act signified total covenant obedience, so spiritual circumcision (cleansing of the heart) signifies more internally a commitment to be pliable and obedient to the will of God (cf. Deut 30:6; Jer 4:4; 9:26).
  30. Deuteronomy 10:16 tn Heb “your neck do not harden again.” See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.
  31. Deuteronomy 10:18 tn Or “who executes justice for” (so NAB, NRSV); NLT “gives justice to.” Cf. Exod 22:21; Lev 19:33-34; Deut 24:14, 17; 27:19.
  32. Deuteronomy 10:21 tn Heb “your praise.” The pronoun is subjective and the noun “praise” is used here metonymically for the object of their praise (the Lord).
  33. Deuteronomy 10:22 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
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Deuteronomy 10
New International Version

Tablets Like the First Ones

10 At that time the Lord said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets(A) like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden ark.[a] 2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the ark.”(B)

3 So I made the ark out of acacia wood(C) and chiseled(D) out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 The Lord wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments(E) he had proclaimed(F) to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.(G) And the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I came back down the mountain(H) and put the tablets in the ark(I) I had made,(J) as the Lord commanded me, and they are there now.(K)

6 (The Israelites traveled from the wells of Bene Jaakan to Moserah.(L) There Aaron died(M) and was buried, and Eleazar(N) his son succeeded him as priest.(O) 7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah and on to Jotbathah, a land with streams of water.(P) 8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi(Q) to carry the ark of the covenant(R) of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister(S) and to pronounce blessings(T) in his name, as they still do today.(U) 9 That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance,(V) as the Lord your God told them.)

10 Now I had stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights, as I did the first time, and the Lord listened to me at this time also. It was not his will to destroy you.(W) 11 “Go,” the Lord said to me, “and lead the people on their way, so that they may enter and possess the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”

Fear the Lord

12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you(X) but to fear(Y) the Lord your God, to walk(Z) in obedience to him, to love him,(AA) to serve the Lord(AB) your God with all your heart(AC) and with all your soul,(AD) 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands(AE) and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?(AF)

14 To the Lord your God belong the heavens,(AG) even the highest heavens,(AH) the earth and everything in it.(AI) 15 Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved(AJ) them, and he chose you,(AK) their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today.(AL) 16 Circumcise(AM) your hearts,(AN) therefore, and do not be stiff-necked(AO) any longer. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods(AP) and Lord of lords,(AQ) the great God, mighty and awesome,(AR) who shows no partiality(AS) and accepts no bribes.(AT) 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow,(AU) and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.(AV) 19 And you are to love(AW) those who are foreigners,(AX) for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.(AY) 20 Fear the Lord your God and serve him.(AZ) Hold fast(BA) to him and take your oaths in his name.(BB) 21 He is the one you praise;(BC) he is your God, who performed for you those great(BD) and awesome wonders(BE) you saw with your own eyes. 22 Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all,(BF) and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.(BG)

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 10:1 That is, a chest
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Deuteronomy 10
King James Version

10 At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.

2 And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark.

3 And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand.

4 And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the Lord gave them unto me.

5 And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me.

6 And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera: there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his stead.

7 From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbath, a land of rivers of waters.

8 At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.

9 Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance, according as the Lord thy God promised him.

10 And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the Lord hearkened unto me at that time also, and the Lord would not destroy thee.

11 And the Lord said unto me, Arise, take thy journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them.

12 And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

13 To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.

15 Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.

16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

17 For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:

18 He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.

19 Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

20 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.

21 He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.

22 Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.

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