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Deuteronomy 4
1599 Geneva Bible

4 1 An exhortation to observe the law without adding thereto or diminishing. 6 Therein standeth our wisdom. 9 We must teach it to our children. 15 No image ought to be made to worship. 26 Threatenings against them that forsake the Law of God. 37 God chose the seed because he loved their fathers.

1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the ordinances and to the laws which I teach you to [a]do, that ye may live and go in, and possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you.

2 (A)Ye shall [b]put nothing unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye [c]take ought there from, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

3 Your [d]eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal Peor, for all the men that followed Baal Peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed every one from among you.

4 But ye that did [e]cleave unto the Lord your God, are alive every one of you this day.

5 Behold, I have taught you ordinances, and laws, as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do even so within the land whither ye go to possess it.

6 Keep them therefore, and do them: for that is your [f]wisdom, and your understanding in the sight of the people, which shall hear all these ordinances, and shall say, [g]Only this people is wise, and of understanding, and a great nation.

7 For what nation is so great, unto whom the gods come so near unto them, as the Lord our God is, [h]near unto us, in all that we call unto him for?

8 And what nation is so great, that hath ordinances and laws so righteous, as all this Law, which I set before you this day?

9 But take heed to thyself, and [i]keep thy soul diligently, that thou forget not the things which thine eyes have seen, and that they depart not out of thine heart, all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons:

10 Forget not the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will cause them to hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children:

11 Then came you near and (B)stood under the mountain, and the mountain [j]burnt with fire unto the midst of heaven, and there was darkness, clouds and mist.

12 And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire, and ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude, save a voice.

13 Then he declared unto you his covenant which he commanded you to [k]do, even the ten [l]commandments, and wrote them upon two Tables of stone.

14 ¶ And the Lord commanded me that same time, that I should teach you ordinances and laws, which ye should observe in the land, whither ye go, to possess it.

15 Take therefore good heed unto your [m]selves: for ye saw no [n]image in the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:

16 That ye corrupt not yourselves, and make you a graven image, or representation of any figure: whether it be the likeness of male or female,

17 The likeness of any beast that is on earth, or the likeness of any feathered fowl that flieth in the air:

18 Or the likeness of anything that creepeth on the earth, or the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth,

19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun and the moon and the stars with all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath [o]distributed to all people under the whole heaven.

20 But the Lord hath taken you and brought you out of the [p]iron furnace, out of Egypt to be unto him a people and inheritance, as appeareth this day.

21 And the Lord was angry with me for your words, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

22 For I must die in this land, and shall not go over Jordan: but [q]ye shall go over, and possess that good land.

23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God which he made with you, and lest ye make you any graven image, or likeness of anything, as the Lord thy God hath charged thee.

24 For the Lord thy God is a [r]consuming fire, and a jealous God.

25 ¶ When thou shalt beget children and children’s children, and shalt have remained long in the land, if ye [s]corrupt yourselves, and make any graven image, or likeness of anything, and work evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger,

26 I [t]call heaven and earth to record against you this day, that ye shall shortly perish from the land, whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it: ye shall not prolong your days therein, but shall utterly be destroyed.

27 And the Lord shall [u]scatter you among the people, and ye shall be left few in number among the nations, whither the Lord shall bring you:

28 And there ye shall serve gods: even the work of man’s hand, wood, and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thine [v]heart, and with all thy soul.

30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, [w]at the length, if thou return to the Lord thy God, and be obedient unto his voice,

31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers, which he [x]sware unto them.

32 For inquire now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and [y]ask from the one end of heaven unto the other, if there came to pass such a great thing as this, or whether any such like thing hath been heard.

33 Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of a fire, as thou hast heard, and lived?

34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from among nations, by [z]tentations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great fear, according unto all that the Lord your God did unto you in Egypt before your eyes?

35 Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest [aa]know that the Lord he is God, and that there is none but he alone.

36 Out of heaven he made thee hear his voice to instruct thee, and upon earth he showed thee his great fire, and thou heardest his voice out of the midst of the fire.

37 And because [ab]he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and hath brought thee out of Egypt in his sight by his mighty power,

38 To thrust out nations greater and mightier than thou, before thee, to bring thee in, and to give thee their land for inheritance: as appeareth this day.

39 Understand therefore this day, and consider in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none other.

40 Thou shalt keep therefore his ordinances, and his commandments which I command thee this day, that it may [ac]go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee forever.

41 ¶ Then Moses separated three cities on this side of Jordan toward the sun rising:

42 That the slayer should flee thither, which had killed his neighbor at unawares, and hated him not in time past, might flee, I say, unto one of those cities, and live:

43 That is, (C)Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country of the Reubenites: and Ramoth in Gilead among the Gadites: and Golan in Bashan among them of Manasseh.

44 ¶ So this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel.

45 These are the [ad]witnesses, and the ordinances, and the laws which Moses declared to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt.

46 On this side Jordan, in the valley over against Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon King of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel (D)smote, after they were come out of Egypt:

47 And they possessed his land, and the land of (E)Og King of Bashan, two Kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sun rising:

48 From Aroer, which is by the bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Hermon,

49 And all the plain from Jordan Eastward, even unto [ae]the Sea of the plain, under the (F)springs of Pisgah.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 4:1 For this doctrine standeth not in bare knowledge, but in practice of life.
  2. Deuteronomy 4:2 Think not to be more wise than I am.
  3. Deuteronomy 4:2 God will not be served by halves, but will have full obedience.
  4. Deuteronomy 4:3 God’s judgments executed upon other idolaters ought to serve for our instruction, read Num. 25:3,4.
  5. Deuteronomy 4:4 And were not idolaters.
  6. Deuteronomy 4:6 Because all men naturally desire wisdom, he showeth how to attain unto it.
  7. Deuteronomy 4:6 Or, surely.
  8. Deuteronomy 4:7 Helping us, and delivering us out of all dangers, as 2 Sam. 7:23.
  9. Deuteronomy 4:9 He addeth all these words, to show that we can never be careful enough to keep the law of God and to teach it to our posterity.
  10. Deuteronomy 4:11 The Law was given with fearful miracles, to declare both that God was the author thereof, and also that no flesh was able to abide the rigor of the same.
  11. Deuteronomy 4:13 God joineth this condition to his covenant.
  12. Deuteronomy 4:13 Or, words.
  13. Deuteronomy 4:15 Hebrew, souls.
  14. Deuteronomy 4:15 Signifying, that destruction is prepared for all them that make any image to represent God.
  15. Deuteronomy 4:19 He hath appointed them for to serve man.
  16. Deuteronomy 4:20 He hath delivered you out of most miserable slavery and freely chosen you for his.
  17. Deuteronomy 4:22 Moses’ good affection appeareth in that he being deprived of such an excellent treasure, doth not envy them that must enjoy it.
  18. Deuteronomy 4:24 To those that come not unto him with love and reverence, but rebel against him, Heb. 12:29.
  19. Deuteronomy 4:25 Meaning hereby all superstition and corruption of the true service of God.
  20. Deuteronomy 4:26 Though men would absolve you, yet the insensible creatures shall be witnesses of your disobedience.
  21. Deuteronomy 4:27 So that his curse shall make his former blessings of none effect.
  22. Deuteronomy 4:29 Not with outward show or ceremony, but with a true confession of thy faults.
  23. Deuteronomy 4:30 Hebrew, in the latter days.
  24. Deuteronomy 4:31 To certify them the more of the assurance of their salvation.
  25. Deuteronomy 4:32 Man’s negligence is partly cause, that he knoweth not God.
  26. Deuteronomy 4:34 By so manifest proofs that none could doubt thereof.
  27. Deuteronomy 4:35 He showeth the cause why God wrought these miracles.
  28. Deuteronomy 4:37 Freely, and not of their deserts.
  29. Deuteronomy 4:40 God promiseth reward not for our merits, but to encourage us, and to assure us that our labor shall not be lost.
  30. Deuteronomy 4:45 The articles and points of the covenant.
  31. Deuteronomy 4:49 That is, the salt sea.
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Deuteronomy 4
New International Version

Obedience Commanded

4 Now, Israel, hear the decrees(A) and laws I am about to teach(B) you. Follow them so that you may live(C) and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add(D) to what I command you and do not subtract(E) from it, but keep(F) the commands(G) of the Lord your God that I give you.

3 You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor.(H) The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.

5 See, I have taught(I) you decrees and laws(J) as the Lord my God commanded(K) me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering(L) to take possession of it. 6 Observe(M) them carefully, for this will show your wisdom(N) and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”(O) 7 What other nation is so great(P) as to have their gods near(Q) them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws(R) as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

9 Only be careful,(S) and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach(T) them to your children(U) and to their children after them. 10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb,(V) when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn(W) to revere(X) me as long as they live in the land(Y) and may teach(Z) them to their children.” 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain(AA) while it blazed with fire(AB) to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.(AC) 12 Then the Lord spoke(AD) to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form;(AE) there was only a voice.(AF) 13 He declared to you his covenant,(AG) the Ten Commandments,(AH) which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 And the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws(AI) you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

Idolatry Forbidden

15 You saw no form(AJ) of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb(AK) out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully,(AL) 16 so that you do not become corrupt(AM) and make for yourselves an idol,(AN) an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, 17 or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air,(AO) 18 or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. 19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun,(AP) the moon and the stars(AQ)—all the heavenly array(AR)—do not be enticed(AS) into bowing down to them and worshiping(AT) things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. 20 But as for you, the Lord took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace,(AU) out of Egypt,(AV) to be the people of his inheritance,(AW) as you now are.

21 The Lord was angry with me(AX) because of you, and he solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance. 22 I will die in this land;(AY) I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land.(AZ) 23 Be careful not to forget the covenant(BA) of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol(BB) in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. 24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire,(BC) a jealous God.(BD)

25 After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt(BE) and make any kind of idol,(BF) doing evil(BG) in the eyes of the Lord your God and arousing his anger, 26 I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses(BH) against you(BI) this day that you will quickly perish(BJ) from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. 27 The Lord will scatter(BK) you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive(BL) among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. 28 There you will worship man-made gods(BM) of wood and stone,(BN) which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.(BO) 29 But if from there you seek(BP) the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart(BQ) and with all your soul.(BR) 30 When you are in distress(BS) and all these things have happened to you, then in later days(BT) you will return(BU) to the Lord your God and obey him. 31 For the Lord your God is a merciful(BV) God; he will not abandon(BW) or destroy(BX) you or forget(BY) the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.

The Lord Is God

32 Ask(BZ) now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth;(CA) ask from one end of the heavens to the other.(CB) Has anything so great(CC) as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 Has any other people heard the voice of God[a] speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived?(CD) 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation,(CE) by testings,(CF) by signs(CG) and wonders,(CH) by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,(CI) or by great and awesome deeds,(CJ) like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other.(CK) 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice(CL) to discipline(CM) you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. 37 Because he loved(CN) your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength,(CO) 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance,(CP) as it is today.

39 Acknowledge(CQ) and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.(CR) 40 Keep(CS) his decrees and commands,(CT) which I am giving you today, so that it may go well(CU) with you and your children after you and that you may live long(CV) in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time.

Cities of Refuge(CW)

41 Then Moses set aside three cities east of the Jordan, 42 to which anyone who had killed a person could flee if they had unintentionally(CX) killed a neighbor without malice aforethought. They could flee into one of these cities and save their life. 43 The cities were these: Bezer in the wilderness plateau, for the Reubenites; Ramoth(CY) in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.

Introduction to the Law

44 This is the law Moses set before the Israelites. 45 These are the stipulations, decrees and laws Moses gave them when they came out of Egypt 46 and were in the valley near Beth Peor east of the Jordan, in the land of Sihon(CZ) king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon and was defeated by Moses and the Israelites as they came out of Egypt. 47 They took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan. 48 This land extended from Aroer(DA) on the rim of the Arnon Gorge to Mount Sirion[b](DB) (that is, Hermon(DC)), 49 and included all the Arabah east of the Jordan, as far as the Dead Sea,[c] below the slopes of Pisgah.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 4:33 Or of a god
  2. Deuteronomy 4:48 Syriac (see also 3:9); Hebrew Siyon
  3. Deuteronomy 4:49 Hebrew the Sea of the Arabah
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Deuteronomy 3
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