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A Warning Not to Forget God in Prosperity

This entire commandment that I command you today you must diligently observe, so that you may live and increase, and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.[a] The clothes on your back did not wear out and your feet did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the Lord your God disciplines you. Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. 10 You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.

11 Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. 12 When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15 who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid waste-land with poisonous[b] snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, 16 and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. 17 Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gained me this wealth.’ 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today. 19 If you do forget the Lord your God and follow other gods to serve and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. 20 Like the nations that the Lord is destroying before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 8:3 Or by anything that the Lord decrees
  2. Deuteronomy 8:15 Or fiery; Heb seraph

Do Not Forget the Lord

Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live(A) and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors.(B) Remember how the Lord your God led(C) you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test(D) you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled(E) you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna,(F) which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach(G) you that man does not live on bread(H) alone but on every word that comes from the mouth(I) of the Lord.(J) Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.(K) Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.(L)

Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him(M) and revering him.(N) For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land(O)—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills;(P) a land with wheat and barley,(Q) vines(R) and fig trees,(S) pomegranates, olive oil and honey;(T) a land where bread(U) will not be scarce and you will lack nothing;(V) a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.(W)

10 When you have eaten and are satisfied,(X) praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget(Y) the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down,(Z) 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget(AA) the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness,(AB) that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes(AC) and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.(AD) 16 He gave you manna(AE) to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known,(AF) to humble and test(AG) you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself,(AH) “My power and the strength of my hands(AI) have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,(AJ) and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods(AK) and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.(AL) 20 Like the nations(AM) the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.(AN)