Chapter 4

Now therefore hearken,³ O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach¹⁸ you, for to do² [them], that ye may live,⁴ and go in¹ and possess¹ the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth⁶ you.

Ye shall not add⁵⁵ unto the word which I command¹⁸ you, neither shall ye diminish⁴ [ought] from it, that ye may keep² the commandments of the LORD your God which I command¹⁸ you.

Your eyes have seen⁶ what the LORD did¹ because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed ^{1980 1} Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed⁵² them from among you.

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

Behold,³ I have taught¹⁴ you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded¹⁴ me, that ye should do² so in the land whither ye go⁶ to possess² it.

Keep¹ therefore and do¹ [them]; for this [is] your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear⁴ all these statutes, and say,¹ Surely this great nation [is] a wise and understanding¹² people.

For what nation [is there so] great, who [hath] God [so] nigh unto them, as the LORD our God [is] in all [things that] we call² upon him [for]?

And what nation [is there so] great, that hath statutes and judgments [so] righteous as all this law, which I set⁶ before you this day?

Only take heed¹⁰ to thyself, and keep³ thy soul diligently, lest thou forget⁴ the things which thine eyes have seen,¹ and lest they depart⁴ from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach⁵² them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;

[Specially] the day that thou stoodest¹ before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said² unto me, Gather me the people together,⁵⁴ and I will make them hear⁵⁵ my words, that they may learn⁴ to fear² me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and [that] they may teach¹⁷ their children.

And ye came near⁴ and stood⁴ under the mountain; and the mountain burned⁶ with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.

And the LORD spake¹⁷ unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard⁶ the voice of the words, but saw⁶ no similitude; only [ye heard] a voice.

And he declared⁵⁵ unto you his covenant, which he commanded¹⁴ you to perform,² [even] ten commandments; and he wrote⁴ them upon two tables of stone.

And the LORD commanded¹⁴ me at that time to teach¹⁵ you statutes and judgments, that ye might do² them in the land whither ye go over⁶ to possess² it.

Take ye therefore good heed⁸ unto yourselves; for ye saw¹ no manner of similitude on the day [that] the LORD spake¹⁵ unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:

Lest ye corrupt⁵⁵ [yourselves], and make¹ you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

The likeness of any beast that [is] on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth⁴ in the air,

The likeness of any thing that creepeth⁶ on the ground, the likeness of any fish that [is] in the waters beneath the earth:

And lest thou lift up⁴ thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest¹ the sun, and the moon, and the stars, [even] all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven⁸ to worship⁹⁸ them, and serve¹ them, which the LORD thy God hath divided¹ unto all nations under the whole heaven.

But the LORD hath taken¹ you, and brought you forth⁵⁵ out of the iron furnace, [even] out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as [ye are] this day.

Furthermore the LORD was angry⁹⁸ with me for your sakes, and sware¹¹ that I should not go over² Jordan, and that I should not go in² unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth⁶ thee [for] an inheritance:

But I must die⁵ in this land, I must not go over⁶ Jordan: but ye shall go over,⁶ and possess¹ that good land.

Take heed¹⁰ unto yourselves, lest ye forget⁴ the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made¹ with you, and make¹ you a graven image, [or] the likeness of any [thing], which the LORD thy God hath forbidden¹⁴ thee.

For the LORD thy God [is] a consuming⁶ fire, [even] a jealous God.

When thou shalt beget⁵⁵ children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long⁸ in the land, and shall corrupt⁵² [yourselves], and make¹ a graven image, [or] the likeness of any [thing], and shall do¹ evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:⁵³

I call heaven and earth to witness⁵² against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly² perish⁴ from off the land whereunto ye go over⁶ Jordan to possess² it; ye shall not prolong⁵⁵ [your] days upon it, but shall utterly⁹ be destroyed.¹¹

And the LORD shall scatter⁵² you among the nations, and ye shall be left⁸ few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead¹⁷ you.

And there ye shall serve¹ gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see,⁴ nor hear,⁴ nor eat,⁴ nor smell.⁵⁵

But if from thence thou shalt seek¹⁴ the LORD thy God, thou shalt find¹ [him], if thou seek⁴ him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon¹ thee, [even] in the latter days, if thou turn¹ to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient¹ unto his voice;

(For the LORD thy God [is] a merciful God;) he will not forsake⁵⁵ thee, neither destroy⁵⁵ thee, nor forget⁴ the covenant of thy fathers which he sware⁸ unto them.

For ask³ now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created¹ man upon the earth, and [ask] from the one side of heaven unto the other, ⁸⁰⁶⁴ whether there hath been⁸ [any such thing] as this great thing [is], or hath been heard⁸ like it?

Did [ever] people hear¹ the voice of God speaking¹⁸ out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard,¹ and live?⁴

Or hath God assayed¹⁴ to go² [and] take² him a nation from the midst of [another] nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out⁷ arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did¹ for you in Egypt before your eyes?

Unto thee it was shewed,⁹⁰ that thou mightest know² that the LORD he [is] God; [there is] none else beside him.

Out of heaven he made thee to hear⁵² his voice, that he might instruct¹⁵ thee: and upon earth he shewed⁵² thee his great fire; and thou heardest¹ his words out of the midst of the fire.

And because he loved¹ thy fathers, therefore he chose⁴ their seed after them, and brought thee out⁵⁵ in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;

To drive out⁵³ nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou [art], to bring thee in,⁵³ to give² thee their land [for] an inheritance, as [it is] this day.

Know¹ therefore this day, and consider⁵² [it] in thine heart, that the LORD he [is] God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: [there is] none else.

Thou shalt keep¹ therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command¹⁸ thee this day, that it may go well⁴ with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong⁵⁵ [thy] days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth⁶ thee, for ever. ³¹¹⁷

Then Moses severed⁵⁵ three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; ⁴²¹⁷

That the slayer⁶ might flee² thither, which should kill⁴ his neighbour unawares, ¹⁸⁴⁷ and hated⁶ him not in times past; ⁸⁰³² and that fleeing¹ unto one of these cities he might live:¹

[Namely], Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.

And this [is] the law which Moses set¹ before the children of Israel:

These [are] the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses spake¹⁴ unto the children of Israel, after they came forth² out of Egypt,

On this side Jordan, in the valley over against Bethpeor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt⁶ at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote,⁵² after they were come forth² out of Egypt:

And they possessed⁴ his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which [were] on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; ⁸¹²¹

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

And all the plain on this side Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah.