Deuteronomy 4

Obey God’s Laws & Live

1 Moses said, “Listen up, Israel! Follow the laws and commands I am giving you, so you can live and take the land the Lord is giving you!”

2 “Do not add anything to God’s word or take anything away, just follow exactly what He commanded!”

3 “You all saw what God did at Baal-Peor, how He wiped out everyone who worshiped that false god.”

4 “But all of you who stayed faithful to the Lord are still alive today.”

God’s Laws Show Israel’s Wisdom

5 “I have taught you God’s laws just as He commanded me, so you can follow them in the land you are about to enter.”

6 “If you obey these laws, the other nations will see your wisdom and say, “Wow! These people are smart and have great understanding!””

7 “What other nation has a God so near to them like the Lord is to us whenever we call on Him?”

8 “And what other nation has such righteous laws like the ones I am giving you today?”

Do Not Forget What You Have Seen

9 “Be careful! Do not forget what you have seen God do! Teach these things to your children and grandchildren.”

10 “Remember when you stood at Mount Sinai and God spoke to you from the fire, He told me to teach you all His commands!”

God Spoke from the Fire, No Idols Allowed

11 “You stood at the base of the mountain, and the whole thing was covered in fire, smoke, and darkness.”

12 “Then the Lord spoke to you all from the fire! You heard His voice but did not see a form, just His words.”

13 “He gave you His Ten Commandments, which He wrote on two stone tablets.”

14 “Then He told me to teach you all His laws, so you can follow them in the land you are about to enter.”

Warning: Do Not Make Idols

15 “Since you all did not see any form when God spoke, do not start making idols of any kind!”

16 “Do not make statues or images of men or women”

17 “Or animals, birds,”

18 “Or fish or anything in the water!”

19 “And do not worship the sun, moon, and stars, God gave those to all the nations, not you!”

20 “But God chose you, He pulled you out of Egypt’s iron furnace to be His special people!”

Moses Reminds Them He Will Not Enter the Land

21 “The Lord was mad at me because of you all and swore that I would not cross the Jordan or enter the land.”

22 “I am going to die here, but you all are crossing over. So obey His commands!”

If You Worship Idols, You Will Be Exiled

23 “Be careful! Do not forget God’s covenant or make idols!”

24 “The Lord is a consuming fire, He is a jealous God!”

25 “If you all get comfortable, have kids and grandkids, then start making idols and doing evil, you will be destroyed!”

26 “I call heaven and earth as witnesses, you all will be wiped out from the land if you turn from God!”

27 “The Lord will scatter you among the nations, and only a few of you will survive.”

28 “You all will serve man-made gods, wood and stone that cannot see, hear, eat, or smell!”

29 “But if you seek the Lord with all your heart and soul, you will find Him.”

30 “In your time of trouble, when all these things happen, you will return to the Lord.”

31 “Because God is merciful, He will not forget the covenant He made with your ancestors!”

No Other Nation Has Experienced What Israel Has

32 “Ask around, has anything this great ever happened before?”

33 “Has any other nation heard God’s voice from fire and lived,”

34 “Has any god ever taken a nation for himself with miracles, plagues, war, and wonders like God did for you all in Egypt?”

35 “God showed you all this so you would know there is no other God but Him!”

36 “He let you hear His voice from heaven and see His fire on earth!”

37 “Because He loved your ancestors, He chose you, brought you out of Egypt with His power.”

38 “He drove out nations greater than you, giving you their land.”

39 “So know this today: The Lord is God in heaven and on earth, there is no other!”

40 “Obey His commands so you and your children can live long in the land!”

Moses Sets Up Cities of Refuge

41 Then Moses set aside three cities east of the Jordan.

42 These were Cities of Refuge where someone who accidentally killed someone could run for safety.

43 The cities were: Bezer (for Reuben’s tribe) Ramoth (for Gad’s tribe) Golan (for Manasseh’s tribe)

Moses’ Final Words Before Giving the Law Again

44 This is the law Moses gave to Israel.

45 These were his final instructions after they left Egypt.

46 They were east of the Jordan, in Moab, near Beth Peor.

47 This was the land they took from King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan.

48 Their land stretched from Aroer by the Arnon River to Mount Hermon.

49 And from the Jordan Valley east of the Jordan to the Dead Sea, at the base of Mount Pisgah.