4 Now hear, O Israel, listen attentively to the covenant decrees and the rules1188 which I will teach you to observe. Obey them, that ye may live, and that when you have finished your journey, you may possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2Do not add or subtract anything from the commandments which I charge you to keep, that you may fulfill the commandments of the Lord your God which I am setting forth for you. 3For you saw with your own eyes what the Lord did in Baal-Peor, how he destroyed those of you who took part in the of the worshippers of Baal-Peor. 4But you who have remained faithful[1190] to the Lord your God are alive to this day. 5Behold, I now teach you the statutes and rules of the covenant, as the Lord my God has commanded me, that you should keep them when you enter into that country and take possession of it. 6Observe it diligently, and it will show the nations your wisdom and your understanding. When they hear of all these ordinances, they will say: "Truly this is a great people! He is endowed with wisdom and understanding!" 7And indeed, is there any other great nation in the world whose divinity is as close to them as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon Him? 8And is there any other great nation that has received ordinances and rules as just as all this law[1191] which I am now setting before you?

9Only take care, O Israel, that you are always on guard for your soul, so that you do not forget the deeds that you have seen with your own eyes. And let it not fade from your memory all the days of your life. Tell your children and grandchildren about it! 10Remind them of the day when you stood before the LORD your God by Mount Horeb, and the LORD said to me, "Call all the people together so that they may hear my words and learn to revere me all the days of their life on earth, and teach this to their children." 11 And ye came near, and stood at the foot of the mountain; it burned with fire that reached to the very sky, although it was surrounded by a dark cloud and darkness below. 12 And when the Lord spoke unto you out of the fire, ye heard the voice of him that spoke, but ye saw no form[1192], but heard only the voice. 13He then declared to you the terms of His covenant, and commanded you to observe them, the Ten Commandments; He inscribed them on two stone tablets. 14At the same time, the Lord has obliged me to teach you the statutes and rules determined by the covenant, so that you may observe them in the land which you will possess when you enter it.

A Warning Against Idolatry

15For you did not see any image when the Lord spoke to you from the fire in Horeb, therefore beware, 16 lest you be perverted and make for yourselves an idol[1193] in the form of an idol, in the likeness of a man or a woman; 17In the likeness of an animal that dwells on the earth, or a winged bird that soars in the sky, 18or a creeping thing, or a fish that is found in the water below the earth. 19And when you set your eyes on the heavens, when you look at the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the hosts of heaven, do not be tempted to worship and serve them, for it is the will of the Lord your God that they should be in their place for the good of all men under heaven. 20But the Lord brought you out of the "furnace of refining," out of Egypt, that you might become His people, His inheritance, which is now done.

21 And while the Lord was angry with me because of you, and swore that he would not allow me to cross the Jordan, and that I would never enter that beautiful land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. E-22And that means I'm going to die here on this earth. I am not destined to cross the Jordan. But you will cross this river and take possession of that beautiful land. 23But take heed, do not forget the covenant with the Lord your God which he has made with you. Do not make for yourselves idols in the form of anyone; the LORD your God has rebuked you, 24for he, the LORD, your God, who burns fire, a God who does not tolerate treachery.

25When you, together with your children and grandchildren, in that country have become so hardened in soul that in your corruption you begin to make various images of idols, that is, to do evil deeds in the sight of the Lord your God, provoking His indignation, 26 then I call heaven and earth to witness. "Soon you will be driven out of the land for which you are going beyond the Jordan, to take possession of it!" After that your sojourn on it will not be long: complete ruin will befall you. 27The Lord will scatter you everywhere; only a few of you will survive among the nations in the countries to which he will banish you. 28And there you will serve the gods, the work of human hands, whether made of wood or stone, all gods who can neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

29But even there, if you seek the Lord your God, only then will you be able to find him, if you desire him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30In your suffering, when all these troubles come upon you, when the time comes,1195 return to the Lord your God, and obediently listen to what He says, 31for the Lord your God, the merciful God, will not forsake you in trouble, nor will he bring you to ruin, nor will he forget his covenant, the covenant with your forefathers, sealed by his oath.

E-32 Just try to know about the past, about what was long before you, from the very day that God created man on earth; Inquire everywhere, from one end of heaven to the other, has there ever been anything so great, has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 And what other people happened to hear the voice of God cry out of the fire, and after that to remain alive? 34Has it ever happened that a god tried to take a people for himself, freeing them from the power of another people by the power of calamities, signs, wonders, and war, by his mighty hand, stretched out, causing great terror, in short, by all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, before your eyes?

35It has been given to you, O Israel, to see all these things, that you may understand that the Lord is God, and there is none else besides him. 36He has made you hear His voice from heaven to instruct you. And on earth He hath shown thy sight a great fire, and again thou hast heard His words, this time out of the fire. 37And because he loved your forefathers, he chose you, their descendants, and brought you himself, with his great power, out of Egypt, 38driving out before you nations that are stronger and more numerous than you, to bring you into their land and give it to you as an inheritance, as is the case now.

39Know this firmly, take it to heart: the Lord is God in heaven above, and on earth below, and there is no other! 40Be obedient to His statutes and His commandments, which I am setting forth to you this day, so that you and your descendants may prosper and enjoy a long life on earth, which the Lord your God will give you forever."

About Sanctuary Cities

41 At the same time, on the east bank of the Jordan, Moses singled out three cities, 42 in which anyone who unintentionally killed his neighbor, one who had not been his enemy before, could hide. If the perpetrator of such a murder flees to one of these cities, he will save his life. 43These cities are Bezer, the one in the wilderness, on the plateau, for the descendants of Reuben; Ramoth, who is in Gilad, is for the descendants of Gad; The Golan in Bashan is for the descendants of Manasseh.

Introduction to the Second Speech

44This is the Law which Moses set forth to the children of Israel: 45 These are the commandments,1197 and the statutes and rules which were determined by the covenant, which he declared to them when they came out of Egypt,46 and were still on the other side of the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. (Moses and the children of Israel fought with him and defeated him after they came out of Egypt. 47 And they took possession of the land of Sihon and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan. 48 Those possessions stretched from Aroer, which stood on the banks of the Arnon River, to Mount Zion, also known as Hermon, 49 and encompassed the whole of Araba on the east bank of the Jordan as far as the Sea of the Plain1198 and the spurs of Pisgah.)