The Fifth Book of Moses: Deuteronomy

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- Chapter 6 -

(Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:28–34)

“These are the precepts and ceremonies, as well as the judgments, which the Lord your God has commanded that I teach to you, which you shall do in the land to which you will travel in order to possess it.

So may you fear the Lord your God, and keep all his commandments and precepts, which I am entrusting to you, and to your sons and grandsons, all the days of your life, so that your days may be prolonged.

Listen and observe, O Israel, so that you may do just as the Lord has instructed you, and it may be well with you, and you may be multiplied all the more, for the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you a land flowing with milk and honey.

Listen, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.

And these words, which I instruct to you this day, shall be in your heart.

And you shall explain them to your sons. And you shall meditate upon them sitting in your house, and walking on a journey, when lying down and when rising up.

And you shall bind them like a sign on your hand, and they shall be placed and shall move between your eyes.

And you shall write them at the threshold and on the doors of your house.

And when the Lord your God will have led you into the land, about which he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and when he will have given to you great and excellent cities, which you did not build;

houses full of goods, which you did not amass; cisterns, which you did not dig; vineyards and olive groves, which you did not plant;

and when you will have eaten and been satisfied:

take care diligently, lest you forget the Lord, who led you away from the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude. You shall fear the Lord your God, and you shall serve him alone, and you shall swear by his name.

You shall not go after the strange gods of all the Gentiles, who are around you.

For the Lord your God is a jealous God in your midst. Otherwise, at some time, the fury of the Lord your God may be enraged against you, and he may take you away from the face of the earth.

You shall not tempt the Lord your God, as you tempted him in the place of temptation.

Keep the precepts of the Lord your God, as well as the testimonies and ceremonies, which he has instructed to you.

And do what is pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord, so that it may be well with you, and so that, when you enter, you may possess the excellent land, about which the Lord swore to your fathers

that he would wipe away all your enemies before you, just as he has spoken.

Teach Your Children

And when your son will ask you tomorrow, saying: ‘What do these testimonies and ceremonies and judgments mean, which the Lord our God has entrusted to us?’

You shall say to him: ‘We were servants of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord led us away from Egypt with a strong hand.

And he wrought signs and wonders, great and very grievous, in Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his house, in our sight.

And he led us away from that place, so that he might lead us in and give us the land, about which he swore to our fathers.

And the Lord instructed us that we should do all these ordinances, and that we should fear the Lord our God, so that it may be well with us all the days of our life, just as it is today.

And he will be merciful to us, if we keep and perform all his precepts, in the sight of the Lord our God, just as he has commanded us.’ ”

(Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:28–34)

Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that you might do them in the land that you go over to possess;

that you might fear the LORD your God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you—you, your son, and your son’s son, all the days of your life; and that your days may be prolonged.

Hear therefore, Israel, and observe to do it, that it may be well with you, and that you may increase mightily, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised to you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

Hear, Israel: the LORD is our God. The LORD is one.

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.

These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart;

and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.

You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.

You shall write them on the door posts of your house and on your gates.

It shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great and goodly cities which you didn’t build,

and houses full of all good things which you didn’t fill, and cisterns dug out which you didn’t dig, vineyards and olive trees which you didn’t plant, and you shall eat and be full;

then beware lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

You shall fear the LORD your God; and you shall serve him, and shall swear by his name.

You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who are around you,

for the LORD your God among you is a jealous God, lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

You shall not tempt the LORD your God, as you tempted him in Massah.

You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he has commanded you.

You shall do that which is right and good in the LORD’s sight, that it may be well with you and that you may go in and possess the good land which the LORD swore to your fathers,

to thrust out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has spoken.

Teach Your Children

When your son asks you in time to come, saying, “What do the testimonies, the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD our God has commanded you mean?”

then you shall tell your son, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand;

and the LORD showed great and awesome signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his house, before our eyes;

and he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he swore to our fathers.

The LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are today.

It shall be righteousness to us, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.”