Deuteronomy

All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.

1Be careful to obey every rule I give you today. Then you will live and grow into a large people. You will go into the land and make it your own. The LORD promised that land long ago to your fathers.

2And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

2Remember the whole way the LORD your God led you. It was forty years in the desert. He made you humble and tested you. He wanted to see what was really in your heart. He wanted to know if you would obey his rules.

3And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

3He made you humble. He let you get hungry. Then he fed you manna, a food no one had ever seen. Not even your fathers knew it. He did this to teach you something. People do not stay alive by bread alone. They live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Note"Manna" was a food that appeared on the ground each morning in the desert. The people had never seen anything like it before.

4Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.

4Your clothes did not wear out on you. Your feet did not swell up. Not in all those forty years.

5Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.

5Think about this in your heart. A father teaches and corrects his own son. The LORD your God does the same for you.

Note"Chasten" in the old English means to teach and correct, the way a parent trains a child. It does not mean cruel punishment.

6Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.

6So keep the rules of the LORD your God. Live the way he tells you. Show him deep respect.

7For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;

7The LORD your God is bringing you into a good land. It has streams and springs of water. Water bubbles up in the valleys and hills.

8A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

8It is a land with wheat and barley. It has grapevines and fig trees. It has pomegranates, a red fruit full of seeds. It has olive oil and honey.

9A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.

9In that land you will always have enough food. You will not go without anything. Its rocks hold iron. You can dig copper out of its hills.

NoteThe old word here is "brass," but the metal meant is copper, which people dug out of the hills.

10When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

10You will eat there until you are full. Then thank the LORD your God. Thank him for the good land he gave you.

11Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:

11Be careful not to forget the LORD your God. You forget him when you stop keeping his rules, his decisions, and his laws. These are the ones I am giving you today.

12Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;

12Do not forget him when you have eaten and are full. Do not forget when you build fine houses and live in them.

13And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;

13Do not forget when your cows and sheep grow into big herds. Do not forget when your silver and gold pile up. Do not forget when everything you own keeps growing.

14Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

14If that happens, your heart may grow proud. You may forget the LORD your God. He is the one who brought you out of Egypt. That is where you were slaves.

15Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

15He led you through that huge, frightening desert. Poisonous snakes and scorpions lived there. The ground was dry and there was no water. He brought water out of hard rock for you.

16Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

16He fed you manna in the desert. Your fathers had never known that food. He did it to make you humble and to test you. In the end he wanted things to go well for you.

17And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

17You might say to yourself, "I got all this by my own strength."

18But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

18But remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you the power to get rich. He does this to keep the promise he made to your fathers. He is still keeping it today.

19And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

19Here is what will happen if you forget the LORD your God. If you follow other gods and serve them and bow down to them, you will be destroyed. I warn you about this today.

20As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.

20The LORD is destroying other nations as you go in. You will be destroyed just like them. That will happen if you refuse to listen to the LORD your God.