1. “Now, Israel, listen to the laws and to the commands that I teach you. Obey them and you will live. Then you can go in and take the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.
2. You must not add to what I command you. And you must not take anything away. You must obey the commands of the Lord your God that I have given you.
3. “You have seen what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed all your people who followed the false god Baal at that place.
4. But all of you who stayed with the Lord your God are alive today.
5. “I taught you the laws and rules that the Lord my God commanded me. I did this so you could obey them in the land you are ready to enter and take for your own.
6. Obey these laws carefully. This will show the people of the other nations that you are wise and sensible. They will hear about these laws and say, ‘Truly, the people of this great nation are wise and sensible.’
7. “The Lord our God is near when we ask him to help us. No other nation has a god like that!
8. And no other nation is great enough to have laws and rules as good as the teachings I give you today.
9. But you must be careful! Be sure that as long as you live you never forget what you have seen. You must teach these things to your children and grandchildren.
10. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Horeb. The Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people together to listen to what I have to say. Then they will learn to respect me as long as they live on earth. And they will teach these things to their children.’
11. You came near and stood at the bottom of the mountain. The mountain burned with fire that reached up to the sky. There were thick black clouds and darkness.