1. The Lord commanded Moses to make an agreement with the Israelites in Moab. This agreement was in addition to the agreement he had made with them at Mount Sinai.
2. Moses called all the Israelites together. And he said to them:You have seen everything the Lord did to the king of Egypt. You saw what he did to the king’s leaders and to the whole country.
3. With your own eyes you saw the great troubles, signs and miracles.
4. But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands. You don’t really understand what you see with your eyes or hear with your ears.
5. The Lord led you through the desert for 40 years. During that time neither your clothes nor sandals wore out.
6. You ate no bread. You drank no wine or beer. This was so you would understand that he is the Lord your God.
7. You came to this place. Then Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out to fight us. But we defeated them.
8. We captured their land. And we gave it to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the eastern half-tribe of Manasseh to own.
9. You must carefully obey everything in this agreement. Then you will succeed in everything you do.
10. Today you are all standing here before the Lord your God. Here are your leaders and important men. Your elders, officers and all the other men of Israel are here.
11. Here are your wives and children and the foreigners who live among you. They chop your wood and carry your water.
12. You are all here to enter into an agreement and a promise with the Lord your God. The Lord is making this agreement with you today.
13. This will make you today the Lord’s own people. He will be your God. This is what he told you. He promised it to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
14. But the Lord is not just making this agreement and its promises with you.
15. You are standing here before the Lord your God today. But he is also making it with those who are not here today.
16. You know how we lived in Egypt. You know how we passed through the countries when we came here.