Deuteronomy 4:9

Contemporary English Version

You must be very careful not to forget the things you have seen God do for you. Keep reminding yourselves, and tell your children and grandchildren as well.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Only take heed to yourself, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your children and your children's children;

King James Version
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;

Lexham English Bible
"However, take care for yourself and watch your inner self closely, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes have seen, so that they do not slip from your mind all the days of your life; and you shall make them known to your children and to your grandchildren.

English Standard Version
"Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children—

New Century Version
But be careful! Watch out and don't forget the things you have seen. Don't forget them as long as you live, but teach them to your children and grandchildren.

New English Translation
Again, however, pay very careful attention, lest you forget the things you have seen and disregard them for the rest of your life; instead teach them to your children and grandchildren.

Amplified Bible
"Only pay attention and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your grandchildren [impressing these things on their mind and penetrating their heart with these truths]—

New American Standard Bible
"Only be careful for yourself and watch over your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But take heede to thy selfe, and keepe thy soule diligently, that thou forget not the thinges which thine eyes haue seene, and that they depart not out of thine heart, all the dayes of thy life: but teach them thy sonnes, and thy sonnes sonnes:

Legacy Standard Bible
"Only keep yourself and keep your soul very carefully, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. But make them known to your sons and to your grandsons.

Complete Jewish Bible
Only be careful, and watch yourselves diligently as long as you live, so that you won't forget what you saw with your own eyes, so that these things won't vanish from your hearts. Rather, make them known to your children and grandchildren —

Darby Translation
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things that thine eyes have seen (and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but thou shalt make them known to thy sons and to thy sons' sons),

Easy-to-Read Version
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.

George Lamsa Translation
Only take heed for yourselves, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but declare them to your children and your childrens children.

Good News Translation
Be on your guard! Make certain that you do not forget, as long as you live, what you have seen with your own eyes. Tell your children and your grandchildren

Christian Standard Bible®
“Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you don’t forget the things your eyes have seen and so that they don’t slip from your mind as long as you live. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren.

Literal Translation
Only, be on guard for yourself and keep your soul carefully, that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen; and that they not depart from your heart all the days of your life. And you shall make them known to your sons, and to your sons' sons.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Take hede to thy selfe now, and kepe well thy soule, that thou forget not the thinges which thine eyes haue sene, and that they departe not out of thy hert all the dayes of thy life. And thou shalt teach them thy children and thy childers children,

American Standard Version
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children's children;

Bible in Basic English
Only take care, and keep watch on your soul, for fear that the things which your eyes have seen go from your memory and from your heart all the days of your life; but let the knowledge of them be given to your children and to your children's children;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Take heede to thy selfe therefore, and kepe thy soule diligently, that thou forget not the thynges which thyne eyes haue seene, and that they depart not out of thy heart all the dayes of thy life: but teache them thy sonnes, & thy sonnes sonnes.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children's children;

King James Version (1611)
Onely take heed to thy selfe, and keepe thy soule diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes haue seene, and lest they depart from thy heart all the dayes of thy life: but teach them thy sonnes, & thy sonnes sonnes:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Take heed to thyself, and keep thy heart diligently: forget not any of the things, which thine eyes have seen, and let them not depart from thine heart all the days of thy life; and thou shalt teach thy sons and thy sons’ sons,

English Revised Version
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children's children;

Berean Standard Bible
Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor kepe thi silf, and thi soule bisili; foryete thou not the wordis whiche thin iyen sien, and falle tho not doun fro thin herte, in alle the daies of thi lijf. Thou schalt teche tho thi sones and thi sones sones.

Young's Literal Translation
`Only, take heed to thyself, and watch thy soul exceedingly, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they turn aside from thy heart, all days of thy life; and thou hast made them known to thy sons, and to thy sons' sons.

Update Bible Version
Only you be careful and keep your soul diligently, or else you will forget the things which your eyes saw, and they will depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and the sons of your sons;

Webster's Bible Translation
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou shouldst forget the things which thy eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them to thy sons, and thy sons' sons:

World English Bible
Only take heed to yourself, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your children and your children's children;

New King James Version
Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,

New Living Translation
"But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.

New Life Bible
"Only be careful. Keep watch over your life. Or you might forget the things you have seen. Do not let them leave your heart for the rest of your life. But teach them to your children and to your grandchildren.

New Revised Standard
But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children—

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Only take thou heed to thyself and keep thy soul diligently, so that thou forget not the things which thine own eyes have seen, and so that they go not out of thy heart, all the days of thy life, - but thou shalt make them known unto thy sons and unto thy son's sons: -

Douay-Rheims Bible
Keep thyself therefore, and thy soul carefully. Forget not the words that thy eyes have seen, and let them not go out of thy heart all the days of thy life. Thou shalt teach them to thy sons and to thy grandsons,

Revised Standard Version
"Only take heed, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children--

THE MESSAGE
Just make sure you stay alert. Keep close watch over yourselves. Don't forget anything of what you've seen. Don't let your heart wander off. Stay vigilant as long as you live. Teach what you've seen and heard to your children and grandchildren.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.

Contextual Overview

¹ Moses said: Israel, listen to these laws and teachings! If you obey them, you will live, and you will go in and take the land that the Lord is giving you. He is the God your ancestors worshiped, ² and now he is your God. I am telling you everything he has commanded, so don't add anything or take anything away. ³ You saw how he killed everyone who worshiped the god Baal Peor. ⁴ But all of you that were faithful to the Lord your God are still alive today. ⁵No other nation has laws that are as fair as the ones the Lord my God told me to give you. If you faithfully obey them when you enter the land, you will show other nations how wise you are. In fact, everyone that hears about your laws will say, "That great nation certainly is wise!" And what makes us greater than other nations? We have a God who is close to us and answers our prayers. ⁹ You must be very careful not to forget the things you have seen God do for you. Keep reminding yourselves, and tell your children and grandchildren as well. ¹⁰ Do you remember the day you stood in the Lord 's presence at Mount Sinai? The Lord said, "Moses, bring the people of Israel here. I want to speak to them so they will obey me as long as they live, and so they will teach their children to obey me too." ¹¹ Mount Sinai was surrounded by deep dark clouds, and fire went up to the sky. You came to the foot of the mountain, ¹² and the Lord spoke to you from the fire. You could hear him and understand what he was saying, but you couldn't see him. ¹³ The Lord said he was making an agreement with you, and he told you that your part of the agreement is to obey the Ten Commandments. Then the Lord wrote these Commandments on two flat stones.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

keep thy soul: Deuteronomy 4:15, Deuteronomy 4:23, Proverbs 3:1, Proverbs 3:3, Proverbs 4:20-23, Luke 8:18, Hebrews 2:3, James 2:22

lest they: Joshua 1:18, Psalms 119:11, Proverbs 3:1-3, Proverbs 3:21, Proverbs 4:4, Proverbs 7:1, Hebrews 2:1, Revelation 3:3

teach them: Deuteronomy 6:7, Deuteronomy 11:19, Deuteronomy 29:29, Deuteronomy 31:19, Genesis 18:19, Exodus 13:8, Exodus 13:9, Exodus 13:14-16, Joshua 4:6, Joshua 4:7, Joshua 4:21, Psalms 34:11-16, Psalms 71:18, Psalms 78:3-8, Proverbs 1:8, Proverbs 4:1-13, Proverbs 23:26, Isaiah 38:19, Ephesians 6:4

Reciprocal: Exodus 10:2 - And that Exodus 19:4 - seen Exodus 19:12 - Take Exodus 23:13 - be circumspect Deuteronomy 4:16 - corrupt Deuteronomy 8:5 - consider Deuteronomy 11:16 - Take heed Deuteronomy 15:5 - General Joshua 22:5 - take Joshua 23:3 - And ye Joshua 23:11 - Take good Psalms 78:4 - We will Psalms 78:7 - not forget Psalms 111:4 - He hath Psalms 119:4 - General Proverbs 4:23 - Keep Proverbs 22:6 - a child Isaiah 42:20 - Seeing Isaiah 44:21 - Remember Jeremiah 17:21 - Take Luke 17:3 - heed Galatians 3:19 - It was added Hebrews 3:9 - and Hebrews 12:5 - ye have forgotten Hebrews 12:15 - Looking

Cross-References

Genesis 4:4
and Abel also gave an offering to the Lord . He killed the first-born lamb from one of his sheep and gave the Lord the best parts of it. The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering,

Genesis 4:9
Afterwards the Lord asked Cain, "Where is Abel?" "How should I know?" he answered. "Am I supposed to look after my brother?"

Genesis 4:11
And so, I'll put you under a curse. Because you killed Abel and made his blood run out on the ground, you will never be able to farm the land again.

Genesis 4:13
"This punishment is too hard!" Cain said.

Genesis 4:14
"You're making me leave my home and live far from you. I will have to wander about without a home, and just anyone could kill me."

Genesis 37:32
After this, they took the coat to their father and said, "We found this! Look at it carefully and see if it belongs to your son."

Psalms 9:12
You did not forget to punish the guilty or listen to the cries of those in need.

Proverbs 28:13
If you don't confess your sins, you will be a failure. But God will be merciful if you confess your sins and give them up.

John 8:44
Your father is the devil, and you do exactly what he wants. He has always been a murderer and a liar. There is nothing truthful about him. He speaks on his own, and everything he says is a lie. Not only is he a liar himself, but he is also the father of all lies.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Only take heed to thyself,.... To walk according to this law, and not swerve from it:

and keep thy soul diligently; from the transgressions and breaches of it:

lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen; either the statutes and judgments set before them, and the circumstances of the delivery of them; or the punishment inflicted on the breakers of them; or the favours bestowed on those that observed them:

and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; out of thy mind and memory, and have no place in thy affections, through a neglect and disuse of them:

but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; their children and grandchildren, that they may be trained up in them in their youth, and so not depart from them when grown up, and in years; see Deuteronomy 6:7.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A full stop should end Deuteronomy 4:9; and Deuteronomy 4:10 begin, At the time that thou stoodest, etc. Deuteronomy 4:11 then ye came near, etc. Moses, exhorting to heedful observance of the Law, strives to renew the impressions of that tremendous scene which attended its promulgation at Sinai.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 4:9. Only take heed to thyself — Be circumspect and watchful.

Keep thy soul diligently — Be mindful of thy eternal interests. Whatever becomes of the body, take care of the soul.

Lest thou forget — God does his work that they may be had in everlasting remembrance; and he that forgets them, forgets his own mercies. Besides, if a man forget the work of God on his soul, he loses that work.

Lest they depart from thy heart — It is not sufficient to lay up Divine things in the memory, they must be laid up in the heart. Thy word have I hidden in my heart, says David, that I might not sin against thee. The life of God in the soul of man can alone preserve the soul to life everlasting; and this grace must be retained all the days of our life. When Adam fell, his condition was not meliorated by the reflection that he had been once in paradise; nor does it avail Satan now that he was once an angel of light. Those who let the grace of God depart from their hearts, lose that grace; and those who lose the grace, fall from the grace; and as some have fallen and risen no more, so may others; therefore, take heed to thyself, c. Were it impossible for men finally to fall from the grace of God, exhortations of this kind had never been given, because they would have been unnecessary, and God never does an unnecessary thing.

But teach them thy sons — If a man know the worth of his own soul, he will feel the importance of the salvation of the souls of his family. Those who neglect family religion, neglect personal religion if more attention were paid to the former, even among those called religious people, we should soon have a better state of civil society. On family religion God lays much stress; and no head of a family can neglect it without endangering the final salvation of his own soul. Genesis 18:32; Genesis 18:32, and Genesis 19:38; Genesis 19:38, and Deuteronomy 6:7; Deuteronomy 6:7.