Deuteronomy 4:2

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish from it, that you may keep the mitzvot of the LORD your God which I command you.

King James Version
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

Lexham English Bible
You must not add to the word that I am commanding you, and you shall not take away from it in order to keep the commands of Yahweh your God that I am commanding you to observe.

English Standard Version
You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.

New Century Version
Don't add to these commands, and don't leave anything out, but obey the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.

New English Translation
Do not add a thing to what I command you nor subtract from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I am delivering to you.

Amplified Bible
"You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I am commanding you.

New American Standard Bible
"You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I am commanding you.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Ye shal put nothing vnto the word which I command you, neither shal ye take ought there from, that ye may keepe the commandements of the Lord your God which I commande you.

Legacy Standard Bible
You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God which I am commanding you.

Contemporary English Version
and now he is your God. I am telling you everything he has commanded, so don't add anything or take anything away.

Complete Jewish Bible
In order to obey the mitzvot of Adonai your God which I am giving you, do not add to what I am saying, and do not subtract from it.

Darby Translation
Ye shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall ye take from it, that ye may keep the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you.

Easy-to-Read Version
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.

George Lamsa Translation
You shall not add to the commandment which I command you, neither shall you take from it, but you must keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Good News Translation
Do not add anything to what I command you, and do not take anything away. Obey the commands of the Lord your God that I have given you.

Christian Standard Bible®
You must not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it, so that you may keep the commands of the Lord your God I am giving you.

Literal Translation
You shall not add to the Word which I command you, nor take from it, to keep the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Ye shal put nothinge vnto the worde which I commaunde you, nether do oughte there from, that ye maye kepe the commaundementes of the LORDE youre God, which I commaunde you.

American Standard Version
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you.

Bible in Basic English
Make no addition to the orders which I give you, and take nothing from them, but keep the orders of the Lord your God which I give you.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Ye shall put nothyng vnto the word which I commaunde you, neither shall you take ought from it, that ye may kepe the comaundementes of the Lord your God which I commaunde you.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

King James Version (1611)
Ye shall not adde vnto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish ought from it, that ye may keepe the Commaundements of the Lord your God, which I command you.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Ye shall not add to the word which I command you, and ye shall not take from it: keep the commandments of the Lord our God, all that I command you this day.

English Revised Version
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Berean Standard Bible
You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Ye schulen not adde to the word which Y speke to you, nether ye schulen take awei `fro it; kepe ye the comaundementis of youre Lord God, which Y comaunde to you.

Young's Literal Translation
Ye do not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor diminish from it, to keep the commands of Jehovah your God which I am commanding you.

Update Bible Version
You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you.

Webster's Bible Translation
Ye shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish [aught] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

World English Bible
You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you.

New King James Version
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

New Living Translation
Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you.

New Life Bible
Do not add to the Word that I tell you, and do not take away from it. Keep the Laws of the Lord your God which I tell you.

New Revised Standard
You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Ye shall not add unto the word which, I, am commanding you, neither shall ye take away therefrom, - that ye may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, which, I, am commanding you.

Douay-Rheims Bible
You shall not add to the word that I speak to you, neither shall you take away from it: keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

Revised Standard Version
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it; that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Contextual Overview

¹Now listen, Israel, listen carefully to the rules and regulations that I am teaching you to follow so that you may live and enter and take possession of the land that God , the God-of-Your-Fathers, is giving to you. Don't add a word to what I command you, and don't remove a word from it. Keep the commands of God , your God, that I am commanding you. ³You saw with your own eyes what God did at Baal Peor, how God destroyed from among you every man who joined in the Baal Peor orgies. But you, the ones who held tight to God , your God, are alive and well, every one of you, today. ⁵Pay attention: I'm teaching you the rules and regulations that God commanded me, so that you may live by them in the land you are entering to take up ownership. Keep them. Practice them. You'll become wise and understanding. When people hear and see what's going on, they'll say, "What a great nation! So wise, so understanding! We've never seen anything like it." ⁷Yes. What other great nation has gods that are intimate with them the way God , our God, is with us, always ready to listen to us? And what other great nation has rules and regulations as good and fair as this Revelation that I'm setting before you today? ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ That day when you stood before God , your God, at Horeb, God said to me, "Assemble the people in my presence to listen to my words so that they will learn to fear me in holy fear for as long as they live on the land, and then they will teach these same words to their children." ¹¹You gathered. You stood in the shadow of the mountain. The mountain was ablaze with fire, blazing high into the very heart of Heaven. You stood in deep darkness and thick clouds. God spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but you saw nothing—no form, only a voice. He announced his covenant, the Ten Words, by which he commanded you to live. Then he wrote them down on two slabs of stone. ¹⁴ And God commanded me at that time to teach you the rules and regulations that you are to live by in the land which you are crossing over the Jordan to possess. ¹⁵You saw no form on the day God spoke to you at Horeb from out of the fire. Remember that. Carefully guard yourselves so that you don't turn corrupt and make a form, carving a figure that looks male or female, or looks like a prowling animal or a flying bird or a slithering snake or a fish in a stream. And also carefully guard yourselves so that you don't look up into the skies and see the sun and moon and stars, all the constellations of the skies, and be seduced into worshiping and serving them. God set them out for everybody's benefit, everywhere. But you— God took you right out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to become the people of his inheritance—and that's what you are this very day. ²¹But God was angry with me because of you and the things you said. He swore that I'd never cross the Jordan, never get to enter the good land that God , your God, is giving you as an inheritance. This means that I am going to die here. I'm not crossing the Jordan. But you will cross; you'll possess the good land.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 12:32, Joshua 1:7, Proverbs 30:6, Ecclesiastes 12:13, Matthew 5:18, Matthew 5:43, Matthew 15:2-9, Mark 7:1-13, Galatians 3:15, Revelation 22:18, Revelation 22:19

Reciprocal: Exodus 7:2 - General Exodus 12:50 - as the Lord Exodus 34:11 - Observe Exodus 35:29 - the Lord Leviticus 8:36 - Aaron Leviticus 10:1 - which Leviticus 18:4 - General Leviticus 18:26 - keep Leviticus 19:37 - General Deuteronomy 5:32 - ye shall not Deuteronomy 12:1 - the statutes Deuteronomy 17:20 - he turn Joshua 8:35 - was not Joshua 11:15 - he left nothing Joshua 22:5 - take 2 Chronicles 30:12 - the commandment Job 22:22 - receive Jeremiah 26:2 - diminish Galatians 1:9 - than

Cross-References

Genesis 3:23
So God expelled them from the Garden of Eden and sent them to work the ground, the same dirt out of which they'd been made. He threw them out of the garden and stationed angel-cherubim and a revolving sword of fire east of it, guarding the path to the Tree-of-Life.

Genesis 4:25
Adam slept with his wife again. She had a son whom she named Seth. She said, "God has given me another child in place of Abel whom Cain killed." And then Seth had a son whom he named Enosh. That's when men and women began praying and worshiping in the name of God .

Genesis 9:20
Noah, a farmer, was the first to plant a vineyard. He drank from its wine, got drunk and passed out, naked in his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and told his two brothers who were outside the tent. Shem and Japheth took a cloak, held it between them from their shoulders, walked backward and covered their father's nakedness, keeping their faces turned away so they did not see their father's exposed body.

Exodus 3:1
Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the west end of the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, Horeb. The angel of God appeared to him in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush. He looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn't burn up.

Psalms 127:3
Don't you see that children are God 's best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior's fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don't stand a chance against you; you'll sweep them right off your doorstep.

1 John 3:12
We must not be like Cain, who joined the Evil One and then killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because he was deep in the practice of evil, while the acts of his brother were righteous. So don't be surprised, friends, when the world hates you. This has been going on a long time.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ye shall not add to the word which I command you, nether shall you diminish ought from it,.... Neither make new laws of their own, and join them to the law of God, and set them upon a level with it, or prefer them before it; as the Scribes and Pharisees did in Christ's time, who by their traditions made the word of God of none effect, as do the Papists also by their unwritten traditions; nor abrogate nor detract from the law of God, nor make void any part of it: or else the sense is, neither do that which is forbidden, nor neglect that which is commanded; neither be guilty of sins of omission nor commission, nor in any way break the law of God, and teach men so to do by word or by example; not a jot or tittle is either to be put to it, or taken from it, Proverbs 30:5

that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you; in his name; or which he delivered unto them as his commandments, and which were to be kept just as they were delivered, without adding to them, or taking from them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 4:2. Ye shall not add — Any book, chapter, verse or word, which I have not spoken; nor give any comment that has any tendency to corrupt, weaken, or destroy any part of this revelation.

Neither shall ye diminish — Ye shall not only not take away any larger portion of this word, but ye shall not take one jot or tittle from the LAW; it is that word of God that abideth for ever.