Study Desk

He is the one you should praise. He is your God. He has done great and amazing things for you. You have seen them with your own eyes.

When your ancestors went down into Egypt, there were only 70 people. Now the Lord your God has made you as many as the stars in the sky.

"So you must love the Lord your God. You must do what he tells you to do and always obey his laws, rules, and commands.

Remember today all the great things the Lord your God has done to teach you. It was you, not your children, who saw those things happen and lived through them. You saw how great he is. You saw how strong he is, and you saw the powerful things he does.

The Lord your God cares for that land. The Lord your God watches over it, from the beginning to the end of the year.

"The Lord says, ‘You must listen carefully to the commands I give you today: You must love the Lord your God, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul. If you do that,

"Be careful to obey every command I have told you to follow: Love the Lord your God, follow all his ways, and be faithful to him.

No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God will make the people fear you wherever you go in that land. That is what he promised you before.

You will get the blessing if you listen and obey the commands of the Lord your God that I have told you today.

But you will get the curse if you refuse to listen and obey the commands of the Lord your God. So don't stop living the way I command you today, and don't follow other gods that you don't know.

"The Lord your God will lead you to your land. You will soon go in and take that land. At that time you must go to the top of Mount Gerizim and read the blessings to the people from there. And then you must go to the top of Mount Ebal and read the curses to the people from there.

You will go across the Jordan River. You will take the land that the Lord your God is giving you. This land will belong to you. When you are living in this land,

"These are the laws and rules that you must obey in your new land. You must carefully obey them as long as you live in this land. The Lord is the God of your ancestors, and he is giving this land to you.

"You must not worship the Lord your God in the same way these people worship their gods.

The Lord your God will choose a special place among your tribes. That will be the home for his name. You must go to that place to worship him.

You and your families will eat together at that place, and the Lord your God will be there with you. You will enjoy sharing the things you worked for there. You will remember that the Lord your God blessed you and gave you these good things.

"You must not continue to worship the way we have been worshiping. Until now each of us has been worshiping God any way we wanted.

This is because we have not yet entered the peaceful land that the Lord your God is giving you.

But you will go across the Jordan River and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. There he will give you rest from all your enemies, and you will be safe.

Then the Lord your God will choose a place that will be the home for his name. You must bring everything I command you to that place. Bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, one-tenth of your crops and animals, your special gifts, and any gifts that you promised to give to the Lord .