Study Desk

"‘Do not use my name for evil purposes, for I, the Lord your God, will punish anyone who misuses my name.

and said, ‘The Lord our God showed us his greatness and his glory when we heard him speak from the fire! Today we have seen that it is possible for people to continue to live, even though God has spoken to them.

Destroy every nation that the Lord your God places in your power, and do not show them any mercy. Do not worship their gods, for that would be fatal.

Little by little he will drive out these nations as you advance. You will not be able to destroy them all at once, for, if you did, the number of wild animals would increase and be a threat to you.

Burn their idols. Do not desire the silver or gold that is on them, and do not take it for yourselves. If you do, that will be fatal, because the Lord hates idolatry.

You will have all you want to eat, and you will give thanks to the Lord your God for the fertile land that he has given you.

He led you through that vast and terrifying desert where there were poisonous snakes and scorpions. In that dry and waterless land he made water flow out of solid rock for you.

But now you will see for yourselves that the Lord your God will go ahead of you like a raging fire. He will defeat them as you advance, so that you will drive them out and destroy them quickly, as he promised.

"After the Lord your God has driven them out for you, do not say to yourselves that he brought you in to possess this land because you deserved it. No, the Lord is going to drive these people out for you because they are wicked.

"Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go down the mountain at once, because your people, whom you led out of Egypt, have become corrupt and have done evil. They have already turned away from what I commanded them to do, and they have made an idol for themselves.'

Then once again I lay face downward in the Lord 's presence for forty days and nights and did not eat or drink anything. I did this because you had sinned against the Lord and had made him angry.

The Lord was also angry enough with Aaron to kill him, so I prayed for Aaron at the same time.

and obey all his laws. I am giving them to you today for your benefit.

But the Lord 's love for your ancestors was so strong that he chose you instead of any other people, and you are still his chosen people.

So then, show love for those foreigners, because you were once foreigners in Egypt.

Have reverence for the Lord your God and worship only him. Be faithful to him and make your promises in his name alone.

Praise him—he is your God, and you have seen with your own eyes the great and astounding things that he has done for you.

You know what the Lord did for you in the desert before you arrived here.

If you do, he will send rain on your land when it is needed, in the autumn and in the spring, so that there will be grain, wine, and olive oil for you,

and grass for your livestock. You will have all the food you want.