Study Desk

Then the Lord spoke to you from the fire. You heard the sound of someone speaking, but you did not see any form. There was only a voice.

"On the day the Lord spoke to you from the fire at Mount Horeb, you did not see him—there was no shape for God.

And be careful when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon, and the stars—all the many things in the sky. Be careful that you are not tempted to worship and serve them. The Lord your God lets the other people in the world do this.

There you will serve gods made by men—things made of wood and stone that cannot see or hear or eat or smell!

He let you hear his voice from heaven so that he could teach you a lesson. On earth he let you see his great fire, and he spoke to you from it.

Be sure you don't offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see.

God will send you this prophet because that is what you asked him to do. When you were gathered together at Mount Horeb, you became frightened and said, ‘Don't let us hear the voice of the Lord our God again! Don't let us see that great fire or we will die!'

"When you go out to battle against your enemies, and you see horses, chariots, and many more people than you have, you must not be afraid of them. The Lord your God is with you—and he brought you out of Egypt.

These leaders must say, ‘We did not kill this person, and we did not see it happen.

You might see a beautiful woman among the captives who you want to be your wife.

"If you see that your neighbor's ox or sheep is loose, you must not ignore it. Be sure to take it back to its owner.

"A man might find a virgin girl who is not engaged and force her to have sexual relations with him. If other people see this happen,

This is because the Lord your God is there with you in your camp to save you and to help you defeat your enemies. So the camp must be holy. Then he will not see something disgusting and leave you.

Then all the people in that land will see that you are called to be the Lord 's people, and they will be afraid of you.

The things you see will make you go crazy.

In the morning you will say, ‘I wish it were evening!' In the evening you will say, ‘I wish it were morning!' This will happen because of the fear in your heart and the terrible things you will see.

"In the future, your descendants and foreigners from faraway countries will see how the land has been ruined. They will see the diseases that the Lord has brought to it.

So he said, ‘I will turn away from them, then let's see what happens! They are a rebellious people. They are like children who will not learn their lessons.

"The Lord will judge his people. They are his servants, and he will show them mercy. He will see that their power is gone. He will see that they are all helpless— the slaves and free people too.

"‘Now, see that I, and only I, am God! There is no other God! I put people to death, and I let people live. I can hurt people, and I can make them well. No one can save another person from my power!