最大的诫命
1“你们的上帝耶和华吩咐我教导你们以下的诫命、律例和典章，以便你们在将要占领的土地上遵行。 2这样，你们就会得享长寿，你们及子孙就会终生敬畏你们的上帝耶和华，遵守祂借我吩咐你们的一切律例和诫命。 3以色列人啊，你们要留心听，谨慎遵行，以便你们在那奶蜜之乡可以凡事顺利、子孙众多，正如你们祖先的上帝耶和华给你们的应许。 4听啊，以色列人，耶和华是我们的上帝，耶和华是独一的。 5你们要全心、全意、全力爱你们的上帝耶和华。 6要将我今天吩咐你们的话牢记在心， 7并教导你们的儿女，无论在家在外，或起或卧，都要讲论这些律例和诫命。 8要把它们系在手上、戴在额上作记号， 9要写在城门上和自家的门框上。
10“你们的上帝耶和华将带你们进入祂向你们祖先亚伯拉罕、以撒和雅各起誓要赐给你们的土地。那里的宏伟城邑不是你们建造的， 11满屋的美物不是你们积攒的，井不是你们挖掘的，葡萄园和橄榄树也不是你们栽种的。你们在那里吃饱喝足之后， 12要小心，不可忘记把你们从受奴役之地——埃及救出来的耶和华。 13要敬畏你们的上帝耶和华，事奉祂，凭祂的名起誓。 14不可随从周围各族的神明， 15免得你们的上帝耶和华向你们发怒，把你们从世上消灭；因为祂住在你们当中，祂痛恨不贞。
16“不可像在玛撒那样试探你们的上帝耶和华。 17要谨遵你们的上帝耶和华吩咐你们的诫命、法度和律例。 18你们要做耶和华视为正与善的事，以便你们可以凡事顺利，得到耶和华起誓赐给你们祖先的佳美之地， 19赶出所有敌人，正如耶和华所言。
20“将来你们的子孙会问，‘我们的上帝耶和华给你们颁布这些法度、律例和典章是什么意思？’ 21你们要告诉他们，‘我们曾在埃及做法老的奴隶，耶和华用大能的手领我们离开埃及。 22我们亲眼看见耶和华行伟大而可畏的神迹奇事，惩罚埃及和法老全家。 23祂带领我们离开埃及，为要把我们带进祂起誓赐给我们祖先的这片土地。 24我们的上帝耶和华吩咐我们遵守这一切律例、敬畏祂，以便我们可以常常受益，生命无忧，正如今日的情形。 25如果我们按照我们的上帝耶和华的吩咐，在祂面前谨遵这一切诫命，我们便被算为义人。’
Love the Lord Your God
1The Lord your God has directed me to teach you his commands, rules and laws. Obey them in the land you will take over when you go across the Jordan River. 2Then you, your children and their children after them will honor the Lord your God as long as you live. Obey all his rules and commands I’m giving you. If you do, you will enjoy long life. 3Israel, listen to me. Make sure you obey me. Then things will go well with you. The number of your people will increase greatly in a land that has plenty of milk and honey. That’s what the Lord, the God of your parents, promised you.
4Israel, listen to me. The Lord is our God. The Lord is the one and only God. 5Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your strength. 6The commandments I give you today must be in your hearts. 7Make sure your children learn them. Talk about them when you are at home. Talk about them when you walk along the road. Speak about them when you go to bed. And speak about them when you get up. 8Write them down and tie them on your hands as a reminder. Also tie them on your foreheads. 9Write them on the doorframes of your houses. Also write them on your gates.
10The Lord your God will bring you into the land of Canaan. He gave his word. He promised he would give the land to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The land has large, wealthy cities you didn’t build. 11It has houses filled with all kinds of good things you didn’t provide. The land has wells you didn’t dig. And it has vineyards and groves of olive trees you didn’t plant. You will have plenty to eat. 12But be careful that you don’t forget the Lord. Remember that he brought you out of Egypt. That’s the land where you were slaves.
13Worship the Lord your God. He is the only one you should serve. When you make promises, do so in his name. 14Don’t serve the gods of the nations around you. 15The Lord your God is among you. He wants you to worship only him. If you worship other gods, God will be very angry with you. And he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16Don’t test the Lord your God as you did at Massah. 17Be sure to obey the Lord’s commands. Obey the terms and rules he has given you. 18Do what is right and good in the Lord’s eyes. Then things will go well with you. You will go in and take over the land. It’s the good land the Lord promised to your people of long ago. 19You will drive out all your enemies to make room for you. That’s what the Lord said would happen.
20Later on, your child might ask you, “What is the meaning of the terms, rules and laws the Lord our God has commanded you to obey?” 21If they do ask you, tell them, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. But the Lord used his mighty hand to bring us out of Egypt. 22With our own eyes we saw the Lord send amazing signs. They were great and terrible. He sent them on Egypt and Pharaoh and everyone in his house. 23But the Lord brought us out of Egypt. He planned to bring us into the land of Canaan and give it to us. It’s the land he promised to our people of long ago. 24The Lord our God commanded us to obey all his rules. He commanded us to honor him. If we do, we will always succeed and be kept alive. That’s what is happening today. 25We must make sure we obey the whole law in the sight of the Lord our God. That’s what he has commanded us to do. If we obey his law, we’ll be doing what he requires of us.”
