Love and Obey the Lord
1Love the Lord your God. Do what he requires. Always obey his rules, laws and commands. 2Remember today that your children weren’t the ones the Lord your God guided and corrected. They didn’t see his majesty. They weren’t in Egypt when he reached out his mighty hand and powerful arm. 3They didn’t see the signs and the other things he did in Egypt. They didn’t see what he did to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and to his whole country. 4They weren’t there when the Lord destroyed the army of Egypt and its horses and chariots. He swept the waters of the Red Sea over the Egyptians while they were chasing you. He wiped them out forever. 5Your children didn’t see what he did for you in the desert before you arrived here. 6They didn’t see what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. Eliab was from the tribe of Reuben. The earth opened its mouth right in the middle of the Israelite camp. It swallowed up Dathan and Abiram. It swallowed them up together with their families, tents and every living thing that belonged to them. 7But with your own eyes you saw all the great things the Lord has done.
8So obey all the commands I’m giving you today. Then you will be strong enough to go in and take over the land. You will go across the Jordan River and take the land as your own. 9You will live there for a long time. It’s the land the Lord promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children after them. He gave his word when he made that promise. The land has plenty of milk and honey. 10You will enter it and take it over. It isn’t like the land of Egypt. That’s where you came from. You planted your seeds there. You had to water them, just as you have to water a vegetable garden. 11But you will soon go across the Jordan River. The land you are going to take over has mountains and valleys in it. It drinks rain from heaven. 12It’s a land the Lord your God takes care of. His eyes always look on it with favor. He watches over it from the beginning of the year to its end.
13So be faithful. Obey the commands the Lord your God is giving you today. Love him. Serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. 14Then the Lord will send rain on your land at the right time. He’ll send rain in the fall and in the spring. You will be able to gather your grain. You will also be able to make olive oil and fresh wine. 15He’ll provide grass in the fields for your cattle. You will have plenty to eat.
16But be careful. Don’t let anyone tempt you to do something wrong. Don’t turn away and worship other gods. Don’t bow down to them. 17If you do, the Lord will be very angry with you. He’ll close up the sky. It won’t rain. The ground won’t produce its crops. Soon you will die. You won’t live to enjoy the good land the Lord is giving you. 18So keep my words in your hearts and minds. Write them down and tie them on your hands as a reminder. Also tie them on your foreheads. 19Teach them to your children. 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. 20Write them on the doorframes of your houses. Also write them on your gates. 21Then you and your children will live for a long time in the land. The Lord promised to give the land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Your family line will continue as long as the heavens remain above the earth.
22So be careful. Obey all the commands I’m giving you to follow. Love the Lord your God. Live exactly as he wants you to live. Remain true to him. 23Then the Lord will drive out all the nations to make room for you. They are larger and stronger than you are. But you will take their land. 24Every place you walk on will belong to you. Your territory will go all the way from the desert to Lebanon. It will go from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. 25No one will be able to stand up against you. The Lord your God will throw the whole land into a panic because of you. He’ll do it everywhere you go, just as he promised you.
26Listen to me. I’m setting a blessing and a curse in front of you today. 27I’m giving you the commands of the Lord your God today. You will be blessed if you obey them. 28But you will be cursed if you don’t obey them. So don’t turn away from the path I’m now commanding you to take. Don’t turn away by worshiping other gods you didn’t know before. 29The Lord your God will bring you into the land to take it over. When he does, you must announce the blessings from Mount Gerizim. You must announce the curses from Mount Ebal. 30As you know, those mountains are across the Jordan River. They are on the west side of the Jordan toward the setting sun. They are near the large trees of Moreh. The mountains are in the territory of the Canaanites, who live in the Arabah Valley near Gilgal. 31You are about to go across the Jordan River. You will enter the land and take it over. The Lord your God is giving it to you. You will take it over and live there. 32When you do, make sure you obey all the rules and laws I’m giving you today.
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主を愛し、従え
1あなたの神、主を愛し、すべての命令に従いなさい。 2いいですか、私はあなたがたの子どもたちにではなく、あなたがた自身に話しているのです。子どもたちはまだ、主に罰せられたこともなく、その偉大さや恐ろしいまでの御力を見たこともありません。 3もちろん、主がエジプトの国や王に行った数々の奇跡も見ていません。 4エジプト軍がイスラエル人を追って来た時、主が彼らを馬や戦車もろとも紅海の底に沈め、それ以来エジプト人があなたがたに手出しできないようにされたことも見ていません。 5その後も、ここに来るまでの長い道中、荒野をさまようあなたがたを主が守り続けてこられたことも知りません。 6また、エリアブの子で、ルベンの孫に当たるダタンとアビラムが反逆したこと、そのためにイスラエル人全員の目の前で、彼らも家族も一人残らず、天幕（テント）もろとも地にのみ込まれてしまったことも、子どもたちは見ていません。
7しかし、あなたがたは違います。あの目をみはるような奇跡を確かに見たのです。 8だから、今日私が与える戒めをどんなに注意深く守らなければならないか、よくわかるはずです。そうして初めて、今、目前にしている地を占領できるのです。 9それを守れば、先祖以来約束されてきた地で、いつまでも幸せに暮らせます。そこは、乳とみつの流れる地なのです。 10エジプトのように灌漑する必要もありません。 11雨に恵まれ、丘や渓谷もある地だからです。 12あなたの神、主はあなたがたのことをいつも心にかけ、絶えずその地を見守ってくださいます。
13今日私が与えるすべての戒めを注意深く守り、心を尽くし、たましいを尽くして主を愛するなら、 14主は春と秋に必ず雨を降らせ、穀物も、ぶどう酒用のぶどうも、油を採るオリーブも豊かに実らせてくださいます。 15家畜には青々とした牧草地を、あなたがたには十分な食糧を与えてくださるのです。
16しかし、気持ちがゆるんで神様から離れ、外国の神々を拝んだりしないようにくれぐれも気をつけなさい。 17万一そんなことをしたら、主は激しくお怒りになり、雨を一滴も降らせないでしょう。収穫がなくなり、主が下さった良い地にいながら、みすみす飢え死にすることになります。 18そうなりたくなかったら、主のことばと戒めをしっかり心に刻みつけなさい。それをしるしとして手に結び、額に張りつけて絶えず覚えなさい。 19子どもたちにも教えなさい。家に座っているときも、外を歩いているときも、寝るときも、朝食の前にも話して聞かせなさい。 20家の門と戸に書き記しなさい。 21そうすれば、天地の続く限り、約束の地で子々孫々まで幸せに暮らせます。
22私が与える戒めをみな注意深く守り、主を愛し、主に頼って歩めば、 23どんなに強大な民であっても、主が必ず追い払ってくださいます。 24行く所はどこもあなたがたの土地になるのです。南はネゲブから北はレバノンまで、東と西はそれぞれユーフラテス川と地中海までも。 25だれ一人、あなたがたに太刀打ちできる者はいません。主はお約束どおり、行く先々で敵に恐れと不安を抱かせるからです。
26主の祝福を選ぶかのろいを選ぶか、今はっきり決めなさい。 27私が与える主の戒めに従うなら祝福されます。 28しかし、それを拒否し、外国の神々を拝んだりするならのろわれます。
29あなたの神、主が約束の地に導き入れてくださったら、ゲリジム山から祝福を、エバル山からのろいを宣言しなさい。 30どちらもカナン人が住むヨルダン川の西側の地域にある山で、ギルガルに近く、モレの樫の木のある荒野にそびえています。 31あなたがたは、これからヨルダン川を渡り、主が与えてくださる地に入るのです。 32だから、今日、私が与えるすべての律法を守りなさい。
