Deu 10 | EE | STEP | At that time, the LORD said to me, ‘Cut out two new flat stones. Also, make a box from wood and then come up to me, on the mountain.

Deuteronomy 10

The new stones

1 At that time, the LORD said to me, ‘Cut out two new flat stones. Also, make a box from wood and then come up to me, on the mountain. 2 I will write on these stones the words that I wrote on the first stones. You broke the first stones, but you must put the new stones into the box.’

3 So I made an ark from special wood and I cut two new flat stones. Then I went up the mountain. I was carrying the stones. 4 The LORD wrote on the stones the words that he had written before. He wrote the same 10 special rules that he gave you before. He did this on the mountain, when he spoke from the fire. This happened on the day when you came together to the mountain. And the LORD gave the stones to me. 5 Then I came down from the mountain. I put the stones into the special box, the ark that I had made. The LORD told me to do that. And they are still there now.

6 (The Israelites travelled to Moserah from the wells that belonged to the descendants of Jaakan. Aaron died there and they buried him. Then Eleazar, his son, became priest instead. 7 Then they travelled on to Gudgodah and Jotbathah, a country where there are many streams of water. 8 At that time, the LORD chose the tribe of Levi to carry the ark. He chose them to be his special servants. They had to tell the Israelites that God was always near to them. They still do this today. 9 That is why the Levites do not have any land. The LORD told them that they would always be nearer to him than the other Israelites. He would give them work to do for him. And he would give them everything that they needed. So they would not need any land.)

10 I stayed on the mountain for 40 days and nights, as I did the first time. The LORD listened to me again. He did not want to kill you. 11 And the LORD said to me, ‘Go, and lead the people on their journey. Then they can go into the country and make it their country. They can do this because I made a promise to their fathers that I would give it to them.’

Obey the LORD always

12 And now, Israelites, this is what the LORD your God asks you to do. You should always be afraid to make him angry. You should live to give pleasure to him. Be happy, as you love him! Be happy, as you work for him! 13 And you should obey his rules and decrees that I am giving to you today. If you do that, you will do well.

14 The whole of the sky, far beyond what you can see, belongs to the LORD your God. The earth and everything that is in it, also belongs to him. 15 But the LORD loved your ancestors so much that he chose you. You are their children. He chose you from the people of all other countries and you belong to him today. 16 So you must obey the LORD and no other gods. Do not still refuse to obey him. 17 For the LORD your God is greater than all other gods. He is stronger than every other authority. He is very great and very powerful. He is fair to everyone. And everything that he does is completely right. 18 He is very kind to women whose husbands have died. He is very kind to children who have no fathers. They need his help and he loves them. He loves people who are living in a foreign country. He gives them the things that they need. 19 You too must love strangers, because once, you were strangers in Egypt. 20 Always be ready to obey the LORD your God as his servants. Stay near to him and make your promises by his authority. 21 Tell God how great and important he is. He is your God. He did great and powerful things for you, which you saw with your own eyes. 22 Only 70 of your ancestors went down to Egypt. Now the LORD your God has made you as many as the stars in the sky! ^{▼▼10:22 Jacob (Israel) was living in the country called Canaan, when God spoke to him. God told Jacob and his family to go to Egypt to live. But he promised to bring them out again. They would come back to Canaan one day.} ^{▼▼10:22 We can read about this in Genesis 46:2-4.}