Deu 11 | EE | STEP | Love the LORD your God always. Obey all his rules and decrees and everything that he commands you.

Deuteronomy 11

Love and obey the LORD

1 Love the LORD your God always. Obey all his rules and decrees and everything that he commands you. 2 Remember this today! Your children have not seen all the great things that God has done. He can punish people so that they learn not to do the wrong things. You saw that he can do that. You saw his great and powerful authority. You saw how special and important he is. No one can ever beat him. 3 You saw the things that God did to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to all his people. They were not usual things, but powerful things. 4 You saw it when God removed the whole army of Egypt, with all their horses. They were marching quickly to catch you. But God caused them to drown in the Red Sea. 5 Your children did not see all the things that the LORD did for you in the desert. But he brought you to this place. 6 Your children did not see what he did to Dathan and Abiram. These men were sons of Eliab, from the tribe of Reuben. God caused the earth to open up, in front of everyone. These men fell into the hole with all their families, their tents and their animals. 7 It was you, not your children. It was you who saw God do all these great things.

The country called Canaan is not like Egypt

8 Now you must obey all the rules that I give to you today. If you do that, you will be strong and brave. You will cross the River Jordan and you will march into the country. Then it will become your country. 9 You will live for a long time in this country. The LORD promised your ancestors that he would give it to you. It is a country where there is enough very good food and drink for everyone. 10 This country is not like Egypt, where you lived before. There, when you planted seeds, you had to give them water to make them grow. 11 But the country into which you will go has mountains and valleys. These receive rain that God gives. 12 The LORD your God is always kind to this country. He watches it every day of the year.

13 So you must obey the rules that I am giving to you today. I tell you to love the LORD your God. Work for him and obey him. And you must really want to do that! 14 If you do that, he will send rain on your country at the right time, in autumn and in spring. Then you can take home the food and the fruit that will grow in your fields.

15 God will make grass grow in your fields for your cows. And you will have all the food that you want. ^{▼▼11:15 Most plants in the country called Canaan need two seasons of rain. It rained in the autumn and it rained in the spring. Other countries may need rain at a different season.}

Remember all God’s words

16 But be careful! Do not let anything cause you to forget the LORD. If something does that, you will begin to think about other gods. Then you will obey them.

17 If you do that, the LORD will be very angry with you. He will not send the rain and nothing will grow from the ground. Then you will soon die in the good country that the LORD is giving to you.

18 Keep my words always in your minds. Write them on pieces of cotton and then tie them on to your hands. Tie them round your heads also. Then they will be like signs for you and you will remember them. 19 Teach my words to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house. Talk about them when you walk along the road. Talk about them when you go to your bed. Talk about them when you get up. 20 Write them above the doors of your house and on your gates. 21 If you do that, you and your descendants will live in the country for a long time. You will continue to live there while there is a sky above the earth.

22 Be careful! Every day, you must obey the rules that I am giving to you. These are the rules:

Love the LORD your God.

Do everything that he commands you.

Stay close to him.

23 If you do that, the LORD will fight on your behalf. He will send away the people in all these nations as you go into this country. You will send away people from nations that are larger and stronger than you. 24 Every place on which you walk will be yours. All the country from the desert to Lebanon will be yours. And all the country from the River Euphrates to the Mediterranean Sea will be yours. 25 God will not let anyone stop you. The LORD your God has made a promise to you: He will cause everyone to be afraid of you, everywhere that you go.

26 Today I am telling you to choose. God can cause either good things or bad things to happen to you. 27 Good things will happen if you obey these rules from the LORD your God. 28 And bad things will happen if you do not obey these rules. Then you will go away from God. You will obey gods that you do not know. 29 The LORD will bring you into the country that will be yours. Then you must pronounce these things with a loud, serious voice. Pronounce the good things from Mount Gerizim and the bad things from Mount Ebal. 30 You know that these mountains are west of the River Jordan. They are in the country of the Canaanites who live in the Jordan valley. They are not far from the great trees at Moreh, near to Gilgal. 31 Soon you will cross the River Jordan. Soon you will take for yourself the country that the LORD is giving to you. When this happens, you will begin to live there. 32 Then be careful and remember! You must obey all the rules and decrees that I am giving to you today.