Deuteronomy 6

1 These are the precepts, and ceremonies, and judgments, which the Lord your God commanded that I should teach you, and that you should do them in the land into which you pass over to possess it:

These are the commandments and rules and regulations that the Lord your God has ordered me to teach you to follow in the country that you're going to enter and occupy.

2 That thou mayst fear the Lord thy God, and keep all his commandments and precepts, which I command thee, and thy sons, and thy grandsons, all the days of thy life, that thy days may be prolonged.

This is so you and your children and grandchildren will show respect to the Lord your God throughout your lives by keeping all his rules and regulations that I give you, and so that you may have a long life.

3 Hear, O Israel, and observe to do the things which the Lord hath commanded thee, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayst be greatly multiplied, as the Lord the God of thy fathers hath promised thee a land flowing with milk and honey.

Listen, people of Israel, and be careful to observe them, so that you may do well and have many descendants in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your forefathers, promised you.

4 Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.

Listen, people of Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is the only one.

5 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your mind and with all your being and with all your strength.

6 And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart:

The commands I'm giving you today must stay in your minds.

7 And thou shalt tell them to thy children, and thou shalt meditate upon them sitting in thy house, and walking on thy journey, sleeping and rising.

You are to explain them carefully to your children and talk about them when you're at home and when you're traveling, when you lie down and when you get up.

8 And thou shalt bind them as a sign on thy hand, and they shall be and shall move between thy eyes.

Tie them on your hands as reminders and put them on your foreheads as well.

9 And thou shalt write them in the entry, and on the doors of thy house.

Write them on the doorposts of your homes and on your gates.

10 And when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, for which he swore to thy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: and shall have given thee great and goodly cities, which thou didst not build,

The Lord your God is going to take you into the country he promised to give you and your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It's a country with large, prosperous towns that you didn't build,

11 Houses full of riches, which thou didst not set up, cisterns which thou didst not dig, vineyards and oliveyards, which thou didst not plant,

with houses full of plenty of good things that you didn't provide, that have wells you didn't dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant. When you eat and are full

12 And thou shalt have eaten and be full:

make sure you don't forget the Lord who led you out of Egypt, out of the prison-house of slavery.

13 Take heed diligently lest thou forget the Lord, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and shalt serve him only, and thou shalt swear by his name.

Respect the Lord your God only worship him, and only make promises in his name.

14 You shall not go after the strange gods of all the nations, that are round about you:

Don't worship any other gods, the gods of the peoples around you,

15 Because the Lord thy God is a jealous God in the midst of thee: lest at any time the wrath of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and take thee away from the face of the earth.

because the Lord your God, who lives among you, is an exclusive God, and Lord your God will become angry with you, and he will wipe you out.

16 Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God, as thou temptedst him in the place of temptation.

Don't test the Lord your God like you did at Massah.

17 Keep the precepts of the Lord thy God, and the testimonies and ceremonies which he hath commanded thee.

You must be careful to keep the commandments of the Lord your God and the laws and rules he's given you.

18 And do that which is pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with thee: and going in thou mayst possess the goodly land, concerning which the Lord swore to thy fathers,

Do what's good and right in the Lord's sight so that it will go well for you and that you may enter and take over the good land that the Lord your God promised to give your forefathers,

19 That he would destroy all thy enemies before thee, as he hath spoken.

He will drive out all your enemies ahead of you, just as he said.

20 And when thy son shall ask thee tomorrow, saying: What mean these testimonies, and ceremonies and judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded us?

In the future, when your children come and ask you, “What's the point of decrees and rules and regulations that the Lord our God ordered you to follow?”

21 Thou shalt say to him: We were bondmen of Pharao in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand.

then you are to tell them, “Once we were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord by his power led us out of Egypt.

22 And he wrought signs and wonders great and very grievous in Egypt against Pharao, and all his house, in our sight,

Before our very eyes the Lord brought down incredible and terrifying signs and miracles on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his people.

23 And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in and give us the land, concerning which he swore to our fathers.

But he led us out of there to take us here, giving us this country that he had promised to our forefathers.

24 And the Lord commanded that we should do all these ordinances, and should fear the Lord our God, that it might be well with us all the days of our life, as it is at this day.

The Lord ordered us to keep all these laws and to respect the Lord our God, so that we would always be safe and well, as we are today

25 And he will be merciful to us, if we keep and do all his precepts before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.

And if we carefully observe each of these commandments as we live in the presence of the Lord, as he instructed us, then we will be right with him.”