Deuteronomy 6

1 This, then is the commandment—[namely] the statutes and the regulations, which Yahweh your God hath commanded to teach you, —that ye may do them in the land whither ye are passing 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 mayest revere Yahweh thy God, [so as] to keep all his statutes and his commandments which I am commanding thee, thou and thy son and thy sons’ son, all the days of thy life, —and 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 Therefore shalt thou hear, O Israel, and shalt observe to do, that it may be well with thee, and that ye may multiply greatly, as Yahweh the God of thy fathers hath spoken to thee, in 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: Yahweh, is our God, —Yahweh alone.

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

5 Thou shalt therefore love Yahweh thy God, —with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy might;

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

6 so shall these words which I am commanding thee to-day, be upon thy heart;

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

7 and thou shalt impress them upon thy sons, and shalt speak of them, —when thou sittest in thy house and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down and when thou risest up;

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 for a sign upon thy hand, —and they shall serve for bands between thine eyes;

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

9 and thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and within thy gates.

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

10 So shall it be, when Yahweh thy God shall bring thee into the land, which he sware to thy fathers—to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob to give unto thee, —into cities great and goodly, 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 and houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and hewn cisterns which thou hewedst not, vineyards and oliveyards which thou plantedst not, —and shalt eat and be full,

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 take heed unto thyself, lest thou forget Yahweh, —who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt out of the house of servants.

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

13 Yahweh thy God, shalt thou revere And him, shalt thou serve, —And by his name, shalt thou swear.

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

14 Ye shall not go after other gods, —of the gods of the peoples who are surrounding you;

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

15 for a jealous GOD, is Yahweh thy God in thy midst, —lest the anger of Yahweh thy God kindle upon thee, and so he destroy thee from off the face of the ground.

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 Ye shall not put Yahweh your God to the proof, —as ye put him to the proof in Massah [that is, "The place of proving"].

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

17 Ye shall, keep, the commandments of Yahweh your God and his testimonies and his statutes 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 so shalt thou do what is right and what is pleasing in the eyes of Yahweh, —that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest enter in and possess the good land, which Yahweh sware unto 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 to thrust out all thine enemies from before thee, —As spake Yahweh.

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

20 When thy son shall ask thee in time to come, saying, —What mean the testimonies and the statutes and the regulations, which Yahweh our God commanded you?

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 Then shalt thou say unto thy son, Servants, were we unto Pharaoh in Egypt, —and Yahweh brought us forth out of Egypt with a firm 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 Yahweh put forth signs and wonders great and sore upon Egypt upon Pharaoh and upon all his household before our eyes;

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

23 but he brought us forth from thence, —that he might bring us in, to give unto us the land, which he sware unto 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 So then Yahweh commanded us to do all these statutes, to revere Yahweh our God, —for our good, all the days, to preserve us alive (as 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 righteousness, shall it be to us, —when we take heed to do all this commandment, before Yahweh our God, as he 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.”