The LORD's Greatness

1“Love the LORD your God and always obey all his laws. 2Remember today what you have learned about the LORD through your experiences with him. It was you, not your children, who had these experiences. You saw the LORD's greatness, his power, his might, 311.3: Ex 7.8—12.13and his miracles. You saw what he did to the king of Egypt and to his entire country. 411.4: Ex 14.28You saw how the LORD completely wiped out the Egyptian army, along with their horses and chariots, by drowning them in the Red Sea11.4 Red Sea: See Word List. when they were pursuing you. 5You know what the LORD did for you in the desert before you arrived here. 611.6: Num 16.31–32You recall what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab of the tribe of Reuben. In the sight of everyone the earth opened up and swallowed them, along with their families, their tents, and all their servants and animals. 7Yes, you are the ones who have seen all these great things that the LORD has done.

The Blessings of the Promised Land

8“Obey all the laws that I have given you today. Then you will be able to cross the river and occupy the land that you are about to enter. 9And you will live a long time in the rich and fertile land that the LORD promised to give your ancestors and their descendants. 10The land that you are about to occupy is not like the land of Egypt, where you lived before. There, when you sowed seed, you had to work hard to irrigate the fields; 11but the land that you are about to enter is a land of mountains and valleys, a land watered by rain. 12The LORD your God takes care of this land and watches over it throughout the year.

1311.13–17: Lev 26.3–5; Deut 7.12–16; 28.1–14“So then, obey the commands that I have given you today; love the LORD your God and serve him with all your heart. 14If you do, he will send rain on your land when it is needed, in the autumn and in the spring, so that there will be corn, wine, and olive oil for you, 15and grass for your livestock. You will have all the food you want. 16Do not let yourselves be led away from the LORD to worship and serve other gods. 17If you do, the LORD will become angry with you. He will hold back the rain, and your ground will become too dry for crops to grow. Then you will soon die there, even though it is a good land that he is giving you.

18“Remember these commands and cherish them. Tie them on your arms and wear them on your foreheads as a reminder. 19Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you are resting and when you are working. 2011.20: Deut 6.6–9Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates. 21Then you and your children will live a long time in the land that the LORD your God promised to give to your ancestors. You will live there as long as there is a sky above the earth.

22“Obey faithfully all the laws that I have given you: Love the LORD your God, do everything he commands, and be faithful to him. 23Then he will drive out all those nations as you advance, and you will occupy the land belonging to nations greater and more powerful than you. 2411.24–25: Josh 1.3–5All the ground that you march over will be yours. Your territory will extend from the desert in the south to the Lebanon Mountains in the north, and from the River Euphrates in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 25Wherever you go in that land, the LORD your God will make the people fear you, as he has promised, and no one will be able to stop you.

26“Today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse — 27a blessing, if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; 28but a curse, if you disobey these commands and turn away to worship other gods that you have never worshipped before. 2911.29: Deut 27.11–14; Josh 8.33–35When the LORD brings you into the land that you are going to occupy, you are to proclaim the blessing from Mount Gerizim and the curse from Mount Ebal. 30(These two mountains are west of the River Jordan in the territory of the Canaanites who live in the Jordan Valley. They are towards the west, not far from the sacred trees of Moreh near the town of Gilgal.) 31You are about to cross the River Jordan and occupy the land that the LORD your God is giving you. When you take it and settle there, 32be sure to obey all the laws that I am giving you today.