Deuteronomy 6

1 “And these are the commands and the rules and the judgments that the Lord our God gave orders to teach you, so that you would do them in the land you are going into to take for your own — 2 so that you may fear the Lord your God. Keep all his rules and his commands, which I am commanding you today — you and your sons and your sons' sons, all the days of your life — so that you may live many days. 3 So hear, Israel, and be careful to do them, so that it may go well with you and you may become very many, as the Lord God of your fathers said he would give you — a land flowing with milk and honey. 4 And these are the rules and the judgments the Lord commanded the children of Israel in the wilderness when they came out of the land of Egypt. [a]

6 And these words, everything I am commanding you today, are to be in your heart and in your soul. 7 And you are to teach them to your children, and speak of them when you sit in the house, and when you walk on the road, and when you lie down, and when you get up. 8 And you are to fasten them as a sign on your hand, and they are to be fixed in front of your eyes. 9 And you are to write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates. [c]

10 And when the Lord your God has brought you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob, to give you — great and beautiful cities you did not build, 11 houses full of every good thing that you did not fill, wells cut in the rock that you did not dig, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant — then, when you have eaten and are full, 12 be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 You are to fear the Lord your God, and him you are to serve; and you are to hold fast to him, and swear by his name. [d] 14 Do not go after other gods, any of the gods of the nations around you; 15 for the Lord your God among you is a jealous God — or the Lord your God will be very angry with you and wipe you off the face of the earth. 16 You are not to put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Testing. [e] 17 You are certainly to keep the commands of the Lord your God, and the witnesses and the rules he commanded you. 18 And you are to do what is pleasing and good before the Lord your God, so that it may go well with you, and you may go in and take the good land the Lord swore to your fathers, 19 driving out all your enemies from in front of you, as the Lord said.

20 And when your son asks you in time to come, ‘What are the witnesses and the rules and the judgments that the Lord our God commanded us?’ — 21 then you are to say to your son: We were slaves to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of there with a mighty hand and an uplifted arm. 22 And the Lord did signs, and great and terrible wonders, in Egypt, on Pharaoh and on his household, in front of us. 23 And he brought us out of there to give us this land, which he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And the Lord charged us to keep all these rules, to fear the Lord our God, so that it may go well with us always, and that we may live, as we do this day. 25 And there will be mercy for us if we are careful to keep all these commands before the Lord our God, as he commanded us.”