"Now, Israel, listen to the laws and to the commands that I teach you. Obey them and you will live. Then you can go in and take the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.
"I taught you the laws and rules that the Lord my God commanded me. I did this so you could obey them in the land you are ready to enter and take for your own.
Obey these laws carefully. This will show the people of the other nations that you are wise and sensible. They will hear about these laws and say, 'Truly, the people of this great nation are wise and sensible.'
But you must be careful! Be sure that as long as you live you never forget what you have seen. You must teach these things to your children and grandchildren.
Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Horeb. The Lord said to me, 'Gather the people together to listen to what I have to say. Then they will learn to respect me as long as they live on earth. And they will teach these things to their children.'
You came near and stood at the bottom of the mountain. The mountain burned with fire that reached up to the sky. There were thick black clouds and darkness.
So be careful! Don't sin and destroy yourselves by making false gods or statues in the shape of any living thing. Don't make an idol that looks like a man or a woman,
And be careful when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon, and the stars—all the many things in the sky. Be careful that you are not tempted to worship and serve them. The Lord your God lets the other people in the world do this.
But the Lord brought you out of Egypt and made you his own special people. It was as if the Lord reached into a hot furnace and pulled you out. And now you are his people.
"The Lord was angry with me because of you. He swore that I could not go across the Jordan River into the good land that the Lord your God is giving you.
You must be careful not to forget the agreement that the Lord your God made with you. You must obey the Lord's command. Don't make any idols in any form,
"You will live in the country a long time. You will have children and grandchildren there. You will grow old there. And then you will ruin your lives—you will make all kinds of idols! When you do that, you will make God very angry!
So I am warning you now. Heaven and earth are my witnesses! If you do this evil thing, you will quickly be destroyed! You are crossing the Jordan River now to take that land. But if you make any idols, you will not live there very long. No, you will be destroyed completely!
The Lord your God is a merciful God! He will not leave you there or destroy you completely. He will not forget the agreement that he made with your ancestors.
"Has anything this great ever happened before? Never! Look at the past. Think about everything that happened before you were born. Go all the way back to the time when God made people on the earth. Look at everything that has happened anywhere in the world. Has anyone ever heard about anything as great as this? No!
Has any other god ever tried to go and take a people for himself from inside another nation? No! But you yourselves have seen everything that the Lord your God did for you. He showed you his power and strength. You saw the troubles that tested the people. You saw miracles and wonders. You saw war and the terrible things that happened.
"The Lord loved your ancestors. That is why he chose you, their descendants. And that is why the Lord brought you out of Egypt. He was with you and brought you out with his great power.
When you moved forward, the Lord forced out nations that were greater and more powerful than you. And the Lord led you into their land. He gave you their land to live in, as he is still doing today.
And you must obey his laws and commands that I give you today. Then everything will go well with you and your children who live after you. And you will live a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving you—it will be yours forever."
The three cities that Moses chose were: Bezer in the high plains for the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead for the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan for the tribe of Manasseh.
He gave them these laws while they were on the east side of the Jordan River, in the valley across from Beth Peor. They were in the land of Sihon, the Amorite king who lived at Heshbon. Moses and the Israelites had defeated Sihon when they came out of Egypt.
This land also included the whole Jordan Valley on the east side of the Jordan River. To the south, this land reached to the Dead Sea. To the east, it reached to the foot of Mount Pisgah.