Israel Must Obey God
Moses said:
1 Israel, listen to these laws and teachings! If you obey them, you will live, and you will go in and take the land that the Lord is giving you. He is the God your ancestors worshiped, 2 and now he is your God. I am telling you everything he has commanded, so don't add anything or take anything away.
3 You saw how he killed everyone who worshiped the god Baal Peor. 4 But all of you that were faithful to the Lord your God are still alive today.
5-8 No other nation has laws that are as fair as the ones the Lord my God told me to give you. If you faithfully obey them when you enter the land, you will show other nations how wise you are. In fact, everyone that hears about your laws will say, “That great nation certainly is wise!” And what makes us greater than other nations? We have a God who is close to us and answers our prayers.
9 You must be very careful not to forget the things you have seen God do for you. Keep reminding yourselves, and tell your children and grandchildren as well. 10 Do you remember the day you stood in the Lord's presence at Mount Sinai? The Lord said, “Moses, bring the people of Israel here. I want to speak to them so they will obey me as long as they live, and so they will teach their children to obey me too.”
11 Mount Sinai was surrounded by deep dark clouds, and fire went up to the sky. You came to the foot of the mountain, 12 and the Lord spoke to you from the fire. You could hear him and understand what he was saying, but you couldn't see him. 13 The Lord said he was making an agreement with you, and he told you that your part of the agreement is to obey the Ten Commandments. Then the Lord wrote these Commandments on two flat stones.
14 That's when the Lord commanded me to give you the laws and teachings you must obey in the land that you will conquer west of the Jordan River.
Don't Worship Idols
Moses said to Israel:
15 When God spoke to you from the fire, he was invisible. So be careful 16 not to commit the sin of worshiping idols. Don't make idols to be worshiped, whether they are shaped like men, women, 17 animals, birds, 18 reptiles, or fish. 19 And when you see the sun or moon or stars, don't be tempted to bow down and worship them. The Lord put them there for all the other nations to worship. 20 But you are the Lord's people, because he rescued you from Egypt, that fiery furnace.
21 The Lord was angry with me because of what you said, and he told me that he would not let me cross the Jordan River into the good land that he is giving you. 22 So I must stay here and die on this side of the Jordan, but you will cross the river and take the land.
23 Always remember the agreement that the Lord your God made with you, and don't make an idol in any shape or form. 24 The Lord will be angry if you worship other gods, and he can be like a fire destroying everything in its path.
25-26 Soon you will cross the Jordan River and settle down in the land. Then in the years to come, you will have children, and they will give you grandchildren. After many years, you might lose your sense of right and wrong and make idols, even though the Lord your God hates them. So I am giving you fair warning today, and I call the earth and the sky as witnesses. If you ever make idols, the Lord will be angry, and you won't have long to live, because the Lord will let you be wiped out. 27 Only a few of you will survive, and the Lord will force you to leave the land and will scatter you among the nations. 28 There you will have to worship gods made of wood and stone, and these are nothing but idols that can't see or hear or eat or smell.
29-30 In all of your troubles, you may finally decide that you want to worship only the Lord. And if you turn back to him and obey him completely, he will again be your God. 31 The Lord your God will have mercy—he won't destroy you or desert you. The Lord will remember his promise, and he will keep the agreement he made with your ancestors.
32-34 When the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt, you saw how he fought for you and showed his great power by performing terrifying miracles. You became his people, and at Mount Sinai you heard him talking to you out of fiery flames. And yet you are still alive! Has anything like this ever happened since the time God created humans? No matter where you go or who you ask, you will get the same answer. No one has ever heard of another god even trying to do such things as the Lord your God has done for you.
35-36 The Lord wants you to know he is the only true God, and he wants you to obey him. That's why he let you see his mighty miracles and his fierce fire on earth, and why you heard his voice from that fire and from the sky.
37 The Lord loved your ancestors and decided that you would be his people. So the Lord used his great power to bring you out of Egypt. 38 Now you face other nations more powerful than you are, but the Lord has already started forcing them out of their land and giving it to you.
39 So remember that the Lord is the only true God, whether in the sky above or on the earth below. 40 Today I am explaining his laws and teachings. And if you always obey them, you and your descendants will live long and be successful in the land the Lord is giving you.
Safe Towns
41-43 Moses said, “People of Israel, you must set aside the following three towns east of the Jordan River as Safe Towns: Bezer in the desert highlands belonging to the Reuben tribe; Ramoth in Gilead, belonging to the Gad tribe; and Golan in Bashan, belonging to the Manasseh tribe. If you kill a neighbor without meaning to, and if you had not been angry with that person, you can run to one of these towns and find safety.”
The Second Speech: Moses Tells What the Lord Demands
Israel at Beth-Peor
44-46 The Israelites had come from Egypt and were camped east of the Jordan River near Beth-Peor, when Moses gave these laws and teachings. The land around their camp had once belonged to King Sihon of Heshbon. But Moses and the Israelites defeated him 47 and King Og of Bashan, and took their lands. These two Amorite kings had ruled the territory east of the Jordan River 48 from the town of Aroer on the edge of the Arnon River gorge, north to Mount Hermon. 49 Their land included the eastern side of the Jordan River valley, as far south as the Dead Sea below the slopes of Mount Pisgah.
Ekumaido lokudiinina oipango yaKalunga
1 “Israel, pwilikina hano paife eenghedimhango nomalombwelo aa ame handi mu longo mu a wanife, opo mu kale nomwenyo nokuya medu olo Omwene Kalunga kooxo te ke mu pa, mu li nangale. 2 Kondjovo ei ame handi mu lombwele, inamu weda ko sha, nye inamu kufa ko sha. Opo mu shiive okudiinina oipango yOmwene Kalunga keni, ei ame handi mu lombwele.
3 “Omesho eni a tala eshi Omwene a ningile molwaBaal-Peor. Osheshi ovalumenhu aveshe ava va shikula Baal-Peor, ova hanaunwa po kOmwene Kalunga keni mokati keni. 4 Ndelenee ava mwa li mwa kanyatela kOmwene Kalunga keni, nye amushe omu nomwenyo natango fiyo onena. 5 Taleni, ame nde mu longa eenghedimhango nomalombwelo ngaashi Omwene Kalunga kange a lombwela nge, opo mu di shikule medu olo tamu ka nangala. 6 Di diinineni hano noku di wanifa, osheshi do ounongo weni neendunge deni momesho oiwana, oyo tai ka uda eenghedimhango edi ndele tai ti: ‘Oshili, oshiwana eshi shinene oshovanhu ve nounongo neendunge.’ 7 Osheshi oshiwana shilipipo shinene shi noikalunga ei i li popepi nasho ngaashi Omwene wetu, keshe efimbo hatu mu ifana? 8 Noshiwana shilipipo shinene shi li po ngeno shi neenghedimhango da yuka nomalombwelo ngaashi omhango aishe ei ame handi mu pe nena? 9 Kala wa lungama u lipashukile, uha dimbwe eshi we shi mona nomesho oye mwene, ndele shiha dje mo momutima woye mokukala kwoye akushe, ndelenee u shi shiivifile ovana voye novatekulu voye, 10 mefiku linya wa li wa kala ofika koshipala shOmwene Kalunga koye puHoreb, Omwene eshi a lombwela nge ta ti: ‘Ongelele nge ovanhu ndele Ame ohandi ke va udifila eendjovo dange, vo opo va shiive okutila nge momafiku aeshe aa hava kala kombada yedu, ndele va shiive okulonga ovana vavo adishe odo.’ 11 Opo nee mwa ehena po, ndele mwa kala pefina lomhunda. Komhunda kwa kaluka omundilo fiyo opokati keulu, nomilaulu noilemo noshiwiwili shoilemo. 12 NOmwene okwa popya nanye momundilo. Nye omwa uda eendjovo, ndelenee inamu mona emoniko lasha, ondaka aike mwa uda. 13 Opo nee Ye e mu shiivifila ehangano laye, olo Ye e mu lombwela mu li ninge—oipango omulongo, ndele e i shangela mo moipelende ivali yomamanya. 14 Mefimbo linya Omwene okwa lombwela nge yo ndi mu longe eenghedimhango nomalombwelo, opo mu shiive oku di wanifa medu olo tamu i mulo mu ke li nangale.
15 “Lipashukileni hano, osheshi mefiku linya Omwene e mu popifa momundilo puHoreb, nye inamu mona emoniko lasha, 16 Opo muha longe oixuna nye ngeenge tamu lihongele oshihongwafano, efano la fa efano loshikalunga, efano lolupe lomulumenhu ile lomukainhu, 17 efano loshinamwenyo shokombada yedu ile efano lodila i nomavava tai tuka mevalelwa, 18 ile efano laayo tai alangata pedu, ile efano loshikwameva shi li momeva koshi yedu. 19 Ove uha yelule omesho oye keulu, ove ngeenge to mono etango nohani neenyofi, eengudu adishe dokeulu, uha pukifwe u linyongamene kudo noku di longela, oinima Omwene Kalunga koye okwe i tukulila oiwana aishe koshi yeulu alishe. 20 Ndelenee Omwene okwe mu kufa nokwe mu pitifa mo meleva loivela muEgipiti, mu kale oshiwana shaye shefyuululo ngaashi mu li nena. 21 Omwene okwa handukila nge yo omolweni, ndele Ye okwa ana, ame itandi ka tauluka Jordan, ndele itandi ka ya medu liwa, Omwene Kalunga koye, te ke ku pa efyuululo. 22 Osheshi ohandi ka fila medu eli, ame itandi ka tauluka Jordan. Ndelenee nye otamu ka tauluka nokunangala edu olo liwa. 23 Lungameni, muha dimbwe ehangano lOmwene Kalunga keni, Ye e li ninga nanye ndele muhe lihongele oihongwafano ile efano limwe laashi Omwene Kalunga koye e ku shilika. 24 Osheshi Omwene Kalunga koye Oye omundilo hau lungwinifa, Kalunga omuladi.
25 “Ovana veni novatekulu veni ava tamu ka dala, nye eshi mwa kulupila moshilongo ndele tamu longo oixuna, nye eshi tamu liningile oshihongwafano, efano lasha, ndele tamu ningi eshi inashi yuka momesho Omwene Kalunga keni, ndele tamu mu handukifa, 26 Opo nee edu neulu nali ninge ondobwedi yange nena eli oku mu pa oushima nokutya, otamu ka tewa mo divadiva moshilongo, omo tamu i mokutauluka Jordan, mu shi nangale. Ndele itamu ka kala omafiku mahapu, ndelenee tamu ka halakanifwa shili. 27 NOmwene ote ke mu halakanifila mokati koiwana, nokangudu kanini keni taka ka xupa po mokati koiwana, muyo Omwene te ke mu twala. 28 Ndele oko otamu ka longela oikalunga, oilonga yomake ovanhu, oshiti nemanya, ihava mono ko, ihava udu ko, ihava li noihava fimbula. 29 Opo nee nye otamu ka konga Omwene Kalunga keni noku mu mona ngeenge tamu mu kongo nomutima aushe, nomwenyo aushe. 30 Nye ngeenge mu li momafininiko noinima aishe ei tai mu hange pexulilo lomafiku, nye otamu ka alukila Omwene Kalunga keni nokupwilikina ondaka yaye. 31 Osheshi Omwene Kalunga koye Ye oKalunga omunefilonghenda. Ye ite mu efele ndele ite mu undwile mehanauno. Ndele Ye ita dimbwa ehangano Ye e li anenene ooxo.
32 “Osheshi ngeenge to pula komafimbo onale, aa e tu tetekelela, okudja kefiku linya Kalunga a shita ovanhu kombada yedu, oto pula komunghulo weulu fiyo okumukwao: oinima inene i fike opo oya ningwa tuu ile shimwe shi fike opo osha udika tuu? 33 Oku na tuu oshiwana sha uda ondaka yaKalunga tai popi momundilo, ngaashi ove wa udile, ndele wa kala nomwenyo? 34 Ile Kalunga umwe okwa hetekela tuu okulikufila oshiwana shomoshiwana shikwao nomayelekoponga, nomadidiliko noikumwifa noita neke li neenghono nokwooko kwa yeluka noilonga tai tilifa ngaashi Kalunga keni a ninga muEgipiti momesho eni? 35 Ove mwene we shi ulikilwa, opo u shiive nokutya, Omwene Oye Kalunga. Ponho yaye kape na umwe. 36 Meulu Ye e ku udifila ondaka yaye, opo e ku longe Ndele kombada yedu Ye e ku talififa omundilo waye munene, ndele ove wa uda eendjovo daye momundilo. 37 Ndele Ye eshi kwa li e hole ooxo nokwa hoolola oludalo lavo komesho yavo, ndele Ye mwene e mu pitifa mo muEgipiti neenghono daye dinene, 38 opo a taatae komesho yoye oiwana inene noi neenghono, i ku dule, ndele e ku twale mo u pewe oilongo yavo efyuululo, ngaashi shi li nena eli. 39 Onghee hano kala u shi shii nena eli u li tambule momutima woye nokutya, Omwene Oye Kalunga meulu noposhi kombada yedu. Kape na umwe. 40 Ndele ove u nokudiinina eenghedimhango daye noipango yaye, ei handi ku lombwele nena, opo ove mwene noludalo loye komesho yoye li kale nawa, nomafiku oye opo a ninge mahapu medu olo Omwene Kalunga koye te li ku pe fiyo alushe.”
Oihondamenolando yokoushilo waJordan
41 Opo nee Moses okwa tongola oilando itatu koushilo waJordan langhele kepito letango, 42 opo ou a dipaa, a shiive okuya onhapo kuyo, ou a dipaa mukwao ine shi teelela, fimbo ye ine mu yala onghela nongheleinya, opo a shiive okuya onhapo moshilando shimwe shomoilando ei nokukala nomwenyo. 43 Beser shomombuwa monhele yedu la lalakana, kOvarubeni. Ndele Ramot muGilead kOvagad. NaGolan muBasan kOvamanasse.
44 Nomhango ei Moses e i lombwela ovana vaIsrael. 45 Odo eendobwedi neenghedimhango nomalombwelo, Moses e a lombwela ovana vaIsrael mokudja kwavo muEgipiti, 46 koushilo waJordan, mefilu la shaama naBet-Peor, moshilongo shaSihon, ohamba yOvaamori, ei ya kala muHesbon, oyo ya tewa kuMoses novana vaIsrael mokudja kwavo muEgipiti. 47 Ndele vo ova nangala oshilongo shaye noshilongo shaOg, ohamba yaBasan; eehamba odo mbali dOvaamori koushilo waJordan, langhele kepito letango, 48 okudja kuAroer, shi li pomunghulo womulonga waArnon, fiyo okomhunda yaSirjon nokutya, Hermon. 49 Noshikandjo ashishe sha lalakana koushilo waJordan, langhele kepito letango fiyo okefuta ledu la lalakana, pefina lomhunda yaPisga.
