Moses spoke to Israel, saying, "Listen carefully to the laws and decrees I am teaching you. Follow them, so that you may live and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. Do not add to His commands or take away from them, but keep every word He has given."
He reminded them of what happened at Baal Peor, where those who turned away to worship that false god were destroyed, but all who remained faithful to the Lord were still alive that day.
"The Lord my God," Moses continued, "has taught me these laws so you may obey them in the land you are about to possess. Keep them carefully, for they will show your wisdom to the nations around you. They will say, 'Surely this great nation is wise and understanding!' For what nation is so great as to have their god near them, as the Lord our God is near whenever we call upon Him? And what nation has such righteous laws as the ones given to you today?"
He warned them, "Be watchful and do not forget what your eyes have seen. Keep these things in your heart all your life, and teach them to your children and grandchildren. Remember the day you stood before the Lord at Mount Horeb. The Lord told me, 'Gather the people before Me, that they may hear My words and learn to fear Me all their days, and teach their children to do the same.'
"You stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire up to the heavens, surrounded by darkness and thick clouds. Then the Lord spoke to you from the fire. You heard His voice, but saw no form—only the sound of words. He declared His covenant, the Ten Commandments, and wrote them on two stone tablets. Then He commanded me to teach you all the laws you must follow in the land you are entering."
Moses cautioned them to be very careful not to make any image or idol, for when the Lord spoke from the fire, they saw no shape. They were not to fashion anything in the likeness of a man or woman, an animal, a bird, a crawling creature, or a fish. Neither were they to bow before the sun, moon, or stars, which the Lord has given to all nations under heaven.
"The Lord," he said, "brought you out of Egypt, that iron furnace, to make you His own people. But because of you, He was angry with me and swore that I would not cross the Jordan into the good land the Lord your God is giving you. I will die here, but you will cross over and take possession of it. So be careful not to forget His covenant or make an idol, for the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."
Moses warned them of the future: "When you have lived long in the land and have children and grandchildren, if you become corrupt and make idols, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day—you will quickly perish from the land. You will be scattered among the nations, and only a few will remain. There you will serve gods made of wood and stone that cannot see, hear, eat, or smell.
"But if, from that place, you seek the Lord with all your heart and soul, you will find Him. In the time of distress, when all these things happen to you, you will return to the Lord your God and obey Him. For He is merciful and will not abandon you or forget the covenant made with your forefathers."
Moses urged them to reflect: "Ask from the beginning of creation—has anything so great ever happened? Has any people heard God's voice speaking out of fire and lived? Has any god ever rescued a nation by miracles, signs, wonders, and mighty acts, as the Lord did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
"These things were shown to you so you would know the Lord alone is God—there is no other. From heaven, He let you hear His voice to discipline you, and on earth, He showed you His great fire and spoke to you from it. Because He loved your ancestors, He chose their descendants and brought you out of Egypt with His mighty power. He drove out nations greater and stronger than you, to give you their land as your inheritance, as it is this day.
"Therefore, acknowledge this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below—there is no other. Keep His decrees and commands, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, and you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you forever."
Then Moses set apart three cities east of the Jordan where anyone who killed a person unintentionally could flee for safety. These cities were Bezer in the wilderness for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.
This was the law Moses set before the Israelites—these were the decrees, statutes, and commands he gave them after they came out of Egypt. It was in the valley near Beth Peor, in the land once ruled by Sihon king of the Amorites, whom they defeated. They also took the land of Og king of Bashan, both kings ruling east of the Jordan, from Aroer near the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon, including the Arabah plain east of the Jordan down to the slopes of Pisgah.