Other people have done those terrible sins. But you must obey my laws! You must not do any of those terrible sins! Don’t make yourself filthy with those terrible sins! I am the Lord your God.”
“The priests will have special times to serve me. They must be careful at those times. They must be careful not to make the holy things not holy. If they are careful, then they will not die. I, the Lord, have separated them for this special job.
You must stay at the entrance of the Meeting Tent day and night for seven days. If you don’t obey the Lord’s commands, then you will die! The Lord gave me those commands.”
The Lord All-Powerful said these things.\par “Live the way I tell you,\par and do all the things I say.\par And you will be in charge of my temple.\par You will take care of its courtyard.\par You will be free to go\par anywhere in my temple\par just like these angels standing here.\par
“Now, people of Israel, listen! What does the Lord your God really want from you? The Lord wants you to respect him and do what he says. God wants you to love him and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
{“The Lord says,} ‘You must listen carefully to the commands I give you today: You must love the Lord your God, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul. If you do that, then
“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.
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!”
“I taught you the laws and rules that the Lord my God commanded me. I taught you these laws so that you could obey them in the land you are ready to enter and take for your own.
Moses called together all the people of Israel and said to them, “People of Israel, listen to the laws and rules that I tell you today. Learn these laws and be sure to obey them.
I only wanted to change their way of thinking—I wanted them to respect me and obey all my commands from the heart! Then everything would be fine with them and with their descendants [33] forever.
“These are the commands, the laws, and the rules that the Lord your God told me to teach you. Obey these laws in the land that you are entering to live in.