Hæc sunt præcepta, et cæremoniæ, atque judicia, quæ mandavit Dominus Deus vester ut docerem vos, et faciatis ea in terra, ad quam transgredimini possidendam:

These are the precepts, and ceremo- nies, and judgments, which the Lord your God commanded that I should teach you, and that you should do them in the land into which you pass over to possess it:

To me, then, the Lord your God entrusted the proclaiming of those laws, and observances, and decrees, so that you would have a rule to live by, yonder in the land that is to be your home.

ut timeas Dominum Deum tuum, et custodias omnia mandata et præcepta ejus, quæ ego præcipio tibi, et filiis, ac nepotibus tuis, cunctis diebus vitæ tuæ, ut prolongentur dies tui.

That thou mayst fear the Lord thy God, and keep all his commandments and precepts, which I command thee, and thy sons, and thy grandsons, all the days of thy life, that thy days may be prolonged.

Go in fear of the Lord thy God; here is a lifelong task for thee, and thy sons and thy grandsons after thee, to observe all the laws and decrees I here make known to thee; so thou wilt keep what thou hast won.

Audi, Israël, et observa ut facias quæ præcepit tibi Dominus, et bene sit tibi, et multipliceris amplius, sicut pollicitus est Dominus Deus patrum tuorum tibi terram lacte et melle manantem.

Hear, O Israel, and observe to do the things which the Lord hath commanded thee, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayst be greatly multiplied, as the Lord the God of thy fathers hath promised thee a land flowing with milk and honey.

The Lord thy God, Israel, has promised thee a land that is all milk and honey; but if thou art to prosper and multiply there, thou must needs listen to his commands, and mark them well, and live by them.

Audi, Israël: Dominus Deus noster, Dominus unus est.

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.

Listen then, Israel; there is no Lord but the Lord our God,

Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo, et ex tota anima tua, et ex tota fortitudine tua.

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength.

and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with the love of thy whole heart, and thy whole soul, and thy whole strength.

Eruntque verba hæc, quæ ego præcipio tibi hodie, in corde tuo:

And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart:

The commands I give thee this day must be written on thy heart,

et narrabis ea filiis tuis, et meditaberis in eis sedens in domo tua, et ambulans in itinere, dormiens atque consurgens.

And thou shalt tell them to thy children, and thou shalt meditate upon them sitting in thy house, and walking on thy journey, sleeping and rising.

so that thou canst teach them to thy sons, and keep them in mind continually, at home and on thy travels, sleeping and waking;

Et ligabis ea quasi signum in manu tua, eruntque et movebuntur inter oculos tuos,

And thou shalt bind them as a sign on thy hand, and they shall be and shall move between thy eyes.

bound close to thy hand for a remembrancer, ever moving up and down before thy eyes;

scribesque ea in limine, et ostiis domus tuæ.

And thou shalt write them in the entry, and on the doors of thy house.

the legend thou dost inscribe on door and gate-post.

Cumque introduxerit te Dominus Deus tuus in terram, pro qua juravit patribus tuis Abraham, Isaac, et Jacob, et dederit tibi civitates magnas et optimas, quas non ædificasti,

And when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, for which he swore to thy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: and shall have given thee great and goodly cities, which thou didst not build,

A time will come when the Lord has granted thee entrance into the land which he promised to thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; when he has given thee possession of cities great and fair, not of thy building,

domos plenas cunctarum opum, quas non exstruxisti, cisternas, quas non fodisti, vineta et oliveta, quæ non plantasti,

Houses full of riches, which thou didst not set up, cisterns which thou didst not dig, vineyards and oliveyards, which thou didst not plant,

houses that abound in wealth, not of thy making, wells not of thy digging, vineyards and oliveyards not of thy planting;

et comederis, et saturatus fueris:

And thou shalt have eaten and be full:

when thou hast eaten of these and taken thy fill.

cave diligenter ne obliviscaris Domini, qui eduxit te de terra Ægypti, de domo servitutis. Dominum Deum tuum timebis, et illi soli servies, ac per nomen illius jurabis.

Take heed diligently lest thou forget the Lord, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and shalt serve him only, and thou shalt swear by his name.

Then beware; then thou wilt be in danger of forgetting that it was the Lord brought thee out of the land of Egypt, where thou hadst dwelt in slavery. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, to him only shalt thou do service, and swear by no other name than this.

Non ibitis post deos alienos cunctarum gentium, quæ in circuitu vestro sunt:

You shall not go after the strange gods of all the nations, that are round about you:

All the neighbouring peoples have their own gods; do not fall away into worship of them;

quoniam Deus æmulator Dominus Deus tuus in medio tui: nequando irascatur furor Domini Dei tui contra te, et auferat te de superficie terræ.

Because the Lord thy God is a jealous God in the midst of thee: lest at any time the wrath of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and take thee away from the face of the earth.

the Lord thy God, who dwells so close to thee, is jealous in his divine love, and if he is roused to anger with thee, he will sweep thee off the face of the earth.

Non tentabis Dominum Deum tuum, sicut tentasti in loco tentationis.

Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God, as thou temptedst him in the place of temptation.

Thou shalt not put the Lord thy God to the proof, as thou didst at the Place of Challenge;

Custodi præcepta Domini Dei tui, ac testimonia et cæremonias, quas præcepit tibi:

Keep the precepts of the Lord thy God, and the testimonies and ceremonies which he hath commanded thee.

it is for thee to live by his commandments, by the decrees and observances he has enjoined on thee,

et fac quod placitum est et bonum in conspectu Domini, ut bene sit tibi: et ingressus possideas terram optimam, de qua juravit Dominus patribus tuis,

And do that which is pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with thee: and going in thou mayst possess the goodly land, concerning which the Lord swore to thy fathers,

to obey the Lord’s good pleasure. So shalt thou prosper, and the fair land which the Lord promised to thy fathers shall be thine to have and to hold;

ut deleret omnes inimicos tuos coram te, sicut locutus est.

That he would destroy all thy enemies before thee, as he hath spoken.

he will be true to his word, and dispossess all those enemies of thine at thy onslaught.

Cumque interrogaverit te filius tuus cras, dicens: Quid sibi volunt testimonia hæc, et cæremoniæ, atque judicia, quæ præcepit Dominus Deus noster nobis?

And when thy son shall ask thee to morrow, saying: What mean these testimonies, and ceremonies and judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded us?

And so, in time to come, when one of thy sons asks thee what is the meaning of all the decrees and observances and awards which the Lord your God has given you,

dices ei: Servi eramus Pharaonis in Ægypto, et eduxit nos Dominus de Ægypto in manu forti:

Thou shalt say to him: We were bondmen of Pharao in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand.

this shall be thy answer: We dwelt in Egypt once, as Pharao’s slaves, and the Lord our God rescued us from Egypt by his constraining power,

fecitque signa atque prodigia magna et pessima in Ægypto contra Pharaonem, et omnem domum illius in conspectu nostro,

And he wrought signs and wonders great and very grievous in Egypt against Pharao, and all his house, in our sight,

subduing Pharao and his court with portents and marvels, great and grievous, under our eyes.

et eduxit nos inde, ut introductis daret terram, super qua juravit patribus nostris.

And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in and give us the land, concerning which he swore to our fathers.

So rescued, he brought us here, and gave us entrance into this fair land which he had promised to our fathers;

Præcepitque nobis Dominus ut faciamus omnia legitima hæc, et timeamus Dominum Deum nostrum, ut bene sit nobis cunctis diebus vitæ nostræ, sicut est hodie.

And the Lord commanded that we should do all these ordinances, and should fear the Lord our God, that it might be well with us all the days of our life, as it is at this day.

warning us that we must observe all these laws of his, and go in fear of the Lord our God. Then the prosperity that is ours to-day will be ours all our life long;

Eritque nostri misericors, si custodierimus et fecerimus omnia præcepta ejus coram Domino Deo nostro, sicut mandavit nobis.

And he will be merciful to us, if we keep and do all his precepts before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.

he will have mercy on us, if he sees us ever faithful to his commandments, ever obedient to his will.