Deuteronomy 11:16-26

16 Be careful, or you will be fooled and will turn away to serve and worship other gods.
17 If you do, the Lord will become angry with you and will shut the heavens so it will not rain. Then the land will not grow crops, and you will soon die in the good land the Lord is giving you.
18 Remember my words with your whole being. Write them down and tie them to your hands as a sign; tie them on your foreheads to remind you.
19 Teach them well to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
20 Write them on your doors and gates
21 so that both you and your children will live a long time in the land the Lord promised your ancestors, as long as the skies are above the earth.
22 If you are careful to obey every command I am giving you to follow, and love the Lord your God, and do what he has told you to do, and are loyal to him,
23 then the Lord will force all those nations out of the land ahead of you, and you will take the land from nations that are bigger and stronger than you.
24 Everywhere you step will be yours. Your land will go from the desert to Lebanon and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea.
25 No one will be able to stop you. The Lord your God will do what he promised and will make the people afraid everywhere you go.
26 See, today I am letting you choose a blessing or a curse.

Deuteronomy 11:16-26 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 11

In this chapter, the exhortation to love the Lord, and keep his commands, is repeated and urged again and again from various considerations; as not only from the chastisement of Pharaoh and the wicked Egyptians, but of such Israelites who offended the Lord, and transgressed his law, De 12:1-7, from the goodness and excellency of the land they were going to inherit, De 11:8-11, from the blessing of rain that would come upon it, and be productive of all good things for man and beast, in case of obedience, and a restraint of it in case of disobedience, De 11:12-17, from the continuance of them and their offspring in the land, should they be careful to observe the commands themselves, and teach them their children, De 11:18-21, and from the extensiveness of their conquests and dominions, De 11:22-25 and from the different issue and effects of their conduct and behaviour, a blessing upon them if obedient, but a curse if disobedient, De 11:26-28 and the chapter is concluded with an exhortation to pronounce the blessing on Mount Gerizim, and the curse on Mount Ebal; the situation of which places is described when they should come into the land of Canaan, of which they are assured, De 11:29-32.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.