Deuteronomy 5:26-33

26 Has anyone ever known of anyone who has heard the Voice of God the way we have and lived to tell the story?
27 "From now on, you go and listen to what God, our God, says and then tell us what God tells you. We'll listen and we'll do it."
28 God heard what you said to me and told me, "I've heard what the people said to you. They're right - good and true words.
29 What I wouldn't give if they'd always feel this way, continuing to revere me and always keep all my commands; they'd have a good life forever, they and their children!
30 "Go ahead and tell them to go home to their tents.
31 But you, you stay here with me so I can tell you every commandment and all the rules and regulations that you must teach them so they'll know how to live in the land that I'm giving them as their own."
32 So be very careful to act exactly as God commands you. Don't veer off to the right or the left.
33 Walk straight down the road God commands so that you'll have a good life and live a long time in the land that you're about to possess.

Deuteronomy 5:26-33 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 5

In this chapter Moses, after a short preface, De 5:1-5, repeats the law of the decalogue, or ten commands, with some little variation, De 5:6-21, and then reminds the Israelites of the terrible manner in which it was delivered to them, De 5:22,23 which put them upon making a request that Moses might be a mediator between God and them, and hear what the Lord had to say, and report it to them; to which they promised obedience, De 5:24-27 and which being agreeable to the Lord was granted, De 5:28-31, and this laid them under a greater obligation to observe the commands of God, and keep them, De 5:32,33.

Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.