6. Obey these laws carefully. This will show the people of the other nations that you are wise and sensible. They will hear about these laws and say, ‘Truly, the people of this great nation are wise and sensible.’
7. “The Lord our God is near when we ask him to help us. No other nation has a god like that!
8. And no other nation is great enough to have laws and rules as good as the teachings I give you today.
9. But you must be careful! Be sure that as long as you live you never forget what you have seen. You must teach these things to your children and grandchildren.
10. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Horeb. The Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people together to listen to what I have to say. Then they will learn to respect me as long as they live on earth. And they will teach these things to their children.’
11. You came near and stood at the bottom of the mountain. The mountain burned with fire that reached up to the sky. There were thick black clouds and darkness.
12. Then the Lord spoke to you from the fire. You heard the sound of someone speaking, but you did not see any form. There was only a voice.
13. The Lord told you about his agreement, which he commanded you to obey. He told you about the Ten Commandments, which he wrote on two stone tablets.
14. At that time the Lord also commanded me to teach you the other laws and rules that you must follow in the land you are going to take and live in.
15. “On the day the Lord spoke to you from the fire at Mount Horeb, you did not see him—there was no shape for God.
16. So be careful! Don’t sin and destroy yourselves by making false gods or statues in the shape of any living thing. Don’t make an idol that looks like a man or a woman,
17. or like an animal on the earth, or like a bird that flies in the sky.