The Greatest Commandment
(Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:28–34)

1These are the comaundemetes, ordinaunces, and lawes, which the Lorde your God commaunded me to teache you, that ye might do them in the lande whither ye go to possesse it: 2Namely, that thou mightest feare the Lord thy God, & kepe all his ordinaunces and his commaundementes which I commaunde thee, thou & thy sonne, & thy sonnes sonne all the dayes of thy lyfe: that thy dayes may be prolonged. 3Heare therfore O Israel, and take heede that thou do it, that it may go well with thee, & that ye may encrease mightily, euen as the Lorde God of thy fathers hath promised thee, a lande that floweth with mylke and honie.

4Heare O Israel, the Lorde our God is Lorde only. 5And thou shalt loue the Lorde thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soule, and with all thy myght. 6And these wordes which I commaunde thee this day, shalbe in thine heart: 7And thou shalt shewe them vnto thy children, and shalt talke of them when thou art at home in thine house, and as thou walkest by the way, & when thou lyest downe, and when thou risest vp. 8And thou shalt binde them for a signe vpon thine hande, and they shalbe as frontlettes betweene thine eyes, 9And thou shalt write them vpon the postes of thy house, & vpon thy gates.

10And when the Lorde thy God hath brought thee into the lande which he sware vnto thy fathers, Abraham, Isahac, and Iacob, and shall geue to thee great & goodly cities which thou buildedst not, 11Houses full of all maner of goodes which thou filledst not, & welles digged which thou diggedst not, vineyardes and oliue trees which thou plantedst not, and when thou hast eaten & art full: 12Then beware lest thou forget ye Lorde which brought thee out of the lande of Egypt from the house of bondage. 13Thou shalt feare the Lorde thy God and serue hym, and shalt sweare by his name. 14See that ye walke not after straunge gods, the gods of the nations which are about you: 15(For the Lorde thy God is a ielous God among you) lest the countenaunce of the Lorde thy God be moued to wrath agaynst thee, and destroy thee from the face of the earth.

16Ye shall not tempt the Lorde your God, as ye dyd in the place of temptation. 17But you shall diligently kepe the commaundementes of the Lord your God, & his testimonies, and his ordinaunces which he hath commaunded thee: 18And thou shalt do that which is right & good in the sight of the Lorde: that thou mayst prosper, and that thou mayst go in, & possesse that good lande which the Lorde sware vnto thy fathers, 19To cast out all thine enemies before thee, as the Lorde hath sayde.

Teach Your Children

20And when thy sonne asketh thee in tyme to come, saying: What meaneth these testimonies, ordinaunces, and lawes, which the Lorde our God hath commaunded you? 21Then thou shalt say vnto thy sonne: We were Pharaos bondmen in Egypt, and the Lorde brought vs out of Egypt with a mightie hande: 22And the Lorde shewed signes, and wonders, great and euyll vpon Egypt, vpon Pharao, and vpon all his householde, before our eyes: 23And brought vs out from thence, to bryng vs in and to geue vs the lande which he sware vnto our fathers. 24And he hath commaunded vs to do all these ordinaunces, & to feare the Lorde our God for our wealth all the dayes of our lyfe, as it is come to passe this day. 25Moreouer, this shalbe our righteousnesse before the Lorde our God, if we take heede, & kepe all these commaundementes, as he hath commaunded vs.