12 You are all here to enter into an agreement with the Lord your God. The Lord your God is making this agreement with you today.
13 With this agreement he is making you his own special people, and he himself will become your God. He told you this. He promised this to your ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
14 The Lord is making this agreement with its promises with you people, but not only with you.
15 Yes, he is making this agreement with all of you who stand here with us today before the Lord our God. But this agreement is also for our descendants who are not here with us today.
16 You remember how we lived in the land of Egypt. And you remember how we traveled through the countries that were on our way here.
17 You saw their hated things—the idols they had made from wood, stone, silver, and gold.
18 Be sure that there is no man, woman, family or tribe here today who turns away from the Lord our God. No one should go and serve the gods of the other nations. People who do that are like a plant that grows bitter and poisonous fruit.