How we cite our quotes: (Chapter:Verse)
Quote #1
"Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you." (NRSV 6:3)
Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. (KJV 6:3)
A land that flows with milk and honey? Sounds ooey and gooey to us, but these are two products that take quite a bit of work to extract from nature. If they just "flow" in the Promised Land, that means a lot less work for the inhabitants. Sounding better and better, right?
Quote #2
"When the Lord your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you have eaten your fill, take care that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." (NRSV 6:10-12)
And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. (KJV 6:10-12)
Sounds like the promises that God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Genesis are coming true. And because the other nations have already done all of the hard work for them, they'll just be able to enjoy. Oh, but that little warning at the end has us a little worried.
Quote #3
"[H]e will love you, bless you, and multiply you; he will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock, in the land that he swore to your ancestors to give you. You shall be the most blessed of peoples, with neither sterility nor barrenness among you or your livestock." (NRSV 7:13-14)
And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. (KJV 7:13-14)
The Israelites did not measure success in terms of money—it only mattered how many children, cattle, and crops they had. They don't call it the Promised Land for nothing.