The Covenant in Moab

29 [a](A)These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the (B)covenant which He had made with them at Horeb.

[b]And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants, and to all his land; (C)the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders. Yet to this day (D)the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear. And I have led you in the wilderness for forty years; (E)your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot. (F)You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or other strong drink, in order that you might know that I am the Lord your God. (G)When you [c]reached this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out to meet us for battle, but we [d]defeated them; and we took their land and (H)gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites. (I)So you will keep the words of this covenant and do them, (J)in order that you may be successful in everything that you do.

10 “You stand today, all of you, before the Lord your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders and your officers, that is, all the men of Israel, 11 your little ones, your wives, and the stranger who is within your camps, from (K)the one who gathers your firewood to the one who draws your water, 12 so that you may enter into the covenant with the Lord your God, and into His oath which the Lord your God is making with you today, 13 in order that He may establish you today as His people, and that (L)He may be your God, just as He spoke to you and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

14 “Now it is not with you alone that I am (M)making this covenant and this oath, 15 (N)but both with those who stand here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God, and with those who are not with us here today 16 (for you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we passed through the midst of the nations through which you passed; 17 moreover, you have seen their abominations and their idols made of (O)wood and stone, silver and gold, which they had with them); 18 (P)so that there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; that there will not be among you (Q)a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood. 19 And it shall be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will consider himself fortunate in his heart, saying, ‘I will do well though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order [e]to destroy the watered land along with the dry.’ 20 The Lord will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the Lord and (R)His wrath will [f](S)burn against that person, and every curse that is written in this book will lie upon him, and the Lord will (T)wipe out his name from under heaven. 21 Then the Lord will single him out for disaster from all the tribes of Israel, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant (U)which is written in this Book of the Law.

22 “Now the future generation, your sons who rise up after you and (V)the foreigner who comes from a distant land, when they see the plagues of that land and the diseases with which the Lord has afflicted it, will say, 23 ‘All its land is (W)brimstone and salt, (X)burned debris, [g]unsown and unproductive, and no grass grows on it, like the overthrow of (Y)Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and in His wrath.’ 24 All the nations will say, ‘(Z)Why has the Lord done all this to this land? Why this great [h]outburst of anger?’ 25 Then people will say, ‘It is (AA)because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26 And they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they have not known and whom He had not [i]assigned to them. 27 Therefore, the anger of the Lord burned against that land, (AB)to bring upon it every curse which is written in this book; 28 and (AC)the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger, fury, and in great wrath, and hurled them into another land, as it is this day.’

29 (AD)The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but (AE)the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, so that we may [j]follow all the words of this Law.

Restoration Promised

30 “So it will be when all of these things have come upon you, (AF)the blessing and the curse which I have placed before you, and you [k]call them to mind (AG)in all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you, and you (AH)return to the Lord your God and [l]obey Him (AI)with all your heart and soul in accordance with everything that I am commanding you today, you and your sons, then the Lord your God will (AJ)restore [m]you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and (AK)will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has (AL)scattered you. If any of your scattered countrymen are at the [n]ends of the earth, (AM)from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will [o]bring you back. (AN)The Lord your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will be good to you and (AO)make you more numerous than your fathers.

“Moreover, (AP)the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your [p]descendants, (AQ)to love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul, so that you may live. (AR)And the Lord your God will [q]inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. And you will again [r]obey the Lord, and [s]follow all His commandments which I am commanding you today. (AS)Then the Lord your God will prosper you [t]abundantly in every work of your hand, in the [u]children of your womb, the [v]offspring of your cattle, and in the [w]produce of your ground, for (AT)the Lord will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; 10 [x]if you [y]obey the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which (AU)are written in this Book of the Law, [z]if you turn to the Lord your God (AV)with all your heart and soul.

11 “For this commandment which I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it far away. 12 It is not in heaven, [aa]that you could say, ‘(AW)Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us, and proclaim it to us, so that we may [ab]follow it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, [ac]that you could say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us and get it for us and proclaim it to us, so that we may [ad]follow it?’ 14 On the contrary, the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may [ae]follow it.

Choose Life

15 “See, (AX)I have placed before you today life and [af]happiness, and death and [ag]adversity, 16 in that I am commanding you today (AY)to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, so that you (AZ)may live and become numerous, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but allow yourself to be led astray and you worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that (BA)you will certainly perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter [ah]and take possession of it. 19 (BB)I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have placed before you life and death, (BC)the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your [ai]descendants, 20 (BD)by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and (BE)by holding close to Him; (BF)for [aj]this is your life and the length of your days, [ak]so that you may live in (BG)the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

Moses’ Last Counsel

31 So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them, “I am (BH)120 years old today; (BI)I am no longer able to [al]go out and come in, and the Lord has told me, ‘(BJ)You shall not cross this Jordan.’ (BK)It is the Lord your God who is going to cross ahead of you; He Himself will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. (BL)Joshua is the one who is going to cross ahead of you, just as the Lord has spoken. And the Lord will do to them just as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them. (BM)The Lord will turn them over to you, and you will do to them in accordance with all the commandments which I have commanded you. (BN)Be strong and courageous, (BO)do not be afraid or in dread of them, for (BP)the Lord your God is the One who is going with you. (BQ)He will not desert you or abandon you.”

Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “(BR)Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you will give it to them as an inheritance. And (BS)the Lord is the one who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. (BT)He will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear and do not be dismayed.”

So Moses wrote this Law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi (BU)who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of (BV)the year of the release of debts, at the (BW)Feast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes (BX)to appear before the Lord your God at (BY)the place which He will choose, (BZ)you shall read this Law before all Israel [am]so that they hear it. 12 Assemble the people, the men, the women, the children, and the stranger who is in your [an]town, so that they may hear and (CA)learn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to [ao]follow all the words of this Law. 13 And their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live on the land [ap]which you are about to cross the Jordan to [aq]possess.”

Israel Will Fall Away

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, [ar](CB)the time for you to die is near; call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, and I will commission him.” (CC)So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. 15 (CD)And the Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the entrance of the tent. 16 The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, (CE)you are about to [as]lie down with your fathers; and (CF)this people will arise and play the prostitute with the foreign gods of the land into the midst of which they are going, and (CG)they will abandon Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 (CH)Then My anger will be kindled against them on that day, and (CI)I will abandon them and (CJ)hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will find them; so they will say on that day, ‘(CK)Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have found us?’ 18 But I will assuredly hide My face on that day because of all the evil that they will have done, for they will have turned away to other gods.

19 “Now then, (CL)write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it [at]on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel. 20 (CM)For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they eat and are satisfied and (CN)become [au]prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant. 21 Then it will come about, (CO)when many evils and troubles find them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of their [av]descendants); for (CP)I know their inclination which they are [aw]developing today, before I bring them into the land which I swore.” 22 (CQ)So Moses wrote down this song on the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.

Joshua Is Commissioned

23 (CR)Then He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “(CS)Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and (CT)I will be with you.”

24 It came about, when Moses finished writing the words of this Law in a book until they were complete, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites (CU)who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, 26 “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, so that it may [ax]remain there as a witness against you. 27 For I know (CV)your rebellion and (CW)your [ay]stubbornness; behold, as long as I have been alive with you until today, you have been rebellious against the Lord; how much more, then, after my death? 28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and (CX)call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will (CY)behave very corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will confront you in the latter days, because you will do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands.”

30 Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were complete:

The Song of Moses

32 (CZ)Listen, you heavens, and I will speak;
And let the earth hear the words of my mouth!
(DA)May my teaching drip as the rain,
My speech trickle as the dew,
(DB)As droplets on the fresh grass,
And as the showers on the vegetation.
(DC)For I proclaim the name of the Lord;
(DD)Ascribe greatness to our God!
(DE)The Rock! His work is perfect,
(DF)For all His ways are [az]just;
(DG)A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
Righteous and just is He.
[ba](DH)They have acted corruptly against Him,
They are not His children, because of their defect;
(DI)But are a perverse and crooked generation.
Is this what you (DJ)do to the Lord,
(DK)You foolish and unwise people?
(DL)Is He not your Father who has purchased you?
(DM)He has made you and established you.
Remember the days of old,
Consider the years of all generations.
(DN)Ask your father and he will inform you,
Your elders, and they will tell you.
(DO)When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
When He separated the sons of [bb]mankind,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
(DP)According to the number of the [bc]sons of Israel.
(DQ)For the Lords portion is His people;
Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.
10 (DR)He found him in a desert land,
And in the howling wasteland of a wilderness;
He encircled him, He cared for him,
He guarded him as (DS)the [bd]apple of His eye.
11 (DT)As an eagle stirs up its nest,
And hovers over its young,
(DU)He spread His wings, He caught them,
He carried them on His pinions.
12 (DV)The Lord alone guided him,
(DW)And there was no foreign god with him.
13 (DX)He had him ride on the high places of the earth,
And he ate the produce of the field;
(DY)And He had him suck honey from the rock,
And [be](DZ)oil from the flinty rock,
14 Curds of the herd, and milk of the flock,
With fat of lambs
And rams, the breed of Bashan, and of goats,
(EA)With the best of the wheat;
And you drank wine of the (EB)blood of grapes.

15 (EC)But [bf]Jeshurun became fat and kicked—
You have become fat, thick, and obstinate—
(ED)Then he abandoned God (EE)who made him,
And [bg]rejected (EF)the Rock of his salvation.
16 (EG)They made Him jealous with strange gods;
(EH)With abominations they provoked Him to anger.
17 (EI)They sacrificed to demons, who were not God,
(EJ)To gods whom they have not known,
(EK)New gods who came lately,
Whom your fathers did not know.
18 You forgot (EL)the Rock who fathered you,
(EM)And forgot the God who gave you birth.

19 (EN)The Lord saw this, and spurned them
(EO)Because of the provocation by His sons and daughters.
20 Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them,
(EP)I will see what their end will be;
(EQ)For they are a perverse generation,
(ER)Sons in whom there is no faithfulness.
21 (ES)They have made Me jealous with what is not God;
They have provoked Me to anger with their [bh](ET)idols.
(EU)So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people;
I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation,
22 (EV)For a fire has flared in My anger,
And it burns to the lowest part of [bi]Sheol,
(EW)And devours the earth with its yield,
And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 (EX)I will add misfortunes to them;
(EY)I will use up My arrows on them.
24 (EZ)They will be wasted by famine, and emaciated by [bj]plague
(FA)And a bitter epidemic;
(FB)And the teeth of beasts I will send against them,
(FC)With the venom of crawling things of the dust.
25 (FD)Outside the sword will make them childless,
And inside, terror—
(FE)Both young man and virgin,
The nursing child with the man of gray hair.
26 I would have said, “(FF)I will wipe them out,
(FG)I will remove the mention of [bk]their name from humanity,”
27 Had I not feared the provocation by the enemy,
That their adversaries would misjudge,
That they would say, “(FH)Our hand is [bl]triumphant,
And the Lord has not performed all this.”’

28 (FI)For they are a nation [bm]destitute of counsel,
And there is no understanding in them.
29 (FJ)If only they were wise and they understood this;
(FK)If only they would discern their [bn]future!
30 (FL)How could one chase a thousand,
And two put ten thousand to flight,
Unless their (FM)Rock had sold them,
And the Lord had given them up?
31 Indeed, their rock is not like our Rock;
(FN)Even our enemies [bo]themselves judge this.
32 For their vine is from the vine of Sodom,
And from the fields of Gomorrah;
Their grapes are grapes of (FO)poison,
Their clusters, bitter.
33 Their wine is the venom of [bp]serpents,
And the [bq]deadly poison of vipers.

34 (FP)Is it not stored up with Me,
Sealed up in My treasuries?
35 (FQ)Vengeance is Mine, and retribution;
(FR)In due time their foot will slip.
(FS)For the day of their disaster is near,
And the impending things are hurrying to them.’
36 (FT)For the Lord will vindicate His people,
(FU)And will have compassion on His servants,
When He sees that their [br]strength is gone,
And there is none remaining, bond or free.
37 And He will say, ‘(FV)Where are their gods,
The rock in which they took refuge?
38 (FW)Those who ate the fat of their sacrifices,
And drank the wine of their drink offering?
(FX)Let them rise up and help you,
Let them be your protection!
39 (FY)See now that I, I am He,
(FZ)And there is no god besides Me;
(GA)It is I who put to death and give life.
(GB)I have wounded and it is I who heal,
(GC)And there is no one who can save anyone from My hand.
40 Indeed, (GD)I raise My hand to heaven,
And say, as I live forever,
41 (GE)If I have sharpened [bs]My flashing sword,
And My hand has taken hold of justice,
(GF)I will return vengeance on My adversaries,
And I will repay those who hate Me.
42 (GG)I will make My arrows drunk with blood,
(GH)And My sword will devour flesh,
With the blood of the slain and the captives,
From the long-haired [bt]leaders of the enemy.’
43 (GI)Rejoice, you nations, with His people;
(GJ)For He will avenge the blood of His servants,
(GK)And will return vengeance on His adversaries,
(GL)And will atone for His land and His people.”

44 Then Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he, with [bu](GM)Joshua the son of Nun. 45 When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “(GN)Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you will command (GO)your sons to [bv]follow carefully, all the words of this Law. 47 For it is not a [bw]trivial matter for you; indeed (GP)it is your life. And (GQ)by this word you will prolong your days in the land, [bx]which you are about to cross the Jordan to [by]possess.”

48 Now (GR)the Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, 49 (GS)Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab [bz]opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel as a possession. 50 Then you are to die on the mountain where you ascend, and be (GT)gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51 (GU)because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the (GV)wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. 52 (GW)For you will see the land at a distance but (GX)you will not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 29:1 Ch 28:69 in Heb
  2. Deuteronomy 29:2 Ch 29:1 in Heb
  3. Deuteronomy 29:7 Lit came to
  4. Deuteronomy 29:7 Lit struck
  5. Deuteronomy 29:19 I.e., to destroy everything
  6. Deuteronomy 29:20 Lit smoke
  7. Deuteronomy 29:23 Lit it is not sown and does not make plants sprout
  8. Deuteronomy 29:24 Lit heat
  9. Deuteronomy 29:26 Lit apportioned
  10. Deuteronomy 29:29 Lit perform
  11. Deuteronomy 30:1 Lit return them to your heart
  12. Deuteronomy 30:2 Lit listen to His voice
  13. Deuteronomy 30:3 Lit your captivity
  14. Deuteronomy 30:4 Lit end of the sky
  15. Deuteronomy 30:4 Lit take you
  16. Deuteronomy 30:6 Lit seed
  17. Deuteronomy 30:7 Lit give
  18. Deuteronomy 30:8 Lit listen to the voice of
  19. Deuteronomy 30:8 Lit perform
  20. Deuteronomy 30:9 Lit for good
  21. Deuteronomy 30:9 Lit fruit
  22. Deuteronomy 30:9 Lit fruit
  23. Deuteronomy 30:9 Lit fruit
  24. Deuteronomy 30:10 Or for you will
  25. Deuteronomy 30:10 Lit listen to the voice of
  26. Deuteronomy 30:10 Or for you will
  27. Deuteronomy 30:12 Lit to say
  28. Deuteronomy 30:12 Lit perform
  29. Deuteronomy 30:13 Lit to say
  30. Deuteronomy 30:13 Lit perform
  31. Deuteronomy 30:14 Lit perform
  32. Deuteronomy 30:15 Lit good
  33. Deuteronomy 30:15 Lit evil
  34. Deuteronomy 30:18 Lit to
  35. Deuteronomy 30:19 Lit seed
  36. Deuteronomy 30:20 Lit that
  37. Deuteronomy 30:20 Lit to dwell
  38. Deuteronomy 31:2 I.e., as Israel’s leader
  39. Deuteronomy 31:11 Lit in their ears
  40. Deuteronomy 31:12 Lit gates
  41. Deuteronomy 31:12 Lit perform
  42. Deuteronomy 31:13 Lit where
  43. Deuteronomy 31:13 Lit possess it
  44. Deuteronomy 31:14 Lit your days to die are
  45. Deuteronomy 31:16 I.e., die
  46. Deuteronomy 31:19 Lit in their mouths
  47. Deuteronomy 31:20 Lit fat
  48. Deuteronomy 31:21 Lit seed
  49. Deuteronomy 31:21 Lit making
  50. Deuteronomy 31:26 Lit be
  51. Deuteronomy 31:27 Lit stiff neck
  52. Deuteronomy 32:4 Or judgment
  53. Deuteronomy 32:5 Lit It has
  54. Deuteronomy 32:8 Or Adam
  55. Deuteronomy 32:8 As in MT; DSS sons of God; LXX angels of God
  56. Deuteronomy 32:10 Lit pupil
  57. Deuteronomy 32:13 I.e., olive oil
  58. Deuteronomy 32:15 I.e., Israel
  59. Deuteronomy 32:15 Lit declared void
  60. Deuteronomy 32:21 Lit nonexistent things
  61. Deuteronomy 32:22 I.e., the netherworld
  62. Deuteronomy 32:24 Lit burning heat
  63. Deuteronomy 32:26 Lit them
  64. Deuteronomy 32:27 Lit high
  65. Deuteronomy 32:28 Lit perishing of
  66. Deuteronomy 32:29 Or latter end
  67. Deuteronomy 32:31 Lit are judges
  68. Deuteronomy 32:33 Lit dragons
  69. Deuteronomy 32:33 Lit cruel
  70. Deuteronomy 32:36 Lit hand
  71. Deuteronomy 32:41 Lit the lightning of My sword
  72. Deuteronomy 32:42 Lit head
  73. Deuteronomy 32:44 Lit Hoshea
  74. Deuteronomy 32:46 Lit be careful to perform
  75. Deuteronomy 32:47 Lit empty word
  76. Deuteronomy 32:47 Lit where
  77. Deuteronomy 32:47 Lit possess it
  78. Deuteronomy 32:49 Lit which is opposite

The Death of Moses

34 (A)Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord (B)showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the [a](C)western sea, and the [b]Negev and the territory in the Valley of Jericho, (D)the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land which (E)I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your [c]descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not go over there.” So Moses (F)the servant of the Lord (G)died there in the land of Moab, in accordance with the [d]word of the Lord. And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, (H)opposite Beth-peor; but (I)no one knows his burial place to this day. Although Moses was (J)120 years old when he died, (K)his eyesight was not dim, nor had his vigor left him. So the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.

Now Joshua the son of Nun was (L)filled with the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. 10 Since that time (M)no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom (N)the Lord knew face to face, 11 for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land— 12 and for all the mighty [e]power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 34:2 I.e., Mediterranean Sea
  2. Deuteronomy 34:3 I.e., South country
  3. Deuteronomy 34:4 Lit seed
  4. Deuteronomy 34:5 Lit mouth
  5. Deuteronomy 34:12 Lit hand

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