遵守誡命蒙祝福

28 「你們若全心順服你們的上帝耶和華,謹遵祂今天藉我吩咐你們的一切誡命,祂必使你們超越天下萬國。 你們若聽從你們的上帝耶和華的話,以下的福氣必臨到你們,追隨你們。

「無論你們住在城裡還是鄉村,都必蒙福。

「你們必子孫昌盛,五穀豐登,牛羊成群。

「你們的籃子和揉麵盆都必蒙福。

「你們必出入平安。

「耶和華必使來犯之敵敗在你們面前、潰不成軍、四散逃命。

「耶和華必使你們凡事蒙福、五穀滿倉。你們的上帝耶和華必在祂賜給你們的土地上賜福你們。

「你們若遵守你們上帝耶和華的誡命,遵行祂的旨意,祂必按自己的誓言使你們成為祂聖潔的子民。 10 天下萬民將看出你們是耶和華的子民,並懼怕你們。

11 「在耶和華向你們祖先起誓要賜給你們的土地上,祂必使你們子孫昌盛、牛羊成群、五穀豐登。 12 耶和華要為你們打開天上美好的倉庫,使你們風調雨順、凡事蒙福。你們必借貸給多國,卻無需向別國借貸。 13-14 你們若聽從你們的上帝耶和華藉我今天吩咐你們的誡命,謹慎遵行,毫不偏離,也不隨從、供奉別的神明,祂必使你們做首不做尾,居上不居下。

違背誡命受咒詛

15 「你們若不聽從你們的上帝耶和華,不謹遵祂今天藉我吩咐你們的一切誡命和律例,祂必使以下的咒詛臨到你們。

16 「無論你們住在城裡還是鄉村,都必受咒詛。

17 「你們的籃子和揉麵盆都必受咒詛。

18 「婦女所生的,土地所產的,牛羊所生的都必受咒詛。

19 「你們出入都必受咒詛。

20 「因為你們背棄耶和華,祂要使你們凡事受咒詛、混亂不堪、飽受責罰,直到你們被毀滅,迅速滅亡。

21 「祂要使瘟疫緊緊跟隨你們,直到你們在將要佔領的土地上被滅絕。

22 「祂要使你們遭受癆病、熱症、瘧疾、炙熱、刀劍、乾旱和黴爛之災,直到你們滅亡。

23 「祂要使你們頭頂的天如銅,腳下的地如鐵。

24 「祂要使雨水變為塵土,降在你們身上,直到你們滅亡。

25 「祂要使你們被敵人擊敗、潰不成軍、四散逃命,下場令天下萬國驚懼。 26 你們的屍體要成為飛禽走獸的食物,必無人趕走牠們。

27 「祂要使你們患埃及的膿瘡、腫瘤和癬疥,無藥可治。

28 「祂要使你們發瘋、失明、心智錯亂。

29 「你們必在大白天摸索,就像盲人在黑暗中摸索一樣,你們的道路必不得亨通,你們要終日受人欺壓搶掠,無人搭救。

30 「你們聘了妻子,別人必佔有她;你們蓋了房屋,必不能住在裡面;你們栽種葡萄園,必吃不到園中的出產。

31 「你們必看著自己的牛被宰殺卻吃不到肉,自己的驢被搶走後一去不還,自己的羊被敵人擄走卻無人搭救, 32 自己的兒女被外族人擄走,你們終日望眼欲穿,卻無能為力。

33 「與你們素不相識的民族必吃光你們土地的出產和勞碌所得,你們必常受欺壓, 34 以致眼前的一切令你們發瘋。

35 「耶和華要使你們從頭到腳長滿毒瘡,無藥可治。

36 「耶和華要帶你們和你們的王到一個你們和你們祖先都不知道的國家,你們要在那裡供奉木石神像。

37 「在耶和華驅逐你們去的列國,你們的下場將很可怕,受盡嘲笑和譏諷。

38 「你們種的多,卻收的少,因為莊稼必被蝗蟲吃掉。

39 「你們栽種、修剪葡萄園,卻吃不到葡萄,也喝不到葡萄酒,因為葡萄必被蟲子吃掉。

40 「你們境內長滿橄欖樹,卻沒有橄欖油抹身,因為橄欖必未熟先落。

41 「你們生兒育女,卻留不住一個,因為他們必被擄走。

42 「蝗蟲要吃光你們的樹木和地上的出產。

43 「你們中間的外族人要日益興旺,你們卻要日漸衰微。

44 「他們要借貸給你們,你們卻不能借貸給他們。他們要做首,你們要做尾。

45 「如果你們不聽你們上帝耶和華的話,不遵守祂吩咐你們的誡命和律例,這些咒詛都必臨到你們、追趕你們,直到毀滅你們。 46 這些咒詛要永遠成為你們和你們子孫的警戒和徵兆。 47 如果你們在富足時不心甘情願地事奉你們的上帝耶和華, 48 你們必失去所有,饑餓乾渴、赤身裸體地侍奉耶和華派來攻擊你們的敵人。祂要把鐵軛加在你們的頸上,直到消滅你們。

49 「耶和華要使一國從遙遠的地極興起,他們要如鷹飛來襲擊你們。你們不懂他們的語言。 50 他們面目猙獰,不尊重年老的,也不憐憫年少的。 51 他們要吃光你們的牛羊、五穀、新酒和油,直到消滅你們。 52 在你們的上帝耶和華所賜給你們的土地上,他們要把你們圍困在各個城邑中,直到你們所依賴的高大堅固的城牆都倒塌。

53 「當你們被敵人圍困、陷入絕境時,你們必吃自己的親生骨肉——你們的上帝耶和華賜給你們的兒女。 54-55 因為被敵人困在城中,饑餓難熬,連你們中間最溫柔體貼的男人也要獨自吞吃子女的肉,不肯分給自己的兄弟、愛妻和剩下的兒女。 56-57 因為被敵人困在城中,饑餓難熬,連你們中間最溫柔、嬌嫩得連腳也不肯踏在地上的婦女,都要偷偷吃掉自己生的嬰兒和胎胞,不肯分給所愛的丈夫和子女。

58 「如果你們不謹遵這書上所寫的一切律法,不敬畏你們的上帝耶和華那榮耀、可畏的名, 59 祂必使你們及子孫遭遇嚴重而長久的災難和疾病, 60 使你們所懼怕的埃及人的疾病都降在你們身上,纏擾你們, 61 還使一切未記在這律法書上的疾病和災難降在你們身上,直到消滅你們。 62 如果你們不聽從你們的上帝耶和華的話,即使你們的人數多如天上的星,也將所剩無幾。 63 正如耶和華喜歡賜福你們,使你們人丁興旺,祂也同樣會不惜消滅你們,使你們在將要佔領的土地上滅亡。

64 「耶和華要把你們分散到天下萬邦,你們要在那裡供奉祖祖輩輩素不認識的木石神像。 65 你們在萬邦中將不得安寧,沒有落腳之地,耶和華必使你們膽戰心驚、目光呆滯、精神頹廢。 66 你們必惴惴不安,晝夜恐懼,生死難料。 67 你們必看見可怕之事,以致心中充滿恐懼,早上盼望天黑,晚上盼望天亮。 68 耶和華必沿著我曾說你們再不會走的路線,用船把你們送回埃及。你們將在那裡賣身做敵人的僕婢,卻無人買。」

28 “And it will happen that if you indeed listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, to diligently observe[a] all his commandments that I am commanding you today,[b] then Yahweh your God will set you above all the nations of the earth. And all of these blessings shall come upon you, and they shall have an effect on you[c] if you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God:

“You will be blessed in the city, and you will be blessed in the field.

“Blessed will be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your livestock, the calf of your cattle and the lambs of your flock.[d]

“Blessed will be your basket and your kneading trough.

“Blessed will you be when you come in and blessed will you be when you go out.[e]

“Yahweh will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you;[f] on one road[g] they shall come out against you, but on seven roads[h] they shall flee before you.[i] Yahweh will command concerning you[j] the blessing to be in your barns and in all your endeavors;[k] and he will bless you in the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you. Yahweh will establish you for himself[l] as a holy people as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of Yahweh your God and you walk in his ways. 10 And all of the peoples of the earth shall see that by the name of Yahweh you are called,[m] and they shall fear you.[n] 11 And Yahweh will make you successful and prosperous,[o] in the fruit of your womb and on the land that Yahweh swore to your ancestors[p] to give to you. 12 Yahweh shall open for you his rich[q] storehouse, even the heavens, to give the rain for[r] your land in its time and to bless all of the work of your hand, and you will lend to many nations; you will not borrow from them. 13 And Yahweh shall make you[s] as head and not the tail, and you shall be only at the top of the nations, and you shall not be at the bottom, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God that I am commanding you today[t] and diligently observe them.[u] 14 And you shall not turn aside from any of[v] the words that I am commanding you today[w] to the right or left by going after other gods to serve them.

15 And then[x] if you do not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God by diligently observing[y] all of his commandments and his statutes that I am commanding you today,[z] then all of these curses shall come upon you, and they shall overtake you:

16 “You shall[aa] be cursed in the city, and you shall be cursed in the field.

17 “Your basket shall be cursed and your kneading trough.

18 “The fruit of your womb shall be cursed and the fruit of you ground, the calves of your cattle and the lambs of your flock.

19 “You shall be cursed when you come in,[ab] and you shall be cursed when you go out.[ac]

20 “Yahweh will send upon you[ad] the curse,[ae] the panic,[af] and the threat[ag] in everything that you undertake,[ah] until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly[ai] because of[aj] the evil of your deeds in that[ak] you have forsaken me. 21 Yahweh will cause the plague to cling to you until it consumes you[al] from the land that you are going to,[am] to take possession of it. 22 Yahweh will afflict you with the wasting diseases and with the fever and with the inflammation and with the scorching heat and with the sword[an] and with the blight and with the mildew, and they shall pursue you until you perish.[ao] 23 And your heavens that are over your heads shall be like bronze, and the earth that is under you shall be like iron. 24 Yahweh will change the rain of your land to fine dust and to sand; from the heaven it shall come down upon you until you are destroyed.[ap]

25 “Yahweh shall cause you to be defeated before[aq] your enemies; on one road you shall go against[ar] them,[as] but you will flee on seven roads before[at] them,[au] and you shall become a thing of horror to all of the kingdoms of the earth. 26 And your dead bodies shall be as food for all of the birds of the heaven and to the animals of the earth, and there shall not be anyone to frighten them away.[av]

27 “Yahweh shall afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors and with the scurvy and with the skin rash that cannot be healed.[aw] 28 Yahweh shall afflict you with madness and with blindness and with confusion of heart. 29 And you shall be groping at noon just as the blind person gropes in the dark, and you shall not succeed in finding your way, and you shall only be abused and robbed all the time,[ax] and there will not be anyone who will rescue you. [ay] 30 You shall become engaged to a woman, but another man shall sleep[az] with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not live in it; a vineyard you shall plant, but you shall not enjoy it. 31 Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, and you shall not eat it; your donkey shall be stolen right before you,[ba] and it shall not be returned to you; your sheep and your goats shall be given to your enemies, and there shall not be anyone who rescues you.[bb] 32 Your sons and your daughters shall be given to other people, and you will be looking on[bc] longingly[bd] for[be] them all day, but you will be powerless to do anything.[bf] 33 A people that you do not know shall consume the harvest of your land and all your labor, and you will be only oppressed and crushed for the rest of your lives.[bg] 34 You shall become mad because of what your eyes shall see.[bh] 35 Yahweh shall strike you with grievous boils on the knees and on the upper thighs from which you will not be able to be healed,[bi] from the sole of your foot and up to your crown. 36 Yahweh will bring you and your king whom you set up over you to a nation that you or your ancestors[bj] have not known, and there you will serve other gods of wood and stone. 37 And you will become a horror and a proverb and ridicule among all the peoples where Yahweh drives you there.

38 “You shall carry out much seed to the field, but you shall gather little produce, for the locust shall devour it. 39 You shall plant vineyards and you shall dress[bk] them, but you shall not drink wine and you shall not gather grapes, for the worm shall eat it.[bl] 40 There shall be olive trees for you in all of your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself, for your olives[bm] shall drop off. 41 You shall bear sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours,[bn] for they shall go into captivity. 42 The cricket shall take possession of all your trees and the fruit of your ground. 43 The alien that is in your midst shall ascend over you, higher and higher, but you shall go down lower and lower. 44 He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, but you shall be the tail.

45 “And all of these curses shall come over you, and they shall pursue you, and they shall overtake you until you are destroyed,[bo] because you did not listen[bp] to the voice of Yahweh your God, by observing[bq] his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you. 46 And they shall be among you as a sign and as a wonder and among your offspring forever.[br]

47 Because[bs] of the fact that you did not serve Yahweh your God with joy and with gladness of heart for the abundance of everything, 48 then you shall serve your enemies, whom Yahweh will send against you under conditions of famine, in thirst, in nakedness, and in a lack of everything; and he shall place[bt] a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.[bu] 49 Yahweh will raise up against you a nation from far off, from the end of the earth, attacking as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you will not understand,[bv] 50 a grim-faced nation[bw] who does not show respect[bx] to the old and the young and does not show pity. 51 And it[by] shall consume the fruit of your livestock and the fruit of your ground until you are destroyed,[bz] and who will not leave for you any grain, wine, and olive oil, calves of your herds,[ca] and lambs of[cb] your flock until it has destroyed you.[cc] 52 And it shall besiege you in all your towns until your high and fortified walls fall,[cd] which you are trusting in[ce] throughout your land;[cf] and it shall besiege you in all of your towns in all of your land that Yahweh your God has given to you. 53 And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and your daughters, whom Yahweh your God gave to you, during the siege and during the distress[cg] your enemy inflicts upon you. 54 The most refined and the very sensitive[ch] man among you shall be mean with his brother[ci] and against his beloved wife[cj] and against the rest[ck] of his children that he has left over, 55 by refraining from giving[cl] to even one of them any of the meat of his children that he eats, because there is not anything that is left over for him during the siege and distress[cm] that your enemy inflicts upon you. 56 The most refined and the most delicate woman among you, who shall[cn] not venture to put the sole of her foot on the ground from being so delicate and from such gentleness, shall be mean to her beloved husband[co] and against her son and against her daughter, 57 and even concerning her afterbirth that goes out[cp] from between her feet and also concerning her children that she bears, because she eats them for lack of anything in secret during the siege and during the distress[cq] that your enemy inflicts upon her in your towns.[cr]

58 “If you do not diligently observe[cs] all the words of this law written in this scroll by revering this glorious and awesome name, Yahweh your God, 59 then Yahweh shall overwhelm you with your plagues and the plagues of your offspring, severe plagues and lasting illnesses, grievous and enduring. 60 And he shall bring back upon you all the diseases of Egypt concerning which you were in dread[ct] because of them.[cu] 61 Also any illness and any plague[cv] that is not written in the scroll of this law, he shall bring them, Yahweh, upon you until you are destroyed. 62 And you shall remain only a few people[cw] in place of the fact you were formerly as the stars of heaven as far as number is concerned, because you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God. 63 And then[cx] as Yahweh delighted over you to make you prosperous[cy] to make you numerous, so Yahweh shall delight over you to exterminate you[cz] and to destroy you, and so you shall be plucked from the land that you are going there to take possession of it. 64 And Yahweh shall scatter you among all the nations from one end of the earth up to the other end of the earth, and there you shall serve other gods that you have not known nor[da] your ancestors,[db] gods of wood and stone. 65 And among these nations you shall not find rest, and there shall not be a resting place for the sole of your foot, and Yahweh shall give you there an anxious heart and a weakening of eyes[dc] and a languishing of your inner self.[dd] 66 And your life shall hang in doubt before you,[de] and you shall be startled[df] night and day, and you shall not be confident of your life. 67 In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it was evening!’[dg] and in the evening you shall say ‘If only it was morning!’[dh] because of the dread of your heart that you shall feel, and because of the sight of your eyes that you shall see. 68 And Yahweh shall bring you back to Egypt in ships by the route that I promised[di] to you thatYou shall not see it again!’[dj] And you shall sell yourself there to your enemies as slaves and as female slaves, but there will not be a buyer.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 28:1 Literally “to observe to do”
  2. Deuteronomy 28:1 Literally “the day”
  3. Deuteronomy 28:2 Literally “they shall overtake you”
  4. Deuteronomy 28:4 Literally “what is dropped of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks”
  5. Deuteronomy 28:6 Literally “in/at your coming and you will be blessed in/at your going out”
  6. Deuteronomy 28:7 Literally “the ones rising against you being defeated to the face of you”
  7. Deuteronomy 28:7 Or “way”
  8. Deuteronomy 28:7 Or “ways”
  9. Deuteronomy 28:7 Literally “to the face of you”
  10. Deuteronomy 28:8 Literally “with you”
  11. Deuteronomy 28:8 Literally “in all of the sending forth of your hand”
  12. Deuteronomy 28:9 Literally “to/for him”
  13. Deuteronomy 28:10 Literally “that the name of Yahweh is called/assigned upon you”
  14. Deuteronomy 28:10 Literally “they shall be afraid/fearful from you”
  15. Deuteronomy 28:11 Literally “Yahweh will cause for you goodness”
  16. Deuteronomy 28:11 Or “fathers”
  17. Deuteronomy 28:12 Literally “good”
  18. Deuteronomy 28:12 Hebrew “of”
  19. Deuteronomy 28:13 Literally “place/set you up”
  20. Deuteronomy 28:13 Literally “the day”
  21. Deuteronomy 28:13 Literally “to observe them and to do them”
  22. Deuteronomy 28:14 Literally “all of”
  23. Deuteronomy 28:14 Literally “the day”
  24. Deuteronomy 28:15 Literally “and it will happen”
  25. Deuteronomy 28:15 Literally “to observe and to do”
  26. Deuteronomy 28:15 Literally “the day”
  27. Deuteronomy 28:16 All of these curses have a future orientation that points to Israel in the land of Canaan
  28. Deuteronomy 28:19 Literally “at/in your coming”
  29. Deuteronomy 28:19 Literally “at/in your going out”
  30. Deuteronomy 28:20 Others translate as a wish: “may Yahweh send upon you …”
  31. Deuteronomy 28:20 These words are translated variously, e.g., “starvation,” “thirst,” “rebuke/dysentery” (NEB) or “curses,” “confusion,” “frustration” (NLT)
  32. Deuteronomy 28:20 Or “confusion”
  33. Deuteronomy 28:20 Or “rebuke”
  34. Deuteronomy 28:20 Literally “in all the sending out of your hand that you do”
  35. Deuteronomy 28:20 Literally “until your to be destroyed and until your to perish quickly”
  36. Deuteronomy 28:20 Literally “from the face of the evil of your deeds”
  37. Deuteronomy 28:20 Literally “which”
  38. Deuteronomy 28:21 Literally “it to consume to”
  39. Deuteronomy 28:21 Hebrew “to there”
  40. Deuteronomy 28:22 Others translate “drought” (NLT, NEB)
  41. Deuteronomy 28:22 Literally “until your/you to perish”
  42. Deuteronomy 28:24 Literally “until your being destroyed”
  43. Deuteronomy 28:25 Literally “to the face of”
  44. Deuteronomy 28:25 Literally “to/toward”
  45. Deuteronomy 28:25 Hebrew “him”
  46. Deuteronomy 28:25 Literally “to the face of”
  47. Deuteronomy 28:25 Hebrew “him”
  48. Deuteronomy 28:26 Literally “one causing fright to them
  49. Deuteronomy 28:27 Literally “the skin rash that not it is able it to be healed”
  50. Deuteronomy 28:29 Literally “all the days”
  51. Deuteronomy 28:29 Literally “one who delivers/rescues you
  52. Deuteronomy 28:30 Or “ravish/violate”
  53. Deuteronomy 28:31 Literally “to the face of you”
  54. Deuteronomy 28:31 Literally “there shall not be for you one who rescues”
  55. Deuteronomy 28:32 Literally “your eyes will see/look”
  56. Deuteronomy 28:32 Literally “wearing out”
  57. Deuteronomy 28:32 Hebrew “to”
  58. Deuteronomy 28:32 Literally “but there will not be for power of your hand”
  59. Deuteronomy 28:33 Literally “all of the days”
  60. Deuteronomy 28:34 Literally “from/by the sight of your eyes”
  61. Deuteronomy 28:35 Literally “which not you are able to heal”
  62. Deuteronomy 28:36 Or “fathers”
  63. Deuteronomy 28:39 Or “cultivate”
  64. Deuteronomy 28:39 That is, the produce
  65. Deuteronomy 28:40 Hebrew “olive”
  66. Deuteronomy 28:41 Literally “for you”
  67. Deuteronomy 28:45 Literally “until you to be destroyed”
  68. Deuteronomy 28:45 Literally “not you listened”
  69. Deuteronomy 28:45 Literally “to observe”
  70. Deuteronomy 28:46 Literally “until eternity,” but not in a timeless, philosophic sense
  71. Deuteronomy 28:47 Literally “Under”
  72. Deuteronomy 28:48 Literally “give”
  73. Deuteronomy 28:48 Literally “until his destroying of you”
  74. Deuteronomy 28:49 Literally “a nation who not you will understand its language”
  75. Deuteronomy 28:50 Literally “a nation fierce/determined of face”
  76. Deuteronomy 28:50 Literally “who not lifts up faces
  77. Deuteronomy 28:51 That is, the invading nation
  78. Deuteronomy 28:51 Literally “until your destroying”
  79. Deuteronomy 28:51 Literally “what is dropped of your herds”
  80. Deuteronomy 28:51 Literally “the offspring of small animals”
  81. Deuteronomy 28:51 Literally “until his to destroy you”
  82. Deuteronomy 28:52 Literally “until the coming down of your walls, high and fortified”
  83. Deuteronomy 28:52 Hebrew “in them,” which is redundant
  84. Deuteronomy 28:52 Literally “in all of your land”
  85. Deuteronomy 28:53 Literally “in siege and in distress”
  86. Deuteronomy 28:54 Or “kindly disposed”
  87. Deuteronomy 28:54 Literally “shall be bad/evil his eye against his brother”
  88. Deuteronomy 28:54 Literally “against the wife of his lap”
  89. Deuteronomy 28:54 Or “remainder”
  90. Deuteronomy 28:55 Literally “from giving”
  91. Deuteronomy 28:55 Literally “in the siege and distress”
  92. Deuteronomy 28:56 Or “would”
  93. Deuteronomy 28:56 Literally “shall be bad her eye against the husband of her lap”
  94. Deuteronomy 28:57 Literally “the going out”
  95. Deuteronomy 28:57 Literally “in the siege and in the distress”
  96. Deuteronomy 28:57 Literally “gates”
  97. Deuteronomy 28:58 Literally “you observe to do”
  98. Deuteronomy 28:60 Literally “you dreaded”
  99. Deuteronomy 28:60 Literally “from their presence”
  100. Deuteronomy 28:61 Or “each illness and each plague”
  101. Deuteronomy 28:62 Literally “with people of few”
  102. Deuteronomy 28:63 Literally “And it will happen”
  103. Deuteronomy 28:63 Literally “to do good with you”
  104. Deuteronomy 28:63 Or “to cause you to perish”
  105. Deuteronomy 28:64 Hebrew “and”
  106. Deuteronomy 28:64 Or “your fathers”
  107. Deuteronomy 28:65 Or “a failure of eyes”
  108. Deuteronomy 28:65 Or “soul”
  109. Deuteronomy 28:66 Literally “they shall be your life hanging for you in front”
  110. Deuteronomy 28:66 Or “in fear”
  111. Deuteronomy 28:67 Literally “Who shall give evening?”
  112. Deuteronomy 28:67 Literally “Who shall give morning?”
  113. Deuteronomy 28:68 Literally “spoke”
  114. Deuteronomy 28:68 Literally “you shall not do again further to see it/her”