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.

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

Renewal of the Covenant

29 [a]These are the terms of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab,(A) in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.(B)

Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them:

Your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land.(C) With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those signs and great wonders.(D) But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.(E) Yet the Lord says, “During the forty years that I led(F) you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet.(G) You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink.(H) I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.”(I)

When you reached this place, Sihon(J) king of Heshbon(K) and Og king of Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them.(L) We took their land and gave it as an inheritance(M) to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh.(N)

Carefully follow(O) the terms of this covenant,(P) so that you may prosper in everything you do.(Q) 10 All of you are standing today in the presence of the Lord your God—your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel, 11 together with your children and your wives, and the foreigners living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water.(R) 12 You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the Lord your God, a covenant the Lord is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, 13 to confirm you this day as his people,(S) that he may be your God(T) as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 14 I am making this covenant,(U) with its oath, not only with you 15 who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God but also with those who are not here today.(V)

16 You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries on the way here. 17 You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold.(W) 18 Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns(X) away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.(Y)

19 When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing(Z) on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,”(AA) they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. 20 The Lord will never be willing to forgive(AB) them; his wrath and zeal(AC) will burn(AD) against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the Lord will blot(AE) out their names from under heaven. 21 The Lord will single them out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster,(AF) according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.(AG)

22 Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which the Lord has afflicted it.(AH) 23 The whole land will be a burning waste(AI) of salt(AJ) and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah,(AK) Admah and Zeboyim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger.(AL) 24 All the nations will ask: “Why has the Lord done this to this land?(AM) Why this fierce, burning anger?”

25 And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.(AN) 26 They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. 27 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book.(AO) 28 In furious anger and in great wrath(AP) the Lord uprooted(AQ) them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.”

29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God,(AR) but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.(AS)

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 29:1 In Hebrew texts 29:1 is numbered 28:69, and 29:2-29 is numbered 29:1-28.

The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.

A Psalm of David.

29 (A)Ascribe to the Lord, [a]sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory [b]due His name;
Worship the Lord (B)in holy attire.

The (C)voice of the Lord is on the waters;
The God of glory (D)thunders,
The Lord is over [c](E)many waters.
The voice of the Lord is (F)powerful,
The voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
Yes, the Lord breaks (G)the cedars of Lebanon in pieces.
He makes Lebanon (H)skip like a calf,
And (I)Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord divides [d]flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord [e]shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the wilderness of (J)Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes (K)the deer give birth
And strips the forests bare;
And (L)in His temple everything says, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sat as King at the (M)flood;
Yes, the Lord sits as (N)King forever.
11 [f]The Lord will give (O)strength to His people;
[g]The Lord will bless His people with (P)peace.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 29:1 Lit sons of gods
  2. Psalm 29:2 Lit of His name
  3. Psalm 29:3 Or great
  4. Psalm 29:7 I.e., lightning
  5. Psalm 29:8 Or causes...to whirl
  6. Psalm 29:11 Or May the Lord give
  7. Psalm 29:11 Or May the Lord bless

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

Ascribe to the Lord,(A) you heavenly beings,(B)
    ascribe to the Lord glory(C) and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness.(D)

The voice(E) of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory(F) thunders,(G)
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.(H)
The voice of the Lord is powerful;(I)
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.(J)
He makes Lebanon leap(K) like a calf,
    Sirion[b](L) like a young wild ox.(M)
The voice of the Lord strikes
    with flashes of lightning.(N)
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
    the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.(O)
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks[c](P)
    and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”(Q)

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;(R)
    the Lord is enthroned as King forever.(S)
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;(T)
    the Lord blesses his people with peace.(U)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 29:2 Or Lord with the splendor of
  2. Psalm 29:6 That is, Mount Hermon
  3. Psalm 29:9 Or Lord makes the deer give birth

Warnings and Instructions

29 A person [a]often (A)rebuked who [b]becomes obstinate
Will (B)suddenly be broken [c]beyond remedy.
When the (C)righteous [d]increase, the people rejoice,
But when a wicked person rules, people groan.
A man who (D)loves wisdom makes his father glad,
But he who (E)involves himself with prostitutes wastes his wealth.
The (F)king gives stability to the land by justice,
But a person who takes bribes ruins it.
A man who (G)flatters his neighbor
Is spreading a net for his steps.
By wrongdoing an evil person is (H)ensnared,
But the righteous (I)sings and rejoices.
The (J)righteous [e]is concerned for the rights of the poor;
The wicked does not understand such [f]concern.
Arrogant people (K)inflame a city,
But (L)wise people turn away anger.
When a wise person has a controversy with a foolish person,
[g]The foolish person either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.
10 People of (M)bloodshed hate the blameless person,
But the upright [h]are concerned for his life.
11 A (N)fool [i]always loses his temper,
But a (O)wise person holds it back.
12 If a (P)ruler pays attention to falsehood,
All his ministers become wicked.
13 The (Q)poor person and the oppressor [j]have this in common:
The Lord gives (R)light to the eyes of both.
14 If a (S)king judges the poor with truth,
His (T)throne will be established forever.
15 The (U)rod and a rebuke give wisdom,
But a child [k]who gets his own way (V)brings shame to his mother.
16 When the wicked [l]increase, wrongdoing increases;
But the (W)righteous will see their downfall.
17 (X)Correct your son, and he will give you comfort;
He will also [m](Y)delight your soul.
18 Where there is (Z)no [n]vision, the people (AA)are unrestrained,
But (AB)happy is one who keeps the Law.
19 A slave will not be instructed by words alone;
For though he understands, there will be no response.
20 Do you see a person who is (AC)hasty with his words?
There is (AD)more hope for a fool than for him.
21 One who pampers his slave from childhood
Will in the end find him to be rebellious.
22 An (AE)angry person stirs up strife,
And a hot-tempered person abounds in wrongdoing.
23 A person’s (AF)pride will bring him low,
But a (AG)humble spirit will obtain honor.
24 One who is a partner with a thief hates his own life;
He (AH)hears the oath but tells nothing.
25 The (AI)fear of man [o]brings a snare,
But one who (AJ)trusts in the Lord will be protected.
26 (AK)Many seek the ruler’s [p]favor,
But (AL)justice for mankind comes from the Lord.
27 An (AM)unjust person is an abomination to the righteous,
And one who is (AN)upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 29:1 Lit of rebukes who
  2. Proverbs 29:1 Lit hardens his neck
  3. Proverbs 29:1 Lit and there is no remedy
  4. Proverbs 29:2 Or become great
  5. Proverbs 29:7 Lit knows the cause
  6. Proverbs 29:7 Lit knowledge
  7. Proverbs 29:9 Lit He
  8. Proverbs 29:10 Lit seek his soul
  9. Proverbs 29:11 Lit sends forth all his spirit
  10. Proverbs 29:13 Lit meet together
  11. Proverbs 29:15 Lit left to himself
  12. Proverbs 29:16 Or become great
  13. Proverbs 29:17 Lit give delight to
  14. Proverbs 29:18 Or revelation
  15. Proverbs 29:25 Lit gives
  16. Proverbs 29:26 Lit face

29 Whoever remains stiff-necked(A) after many rebukes
    will suddenly be destroyed(B)—without remedy.(C)

When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;(D)
    when the wicked rule,(E) the people groan.(F)

A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,(G)
    but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.(H)

By justice a king gives a country stability,(I)
    but those who are greedy for[a] bribes tear it down.

Those who flatter their neighbors
    are spreading nets for their feet.(J)

Evildoers are snared by their own sin,(K)
    but the righteous shout for joy and are glad.

The righteous care about justice for the poor,(L)
    but the wicked have no such concern.

Mockers stir up a city,
    but the wise turn away anger.(M)

If a wise person goes to court with a fool,
    the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.

10 The bloodthirsty hate a person of integrity
    and seek to kill the upright.(N)

11 Fools give full vent to their rage,(O)
    but the wise bring calm in the end.(P)

12 If a ruler(Q) listens to lies,
    all his officials become wicked.(R)

13 The poor and the oppressor have this in common:
    The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.(S)

14 If a king judges the poor with fairness,
    his throne will be established forever.(T)

15 A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom,
    but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.(U)

16 When the wicked thrive, so does sin,
    but the righteous will see their downfall.(V)

17 Discipline your children, and they will give you peace;
    they will bring you the delights you desire.(W)

18 Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
    but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.(X)

19 Servants cannot be corrected by mere words;
    though they understand, they will not respond.

20 Do you see someone who speaks in haste?
    There is more hope for a fool than for them.(Y)

21 A servant pampered from youth
    will turn out to be insolent.

22 An angry person stirs up conflict,
    and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.(Z)

23 Pride brings a person low,(AA)
    but the lowly in spirit gain honor.(AB)

24 The accomplices of thieves are their own enemies;
    they are put under oath and dare not testify.(AC)

25 Fear(AD) of man will prove to be a snare,
    but whoever trusts in the Lord(AE) is kept safe.(AF)

26 Many seek an audience with a ruler,(AG)
    but it is from the Lord that one gets justice.(AH)

27 The righteous detest the dishonest;
    the wicked detest the upright.(AI)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 29:4 Or who give