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Deuteronomy 29-32
New American Standard Bible
Deuteronomy 29-32
New American Standard Bible
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.
2 [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; 3 (C)the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders. 4 Yet to this day (D)the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear. 5 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. 6 (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. 7 (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; 8 and we took their land and (H)gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites. 9 (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, 2 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, 3 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. 4 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. 5 (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.
6 “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. 7 (AR)And the Lord your God will [q]inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. 8 And you will again [r]obey the Lord, and [s]follow all His commandments which I am commanding you today. 9 (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. 2 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.’ 3 (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. 4 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. 5 (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. 6 (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.”
7 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. 8 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.”
9 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!
2 (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.
3 (DC)For I proclaim the name of the Lord;
(DD)Ascribe greatness to our God!
4 (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.
5 [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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 (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.
9 (DQ)For the Lord’s 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
- Deuteronomy 29:1 Ch 28:69 in Heb
- Deuteronomy 29:2 Ch 29:1 in Heb
- Deuteronomy 29:7 Lit came to
- Deuteronomy 29:7 Lit struck
- Deuteronomy 29:19 I.e., to destroy everything
- Deuteronomy 29:20 Lit smoke
- Deuteronomy 29:23 Lit it is not sown and does not make plants sprout
- Deuteronomy 29:24 Lit heat
- Deuteronomy 29:26 Lit apportioned
- Deuteronomy 29:29 Lit perform
- Deuteronomy 30:1 Lit return them to your heart
- Deuteronomy 30:2 Lit listen to His voice
- Deuteronomy 30:3 Lit your captivity
- Deuteronomy 30:4 Lit end of the sky
- Deuteronomy 30:4 Lit take you
- Deuteronomy 30:6 Lit seed
- Deuteronomy 30:7 Lit give
- Deuteronomy 30:8 Lit listen to the voice of
- Deuteronomy 30:8 Lit perform
- Deuteronomy 30:9 Lit for good
- Deuteronomy 30:9 Lit fruit
- Deuteronomy 30:9 Lit fruit
- Deuteronomy 30:9 Lit fruit
- Deuteronomy 30:10 Or for you will
- Deuteronomy 30:10 Lit listen to the voice of
- Deuteronomy 30:10 Or for you will
- Deuteronomy 30:12 Lit to say
- Deuteronomy 30:12 Lit perform
- Deuteronomy 30:13 Lit to say
- Deuteronomy 30:13 Lit perform
- Deuteronomy 30:14 Lit perform
- Deuteronomy 30:15 Lit good
- Deuteronomy 30:15 Lit evil
- Deuteronomy 30:18 Lit to
- Deuteronomy 30:19 Lit seed
- Deuteronomy 30:20 Lit that
- Deuteronomy 30:20 Lit to dwell
- Deuteronomy 31:2 I.e., as Israel’s leader
- Deuteronomy 31:11 Lit in their ears
- Deuteronomy 31:12 Lit gates
- Deuteronomy 31:12 Lit perform
- Deuteronomy 31:13 Lit where
- Deuteronomy 31:13 Lit possess it
- Deuteronomy 31:14 Lit your days to die are
- Deuteronomy 31:16 I.e., die
- Deuteronomy 31:19 Lit in their mouths
- Deuteronomy 31:20 Lit fat
- Deuteronomy 31:21 Lit seed
- Deuteronomy 31:21 Lit making
- Deuteronomy 31:26 Lit be
- Deuteronomy 31:27 Lit stiff neck
- Deuteronomy 32:4 Or judgment
- Deuteronomy 32:5 Lit It has
- Deuteronomy 32:8 Or Adam
- Deuteronomy 32:8 As in MT; DSS sons of God; LXX angels of God
- Deuteronomy 32:10 Lit pupil
- Deuteronomy 32:13 I.e., olive oil
- Deuteronomy 32:15 I.e., Israel
- Deuteronomy 32:15 Lit declared void
- Deuteronomy 32:21 Lit nonexistent things
- Deuteronomy 32:22 I.e., the netherworld
- Deuteronomy 32:24 Lit burning heat
- Deuteronomy 32:26 Lit them
- Deuteronomy 32:27 Lit high
- Deuteronomy 32:28 Lit perishing of
- Deuteronomy 32:29 Or latter end
- Deuteronomy 32:31 Lit are judges
- Deuteronomy 32:33 Lit dragons
- Deuteronomy 32:33 Lit cruel
- Deuteronomy 32:36 Lit hand
- Deuteronomy 32:41 Lit the lightning of My sword
- Deuteronomy 32:42 Lit head
- Deuteronomy 32:44 Lit Hoshea
- Deuteronomy 32:46 Lit be careful to perform
- Deuteronomy 32:47 Lit empty word
- Deuteronomy 32:47 Lit where
- Deuteronomy 32:47 Lit possess it
- Deuteronomy 32:49 Lit which is opposite
Deuteronomy 29-32
New International Version
Deuteronomy 29-32
New International Version
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)
2 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) 3 With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those signs and great wonders.(D) 4 But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.(E) 5 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) 6 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)
7 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) 8 We took their land and gave it as an inheritance(M) to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh.(N)
9 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)
Prosperity After Turning to the Lord
30 When all these blessings and curses(AT) I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations,(AU) 2 and when you and your children return(AV) to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart(AW) and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes[b](AX) and have compassion(AY) on you and gather(AZ) you again from all the nations where he scattered(BA) you.(BB) 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens,(BC) from there the Lord your God will gather(BD) you and bring you back.(BE) 5 He will bring(BF) you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous(BG) than your ancestors. 6 The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants,(BH) so that you may love(BI) him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. 7 The Lord your God will put all these curses(BJ) on your enemies who hate and persecute you.(BK) 8 You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am giving you today. 9 Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land.(BL) The Lord will again delight(BM) in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, 10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law(BN) and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.(BO)
The Offer of Life or Death
11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.(BP) 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven(BQ) to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”(BR) 13 Nor is it beyond the sea,(BS) so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”(BT) 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.(BU)
15 See, I set before you today life(BV) and prosperity,(BW) death(BX) and destruction.(BY) 16 For I command you today to love(BZ) the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live(CA) and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.(CB) You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you(CC) that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.(CD) Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love(CE) the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life,(CF) and he will give(CG) you many years in the land(CH) he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Joshua to Succeed Moses
31 Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: 2 “I am now a hundred and twenty years old(CI) and I am no longer able to lead you.(CJ) The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’(CK) 3 The Lord your God himself will cross(CL) over ahead of you.(CM) He will destroy these nations(CN) before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross(CO) over ahead of you, as the Lord said. 4 And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og,(CP) the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. 5 The Lord will deliver(CQ) them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous.(CR) Do not be afraid or terrified(CS) because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you;(CT) he will never leave you(CU) nor forsake(CV) you.”
7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said(CW) to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them,(CX) and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you;(CY) he will never leave you nor forsake you.(CZ) Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Public Reading of the Law
9 So Moses wrote(DA) down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried(DB) the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts,(DC) during the Festival of Tabernacles,(DD) 11 when all Israel comes to appear(DE) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose,(DF) you shall read this law(DG) before them in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn(DH) to fear(DI) the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children,(DJ) who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Israel’s Rebellion Predicted
14 The Lord said to Moses, “Now the day of your death(DK) is near. Call Joshua(DL) and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.(DM)” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the tent of meeting.(DN)
15 Then the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.(DO) 16 And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors,(DP) and these people will soon prostitute(DQ) themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake(DR) me and break the covenant I made with them. 17 And in that day I will become angry(DS) with them and forsake(DT) them; I will hide(DU) my face(DV) from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters(DW) and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’(DX) 18 And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.
19 “Now write(DY) down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness(DZ) for me against them. 20 When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors,(EA) and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods(EB) and worship them,(EC) rejecting me and breaking my covenant.(ED) 21 And when many disasters and calamities come on them,(EE) this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do,(EF) even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” 22 So Moses wrote(EG) down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.
23 The Lord gave this command(EH) to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous,(EI) for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.”
24 After Moses finished writing(EJ) in a book the words of this law(EK) from beginning to end, 25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried(EL) the ark of the covenant of the Lord: 26 “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. There it will remain as a witness against you.(EM) 27 For I know how rebellious(EN) and stiff-necked(EO) you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die! 28 Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to testify against them.(EP) 29 For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt(EQ) and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster(ER) will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and arouse his anger by what your hands have made.”
The Song of Moses
30 And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:
32 Listen,(ES) you heavens,(ET) and I will speak;
hear, you earth, the words of my mouth.(EU)
2 Let my teaching fall like rain(EV)
and my words descend like dew,(EW)
like showers(EX) on new grass,
like abundant rain on tender plants.
3 I will proclaim(EY) the name of the Lord.(EZ)
Oh, praise the greatness(FA) of our God!
4 He is the Rock,(FB) his works are perfect,(FC)
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God(FD) who does no wrong,
upright(FE) and just is he.(FF)
5 They are corrupt and not his children;
to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation.(FG)
6 Is this the way you repay(FH) the Lord,
you foolish(FI) and unwise people?(FJ)
Is he not your Father,(FK) your Creator,[c]
who made you and formed you?(FL)
7 Remember the days of old;(FM)
consider the generations long past.(FN)
Ask your father and he will tell you,
your elders, and they will explain to you.(FO)
8 When the Most High(FP) gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided all mankind,(FQ)
he set up boundaries(FR) for the peoples
according to the number of the sons of Israel.[d](FS)
9 For the Lord’s portion(FT) is his people,
Jacob his allotted inheritance.(FU)
10 In a desert(FV) land he found him,
in a barren and howling waste.(FW)
He shielded(FX) him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye,(FY)
11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young,(FZ)
that spreads its wings to catch them
and carries them aloft.(GA)
12 The Lord alone led(GB) him;(GC)
no foreign god was with him.(GD)
13 He made him ride on the heights(GE) of the land
and fed him with the fruit of the fields.
He nourished him with honey from the rock,(GF)
and with oil(GG) from the flinty crag,
14 with curds and milk from herd and flock
and with fattened lambs and goats,
with choice rams of Bashan(GH)
and the finest kernels of wheat.(GI)
You drank the foaming blood of the grape.(GJ)
15 Jeshurun[e](GK) grew fat(GL) and kicked;
filled with food, they became heavy and sleek.
They abandoned(GM) the God who made them
and rejected the Rock(GN) their Savior.
16 They made him jealous(GO) with their foreign gods
and angered(GP) him with their detestable idols.
17 They sacrificed(GQ) to false gods,(GR) which are not God—
gods they had not known,(GS)
gods that recently appeared,(GT)
gods your ancestors did not fear.
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
you forgot(GU) the God who gave you birth.
19 The Lord saw this and rejected them(GV)
because he was angered by his sons and daughters.(GW)
20 “I will hide my face(GX) from them,” he said,
“and see what their end will be;
for they are a perverse generation,(GY)
children who are unfaithful.(GZ)
21 They made me jealous(HA) by what is no god
and angered me with their worthless idols.(HB)
I will make them envious by those who are not a people;
I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.(HC)
22 For a fire will be kindled by my wrath,(HD)
one that burns down to the realm of the dead below.(HE)
It will devour(HF) the earth and its harvests(HG)
and set afire the foundations of the mountains.(HH)
23 “I will heap calamities(HI) on them
and spend my arrows(HJ) against them.
24 I will send wasting famine(HK) against them,
consuming pestilence(HL) and deadly plague;(HM)
I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts,(HN)
the venom of vipers(HO) that glide in the dust.(HP)
25 In the street the sword will make them childless;
in their homes terror(HQ) will reign.(HR)
The young men and young women will perish,
the infants and those with gray hair.(HS)
26 I said I would scatter(HT) them
and erase their name from human memory,(HU)
27 but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy,
lest the adversary misunderstand(HV)
and say, ‘Our hand has triumphed;
the Lord has not done all this.’”(HW)
28 They are a nation without sense,
there is no discernment(HX) in them.
29 If only they were wise and would understand this(HY)
and discern what their end will be!(HZ)
30 How could one man chase a thousand,
or two put ten thousand to flight,(IA)
unless their Rock had sold them,(IB)
unless the Lord had given them up?(IC)
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,(ID)
as even our enemies concede.(IE)
32 Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom(IF)
and from the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are filled with poison,(IG)
and their clusters with bitterness.(IH)
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
the deadly poison of cobras.(II)
34 “Have I not kept this in reserve
and sealed it in my vaults?(IJ)
35 It is mine to avenge;(IK) I will repay.(IL)
In due time their foot will slip;(IM)
their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them.(IN)”
36 The Lord will vindicate his people(IO)
and relent(IP) concerning his servants(IQ)
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave(IR) or free.[f]
37 He will say: “Now where are their gods,
the rock they took refuge in,(IS)
38 the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?(IT)
Let them rise up to help you!
Let them give you shelter!
39 “See now that I myself am he!(IU)
There is no god besides me.(IV)
I put to death(IW) and I bring to life,(IX)
I have wounded and I will heal,(IY)
and no one can deliver out of my hand.(IZ)
40 I lift my hand(JA) to heaven and solemnly swear:
As surely as I live forever,(JB)
41 when I sharpen my flashing sword(JC)
and my hand grasps it in judgment,
I will take vengeance(JD) on my adversaries
and repay those who hate me.(JE)
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,(JF)
while my sword devours flesh:(JG)
the blood of the slain and the captives,
the heads of the enemy leaders.”
43 Rejoice,(JH) you nations, with his people,[g][h]
for he will avenge the blood of his servants;(JI)
he will take vengeance on his enemies(JJ)
and make atonement for his land and people.(JK)
44 Moses came with Joshua[i](JL) son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day,(JM) so that you may command(JN) your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.(JO) By them you will live long(JP) in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Moses to Die on Mount Nebo
48 On that same day the Lord told Moses,(JQ) 49 “Go up into the Abarim(JR) Range to Mount Nebo(JS) in Moab, across from Jericho,(JT) and view Canaan,(JU) the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. 50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die(JV) and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died(JW) on Mount Hor(JX) and was gathered to his people. 51 This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh(JY) in the Desert of Zin(JZ) and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.(KA) 52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance;(KB) you will not enter(KC) the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 29:1 In Hebrew texts 29:1 is numbered 28:69, and 29:2-29 is numbered 29:1-28.
- Deuteronomy 30:3 Or will bring you back from captivity
- Deuteronomy 32:6 Or Father, who bought you
- Deuteronomy 32:8 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint) sons of God
- Deuteronomy 32:15 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel.
- Deuteronomy 32:36 Or and they are without a ruler or leader
- Deuteronomy 32:43 Or Make his people rejoice, you nations
- Deuteronomy 32:43 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint) people, / and let all the angels worship him, /
- Deuteronomy 32:44 Hebrew Hoshea, a variant of Joshua
Deuteronomy 34
New American Standard Bible
Deuteronomy 34
New American Standard Bible
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, 2 and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the [a](C)western sea, 3 and the [b]Negev and the territory in the Valley of Jericho, (D)the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 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.” 5 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. 6 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. 7 Although Moses was (J)120 years old when he died, (K)his eyesight was not dim, nor had his vigor left him. 8 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.
9 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
- Deuteronomy 34:2 I.e., Mediterranean Sea
- Deuteronomy 34:3 I.e., South country
- Deuteronomy 34:4 Lit seed
- Deuteronomy 34:5 Lit mouth
- Deuteronomy 34:12 Lit hand
Deuteronomy 34
New International Version
Deuteronomy 34
New International Version
The Death of Moses
34 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo(A) from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah,(B) across from Jericho.(C) There the Lord showed(D) him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan,(E) 2 all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea,(F) 3 the Negev(G) and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms,(H) as far as Zoar.(I) 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath(J) to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob(K) when I said, ‘I will give it(L) to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross(M) over into it.”
5 And Moses the servant of the Lord(N) died(O) there in Moab, as the Lord had said. 6 He buried him[a] in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor,(P) but to this day no one knows where his grave is.(Q) 7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old(R) when he died, yet his eyes were not weak(S) nor his strength gone.(T) 8 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab(U) thirty days,(V) until the time of weeping and mourning(W) was over.
9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit[b] of wisdom(X) because Moses had laid his hands on him.(Y) So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 Since then, no prophet(Z) has risen in Israel like Moses,(AA) whom the Lord knew face to face,(AB) 11 who did all those signs and wonders(AC) the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials(AD) and to his whole land. 12 For no one has(AE) ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds(AF) that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 34:6 Or He was buried
- Deuteronomy 34:9 Or Spirit
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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