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Deuteronomy 31:19-32:47
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Deuteronomy 31:19-32:47
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
19 Now therefore write this song, and teach it to the people of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. 20 For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. 21 And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their descendants); for I know the purposes which they are already forming, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.” 22 So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the people of Israel.
23 And the Lord commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to give them: I will be with you.”
24 When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, to the very end, 25 Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 26 “Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are; behold, while I am yet alive with you, today you have been rebellious against the Lord; how much more after my death! 28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands.”
The Song of Moses
30 Then Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the ears of all the assembly of Israel:
32 “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
2 May my teaching drop as the rain,
my speech distil as the dew,
as the gentle rain upon the tender grass,
and as the showers upon the herb.
3 For I will proclaim the name of the Lord.
Ascribe greatness to our God!
4 “The Rock, his work is perfect;
for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
just and right is he.
5 They have dealt corruptly with him,
they are no longer his children because of their blemish;
they are a perverse and crooked generation.
6 Do you thus requite the Lord,
you foolish and senseless people?
Is not he your father, who created you,
who made you and established you?
7 Remember the days of old,
consider the years of many generations;
ask your father, and he will show you;
your elders, and they will tell you.
8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
when he separated the sons of men,
he fixed the bounds of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God.[a]
9 For the Lord’s portion is his people,
Jacob his allotted heritage.
10 “He found him in a desert land,
and in the howling waste of the wilderness;
he encircled him, he cared for him,
he kept him as the apple of his eye.
11 Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
that flutters over its young,
spreading out its wings, catching them,
bearing them on its pinions,
12 the Lord alone did lead him,
and there was no foreign god with him.
13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth,
and he ate the produce of the field;
and he made him suck honey out of the rock,
and oil out of the flinty rock.
14 Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,
with fat of lambs and rams,
herds of Bashan and goats,
with the finest of the wheat—
and of the blood of the grape you drank wine.
15 “But Jesh′urun waxed fat, and kicked;
you waxed fat, you grew thick, you became sleek;
then he forsook God who made him,
and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.
16 They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;
with abominable practices they provoked him to anger.
17 They sacrificed to demons which were no gods,
to gods they had never known,
to new gods that had come in of late,
whom your fathers had never dreaded.
18 You were unmindful of the Rock that begot[b] you,
and you forgot the God who gave you birth.
19 “The Lord saw it, and spurned them,
because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.
20 And he said, ‘I will hide my face from them,
I will see what their end will be,
For they are a perverse generation,
children in whom is no faithfulness.
21 They have stirred me to jealousy with what is no god;
they have provoked me with their idols.
So I will stir them to jealousy with those who are no people;
I will provoke them with a foolish nation.
22 For a fire is kindled by my anger,
and it burns to the depths of Sheol,
devours the earth and its increase,
and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.
23 “‘And I will heap evils upon them;
I will spend my arrows upon them;
24 they shall be wasted with hunger,
and devoured with burning heat
and poisonous pestilence;
and I will send the teeth of beasts against them,
with venom of crawling things of the dust.
25 In the open the sword shall bereave,
and in the chambers shall be terror,
destroying both young man and virgin,
the sucking child with the man of gray hairs.
26 I would have said, “I will scatter them afar,
I will make the remembrance of them cease from among men,”
27 had I not feared provocation by the enemy,
lest their adversaries should judge amiss,
lest they should say, “Our hand is triumphant,
the Lord has not wrought all this.”’
28 “For they are a nation void of counsel,
and there is no understanding in them.
29 If they were wise, they would understand this,
they would discern their latter end!
30 How should one chase a thousand,
and two put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
and the Lord had given them up?
31 For their rock is not as our Rock,
even our enemies themselves being judges.
32 For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom,
and from the fields of Gomor′rah;
their grapes are grapes of poison,
their clusters are bitter;
33 their wine is the poison of serpents,
and the cruel venom of asps.
34 “Is not this laid up in store with me,
sealed up in my treasuries?
35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense,
for the time when their foot shall slip;
for the day of their calamity is at hand,
and their doom comes swiftly.
36 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants,
when he sees that their power is gone,
and there is none remaining, bond or free.
37 Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods,
the rock in which they took refuge,
38 who ate the fat of their sacrifices,
and drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise up and help you,
let them be your protection!
39 “‘See now that I, even I, am he,
and there is no god beside me;
I kill and I make alive;
I wound and I heal;
and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
40 For I lift up my hand to heaven,
and swear, As I live for ever,
41 if I whet my glittering sword,[c]
and my hand takes hold on judgment,
I will take vengeance on my adversaries,
and will requite those who hate me.
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword shall devour flesh—
with the blood of the slain and the captives,
from the long-haired heads of the enemy.’
43 “Praise his people, O you nations;
for he avenges the blood of his servants,
and takes vengeance on his adversaries,
and makes expiation for the land of his people.”[d]
44 Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and Joshua[e] the son of Nun. 45 And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Lay to heart all the words which I enjoin upon you this day, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. 47 For it is no trifle for you, but it is your life, and thereby you shall live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to possess.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 32:8 Compare Gk: Heb Israel
- Deuteronomy 32:18 Or bore
- Deuteronomy 32:41 Heb the lightning of my sword
- Deuteronomy 32:43 Gk Vg: Heb his land his people
- Deuteronomy 32:44 Gk Syr Vg: Heb Hoshea
Deuteronomy 31:19-32:47
New International Version
Deuteronomy 31:19-32:47
New International Version
19 “Now write(A) down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness(B) 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,(C) and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods(D) and worship them,(E) rejecting me and breaking my covenant.(F) 21 And when many disasters and calamities come on them,(G) this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do,(H) even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” 22 So Moses wrote(I) down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.
23 The Lord gave this command(J) to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous,(K) 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(L) in a book the words of this law(M) from beginning to end, 25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried(N) 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.(O) 27 For I know how rebellious(P) and stiff-necked(Q) 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.(R) 29 For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt(S) and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster(T) 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,(U) you heavens,(V) and I will speak;
hear, you earth, the words of my mouth.(W)
2 Let my teaching fall like rain(X)
and my words descend like dew,(Y)
like showers(Z) on new grass,
like abundant rain on tender plants.
3 I will proclaim(AA) the name of the Lord.(AB)
Oh, praise the greatness(AC) of our God!
4 He is the Rock,(AD) his works are perfect,(AE)
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God(AF) who does no wrong,
upright(AG) and just is he.(AH)
5 They are corrupt and not his children;
to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation.(AI)
6 Is this the way you repay(AJ) the Lord,
you foolish(AK) and unwise people?(AL)
Is he not your Father,(AM) your Creator,[a]
who made you and formed you?(AN)
7 Remember the days of old;(AO)
consider the generations long past.(AP)
Ask your father and he will tell you,
your elders, and they will explain to you.(AQ)
8 When the Most High(AR) gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided all mankind,(AS)
he set up boundaries(AT) for the peoples
according to the number of the sons of Israel.[b](AU)
9 For the Lord’s portion(AV) is his people,
Jacob his allotted inheritance.(AW)
10 In a desert(AX) land he found him,
in a barren and howling waste.(AY)
He shielded(AZ) him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye,(BA)
11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young,(BB)
that spreads its wings to catch them
and carries them aloft.(BC)
12 The Lord alone led(BD) him;(BE)
no foreign god was with him.(BF)
13 He made him ride on the heights(BG) of the land
and fed him with the fruit of the fields.
He nourished him with honey from the rock,(BH)
and with oil(BI) from the flinty crag,
14 with curds and milk from herd and flock
and with fattened lambs and goats,
with choice rams of Bashan(BJ)
and the finest kernels of wheat.(BK)
You drank the foaming blood of the grape.(BL)
15 Jeshurun[c](BM) grew fat(BN) and kicked;
filled with food, they became heavy and sleek.
They abandoned(BO) the God who made them
and rejected the Rock(BP) their Savior.
16 They made him jealous(BQ) with their foreign gods
and angered(BR) him with their detestable idols.
17 They sacrificed(BS) to false gods,(BT) which are not God—
gods they had not known,(BU)
gods that recently appeared,(BV)
gods your ancestors did not fear.
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
you forgot(BW) the God who gave you birth.
19 The Lord saw this and rejected them(BX)
because he was angered by his sons and daughters.(BY)
20 “I will hide my face(BZ) from them,” he said,
“and see what their end will be;
for they are a perverse generation,(CA)
children who are unfaithful.(CB)
21 They made me jealous(CC) by what is no god
and angered me with their worthless idols.(CD)
I will make them envious by those who are not a people;
I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.(CE)
22 For a fire will be kindled by my wrath,(CF)
one that burns down to the realm of the dead below.(CG)
It will devour(CH) the earth and its harvests(CI)
and set afire the foundations of the mountains.(CJ)
23 “I will heap calamities(CK) on them
and spend my arrows(CL) against them.
24 I will send wasting famine(CM) against them,
consuming pestilence(CN) and deadly plague;(CO)
I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts,(CP)
the venom of vipers(CQ) that glide in the dust.(CR)
25 In the street the sword will make them childless;
in their homes terror(CS) will reign.(CT)
The young men and young women will perish,
the infants and those with gray hair.(CU)
26 I said I would scatter(CV) them
and erase their name from human memory,(CW)
27 but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy,
lest the adversary misunderstand(CX)
and say, ‘Our hand has triumphed;
the Lord has not done all this.’”(CY)
28 They are a nation without sense,
there is no discernment(CZ) in them.
29 If only they were wise and would understand this(DA)
and discern what their end will be!(DB)
30 How could one man chase a thousand,
or two put ten thousand to flight,(DC)
unless their Rock had sold them,(DD)
unless the Lord had given them up?(DE)
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,(DF)
as even our enemies concede.(DG)
32 Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom(DH)
and from the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are filled with poison,(DI)
and their clusters with bitterness.(DJ)
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
the deadly poison of cobras.(DK)
34 “Have I not kept this in reserve
and sealed it in my vaults?(DL)
35 It is mine to avenge;(DM) I will repay.(DN)
In due time their foot will slip;(DO)
their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them.(DP)”
36 The Lord will vindicate his people(DQ)
and relent(DR) concerning his servants(DS)
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave(DT) or free.[d]
37 He will say: “Now where are their gods,
the rock they took refuge in,(DU)
38 the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?(DV)
Let them rise up to help you!
Let them give you shelter!
39 “See now that I myself am he!(DW)
There is no god besides me.(DX)
I put to death(DY) and I bring to life,(DZ)
I have wounded and I will heal,(EA)
and no one can deliver out of my hand.(EB)
40 I lift my hand(EC) to heaven and solemnly swear:
As surely as I live forever,(ED)
41 when I sharpen my flashing sword(EE)
and my hand grasps it in judgment,
I will take vengeance(EF) on my adversaries
and repay those who hate me.(EG)
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,(EH)
while my sword devours flesh:(EI)
the blood of the slain and the captives,
the heads of the enemy leaders.”
43 Rejoice,(EJ) you nations, with his people,[e][f]
for he will avenge the blood of his servants;(EK)
he will take vengeance on his enemies(EL)
and make atonement for his land and people.(EM)
44 Moses came with Joshua[g](EN) 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,(EO) so that you may command(EP) your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.(EQ) By them you will live long(ER) in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Footnotes
- 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
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
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