A Special People of God

16 “This day the Lord your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 Today you have (A)proclaimed the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will (B)obey His voice. 18 Also today (C)the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, 19 and that He will set you (D)high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be (E)a [a]holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken.”

The Law Inscribed on Stones

27 Now Moses, with the elders of Israel, commanded the people, saying: “Keep all the commandments which I command you today. And it shall be, on the day (F)when you cross over the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, that (G)you shall set up for yourselves large stones, and whitewash them with lime. You shall write on them all the words of this law, when you have crossed over, that you may enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, (H)‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ just as the Lord God of your fathers promised you. Therefore it shall be, when you have crossed over the Jordan, that (I)on Mount Ebal you shall set up these stones, which I command you today, and you shall whitewash them with lime. And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones; (J)you shall not use an iron tool on them. You shall build with [b]whole stones the altar of the Lord your God, and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. You shall offer peace offerings, and shall eat there, and (K)rejoice before the Lord your God. And you shall (L)write very plainly on the stones all the words of this law.”

Then Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, “Take heed and listen, O Israel: (M)This day you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 Therefore you shall obey the voice of the Lord your God, and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today.”

Curses Pronounced from Mount Ebal

11 And Moses commanded the people on the same day, saying, 12 “These shall stand (N)on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, when you have crossed over the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin; 13 and (O)these shall stand on Mount Ebal to curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

14 “And (P)the Levites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Israel: 15 (Q)‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molded image, [c]an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’

(R)“And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen!’

16 (S)‘Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt.’

“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

17 (T)‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’

“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

18 (U)‘Cursed is the one who makes the blind to wander off the road.’

“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

19 (V)‘Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.’

“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

20 (W)‘Cursed is the one who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s bed.’

“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

21 (X)‘Cursed is the one who lies with any kind of animal.’

“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

22 (Y)‘Cursed is the one who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’

“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

23 (Z)‘Cursed is the one who lies with his mother-in-law.’

“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

24 (AA)‘Cursed is the one who attacks his neighbor secretly.’

“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

25 (AB)‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person.’

“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

26 (AC)‘Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them.’

“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ ”

Blessings on Obedience(AD)

28 “Now it shall come to pass, (AE)if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God (AF)will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and (AG)overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:

(AH)“Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be (AI)in the country.

“Blessed shall be (AJ)the [d]fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

“Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

(AK)“Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

“The Lord (AL)will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

“The Lord will (AM)command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you (AN)set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

(AO)“The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. 10 Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are (AP)called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be (AQ)afraid of you. 11 And (AR)the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord [e]swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open to you His good [f]treasure, the heavens, (AS)to give the rain to your land in its season, and (AT)to bless all the work of your hand. (AU)You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the Lord will make (AV)you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you [g]heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. 14 (AW)So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 26:19 consecrated
  2. Deuteronomy 27:6 uncut
  3. Deuteronomy 27:15 a detestable thing
  4. Deuteronomy 28:4 offspring
  5. Deuteronomy 28:11 promised
  6. Deuteronomy 28:12 storehouse
  7. Deuteronomy 28:13 listen to

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