Blessings for Obedience

28 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow^(A) all his commands^(B) I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.^{(C) 2} All these blessings will come on you^(D) and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:

⁷ The Lord will grant that the enemies^(I) who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.^(J)

⁸ The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless^(K) you in the land he is giving you.

⁹ The Lord will establish you as his holy people,^(L) as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands^(M) of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. ¹⁰ Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name^(N) of the Lord, and they will fear you. ¹¹ The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock^(O) and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.^(P)

¹² The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse^(Q) of his bounty,^(R) to send rain^(S) on your land in season and to bless^(T) all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.^{(U) 13} The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow^(V) them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.^{(W) 14} Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left,^(X) following other gods and serving them.

Curses for Disobedience

¹⁵ However, if you do not obey^(Y) the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today,^(Z) all these curses will come on you and overtake you:^(AA)

²⁰ The Lord will send on you curses,^(AF) confusion and rebuke^(AG) in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin^(AH) because of the evil^(AI) you have done in forsaking him.^{[a] 21} The Lord will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess.^{(AJ) 22} The Lord will strike you with wasting disease,^(AK) with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought,^(AL) with blight^(AM) and mildew, which will plague^(AN) you until you perish.^{(AO) 23} The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron.^{(AP) 24} The Lord will turn the rain^(AQ) of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.

²⁵ The Lord will cause you to be defeated^(AR) before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven,^(AS) and you will become a thing of horror^(AT) to all the kingdoms on earth.^{(AU) 26} Your carcasses will be food for all the birds^(AV) and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.^{(AW) 27} The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt^(AX) and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. ²⁸ The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. ²⁹ At midday you will grope^(AY) about like a blind person in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue^(AZ) you.

³⁰ You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will take her and rape her.^(BA) You will build a house, but you will not live in it.^(BB) You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit.^{(BC) 31} Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue them. ³² Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation,^(BD) and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand. ³³ A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression^(BE) all your days.^{(BF) 34} The sights you see will drive you mad.^{(BG) 35} The Lord will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils^(BH) that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.^(BI)

³⁶ The Lord will drive you and the king^(BJ) you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your ancestors.^(BK) There you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone.^{(BL) 37} You will become a thing of horror,^(BM) a byword^(BN) and an object of ridicule^(BO) among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.^(BP)

³⁸ You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little,^(BQ) because locusts^(BR) will devour^(BS) it. ³⁹ You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine^(BT) or gather the grapes, because worms will eat^(BU) them.^{(BV) 40} You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off.^{(BW) 41} You will have sons and daughters but you will not keep them, because they will go into captivity.^{(BX) 42} Swarms of locusts^(BY) will take over all your trees and the crops of your land.

⁴³ The foreigners who reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower.^{(BZ) 44} They will lend to you, but you will not lend to them.^(CA) They will be the head, but you will be the tail.^(CB)

⁴⁵ All these curses will come on you. They will pursue you and overtake you^(CC) until you are destroyed,^(CD) because you did not obey the Lord your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you. ⁴⁶ They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever.^{(CE) 47} Because you did not serve^(CF) the Lord your God joyfully and gladly^(CG) in the time of prosperity, ⁴⁸ therefore in hunger and thirst,^(CH) in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. He will put an iron yoke^(CI) on your neck^(CJ) until he has destroyed you.

⁴⁹ The Lord will bring a nation against you^(CK) from far away, from the ends of the earth,^(CL) like an eagle^(CM) swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand,^{(CN) 50} a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old^(CO) or pity for the young. ⁵¹ They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine^(CP) or olive oil,^(CQ) nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined.^{(CR) 52} They will lay siege^(CS) to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the Lord your God is giving you.^(CT)

⁵³ Because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you.^{(CU) 54} Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, ⁵⁵ and he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of all your cities.^{(CV) 56} The most gentle and sensitive^(CW) woman among you—so sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her foot—will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter^{(CX) 57} the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. For in her dire need she intends to eat them^(CY) secretly because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of your cities.

⁵⁸ If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law,^(CZ) which are written in this book, and do not revere^(DA) this glorious and awesome name^(DB)—the Lord your God— ⁵⁹ the Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. ⁶⁰ He will bring on you all the diseases of Egypt^(DC) that you dreaded, and they will cling to you. ⁶¹ The Lord will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law,^(DD) until you are destroyed.^{(DE) 62} You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky^(DF) will be left but few^(DG) in number, because you did not obey the Lord your God. ⁶³ Just as it pleased^(DH) the Lord to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please^(DI) him to ruin and destroy you.^(DJ) You will be uprooted^(DK) from the land you are entering to possess.

⁶⁴ Then the Lord will scatter^(DL) you among all nations,^(DM) from one end of the earth to the other.^(DN) There you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known.^{(DO) 65} Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place^(DP) for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes^(DQ) weary with longing, and a despairing heart.^{(DR) 66} You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. ⁶⁷ In the morning you will say, “If only it were evening!” and in the evening, “If only it were morning!”—because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see.^{(DS) 68} The Lord will send you back in ships to Egypt on a journey I said you should never make again.^(DT) There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.

The Command to Leave Horeb

1 These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan^(A)—that is, in the Arabah^(B)—opposite Suph, between Paran^(C) and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. ² (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb^(D) to Kadesh Barnea^(E) by the Mount Seir^(F) road.)^(G)

³ In the fortieth year,^(H) on the first day of the eleventh month,^(I) Moses proclaimed^(J) to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them. ⁴ This was after he had defeated Sihon^(K) king of the Amorites,^(L) who reigned in Heshbon,^(M) and at Edrei had defeated Og^(N) king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.^(O)

⁵ East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab,^(P) Moses began to expound this law, saying:

⁶ The Lord our God said to us^(Q) at Horeb,^(R) “You have stayed long enough^(S) at this mountain. ⁷ Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites;^(T) go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah,^(U) in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev^(V) and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites^(W) and to Lebanon,^(X) as far as the great river, the Euphrates.^{(Y) 8} See, I have given you this land^(Z).^(AA) Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore^(AB) he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”

The Appointment of Leaders

⁹ At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden^(AC) for me to carry alone.^{(AD) 10} The Lord your God has increased^(AE) your numbers^(AF) so that today you are as numerous^(AG) as the stars in the sky.^{(AH) 11} May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase^(AI) you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!^{(AJ) 12} But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself?^{(AK) 13} Choose some wise, understanding and respected men^(AL) from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”

¹⁴ You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.”

¹⁵ So I took^(AM) the leading men of your tribes,^(AN) wise and respected men,^(AO) and appointed them to have authority over you—as commanders^(AP) of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials.^{(AQ) 16} And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge^(AR) fairly,^(AS) whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you.^{(AT) 17} Do not show partiality^(AU) in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone,^(AV) for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.”^{(AW) 18} And at that time I told you everything you were to do.^(AX)

Spies Sent Out

¹⁹ Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites^(AY) through all that vast and dreadful wilderness^(AZ) that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea.^{(BA) 20} Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. ²¹ See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession^(BB) of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid;^(BC) do not be discouraged.”^(BD)

²² Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy^(BE) out the land^(BF) for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”

²³ The idea seemed good to me; so I selected^(BG) twelve of you, one man from each tribe. ²⁴ They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol^(BH) and explored it. ²⁵ Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported,^(BI) “It is a good land^(BJ) that the Lord our God is giving us.”^(BK)

Rebellion Against the Lord

²⁶ But you were unwilling to go up;^(BL) you rebelled^(BM) against the command of the Lord your God. ²⁷ You grumbled^(BN) in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. ²⁸ Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller^(BO) than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites^(BP) there.’”

²⁹ Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid^(BQ) of them.^{(BR) 30} The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight^(BS) for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, ³¹ and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried^(BT) you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”^(BU)

³² In spite of this,^(BV) you did not trust^(BW) in the Lord your God, ³³ who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day,^(BX) to search^(BY) out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.

³⁴ When the Lord heard^(BZ) what you said, he was angry^(CA) and solemnly swore:^{(CB) 35} “No one from this evil generation shall see the good land^(CC) I swore to give your ancestors, ³⁶ except Caleb^(CD) son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.^(CE)”

³⁷ Because of you the Lord became angry^(CF) with me also and said, “You shall not enter^(CG) it, either. ³⁸ But your assistant, Joshua^(CH) son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage^(CI) him, because he will lead^(CJ) Israel to inherit^(CK) it. ³⁹ And the little ones that you said would be taken captive,^(CL) your children who do not yet know^(CM) good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. ⁴⁰ But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.^[a](CN)”

⁴¹ Then you replied, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.

⁴² But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’”^(CO)

⁴³ So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. ⁴⁴ The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees^(CP) and beat you down from Seir^(CQ) all the way to Hormah.^{(CR) 45} You came back and wept before the Lord,^(CS) but he paid no attention^(CT) to your weeping and turned a deaf ear^(CU) to you. ⁴⁶ And so you stayed in Kadesh^(CV) many days—all the time you spent there.