Blessings for Obedience

28 “Now if you faithfully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all His commands I am giving you today, the Lord your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth.(A) All these blessings will come and overtake you, because you obey the Lord your God:

You will be blessed in the city
and blessed in the country.
Your descendants[a] will be blessed,
and your land’s produce,
and the offspring of your livestock,
including the young of your herds
and the newborn of your flocks.(B)
Your basket and kneading bowl will be blessed.
You will be blessed when you come in
and blessed when you go out.

“The Lord will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you from one direction but flee from you in seven directions. The Lord will grant you a blessing on your storehouses and on everything you do;[b] He will bless you in the land the Lord your God is giving you. The Lord will establish you as His holy people,(C) as He swore to you, if you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. 10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by Yahweh’s name, and they will stand in awe of you. 11 The Lord will make you prosper abundantly with children,[c] the offspring of your livestock, and your land’s produce in the land the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open for you His abundant storehouse, the sky, to give your land rain in its season and to bless all the work of your hands.(D) You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. 13 The Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward if you listen to the Lord your God’s commands I am giving you today and are careful to follow them. 14 Do not turn aside to the right or the left from all the things I am commanding you today, and do not go after other gods to worship them.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 28:4 Lit The fruit of your womb
  2. Deuteronomy 28:8 Lit you put your hand to
  3. Deuteronomy 28:11 Lit abundantly in the fruit of your womb

Rewards for Obedience

28 “Indeed, if you diligently obey[a] the Lord your God to carry out all his commands that I’m giving you today, then the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. Moreover, all these blessings will come upon you in abundance,[b] if you obey the Lord your God:

“Blessed will you be in the city and blessed will you be in the country.

“Blessed will your children[c] be, as well as the produce of your land, the offspring of your beasts and cattle, and the offspring of your flock.

“Blessed will be your grain[d] basket and your kneading bowl.

“Blessed will you be in your comings and goings.

“The Lord will make your enemies, who rise against you and attack from one direction, to flee from you in seven directions.

“The Lord will send blessings for you with regard to your barns and everything you undertake. Indeed, he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is about to give you.

“The Lord will assign you to be a holy people[e] for himself, just as he promised you, as long as you keep his[f] commands and walk in his ways.

10 “Then all the people of the earth will observe that the name of the Lord is proclaimed[g] among you, and they will fear you.

11 “The Lord will show his abundant goodness with respect to your children,[h] the offspring of your animals, and the produce of your farmland that he[i] promised your ancestors he would give you.

12 “The Lord will open his rich[j] treasury, the heavens, to release rain upon your land in season and bless everything you undertake so that you’ll lend to many nations but won’t borrow.

13 “The Lord your God will make you the head and not the tail—placing you above and not beneath—if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I’m giving you today to keep and observe. 14 Do not deviate from any of his commands that I’m giving you today—neither to the right nor the left—to follow and serve other gods.”

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 28:1 Or listen to
  2. Deuteronomy 28:2 Lit. and will overtake you
  3. Deuteronomy 28:4 Lit. shall the fruit of your womb
  4. Deuteronomy 28:5 The Heb. lacks grain
  5. Deuteronomy 28:9 Or nation
  6. Deuteronomy 28:9 Lit. of the Lord your God
  7. Deuteronomy 28:10 Lit. called
  8. Deuteronomy 28:11 Lit. the fruit of your womb
  9. Deuteronomy 28:11 Lit. the Lord
  10. Deuteronomy 28:12 Or good