The Blessings at Mount Gerizim

28 (A)Now it shall be, if you diligently [a]obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I am commanding you today, that the Lord your God (B)will put you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings will come to you and (C)reach you if you [b]obey the Lord your God:

“Blessed will you be in the city, and blessed will you be (D)in the [c]country.

“Blessed will be the [d]children of your womb, the [e]produce of your ground, and the [f]offspring of your animals: the newborn of your herd and the young of your flock.

“Blessed will be your basket and your kneading bowl.

“Blessed will you be (E)when you come in, and blessed will you be when you go out.

“The Lord will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be [g]defeated by you; they will go out against you one way and will flee at your presence seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing for you in your [h]barns and in (F)everything that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (G)The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. 10 So all the peoples of the earth will see that [i](H)you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will be afraid of you. 11 (I)And the Lord will give you more than enough prosperity, in the [j]children of your womb, in the [k]offspring of your livestock, and in the [l]produce of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless every work of your hand; and (J)you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. 13 (K)And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will only be above, and not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God which I am commanding you today, to [m]follow them carefully, 14 and (L)do not turn aside from any of the words which I am commanding you today, to the right or the left, to pursue other gods to serve them.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 28:1 Lit listen to the voice of
  2. Deuteronomy 28:2 Lit listen to the voice of
  3. Deuteronomy 28:3 Lit field
  4. Deuteronomy 28:4 Lit fruit
  5. Deuteronomy 28:4 Lit fruit
  6. Deuteronomy 28:4 Lit fruit
  7. Deuteronomy 28:7 Lit struck
  8. Deuteronomy 28:8 Or storehouses
  9. Deuteronomy 28:10 Lit the name of the Lord is called upon you
  10. Deuteronomy 28:11 Lit fruit
  11. Deuteronomy 28:11 Lit fruit
  12. Deuteronomy 28:11 Lit fruit
  13. Deuteronomy 28:13 Lit be careful and to perform

The Covenant Blessings

28 “If you indeed[a] obey the Lord your God and are careful to observe all his commandments I am giving[b] you today, the Lord your God will elevate you above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come to you in abundance[c] if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field.[d] Your children[e] will be blessed, as well as the produce of your soil, the offspring of your livestock, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your mixing bowl will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.[f] The Lord will cause your enemies who attack[g] you to be struck down before you; they will attack you from one direction[h] but flee from you in seven different directions. The Lord will decree blessing for you with respect to your barns and in everything you do—yes, he will bless you in the land he[i] is giving you. The Lord will designate you as his holy people just as he promised you, if you keep his commandments[j] and obey him.[k] 10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you belong to the Lord,[l] and they will respect you. 11 The Lord will greatly multiply your children,[m] the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil in the land that he[n] promised your ancestors[o] he would give you. 12 The Lord will open for you his good treasure house, the heavens, to give you rain for the land in its season and to bless all you do;[p] you will lend to many nations but you will not borrow from any. 13 The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always end up at the top and not at the bottom, if you obey his[q] commandments that I am urging[r] you today to be careful to do. 14 But you must not turn away from all the commandments I am giving[s] you today, to either the right or left, nor pursue other gods and worship[t] them.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 28:1 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “indeed.”
  2. Deuteronomy 28:1 tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I enjoin on you today” (likewise in v. 15).
  3. Deuteronomy 28:2 tn Heb “come upon you and overtake you” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “come upon you and accompany you.”
  4. Deuteronomy 28:3 tn Or “in the country” (so NAB, NIV, NLT). This expression also occurs in v. 15.
  5. Deuteronomy 28:4 tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
  6. Deuteronomy 28:6 sn Come in…go out. To “come in” and “go out” is a figure of speech (merism) indicating all of life and its activities.
  7. Deuteronomy 28:7 tn Heb “who rise up against” (so NIV).
  8. Deuteronomy 28:7 tn Heb “way” (also later in this verse and in v. 25).
  9. Deuteronomy 28:8 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” Because English would not typically reintroduce the proper name following a relative pronoun (“he will bless…the Lord your God is giving”), the pronoun (“he”) has been employed here in the translation.
  10. Deuteronomy 28:9 tn Heb “the commandments of the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in the previous verse.
  11. Deuteronomy 28:9 tn Heb “and walk in his ways” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  12. Deuteronomy 28:10 tn Heb “the name of the Lord is called over you.” The Hebrew idiom indicates ownership; see 2 Sam 12:28; Isa 4:1, as well as BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph. 2.d.(4).
  13. Deuteronomy 28:11 tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “will give you a lot of children.”
  14. Deuteronomy 28:11 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 28:8.
  15. Deuteronomy 28:11 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 36, 64).
  16. Deuteronomy 28:12 tn Heb “all the work of your hands.”
  17. Deuteronomy 28:13 tn Heb “the Lord your God’s.” See note on “he” in 28:8.
  18. Deuteronomy 28:13 tn Heb “commanding” (so NRSV); NASB “which I charge you today.”
  19. Deuteronomy 28:14 tn Heb “from all the words which I am commanding.”
  20. Deuteronomy 28:14 tn Heb “in order to serve.”