Renewing the Covenant

29 These are the words of the covenant^(A) that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.^{(B) 2} Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen with your own eyes^(C) everything the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to his entire land. ³ You saw with your own eyes the great trials and those great signs and wonders.^{(D) 4} Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.^{(E) 5} I led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes and the sandals on your feet did not wear out;^{(F) 6} you did not eat food or drink wine or beer—so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.^{(G) 7} When you reached this place, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out against us in battle, but we defeated them.^{(H) 8} We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.^{(I) 9} Therefore, observe the words of this covenant^(J) and follow them, so that you will succeed in everything you do.^(K)

¹⁰ “All of you are standing today before the Lord your God—your leaders, tribes, elders, officials, all the men of Israel, ¹¹ your dependents, your wives, and the resident aliens in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water— ¹² so that you may enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, which he is making with you today, so that you may enter into his oath ¹³ and so that he may establish you today as his people and he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.^{(L) 14} I am making this covenant and this oath not only with you, ¹⁵ but also with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God and with those who are not here today.

Abandoning the Covenant

¹⁶ “Indeed, you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and passed through the nations where you traveled. ¹⁷ You saw their abhorrent images and idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which were among them.^{(M) 18} Be sure there is no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.^{(N) 19} When someone hears the words of this oath, he may consider himself exempt,^[a] thinking, ‘I will have peace even though I follow my own stubborn heart.’ This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered land as well as the dry land. ²⁰ The Lord will not be willing to forgive him. Instead, his anger and jealousy will burn against that person, and every curse written in this scroll will descend on him. The Lord will blot out his name under heaven,^{(O) 21} and single him out for harm from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the law.

²² “Future generations of your children who follow you and the foreigner who comes from a distant country will see the plagues of that land and the sicknesses the Lord has inflicted on it. ²³ All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown, producing nothing, with no plant growing on it, just like the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord demolished in his fierce anger.^{(P) 24} All the nations will ask, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this intense outburst of anger?’ ²⁵ Then people will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, which he had made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. ²⁶ They began to serve other gods, bowing in worship to gods they had not known^(Q)—gods that the Lord had not permitted them to worship.^{(R) 27} Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, and he brought every curse written in this book on it. ²⁸ The Lord uprooted them from their land in his anger, rage, and intense wrath, and threw them into another land where they are today.’ ²⁹ The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.

Returning to the Lord

30 “When all these things happen to you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you,^{(S) 2} and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and all your soul^(T) by doing^[b] everything I am commanding you today, ³ then he will restore your fortunes,^[c](U) have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.^{(V) 4} Even if your exiles are at the farthest horizon, he will gather you and bring you back from there.^{(W) 5} The Lord your God will bring you into the land your ancestors possessed, and you will take possession of it.^(X) He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than he did your ancestors.^{(Y) 6} The Lord your God will circumcise your heart^(Z) and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live.^{(AA) 7} The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. ⁸ Then you will again obey him and follow all his commands I am commanding you today. ⁹ The Lord your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands,^(AB) your offspring,^[d] the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land. Indeed, the Lord will again delight in your prosperity, as he delighted in that of your ancestors, ¹⁰ when you obey the Lord your God by keeping his commands and statutes that are written in this book of the law and return to him with all your heart and all your soul.

Choose Life

¹¹ “This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach. ¹² It is not in heaven so that you have to ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ ¹³ And it is not across the sea so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ ¹⁴ But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it.^{(AC) 15} See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity.^{(AD) 16} For^[e] I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live^[f] and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess. ¹⁷ But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow in worship to other gods and serve them, ¹⁸ I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not prolong your days in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan. ¹⁹ I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life^(AE) so that you and your descendants may live, ²⁰ love the Lord your God, obey him, and remain faithful^[g] to him. For he is your life, and he will prolong your days as you live in the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors^(AF) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus^(A) that the whole empire^[a] should be registered. ² This first registration took place while^[b] Quirinius was governing Syria.^{(B) 3} So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.

⁴ Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth^(C) in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem,^(D) because he was of the house and family line of David,^{(E) 5} to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him^[c] and was pregnant. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger,^[d] because there was no guest room available for them.

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸ In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. ⁹ Then an angel of the Lord^(F) stood before them,^(G) and the glory of the Lord^(H) shone around them, and they were terrified.^{[e] 10} But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid,^(I) for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:^{[f] 11} Today in the city of David a Savior^(J) was born for you, who is the Messiah,^(K) the Lord.^{(L) 12} This will be the sign for you:^(M) You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host^[g] with the angel, praising God and saying:

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

¹⁶ They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed^(Q) at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart^(R) and meditating on them. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God^(S) for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.

The Circumcision and Presentation of Jesus

²¹ When the eight days were completed for his circumcision,^(T) he was named Jesus^(U)—the name given by the angel before he was conceived.