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The Results of Covenant Reaffirmation

30 “When you have experienced all these things, both the blessings and the curses[a] I have set before you, you will reflect upon them[b] in all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you. Then if you and your descendants[c] turn to the Lord your God and obey him with your whole mind and being[d] just as[e] I am commanding you today, the Lord your God will reverse your captivity and have pity on you. He will turn and gather you from all the peoples among whom he[f] has scattered you. Even if your exiles are in the most distant land,[g] from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. Then he[h] will bring you to the land your ancestors[i] possessed and you also will possess it; he will do better for you and multiply you more than he did your ancestors. The Lord your God will also cleanse[j] your heart, and the hearts of your descendants[k] so that you may love him[l] with all your mind and being and so that you may live. Then the Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies, on those who hate you and persecute you. You will return and obey the Lord, keeping all his commandments I am giving[m] you today. The Lord your God will make the labor of your hands[n] abundantly successful and multiply your children,[o] the offspring of your cattle, and the produce of your soil. For the Lord will once more[p] rejoice over you to make you prosperous[q] just as he rejoiced over your ancestors, 10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commandments and statutes that are written in this scroll of the law. But you must turn to him[r] with your whole mind and being.

Exhortation to Covenant Obedience

11 “This commandment I am giving[s] you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it too remote. 12 It is not in heaven, as though one must say, ‘Who will go up to heaven to get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ 13 And it is not across the sea, as though one must say, ‘Who will cross over to the other side of the sea and get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ 14 For the thing is very near you—it is in your mouth and in your mind[t] so that you can do it.

15 “Look! I have set before you today life and prosperity on the one hand, and death and disaster on the other. 16 What[u] I am commanding you today is to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to obey his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances. Then you will live and become numerous and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are about to possess.[v] 17 However, if you[w] turn aside and do not obey, but are lured away to worship and serve other gods, 18 I declare to you this very day that you[x] will certainly[y] perish! You will not extend your time in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.[z] 19 Today I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set life and death, blessing and curse, before you. Therefore choose life so that you and your descendants may live! 20 I also call on you[aa] to love the Lord your God, to obey him and be loyal to him, for he gives you life and enables you to live continually[ab] in the land the Lord promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 30:1 tn Heb “the blessing and the curse.”
  2. Deuteronomy 30:1 tn Heb “and you bring (them) back to your heart.”
  3. Deuteronomy 30:2 tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “children.”
  4. Deuteronomy 30:2 tn Or “heart and soul” (also in vv. 6, 10).
  5. Deuteronomy 30:2 tn Heb “according to all.”
  6. Deuteronomy 30:3 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
  7. Deuteronomy 30:4 tn Heb “are at the farthest edge of the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
  8. Deuteronomy 30:5 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on the second occurrence of the word “he” in v. 3.
  9. Deuteronomy 30:5 tn Heb “fathers” (also later in this verse and in vv. 9, 20).
  10. Deuteronomy 30:6 tn Heb “circumcise” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “will give you and your descendents obedient hearts.” See note on the word “cleanse” in Deut 10:16.
  11. Deuteronomy 30:6 tn Heb “seed” (so KJV, ASV).
  12. Deuteronomy 30:6 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on the second occurrence of the word “he” in v. 3.
  13. Deuteronomy 30:8 tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I now enjoin on you.”
  14. Deuteronomy 30:9 tc The MT reads “hand” (singular). Most versions read the plural.
  15. Deuteronomy 30:9 tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV); NRSV “of your body.”
  16. Deuteronomy 30:9 tn Heb “return and.” The Hebrew verb is used idiomatically here to indicate the repetition of the following action.
  17. Deuteronomy 30:9 tn The Hebrew text includes “for good.”
  18. Deuteronomy 30:10 tn Heb “to the Lord your God.” See note on the second occurrence of the word “he” in v. 3.
  19. Deuteronomy 30:11 tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I enjoin on you.”
  20. Deuteronomy 30:14 tn Heb “heart.”
  21. Deuteronomy 30:16 tc A number of LXX mss insert before this verse, “if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God,” thus translating אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) as “which” and the rest as “I am commanding you today, to love,” etc., “then you will live,” etc.
  22. Deuteronomy 30:16 tn Heb “which you are going there to possess it.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  23. Deuteronomy 30:17 tn Heb “your heart,” as a metonymy for the person.
  24. Deuteronomy 30:18 sn To this point in the chapter, Moses has addressed the people with the singular pronoun “you,” but here he switches to the plural. Rhetorically, the singular pronoun has emphasized the responsibilities and consequences for the nation as a whole. It is a group responsibility that requires a group effort. At v. 18 he shifts to using the plural form. This individualizes the threatened punishment in v. 18 and highlights individual responsibility in the first half of v. 19 (calling heaven and earth as witness “against you”) before returning to the collective responsibility that “you” (singular) choose life.
  25. Deuteronomy 30:18 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “certainly.”
  26. Deuteronomy 30:18 tn Heb “to go there to possess it.”
  27. Deuteronomy 30:20 tn The words “I also call on you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 19-20 are one long sentence, which the translation divides into two.
  28. Deuteronomy 30:20 tn Heb “he is your life and the length of your days to live.”

Herren velsigner dem, der vender tilbage til ham

30 I har nu hørt velsignelsens og forbandelsens ord. Når I engang i fremtiden befinder jer blandt de nationer, som Herren til den tid har fordrevet jer til, vil I tænke på de her ord og grunde over dem. Hvis I da vender jer til Herren, så I og jeres børn af hele jeres hjerte begynder at følge de befalinger, jeg i dag har pålagt jer, vil Herren, jeres Gud, i sin barmhjertighed befri jer fra de fremmede nationers åg. Om I så befinder jer i jordens fjerneste afkroge, vil han samle jer og føre jer tilbage til det land, han gav jeres fædre. Han vil overdrage jer landet på ny, han vil velsigne jer og gøre jer endnu mægtigere end før. Herren vil omskære hjerterne på jer og jeres efterkommere, så I kan elske ham af hele jeres hjerte og hele jeres sjæl og få et godt liv.

7-8 Hvis I vender jer til Herren og adlyder de befalinger, jeg har pålagt jer i dag, vil han tage sin forbandelse fra jer og lade den ramme jeres fjender, der hader og forfølger jer. Herren, jeres Gud, vil give jer lykke og fremgang i alt, hvad I tager jer for. Han vil give jer masser af kvæg, rekordhøst og mange børn, og han vil glæde sig over jer, som han glædede sig over jeres fædre. 10 Men kun hvis I af hele jeres hjerte vender jer til ham og adlyder alle de love, som er nedskrevet i denne bog.

Valget mellem livet og døden

11 De befalinger, jeg i dag pålægger jer, er ikke ufattelige for jer, og de er ikke uden for jeres rækkevidde. 12 De er ikke oppe i himlen, således at nogen ville spørge: ‚Hvem kan stige op til himlen for at få fat i dem og fortælle os om dem, så vi kan handle efter dem?’ 13 De befinder sig heller ikke på den anden side af det store hav, således at nogen ville spørge: ‚Hvem kan rejse til den anden side af havet for at få fat i dem og fortælle os om dem, så vi kan handle efter dem?’ 14 Nej, du kender allerede budskabet. Det er i dit hjerte og på dine læber, så du kan handle efter det.

15 I dag skal I vælge, om I foretrækker livet og lykken, eller I foretrækker døden og ulykken. 16 Jeg har befalet jer at elske Herren, jeres Gud, så I går på hans veje og overholder hans love. Gør I det, vil I få et godt liv og blive et mægtigt folk. Så vil Herren velsigne jer i det land, I skal over og tage i besiddelse. 17 Men hvis I vender jer fra ham og ikke vil adlyde ham, hvis I lader jer lokke til at dyrke andre guder, 18 kan jeg i dag garantere jer for, at I vil gå til grunde. Så bliver I ikke boende ret længe i det land, I skal over og tage i besiddelse på den anden side af Jordanfloden.

19 I dag kalder jeg himlen og jorden til vidne på, at jeg har givet jer valget mellem livet og døden, mellem velsignelsen og forbandelsen. Vælg nu livet, så I og jeres børn får et godt liv. 20 Elsk Herren, jeres Gud, adlyd ham og hold jer til ham, så I kan få lov at leve og blive boende i det land, Herren lovede jeres forfædre Abraham, Isak og Jakob!”

Prosperity After Turning to the Lord

30 When all these blessings and curses(A) I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations,(B) and when you and your children return(C) to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart(D) and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes[a](E) and have compassion(F) on you and gather(G) you again from all the nations where he scattered(H) you.(I) Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens,(J) from there the Lord your God will gather(K) you and bring you back.(L) He will bring(M) you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous(N) than your ancestors. The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants,(O) so that you may love(P) him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. The Lord your God will put all these curses(Q) on your enemies who hate and persecute you.(R) You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am giving you today. Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land.(S) The Lord will again delight(T) in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, 10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law(U) and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.(V)

The Offer of Life or Death

11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.(W) 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven(X) to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”(Y) 13 Nor is it beyond the sea,(Z) so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”(AA) 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.(AB)

15 See, I set before you today life(AC) and prosperity,(AD) death(AE) and destruction.(AF) 16 For I command you today to love(AG) the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live(AH) and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.(AI) You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you(AJ) that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.(AK) Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love(AL) the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life,(AM) and he will give(AN) you many years in the land(AO) he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 30:3 Or will bring you back from captivity

回轉和蒙福

30 「當這一切的事,就是我擺在你面前的祝福和詛咒臨到你的時候,你在耶和華—你 神趕逐你去的萬國中,心裏回想這些事, 你和你的子孫若盡心盡性歸向耶和華—你的 神,照我今日一切所吩咐你的,聽從他的話, 耶和華—你的 神就必憐憫你,使你這被擄的子民歸回。耶和華—你的 神必轉回,從分散你到的萬民中把你召集回來。 你就是被趕逐到天涯,耶和華—你的 神也必從那裏召集你,從那裏領你回來。 耶和華—你的 神必領你進入你列祖所得的地,你必得着這地為業。他必善待你,使你增多,勝過你的列祖。 耶和華—你的 神要使你的心和你後裔的心受割禮,好叫你盡心盡性愛耶和華—你的 神,使你可以存活。 耶和華—你的 神必將這一切詛咒加在你仇敵和恨惡你、迫害你的人身上。 你必回轉,聽從耶和華的話,遵行他的一切誡命,就是我今日所吩咐你的。 耶和華—你的 神必使你手裏所做的一切,以及你身所生的,牲畜所生的,土地所產的都豐富有餘,而且順利;耶和華必再喜愛善待你,正如他喜愛你的列祖一樣, 10 只要你聽從耶和華—你 神的話,謹守這律法書上所寫的誡命律例,盡心盡性歸向耶和華—你的 神。」

生命之道

11 「我今日所吩咐你的誡命,對你並不困難,也不太遠; 12 不是在天上,使你說:『誰為我們上天去取來給我們,使我們聽了可以遵行呢?』 13 也不是在海的那邊,使你說:『誰為我們渡海到另一邊,去取來給我們,使我們聽了可以遵行呢?』 14 因這話離你很近,就在你口中,在你心裏,使你可以遵行。

15 「看,我今日將生死禍福擺在你面前。 16 我今日所吩咐你的[a],就是要愛耶和華—你的 神,遵行他的道,謹守他的誡命、律例、典章,使你可以存活,增多,而且耶和華—你的 神必在你所要進去得為業的地上賜福給你。 17 倘若你的心偏離,不肯聽從,卻被引誘去敬拜別神,事奉它們, 18 我今日向你們申明,你們必定滅亡;在你過約旦河進去得為業的地上,你的日子必不長久。 19 我今日呼天喚地向你作見證:我已經將生與死,祝福與詛咒,擺在你面前。所以你要揀選生命,好使你和你的後裔都得存活。 20 要愛耶和華—你的 神,聽從他的話,緊緊跟隨他,因為他是你的生命,必使你的日子得以長久,可以在耶和華向你列祖亞伯拉罕以撒雅各起誓要給他們的地上居住。」

Footnotes

  1. 30.16 「我今日所吩咐你的」:七十士譯本是「如果你遵行主—你 神的誡命,就是我今日所吩咐你的」。

30 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee,

And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;

That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.

If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:

And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.

And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.

And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.

And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:

10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.

12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?

13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?

14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

16 In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;

18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.