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,(A) and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and all your soul(B) by doing[a] everything I am commanding you today, then he will restore your fortunes,[b](C) have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.(D) Even if your exiles are at the farthest horizon, he will gather you and bring you back from there.(E) The Lord your God will bring you into the land your ancestors possessed, and you will take possession of it.(F) He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than he did your ancestors.(G) The Lord your God will circumcise your heart(H) and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live.(I) The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. Then you will again obey him and follow all his commands I am commanding you today. The Lord your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands,(J) your offspring,[c] 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.

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Footnotes

  1. 30:2 Lit soul according to
  2. 30:3 Or will end your captivity
  3. 30:9 Lit hands in the fruit of your womb

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.

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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.