Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and (A)baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed (B)again for Galilee. (C)And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field (D)that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, (E)wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.[a]

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, (F)“Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” ((G)For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you (H)living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 (I)Are you greater than our father Jacob? (J)He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but (K)whoever drinks of the water that I will give him (L)will never be thirsty again.[b] The water that I will give him will become (M)in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, (N)give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, (O)call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that (P)you are (Q)a prophet. 20 (R)Our fathers worshiped on (S)this mountain, but you say that (T)in Jerusalem is (U)the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, (V)“Woman, believe me, (W)the hour is coming when (X)neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 (Y)You worship what you do not know; (Z)we worship what we know, for (AA)salvation is (AB)from the Jews. 23 But (AC)the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father (AD)in spirit and (AE)truth, for the Father (AF)is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that (AG)Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, (AH)he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, (AI)“I who speak to you am he.”

27 Just then (AJ)his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man (AK)who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.

31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, (AL)“Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, (AM)“Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, (AN)“My food is (AO)to do the will of him who sent me and (AP)to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that (AQ)the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that (AR)sower and (AS)reaper (AT)may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, (AU)‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap (AV)that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, (AW)and you have entered into their labor.”

39 Many Samaritans (AX)from that town believed in him (AY)because of (AZ)the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed (BA)because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, (BB)and we know that this is indeed (BC)the Savior (BD)of the world.”

43 After (BE)the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified (BF)that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, (BG)having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For (BH)they too had gone to the feast.

Jesus Heals an Official's Son

46 So he came again to (BI)Cana in Galilee, (BJ)where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus (BK)had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, (BL)“Unless you[c] see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down (BM)before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants[d] met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour[e] the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, (BN)and all his household. 54 (BO)This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

The Healing at the Pool on the Sabbath

After this there was a (BP)feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now there is in Jerusalem by (BQ)the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic[f] called Bethesda,[g] which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and (BR)paralyzed.[h] One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, (BS)“Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” (BT)And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

(BU)Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews[i] said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and (BV)it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for (BW)Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! (BX)Sin no more, (BY)that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 And this was why the Jews (BZ)were persecuting Jesus, (CA)because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

Jesus Is Equal with God

18 This was why the Jews (CB)were seeking all the more to kill him, (CC)because not only was he (CD)breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God (CE)his own Father, (CF)making himself equal with God.

The Authority of the Son

19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, (CG)the Son (CH)can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father[j] does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For (CI)the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And (CJ)greater works than these will he show him, so that (CK)you may marvel. 21 For as the Father (CL)raises the dead and (CM)gives them life, so (CN)also the Son gives life (CO)to whom he will. 22 (CP)For the Father judges no one, but (CQ)has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they (CR)honor the Father. (CS)Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, (CT)whoever hears my word and (CU)believes him who sent me has eternal life. He (CV)does not come into judgment, but (CW)has passed from death to life.

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, (CX)an hour is coming, and is now here, when (CY)the dead will hear (CZ)the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear (DA)will live. 26 (DB)For as the Father has life in himself, (DC)so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he (DD)has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for (DE)an hour is coming when (DF)all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, (DG)those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Witnesses to Jesus

30 (DH)“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and (DI)my judgment is just, because (DJ)I seek not my own will (DK)but the will of him who sent me. 31 (DL)If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is (DM)another who bears witness about me, and (DN)I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. 33 (DO)You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Not that (DP)the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and (DQ)shining lamp, and (DR)you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But (DS)the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For (DT)the works that the Father has given me (DU)to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, (DV)bear witness about me that (DW)the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me (DX)has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, (DY)his form you have never seen, 38 and (DZ)you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 39 (EA)You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and (EB)it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet (EC)you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 (ED)I do not receive glory from people. 42 But (EE)I know that you do not have (EF)the love of God within you. 43 I have come (EG)in my Father's name, and (EH)you do not receive me. (EI)If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and (EJ)do not seek the glory that comes from (EK)the only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, (EL)on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for (EM)he wrote of me. 47 But (EN)if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Footnotes

  1. John 4:6 That is, about noon
  2. John 4:14 Greek forever
  3. John 4:48 The Greek for you is plural; twice in this verse
  4. John 4:51 Or bondservants
  5. John 4:52 That is, at 1 p.m.
  6. John 5:2 Or Hebrew
  7. John 5:2 Some manuscripts Bethsaida
  8. John 5:3 Some manuscripts insert, wholly or in part, waiting for the moving of the water; 4for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred the water: whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had
  9. John 5:10 The Greek word Ioudaioi refers specifically here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, who opposed Jesus in that time; also verses 15, 16, 18
  10. John 5:19 Greek he

Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John(A) although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea(B) and went back once more to Galilee.

Now he had to go through Samaria.(C) So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.(D) Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”(E) (His disciples had gone into the town(F) to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan(G) woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”(H)

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well(I) and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.(J) Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water(K) welling up to eternal life.”(L)

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty(M) and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

17 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.(N) 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain,(O) but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”(P)

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming(Q) when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.(R) 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know;(S) we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.(T) 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come(U) when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit(V) and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit,(W) and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ)(X) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”(Y)

The Disciples Rejoin Jesus

27 Just then his disciples returned(Z) and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.(AA) Could this be the Messiah?”(AB) 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi,(AC) eat something.”

32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat(AD) that you know nothing about.”

33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will(AE) of him who sent me and to finish his work.(AF) 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.(AG) 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests(AH) a crop for eternal life,(AI) so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’(AJ) is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

Many Samaritans Believe

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town(AK) believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”(AL) 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.

42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”(AM)

Jesus Heals an Official’s Son

43 After the two days(AN) he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.)(AO) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival,(AP) for they also had been there.

46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine.(AQ) And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,(AR) he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,”(AS) Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household(AT) believed.

54 This was the second sign(AU) Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

The Healing at the Pool

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate(AV) a pool, which in Aramaic(AW) is called Bethesda[b] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] [c] One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”(AX) At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath,(AY) 10 and so the Jewish leaders(AZ) said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”(BA)

11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’

12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”

13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning(BB) or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders(BC) that it was Jesus who had made him well.

The Authority of the Son

16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father(BD) is always at his work(BE) to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him;(BF) not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.(BG)

19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself;(BH) he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son(BI) and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these,(BJ) so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,(BK) even so the Son gives life(BL) to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,(BM) 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.(BN)

24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me(BO) has eternal life(BP) and will not be judged(BQ) but has crossed over from death to life.(BR) 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come(BS) when the dead will hear(BT) the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life(BU) in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge(BV) because he is the Son of Man.

28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming(BW) when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.(BX) 30 By myself I can do nothing;(BY) I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just,(BZ) for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.(CA)

Testimonies About Jesus

31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.(CB) 32 There is another who testifies in my favor,(CC) and I know that his testimony about me is true.

33 “You have sent to John and he has testified(CD) to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony;(CE) but I mention it that you may be saved.(CF) 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light,(CG) and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John.(CH) For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing(CI)—testify that the Father has sent me.(CJ) 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me.(CK) You have never heard his voice nor seen his form,(CL) 38 nor does his word dwell in you,(CM) for you do not believe(CN) the one he sent.(CO) 39 You study[d] the Scriptures(CP) diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life.(CQ) These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,(CR) 40 yet you refuse to come to me(CS) to have life.

41 “I do not accept glory from human beings,(CT) 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God[e]?(CU)

45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses,(CV) on whom your hopes are set.(CW) 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.(CX) 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”(CY)

Footnotes

  1. John 4:9 Or do not use dishes Samaritans have used
  2. John 5:2 Some manuscripts Bethzatha; other manuscripts Bethsaida
  3. John 5:4 Some manuscripts include here, wholly or in part, paralyzed—and they waited for the moving of the waters. From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.
  4. John 5:39 Or 39 Study
  5. John 5:44 Some early manuscripts the Only One

The Covenant Renewed in Moab

29 [a] These are the words of the covenant that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel (A)in the land of Moab, besides (B)the covenant that he had made with them at Horeb.

[b] And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: (C)“You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great (D)trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day (E)the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. (F)I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet. (G)You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am the Lord your God. And when you came to this place, (H)Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us to battle, but we defeated them. We took their land and (I)gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites. (J)Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper[c] in all that you do.

10 “You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord your God: the heads of your tribes,[d] your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel, 11 your little ones, your wives, and the (K)sojourner who is in your camp, from (L)the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water, 12 so that you may enter into the (M)sworn covenant of the Lord your God, which the Lord your God is making with you today, 13 that he may (N)establish you today as his people, and that (O)he may be your God, as he promised you, and (P)as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 14 It is not with you alone (Q)that I am making this sworn covenant, 15 but with whoever is standing here with us today before the Lord our God, (R)and with whoever is not here with us today.

16 “You know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed. 17 And you have seen their detestable things, their idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold, which were among them. 18 Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you (S)a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, 19 one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. 20 The Lord will not be willing to forgive him, but rather (T)the anger of the Lord and (U)his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the Lord (V)will blot out his name from under heaven. 21 And the Lord will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for calamity, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law. 22 And the next generation, your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, (W)will say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the Lord has made it sick— 23 the whole land burned out with brimstone and (X)salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, (Y)an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, (Z)Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and wrath— 24 all the nations (AA)will say, (AB)‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?’ 25 Then people will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt, 26 and went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them. 27 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, (AC)bringing upon it all the curses written in this book, 28 and the Lord (AD)uprooted them from their land in anger and fury and great wrath, and (AE)cast them into another land, as they are this day.’

29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 29:1 Ch 28:69 in Hebrew
  2. Deuteronomy 29:2 Ch 29:1 in Hebrew
  3. Deuteronomy 29:9 Or deal wisely
  4. Deuteronomy 29:10 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew your heads, your tribes

Renewal of the Covenant

29 [a]These are the terms of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab,(A) in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.(B)

Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them:

Your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land.(C) With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those signs and great wonders.(D) But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.(E) Yet the Lord says, “During the forty years that I led(F) you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet.(G) You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink.(H) I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.”(I)

When you reached this place, Sihon(J) king of Heshbon(K) and Og king of Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them.(L) We took their land and gave it as an inheritance(M) to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh.(N)

Carefully follow(O) the terms of this covenant,(P) so that you may prosper in everything you do.(Q) 10 All of you are standing today in the presence of the Lord your God—your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel, 11 together with your children and your wives, and the foreigners living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water.(R) 12 You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the Lord your God, a covenant the Lord is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, 13 to confirm you this day as his people,(S) that he may be your God(T) as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 14 I am making this covenant,(U) with its oath, not only with you 15 who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God but also with those who are not here today.(V)

16 You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries on the way here. 17 You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold.(W) 18 Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns(X) away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.(Y)

19 When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing(Z) on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,”(AA) they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. 20 The Lord will never be willing to forgive(AB) them; his wrath and zeal(AC) will burn(AD) against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the Lord will blot(AE) out their names from under heaven. 21 The Lord will single them out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster,(AF) according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.(AG)

22 Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which the Lord has afflicted it.(AH) 23 The whole land will be a burning waste(AI) of salt(AJ) and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah,(AK) Admah and Zeboyim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger.(AL) 24 All the nations will ask: “Why has the Lord done this to this land?(AM) Why this fierce, burning anger?”

25 And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.(AN) 26 They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. 27 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book.(AO) 28 In furious anger and in great wrath(AP) the Lord uprooted(AQ) them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.”

29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God,(AR) but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.(AS)

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 29:1 In Hebrew texts 29:1 is numbered 28:69, and 29:2-29 is numbered 29:1-28.