Leviticus 26:14-26
New English Translation
The Consequences of Disobedience
14 “‘If, however,[a] you do not obey me and keep[b] all these commandments— 15 if you reject my statutes and abhor my regulations so that you do not keep[c] all my commandments and you break my covenant— 16 I for my part[d] will do this to you: I will inflict horror on you, consumption and fever, which diminish eyesight and drain away the vitality of life.[e] You will sow your seed in vain because[f] your enemies will eat it.[g] 17 I will set my face against you. You will be struck down before your enemies, those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when there is no one pursuing you.
18 “‘If, in spite of all these things,[h] you do not obey me, I will discipline you seven times more on account of your sins.[i] 19 I will break your strong pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze. 20 Your strength will be used up in vain, your land will not give its yield, and the trees of the land[j] will not produce their fruit.
21 “‘If you walk in hostility against me[k] and are not willing to obey me, I will increase your affliction[l] seven times according to your sins. 22 I will send the wild animals[m] against you and they will bereave you of your children,[n] annihilate your cattle, and diminish your population[o] so that your roads will become deserted.
23 “‘If in spite of these things[p] you do not allow yourselves to be disciplined and you walk in hostility against me,[q] 24 then I myself will also walk in hostility against you and strike you[r] seven times on account of your sins. 25 I will bring on you an avenging sword, a covenant vengeance.[s] Although[t] you will gather together into your cities, I will send pestilence among you and you will be given into enemy hands.[u] 26 When I break off your supply of bread,[v] ten women will bake your bread in one oven; they will ration your bread by weight,[w] and you will eat and not be satisfied.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Leviticus 26:14 tn Heb “And if.”
- Leviticus 26:14 tn Heb “and do not do.”
- Leviticus 26:15 tn Heb “to not do.”
- Leviticus 26:16 tn Or “I also” (see HALOT 76 s.v. אַף 6.b).
- Leviticus 26:16 tn Heb “soul.” These expressions may refer either to the physical effects of consumption and fever as the rendering in the text suggests (e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 452, 454, “diminishing eyesight and loss of appetite”), or perhaps the more psychological effects, “which exhausts the eyes” because of anxious hope “and causes depression” (Heb “causes soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] to pine away”), e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 185.
- Leviticus 26:16 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have causal force here.
- Leviticus 26:16 tn That is, “your enemies will eat” the produce that grows from the sown seed.
- Leviticus 26:18 tn Heb “And if until these.”
- Leviticus 26:18 tn Heb “I will add to discipline you seven [times] on your sins.”
- Leviticus 26:20 tn Heb “the tree of the land will not give its fruit.” The collective singular has been translated as a plural. One Hebrew ms from Cairo Geniza, other medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, LXX, and Tg. Ps.-J. have “the field” as in v. 4, rather than “the land.”
- Leviticus 26:21 tn Heb “hostile with me,” but see the added preposition ב (bet) on the phrase “in hostility” in v. 24 and 27.
- Leviticus 26:21 tn Heb “your blow, stroke”; cf. TEV “punishment”; NLT “I will inflict you with seven more disasters.”
- Leviticus 26:22 tn Heb “the animal of the field.” This collective singular has been translated as a plural. The expression “animal of the field” refers to a wild (i.e., nondomesticated) animal.
- Leviticus 26:22 tn The words “of your children” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
- Leviticus 26:22 tn Heb “and diminish you.”
- Leviticus 26:23 tn Heb “And if in these.”
- Leviticus 26:23 tn Heb “with me,” but see the added preposition ב (bet) on the phrase “in hostility” in vv. 24 and 27.
- Leviticus 26:24 tn Heb “and I myself will also strike you.”
- Leviticus 26:25 tn Heb “vengeance of covenant”; cf. NAB “the avenger of my covenant.”
- Leviticus 26:25 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) has a concessive force in this context.
- Leviticus 26:25 tn Heb “in hand of enemy,” but Tg. Ps.-J. and Tg. Neof. have “in the hands of your enemies” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 454).
- Leviticus 26:26 tn Heb “When I break to you staff of bread” (KJV, ASV, and NASB all similar).
- Leviticus 26:26 tn Heb “they will return your bread in weight.”
Leviticus 26:14-26
World English Bible
14 “‘But if you will not listen to me, and will not do all these commandments, 15 and if you shall reject my statutes, and if your soul abhors my ordinances, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, 16 I also will do this to you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away. You will sow your seed in vain, for your enemies will eat it. 17 I will set my face against you, and you will be struck before your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you; and you will flee when no one pursues you.
18 “‘If you in spite of these things will not listen to me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins. 19 I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your sky like iron, and your soil like bronze. 20 Your strength will be spent in vain; for your land won’t yield its increase, neither will the trees of the land yield their fruit.
21 “‘If you walk contrary to me, and won’t listen to me, then I will bring seven times more plagues on you according to your sins. 22 I will send the wild animals among you, which will rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number. Your roads will become desolate.
23 “‘If by these things you won’t be turned back to me, but will walk contrary to me, 24 then I will also walk contrary to you; and I will strike you, even I, seven times for your sins. 25 I will bring a sword upon you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant. You will be gathered together within your cities, and I will send the pestilence among you. You will be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight. You shall eat, and not be satisfied.
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