Deuteronomy 31:30-32:47
English Standard Version
The Song of Moses
30 Then Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the ears of all the assembly of Israel:
32 “Give ear, (A)O heavens, and I will speak,
and let (B)the earth hear the words of my mouth.
2 May (C)my teaching drop as the rain,
my speech distill as the dew,
like gentle rain upon the tender grass,
and (D)like showers upon the herb.
3 For I will proclaim the name of the Lord;
ascribe (E)greatness to our God!
4 (F)“The Rock, (G)his work is perfect,
for (H)all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and (I)without iniquity,
just and upright is he.
5 They have dealt corruptly with him;
they are no longer his children (J)because they are blemished;
they are (K)a crooked and twisted generation.
6 Do you thus repay the Lord,
you foolish and senseless people?
Is not he (L)your father, who (M)created you,
who (N)made you and established you?
7 (O)Remember the days of old;
consider the years of many generations;
(P)ask your father, and he will show you,
your elders, and they will tell you.
8 When the Most High (Q)gave to the nations their inheritance,
when he (R)divided mankind,
he fixed the borders[a] of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God.[b]
9 But the Lord's portion is his people,
Jacob his allotted heritage.
10 “He found him (S)in a desert land,
and in the howling waste of the wilderness;
he (T)encircled him, he cared for him,
he (U)kept him as the apple of his eye.
11 (V)Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
that flutters over its young,
spreading out its wings, catching them,
bearing them on its pinions,
12 (W)the Lord alone guided him,
(X)no foreign god was with him.
13 (Y)He made him ride on the high places of the land,
and he ate the produce of the field,
and he suckled him with (Z)honey out of the rock,
and (AA)oil out of (AB)the flinty rock.
14 Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,
with fat[c] of lambs,
rams of Bashan and goats,
with the very finest[d] of the wheat—
and you drank foaming wine made from (AC)the blood of the grape.
15 “But (AD)Jeshurun grew fat, and (AE)kicked;
(AF)you grew fat, stout, and sleek;
(AG)then he forsook God (AH)who made him
and scoffed at (AI)the Rock of his salvation.
16 (AJ)They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;
with abominations they provoked him to anger.
17 (AK)They sacrificed to demons that were no gods,
to gods they had never known,
to (AL)new gods that had come recently,
whom your fathers had never dreaded.
18 You were unmindful of (AM)the Rock that bore[e] you,
and you (AN)forgot the God who gave you birth.
19 (AO)“The Lord saw it and spurned them,
because of the provocation of (AP)his sons and his daughters.
20 And he said, (AQ)‘I will hide my face from them;
I will see what their end will be,
for they are a perverse generation,
children in whom is no faithfulness.
21 (AR)They have made me jealous with what is no god;
they have provoked me to anger (AS)with their idols.
So (AT)I will make them jealous with those who are no people;
I will provoke them to anger with (AU)a foolish nation.
22 For (AV)a fire is kindled by my anger,
and it burns to (AW)the depths of Sheol,
devours the earth and its increase,
and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.
23 “‘And I will heap disasters upon them;
(AX)I will spend my arrows on them;
24 they shall be wasted with hunger,
and devoured by plague
and poisonous pestilence;
I will send (AY)the teeth of beasts against them,
with the venom of (AZ)things that crawl in the dust.
25 (BA)Outdoors the sword shall bereave,
and indoors terror,
for young man and woman alike,
the nursing child with the man of gray hairs.
26 (BB)I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces;
(BC)I will wipe them from human memory,”
27 had I not feared provocation by the enemy,
lest their adversaries should misunderstand,
lest they should say, (BD)“Our hand is triumphant,
it was not the Lord who did all this.”’
28 “For they are a nation void of counsel,
and there is (BE)no understanding in them.
29 (BF)If they were wise, they would understand this;
they would (BG)discern their latter end!
30 How could (BH)one have chased a thousand,
and two have put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock (BI)had sold them,
and the Lord had given them up?
31 For (BJ)their rock is not as our Rock;
(BK)our enemies are by themselves.
32 For their vine (BL)comes from the vine of Sodom
and from the fields of Gomorrah;
their grapes are grapes of (BM)poison;
their clusters are bitter;
33 their wine is the poison of (BN)serpents
and the cruel venom of asps.
34 “‘Is not this laid up in store with me,
(BO)sealed up in my treasuries?
35 (BP)Vengeance is mine, and recompense,[f]
(BQ)for the time when their foot shall slip;
for (BR)the day of their calamity is at hand,
and their doom comes swiftly.’
36 For (BS)the Lord will vindicate[g] his people
(BT)and have compassion on his servants,
when he sees that their power is gone
and there is none remaining, (BU)bond or free.
37 Then he will say, (BV)‘Where are their gods,
(BW)the rock in which they took refuge,
38 who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise up and help you;
let them be your protection!
39 “‘See now that (BX)I, even I, am he,
and there is no god beside me;
(BY)I kill and I make alive;
(BZ)I wound and I heal;
and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
40 For (CA)I lift up my hand to heaven
and swear, As I live forever,
41 if I (CB)sharpen my flashing sword[h]
and my hand takes hold on judgment,
I will take vengeance on my adversaries
and will repay those who hate me.
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and (CC)my sword shall devour flesh—
with the blood of the slain and the captives,
from the (CD)long-haired heads of the enemy.’
43 (CE)“Rejoice with him, O heavens;[i]
bow down to him, all gods,[j]
for he (CF)avenges the blood of his children[k]
and takes vengeance on his adversaries.
He repays those who hate him[l]
and cleanses[m] his people's land.”[n]
44 Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and (CG)Joshua[o] the son of Nun. 45 And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, (CH)“Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, (CI)that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. 47 For it is no empty word for you, (CJ)but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 32:8 Or territories
- Deuteronomy 32:8 Compare Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text sons of Israel
- Deuteronomy 32:14 That is, with the best
- Deuteronomy 32:14 Hebrew with the kidney fat
- Deuteronomy 32:18 Or fathered
- Deuteronomy 32:35 Septuagint and I will repay
- Deuteronomy 32:36 Septuagint judge
- Deuteronomy 32:41 Hebrew the lightning of my sword
- Deuteronomy 32:43 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text Rejoice his people, O nations
- Deuteronomy 32:43 Masoretic Text lacks bow down to him, all gods
- Deuteronomy 32:43 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text servants
- Deuteronomy 32:43 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text lacks He repays those who hate him
- Deuteronomy 32:43 Or atones for
- Deuteronomy 32:43 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew his land his people
- Deuteronomy 32:44 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew Hoshea
Deuteronomy 31:30-32:47
New American Standard Bible
30 Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were complete:
The Song of Moses
32 “(A)Listen, you heavens, and I will speak;
And let the earth hear the words of my mouth!
2 (B)May my teaching drip as the rain,
My speech trickle as the dew,
(C)As droplets on the fresh grass,
And as the showers on the vegetation.
3 (D)For I proclaim the name of the Lord;
(E)Ascribe greatness to our God!
4 (F)The Rock! His work is perfect,
(G)For all His ways are [a]just;
(H)A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
Righteous and just is He.
5 [b](I)They have acted corruptly against Him,
They are not His children, because of their defect;
(J)But are a perverse and crooked generation.
6 Is this what you (K)do to the Lord,
(L)You foolish and unwise people?
(M)Is He not your Father who has purchased you?
(N)He has made you and established you.
7 Remember the days of old,
Consider the years of all generations.
(O)Ask your father and he will inform you,
Your elders, and they will tell you.
8 (P)When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
When He separated the sons of [c]mankind,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
(Q)According to the number of the [d]sons of Israel.
9 (R)For the Lord’s portion is His people;
Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.
10 (S)He found him in a desert land,
And in the howling wasteland of a wilderness;
He encircled him, He cared for him,
He guarded him as (T)the [e]apple of His eye.
11 (U)As an eagle stirs up its nest,
And hovers over its young,
(V)He spread His wings, He caught them,
He carried them on His pinions.
12 (W)The Lord alone guided him,
(X)And there was no foreign god with him.
13 (Y)He had him ride on the high places of the earth,
And he ate the produce of the field;
(Z)And He had him suck honey from the rock,
And [f](AA)oil from the flinty rock,
14 Curds of the herd, and milk of the flock,
With fat of lambs
And rams, the breed of Bashan, and of goats,
(AB)With the best of the wheat;
And you drank wine of the (AC)blood of grapes.
15 “(AD)But [g]Jeshurun became fat and kicked—
You have become fat, thick, and obstinate—
(AE)Then he abandoned God (AF)who made him,
And [h]rejected (AG)the Rock of his salvation.
16 (AH)They made Him jealous with strange gods;
(AI)With abominations they provoked Him to anger.
17 (AJ)They sacrificed to demons, who were not God,
(AK)To gods whom they have not known,
(AL)New gods who came lately,
Whom your fathers did not know.
18 You forgot (AM)the Rock who fathered you,
(AN)And forgot the God who gave you birth.
19 “(AO)The Lord saw this, and spurned them
(AP)Because of the provocation by His sons and daughters.
20 Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them,
(AQ)I will see what their end will be;
(AR)For they are a perverse generation,
(AS)Sons in whom there is no faithfulness.
21 (AT)They have made Me jealous with what is not God;
They have provoked Me to anger with their [i](AU)idols.
(AV)So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people;
I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation,
22 (AW)For a fire has flared in My anger,
And it burns to the lowest part of [j]Sheol,
(AX)And devours the earth with its yield,
And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.
23 ‘(AY)I will add misfortunes to them;
(AZ)I will use up My arrows on them.
24 (BA)They will be wasted by famine, and emaciated by [k]plague
(BB)And a bitter epidemic;
(BC)And the teeth of beasts I will send against them,
(BD)With the venom of crawling things of the dust.
25 (BE)Outside the sword will make them childless,
And inside, terror—
(BF)Both young man and virgin,
The nursing child with the man of gray hair.
26 I would have said, “(BG)I will wipe them out,
(BH)I will remove the mention of [l]their name from humanity,”
27 Had I not feared the provocation by the enemy,
That their adversaries would misjudge,
That they would say, “(BI)Our hand is [m]triumphant,
And the Lord has not performed all this.”’
28 “(BJ)For they are a nation [n]destitute of counsel,
And there is no understanding in them.
29 (BK)If only they were wise and they understood this;
(BL)If only they would discern their [o]future!
30 (BM)How could one chase a thousand,
And two put ten thousand to flight,
Unless their (BN)Rock had sold them,
And the Lord had given them up?
31 Indeed, their rock is not like our Rock;
(BO)Even our enemies [p]themselves judge this.
32 For their vine is from the vine of Sodom,
And from the fields of Gomorrah;
Their grapes are grapes of (BP)poison,
Their clusters, bitter.
33 Their wine is the venom of [q]serpents,
And the [r]deadly poison of vipers.
34 ‘(BQ)Is it not stored up with Me,
Sealed up in My treasuries?
35 (BR)Vengeance is Mine, and retribution;
(BS)In due time their foot will slip.
(BT)For the day of their disaster is near,
And the impending things are hurrying to them.’
36 (BU)For the Lord will vindicate His people,
(BV)And will have compassion on His servants,
When He sees that their [s]strength is gone,
And there is none remaining, bond or free.
37 And He will say, ‘(BW)Where are their gods,
The rock in which they took refuge?
38 (BX)Those who ate the fat of their sacrifices,
And drank the wine of their drink offering?
(BY)Let them rise up and help you,
Let them be your protection!
39 (BZ)See now that I, I am He,
(CA)And there is no god besides Me;
(CB)It is I who put to death and give life.
(CC)I have wounded and it is I who heal,
(CD)And there is no one who can save anyone from My hand.
40 Indeed, (CE)I raise My hand to heaven,
And say, as I live forever,
41 (CF)If I have sharpened [t]My flashing sword,
And My hand has taken hold of justice,
(CG)I will return vengeance on My adversaries,
And I will repay those who hate Me.
42 (CH)I will make My arrows drunk with blood,
(CI)And My sword will devour flesh,
With the blood of the slain and the captives,
From the long-haired [u]leaders of the enemy.’
43 (CJ)Rejoice, you nations, with His people;
(CK)For He will avenge the blood of His servants,
(CL)And will return vengeance on His adversaries,
(CM)And will atone for His land and His people.”
44 Then Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he, with [v](CN)Joshua the son of Nun. 45 When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “(CO)Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you will command (CP)your sons to [w]follow carefully, all the words of this Law. 47 For it is not a [x]trivial matter for you; indeed (CQ)it is your life. And (CR)by this word you will prolong your days in the land, [y]which you are about to cross the Jordan to [z]possess.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 32:4 Or judgment
- Deuteronomy 32:5 Lit It has
- Deuteronomy 32:8 Or Adam
- Deuteronomy 32:8 As in MT; DSS sons of God; LXX angels of God
- Deuteronomy 32:10 Lit pupil
- Deuteronomy 32:13 I.e., olive oil
- Deuteronomy 32:15 I.e., Israel
- Deuteronomy 32:15 Lit declared void
- Deuteronomy 32:21 Lit nonexistent things
- Deuteronomy 32:22 I.e., the netherworld
- Deuteronomy 32:24 Lit burning heat
- Deuteronomy 32:26 Lit them
- Deuteronomy 32:27 Lit high
- Deuteronomy 32:28 Lit perishing of
- Deuteronomy 32:29 Or latter end
- Deuteronomy 32:31 Lit are judges
- Deuteronomy 32:33 Lit dragons
- Deuteronomy 32:33 Lit cruel
- Deuteronomy 32:36 Lit hand
- Deuteronomy 32:41 Lit the lightning of My sword
- Deuteronomy 32:42 Lit head
- Deuteronomy 32:44 Lit Hoshea
- Deuteronomy 32:46 Lit be careful to perform
- Deuteronomy 32:47 Lit empty word
- Deuteronomy 32:47 Lit where
- Deuteronomy 32:47 Lit possess it
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
