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30 Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished.

32 Give ear, you heavens, and I will speak.
    Let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
My doctrine will drop as the rain.
    My speech will condense as the dew,
    as the misty rain on the tender grass,
    as the showers on the herb.
For I will proclaim Yahweh’s name.
    Ascribe greatness to our God!
The Rock: his work is perfect,
    for all his ways are just.
    A God of faithfulness who does no wrong,
    just and right is he.
They have dealt corruptly with him.
    They are not his children, because of their defect.
    They are a perverse and crooked generation.
Is this the way you repay Yahweh,
    foolish and unwise people?
Isn’t he your father who has bought you?
    He has made you and established you.
Remember the days of old.
    Consider the years of many generations.
Ask your father, and he will show you;
    your elders, and they will tell you.
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
    when he separated the children of men,
he set the bounds of the peoples
    according to the number of the children of Israel.
For Yahweh’s portion is his people.
    Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
10 He found him in a desert land,
    in the waste howling wilderness.
He surrounded him.
    He cared for him.
    He kept him as the apple of his eye.
11 As an eagle that stirs up her nest,
    that flutters over her young,
he spread abroad his wings,
    he took them,
    he bore them on his feathers.
12 Yahweh alone led him.
    There was no foreign god with him.
13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth.
    He ate the increase of the field.
He caused him to suck honey out of the rock,
    oil out of the flinty rock;
14 butter from the herd, and milk from the flock,
    with fat of lambs,
    rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats,
    with the finest of the wheat.
    From the blood of the grape, you drank wine.
15 But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked.
    You have grown fat.
    You have grown thick.
    You have become sleek.
Then he abandoned God who made him,
    and rejected the Rock of his salvation.
16 They moved him to jealousy with strange gods.
    They provoked him to anger with abominations.
17 They sacrificed to demons, not God,
    to gods that they didn’t know,
    to new gods that came up recently,
    which your fathers didn’t dread.
18 Of the Rock who became your father, you are unmindful,
    and have forgotten God who gave you birth.
19 Yahweh saw and abhorred,
    because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.
20 He said, “I will hide my face from them.
    I will see what their end will be;
for they are a very perverse generation,
    children in whom is no faithfulness.
21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God.
    They have provoked me to anger with their vanities.
I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a people.
    I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
22 For a fire is kindled in my anger,
    that burns to the lowest Sheol,[a]
    devours the earth with its increase,
    and sets the foundations of the mountains on fire.

23 “I will heap evils on them.
    I will spend my arrows on them.
24 They shall be wasted with hunger,
    and devoured with burning heat
    and bitter destruction.
I will send the teeth of animals on them,
    with the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.
25 Outside the sword will bereave,
    and in the rooms,
    terror on both young man and virgin,
    the nursing infant with the gray-haired man.
26 I said that I would scatter them afar.
    I would make their memory to cease from among men;
27 were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy,
    lest their adversaries should judge wrongly,
    lest they should say, ‘Our hand is exalted,
    Yahweh has not done all this.’”

28 For they are a nation void of counsel.
    There is no understanding in them.
29 Oh that they were wise, that they understood this,
    that they would consider their latter end!
30 How could one chase a thousand,
    and two put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
    and Yahweh had delivered them up?
31 For their rock is not as our Rock,
    even our enemies themselves concede.
32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom,
    of the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are poison grapes.
    Their clusters are bitter.
33 Their wine is the poison of serpents,
    the cruel venom of asps.

34 “Isn’t this laid up in store with me,
    sealed up among my treasures?
35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense,
    at the time when their foot slides;
for the day of their calamity is at hand.
    Their doom rushes at them.”

36 For Yahweh will judge his people,
    and have compassion on his servants,
when he sees that their power is gone;
    that there is no one remaining, shut up or left at large.
37 He will say, “Where are their gods,
    the rock in which they took refuge;
38 which 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 I myself am he.
    There is no god with me.
I kill and I make alive.
    I wound and I heal.
    There is no one who can deliver out of my hand.
40 For I lift up my hand to heaven and declare,
    as I live forever,
41 if I sharpen my glittering sword,
    my hand grasps it in judgment;
I will take vengeance on my adversaries,
    and will repay those who hate me.
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood.
    My sword shall devour flesh with the blood of the slain and the captives,
    from the head of the leaders of the enemy.”

43 Rejoice, you nations, with his people,
    for he will avenge the blood of his servants.
    He will take vengeance on his adversaries,
    and will make atonement for his land and for his people.[b]

44 Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun. 45 Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel. 46 He said to them, “Set your heart to all the words which I testify to you today, which you shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. 47 For it is no vain thing for you, because it is your life, and through this thing you shall prolong your days in the land, where you go over the Jordan to possess it.”

Footnotes

  1. 32:22 Sheol is the place of the dead.
  2. 32:43 For this verse, LXX reads: Rejoice, you heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him; rejoice you Gentiles, with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will render vengeance, and recompense justice to his enemies, and will reward them that hate him; and the Lord shall purge the land of his people.

The Song of Moses

30 Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song until they were ended:

The Song of Moses

32 “Give (A)ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
And hear, O (B)earth, the words of my mouth.
Let (C)my [a]teaching drop as the rain,
My speech distill as the dew,
(D)As raindrops on the tender herb,
And as showers on the grass.
For I proclaim the (E)name of the Lord:
(F)Ascribe greatness to our God.
He is (G)the Rock, (H)His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
(I)A God of truth and (J)without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.

“They(K) have corrupted themselves;
They are not His children,
Because of their blemish:
A (L)perverse and crooked generation.
Do you thus (M)deal[b] with the Lord,
O foolish and unwise people?
Is He not (N)your Father, who (O)bought you?
Has He not (P)made you and established you?

“Remember(Q) the days of old,
Consider the years of many generations.
(R)Ask your father, and he will show you;
Your elders, and they will tell you:
When the Most High (S)divided their inheritance to the nations,
When He (T)separated the sons of Adam,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the [c]children of Israel.
For (U)the Lord’s portion is His people;
Jacob is the place of His inheritance.

10 “He found him (V)in a desert land
And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
He encircled him, He instructed him,
He (W)kept him as the [d]apple of His eye.
11 (X)As an eagle stirs up its nest,
Hovers over its young,
Spreading out its wings, taking them up,
Carrying them on its wings,
12 So the Lord alone led him,
And there was no foreign god with him.

13 “He(Y) made him ride in the heights of the earth,
That he might eat the produce of the fields;
He made him draw honey from the rock,
And oil from the flinty rock;
14 Curds from the cattle, and milk of the flock,
(Z)With fat of lambs;
And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats,
With the choicest wheat;
And you drank wine, the (AA)blood of the grapes.

15 “But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked;
(AB)You grew fat, you grew thick,
You are obese!
Then he (AC)forsook God who (AD)made him,
And scornfully esteemed the (AE)Rock of his salvation.
16 (AF)They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods;
With [e]abominations they provoked Him to anger.
17 (AG)They sacrificed to demons, not to God,
To gods they did not know,
To new gods, new arrivals
That your fathers did not fear.
18 (AH)Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful,
And have (AI)forgotten the God who fathered you.

19 “And(AJ) when the Lord saw it, He spurned them,
Because of the provocation of His sons and His daughters.
20 And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them,
I will see what their end will be,
For they are a perverse generation,
(AK)Children in whom is no faith.
21 (AL)They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God;
They have moved Me to anger (AM)by their [f]foolish idols.
But (AN)I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation;
I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.
22 For (AO)a fire is kindled in My anger,
And shall burn to the [g]lowest [h]hell;
It shall consume the earth with her increase,
And set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 ‘I will (AP)heap disasters on them;
(AQ)I will spend My arrows on them.
24 They shall be wasted with hunger,
Devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction;
I will also send against them the (AR)teeth of beasts,
With the poison of serpents of the dust.
25 The sword shall destroy outside;
There shall be terror within
For the young man and virgin,
The nursing child with the man of gray hairs.
26 (AS)I would have said, “I will dash them in pieces,
I will make the memory of them to cease from among men,”
27 Had I not feared the wrath of the enemy,
Lest their adversaries should misunderstand,
Lest they should say, (AT)“Our hand is high;
And it is not the Lord who has done all this.” ’

28 “For they are a nation void of counsel,
Nor is there any understanding in them.
29 (AU)Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this,
That they would consider their (AV)latter end!
30 How could one chase a thousand,
And two put ten thousand to flight,
Unless their Rock (AW)had sold them,
And the Lord had surrendered them?
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,
(AX)Even our enemies themselves being judges.
32 For (AY)their vine is of the vine of Sodom
And of the fields of Gomorrah;
Their grapes are grapes of gall,
Their clusters are bitter.
33 Their wine is (AZ)the poison of serpents,
And the cruel (BA)venom of cobras.

34 Is this not (BB)laid up in store with Me,
Sealed up among My treasures?
35 (BC)Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
Their foot shall slip in due time;
(BD)For the day of their calamity is at hand,
And the things to come hasten upon them.’

36 “For(BE) the Lord will judge His people
(BF)And have compassion on His servants,
When He sees that their power is gone,
And (BG)there is no one remaining, bond or free.
37 He will say: (BH)‘Where are their gods,
The rock in which they sought refuge?
38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices,
And drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise and help you,
And be your refuge.

39 ‘Now see that (BI)I, even I, am He,
And (BJ)there is no God besides Me;
(BK)I kill and I make alive;
I wound and I heal;
Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.
40 For I raise My hand to heaven,
And say, “As I live forever,
41 (BL)If I [i]whet My glittering sword,
And My hand takes hold on judgment,
I will render vengeance to My enemies,
And repay those who hate Me.
42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood,
And My sword shall devour flesh,
With the blood of the slain and the captives,
From the heads of the leaders of the enemy.” ’

43 “Rejoice,(BM) O Gentiles, with His [j]people;
For He will (BN)avenge the blood of His servants,
And render vengeance to His adversaries;
He (BO)will provide atonement for His land and His people.”

44 So Moses came with [k]Joshua the son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. 45 Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 and he said to them: (BP)“Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your (BQ)children to be careful to observe—all the words of this law. 47 For it is not a [l]futile thing for you, because it is your (BR)life, and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 32:2 doctrine
  2. Deuteronomy 32:6 repay the
  3. Deuteronomy 32:8 LXX, DSS angels of God; Symmachus, Lat. sons of God
  4. Deuteronomy 32:10 pupil
  5. Deuteronomy 32:16 detestable acts
  6. Deuteronomy 32:21 foolishness, lit. vanities
  7. Deuteronomy 32:22 lowest part of
  8. Deuteronomy 32:22 Or Sheol
  9. Deuteronomy 32:41 sharpen
  10. Deuteronomy 32:43 DSS fragment adds And let all the gods (angels) worship Him; cf. LXX and Heb. 1:6
  11. Deuteronomy 32:44 Heb. Hoshea, Num. 13:8, 16
  12. Deuteronomy 32:47 vain