Bible in 90 Days
12 “You shall also have a place outside the camp and go out there, 13 and you shall have a [a]spade among your tools, and it shall be when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and shall turn [b]to cover up your excrement. 14 Since (A)Yahweh your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to give your enemies over to you, therefore your camp must be (B)holy; and He must not see [c]anything indecent among you, [d]or He will turn away from you.
15 “(C)You shall not hand over to his master a slave who has [e]escaped from his master to you. 16 He shall live with you in your midst, in the place which he shall choose in one of your gates of the towns where it pleases him; (D)you shall not mistreat him.
17 “(E)None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, (F)nor shall any of the sons of Israel be a cult prostitute. 18 You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a [f](G)dog into the house of Yahweh your God for any votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to Yahweh your God.
19 “(H)You shall not charge interest to your brother: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest. 20 (I)You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your brother you shall not charge interest, so that (J)Yahweh your God may bless you in all [g]that you send forth your hand to do in the land which you are about to enter to [h]possess.
21 “(K)When you make a vow to Yahweh your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for Yahweh your God will surely require it of you; and it will be a sin in you. 22 However, if you refrain from vowing, it will not be a sin in you. 23 You shall be careful and do what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to Yahweh your God that which you spoke with your mouth.
24 “When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, then you may eat grapes [i]until you are fully satisfied, but you shall not put any in your [j]basket.
25 “(L)When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain.
Statutes About Divorce
24 “If a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens [k]that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some (M)indecency in her, and (N)he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, 2 and she goes out of his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 and if the latter husband [l]turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, 4 then her (O)former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before Yahweh, and you shall not bring sin on the land which Yahweh your God gives you as an inheritance.
5 “(P)When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any duty; he shall be free at home one year and shall (Q)give gladness to his wife whom he has taken.
Remember You Were Slaves in Egypt
6 “No one shall take a handmill or an upper millstone in pledge, for he would be taking a life in pledge.
7 “(R)If a man is [m]caught kidnapping any of his brothers of the sons of Israel, and he mistreats him or sells him, then that thief shall die; so you shall purge the evil from among you.
8 “(S)Take care against [n]an infection of leprosy, to be very careful and to do according to all that the Levitical priests instruct you; as I have commanded them, so you shall be careful to do. 9 Remember what Yahweh your God did (T)to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt.
10 “(U)When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his deposit. 11 You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the deposit out to you. 12 Now if he is an afflicted man, you shall not sleep with his deposit. 13 (V)When the sun goes down you shall surely return the deposit to him, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and (W)it will be righteousness for you before Yahweh your God.
14 “(X)You shall not oppress a hired person who is afflicted and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of your sojourners who is in your land within your gates. 15 (Y)You shall give him his wages on his day [o]before the sun goes down, for he is afflicted and sets his soul on it, so that (Z)he will not cry against you to Yahweh and it become sin in you.
16 “(AA)Fathers shall not be put to death [p]for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death [q]for their fathers; each shall be put to death for his own sin.
17 “(AB)You shall not pervert the justice [r]due a sojourner or [s]an orphan, nor (AC)take a widow’s garment in pledge. 18 But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and that Yahweh your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.
19 “(AD)When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be (AE)for the sojourner, for the [t]orphan, and for the widow, in order that Yahweh your God (AF)may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 (AG)When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs after you finish; it shall be (AH)for the sojourner, for the [u]orphan, and for the widow.
21 “When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it after you finish; it shall be for the sojourner, for the [v]orphan, and for the widow. 22 And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.
25 “(AI)If there is a dispute between men and they go to court for judgment, and [w]the judges judge their case, (AJ)and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, 2 then it shall be if the wicked man [x](AK)deserves to be struck, the judge shall then make him lie down and be struck in his presence with the number of stripes according to his [y]guilt. 3 (AL)He may strike him forty times but no more, lest he strike him with many more stripes than these and your brother be (AM)dishonored in your eyes.
4 “(AN)You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing.
5 “If brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, then the wife of the one who died shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. (AO)Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 And it will be that the firstborn whom she bears shall [z]assume the name of his dead brother, so that (AP)his name will not be blotted out from Israel. 7 (AQ)But if the man does not desire to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to raise up a name for his brother in Israel; he is not willing to perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak to him. And if he stands and says, ‘I do not desire to take her,’ 9 (AR)then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the sight of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and (AS)spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, ‘Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ 10 And in Israel his name shall be called, ‘The house of him whose sandal is removed.’
11 “If two men, a man and his brother, are struggling together, and the wife of one comes near to deliver her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him, and she puts out her hand and seizes his genitals, 12 then you shall cut off her [aa]hand; [ab](AT)you shall not show pity.
13 “(AU)You shall not have in your bag [ac]differing weights, a large and a small. 14 You shall not have in your house [ad]differing measures, a large and a small. 15 You shall have a full and just weight; you shall have a full and just [ae]measure, (AV)that your days may be prolonged in the [af]land which Yahweh your God gives you. 16 For (AW)everyone who does these things, everyone who acts unjustly, is an abomination to Yahweh your God.
17 “(AX)Remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out from Egypt, 18 how he met you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear, but you were faint and weary; and he (AY)did not [ag]fear God. 19 Therefore it will be, when Yahweh your God has given you (AZ)rest from all your surrounding enemies, in the land which Yahweh your God gives you as an inheritance to [ah]possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget.
Bringing First Fruits and Tithes
26 “Then it will be, when you enter the land which Yahweh your God gives you as an inheritance and you possess it and live in it, 2 that you shall take some of (BA)the first of all the fruit of the ground which you bring in from your land that Yahweh your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and (BB)go to the place where Yahweh your God chooses for His name to dwell. 3 And you shall go to the priest who is in office in those days and say to him, ‘I declare this day to Yahweh [ai]my God that I have entered the land which Yahweh swore to our fathers to give us.’ 4 Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of Yahweh your God. 5 And you shall answer and say before Yahweh your God, ‘(BC)My father was a [aj]wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and [ak]sojourned there, (BD)few in number; but there he became a (BE)great, mighty, and populous nation. 6 And the (BF)Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us and imposed hard slave labor on us. 7 Then (BG)we cried out to Yahweh, the God of our fathers, and Yahweh heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression; 8 (BH)and Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders; 9 and He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, (BI)a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground (BJ)which You, O Yahweh, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before Yahweh your God and worship before Yahweh your God; 11 and you and (BK)the Levite and the sojourner who is among you shall (BL)be glad in all the good which Yahweh your God has given you and your household.
12 “(BM)When you have finished [al]paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the sojourner, to the [am]orphan, and to the widow, that they may eat within your gates and be satisfied. 13 Then you shall say before Yahweh your God, ‘I have purged the sacred portion from my house, and I also have given it to the Levite and the sojourner, the [an]orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; (BN)I have not trespassed against or forgotten any of Your commandments. 14 I have not eaten of it [ao]while mourning, nor have I purged any of it while I was unclean, nor have I given any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of Yahweh my God; I have done according to all that You have commanded me. 15 (BO)Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the ground which You have given to us, (BP)a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.’
16 “This day Yahweh your God commands you to do these statutes and judgments. You shall therefore be careful to do them (BQ)with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 (BR)You have today declared Yahweh to be your God, and [ap]that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and listen to His voice. 18 And Yahweh has today declared you to be (BS)His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and [aq]that you should keep all His commandments; 19 and [ar]that He will (BT)set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, a name, and beauty; and that you shall be (BU)a holy people to Yahweh your God, as He has spoken.”
Curses on Mount Ebal
27 Then Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep the entire commandment which I am commanding you today. 2 (BV)So it will be on the day when you cross the Jordan to the land which Yahweh your God gives you, that you shall set up for yourself large stones and coat them with lime 3 and write on them all the words of this law when you cross over, so that you may enter the land which Yahweh your God gives you, (BW)a land flowing with milk and honey, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, [as]promised you. 4 So it will be when you cross the Jordan, you shall set up (BX)on Mount Ebal, these stones, [at]as I am commanding you today, and you shall coat them with lime. 5 Moreover, you shall build there an altar to Yahweh your God, an altar of stones; you (BY)shall not [au]wield an iron tool on them. 6 You shall build the altar of Yahweh your God of [av]uncut stones, and you shall offer on it burnt offerings to Yahweh your God; 7 and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and eat there and (BZ)be glad before Yahweh your God. 8 And you shall write on the [aw]stones all the words of this law very distinctly.”
9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying, “Be silent and listen, O Israel! This day you have become a people for Yahweh your God. 10 You shall therefore listen to the voice of Yahweh your God and do His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today.”
11 Moses also commanded the people on that day, saying, 12 “When you cross the Jordan, these shall stand on (CA)Mount Gerizim to bless the people: (CB)Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 For the curse, these shall stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 The Levites shall then answer and say to all the men of Israel with a loud voice,
15 ‘Cursed is the man who makes (CC)a graven image or a molten image, an abomination to Yahweh, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And (CD)all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’
16 ‘(CE)Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
17 ‘(CF)Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary mark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
18 ‘(CG)Cursed is he who leads a blind person astray on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
19 ‘(CH)Cursed is he who perverts the justice due a sojourner, [ax]orphan, and widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
20 ‘(CI)Cursed is he who lies with his father’s wife because he has uncovered his father’s skirt.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
21 ‘(CJ)Cursed is he who lies with any animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
22 ‘(CK)Cursed is he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
23 ‘(CL)Cursed is he who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
24 ‘(CM)Cursed is he who strikes his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
25 ‘(CN)Cursed is he who takes a bribe to strike down [ay]innocent blood.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
26 ‘(CO)Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
Blessings for Keeping the Commandments
28 “(CP)Now it will be, if you diligently listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I am commanding you today, Yahweh your God (CQ)will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings will come upon you and (CR)overtake you if you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God:
3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be (CS)in the [az]field.
4 “Blessed shall be the [ba]offspring of your [bb]body and the [bc]produce of your ground and the [bd]offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.
5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 “Blessed shall you be (CT)when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 “Yahweh shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be [be]defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways. 8 Yahweh will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in (CU)all that you send forth your hand to do, and He will bless you in the land which Yahweh your God gives you. 9 (CV)Yahweh will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of Yahweh your God and walk in His ways. 10 So all the peoples of the earth will see that [bf](CW)you are called by the name of Yahweh, and they will be afraid of you. 11 (CX)And Yahweh will make you abound in prosperity, in the [bg]offspring of your [bh]body and in the [bi]offspring of your beast and in the [bj]produce of your ground, in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give you. 12 Yahweh will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and (CY)you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 (CZ)And Yahweh will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God, which I am commanding you today, to keep and to do, 14 and (DA)do not turn aside from any of the words which I am commanding you today, to the right or to the left, to walk after other gods to serve them.
Curses for Not Keeping the Commandments
15 “(DB)But it will be, if you do not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, to keep and to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I am commanding you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
16 “(DC)Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the [bk]field.
17 “(DD)Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
18 “(DE)Cursed shall be the [bl]offspring of your [bm]body and the [bn]produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.
19 “(DF)Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
20 “(DG)Yahweh will send upon you the curse, confusion, and (DH)rebuke, in all [bo]that you send forth your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until (DI)you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me. 21 (DJ)Yahweh will make the pestilence cling to you until He has consumed you from the land where you are entering to possess it. 22 (DK)Yahweh will strike you with consumption and with fever and with inflammation and with fiery heat and with [bp]the sword and (DL)with scorching wind and with mildew, and they will pursue you until (DM)you perish. 23 And [bq]the heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron. 24 (DN)Yahweh will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
25 “(DO)Yahweh shall cause you to be [br]defeated before your enemies; you will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways before them, and you will (DP)become an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 (DQ)And your carcasses will be food to all birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.
27 “(DR)Yahweh will strike you with the boils of Egypt and with (DS)tumors and with the scab and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed. 28 Yahweh will strike you with madness and with blindness and with bewilderment of heart; 29 and you will [bs](DT)grope at noon, as the blind man gropes in darkness, and you will not succeed in your ways; but you shall only be oppressed and robbed all your days, with none to save you. 30 (DU)You shall betroth a wife, but another man will violate her; (DV)you shall build a house, but you will not live in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but you will not [bt]use its fruit. 31 Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat of it; your donkey shall be torn away from you and will not be returned to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you will have none to save you. 32 (DW)Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, while your eyes look on and yearn for them all the day long; but there will be nothing [bu]you can do. 33 (DX)A people whom you do not know shall eat up the produce of your ground and all your labors, and you will never be anything but oppressed and crushed all your days. 34 And you shall be driven mad by the sight of what your eyes see. 35 (DY)Yahweh will strike you on the knees and legs with sore boils, from which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the top of your head. 36 (DZ)Yahweh will lead you and your king, whom you set over you, to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods, (EA)wood and stone. 37 (EB)You shall become an object of horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the people where Yahweh drives you.
38 “(EC)You shall bring out much seed to the field, but you will gather in little, for (ED)the locust will consume it. 39 (EE)You shall plant and cultivate vineyards, but you will neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm will devour them. 40 (EF)You shall have olive trees throughout your territory, but you will not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives will drop off. 41 (EG)You shall become the father of sons and daughters, but they will not be yours, for they will go into captivity. 42 (EH)The cricket shall possess all your trees and the produce of your ground. 43 (EI)The sojourner who is among you shall rise above you higher and higher, but you will go down lower and lower. 44 (EJ)He shall lend to you, but you will not lend to him; (EK)he shall be the head, and you will be the tail.
45 “So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you (EL)until you are destroyed, because you would not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. 46 And they shall become (EM)a sign and a wonder on you and your seed forever.
47 “(EN)Because you did not serve Yahweh your God with gladness and a merry heart—because of the abundance of all things, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies whom Yahweh will send against you, (EO)in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He (EP)will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.
49 “(EQ)Yahweh will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, (ER)as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose tongue you shall not understand, 50 a nation of fierce countenance who will (ES)have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young. 51 Moreover, it shall eat the [bv]offspring of your herd and the produce of your ground until you are destroyed, who also will not allow grain, new wine, or oil, and the increase of your herd or the young of your flock to remain for you until they have caused you to perish. 52 (ET)And it shall besiege you in all your gates until your high and fortified walls in which you trusted come down throughout your land, and it shall besiege you in all your gates throughout your land which Yahweh your God has given you. 53 (EU)Then you shall eat the [bw]offspring of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters whom Yahweh your God has given you, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will [bx]oppress you. 54 The man who is [by]refined and very delicate among you [bz]shall be hostile toward his brother and toward the wife [ca]he cherishes and toward the rest of his children who remain, 55 so that he will not give even one of them any of the flesh of his children which he will eat, since he has nothing else remaining, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will [cb]oppress you in all your gates. 56 (EV)The [cc]refined and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground for delicateness and [cd]refinement, [ce]shall be hostile toward the husband [cf]she cherishes and toward her son and daughter, 57 and toward her afterbirth which issues from between her [cg]legs and toward her children whom she bears; for (EW)she will eat them secretly for lack of anything else, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will [ch]oppress you in your gates.
58 “If you are not careful to do all the words of this law which are written in this book, to [ci](EX)fear this glorious and fearsome (EY)name, Yahweh your God, 59 then Yahweh will bring wondrous plagues on you and plagues on those who are your seed, even great and enduring plagues, and miserable and enduring sicknesses. 60 (EZ)And He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt of which you were afraid, and they will cling to you. 61 Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, Yahweh will bring on you (FA)until you are destroyed. 62 Then you shall remain few in number, (FB)whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, because you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God. 63 And it will be that as Yahweh (FC)delighted over you to prosper you and multiply you, so Yahweh will (FD)delight over you to make you perish and destroy you; and you will be (FE)torn from the land where you are entering to possess it. 64 Moreover, Yahweh will (FF)scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; and there you shall (FG)serve other gods, wood and stone, which you or your fathers have not known. 65 (FH)Moreover, among those nations you shall find no relief, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there (FI)Yahweh will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. 66 So your life shall [cj]hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day and shall not have any faith in your life. 67 (FJ)In the morning you shall say, ‘Would that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Would that it were morning!’ because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and because of the sight of your eyes which you will see. 68 And Yahweh will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the way about which I spoke to you, ‘You will never see it again!’ And there you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.”
The Covenant in Moab
29 [ck](FK)These are the words of the covenant which Yahweh commanded Moses to cut with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the (FL)covenant which He had cut with them at Horeb.
2 [cl]And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen all that Yahweh did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land; 3 (FM)the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders. 4 Yet to this day (FN)Yahweh has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear. 5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness; (FO)your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot. 6 (FP)You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink, in order that you might know that I am Yahweh your God. 7 (FQ)Then you came to this place, and Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out to meet us for battle, but we struck them down; 8 and we took their land and (FR)gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites. 9 (FS)So you shall keep the words of this covenant to do them, (FT)that you may prosper in all that you do.
10 “You stand today, all of you, before Yahweh your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel, 11 your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner who is within your camps, from (FU)the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water, 12 that you may enter into the covenant with Yahweh your God and into His oath, which Yahweh your God is cutting with you today, 13 in order that He may establish you today as His people and that (FV)He may be your God, just as He spoke to you and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14 “Now not with you alone am I (FW)cutting this covenant and this oath, 15 (FX)but both with those who stand here with us today in the presence of Yahweh our God and with those who are not with us here today— 16 for 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 moreover, you have seen their detestable things and their idols of (FY)wood, stone, silver, and gold, which they had with them— 18 (FZ)lest there be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from Yahweh our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there be among you (GA)a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood. 19 And it will be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will [cm]bless himself in his heart, saying, ‘I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order [cn]to sweep away the watered land with the dry.’ 20 Yahweh shall not be willing to pardon him, but rather the anger of Yahweh and (GB)His jealousy will [co](GC)burn against that man, and every curse which is written in this book will [cp]rest on him, and Yahweh will (GD)blot out his name from under heaven. 21 Then Yahweh will separate him out for [cq]adversity from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant (GE)which are written in this book of the law.
22 “And the generation to come, your sons who rise up after you and (GF)the foreigner who comes from a distant land, shall see the plagues of the land and the diseases with which Yahweh has [cr]afflicted it, and they will say, 23 ‘All its land is (GG)brimstone and salt, (GH)a burning waste, [cs]unsown and nothing sprouting, and no grass grows in it, like the overthrow of (GI)Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which Yahweh overthrew in His anger and in His wrath.’ 24 And all the nations will say, ‘(GJ)Why has Yahweh done thus to this land? Why this great burning anger?’ 25 Then men will say, ‘(GK)Because they forsook the covenant of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, which He cut with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26 And they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they have not known and whom He had not apportioned to them. 27 Therefore, the anger of Yahweh was kindled against that land, (GL)to bring upon it every curse which is written in this book; 28 and (GM)Yahweh uprooted them from their land in anger and in fury and in great wrath, and He cast them into another land, as it is this day.’
29 “(GN)The secret things belong to Yahweh our God, but (GO)the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Yahweh Will Take You Back
30 “So it will be, when all of these things have come upon you, (GP)the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you cause these things to return to your heart (GQ)in all the nations where Yahweh your God has banished you, 2 and you (GR)return to Yahweh your God and listen to His voice (GS)with all your heart and soul according to all that I am commanding you today, you and your sons, 3 then Yahweh your God will [ct](GT)return [cu]you from captivity and return His compassion on you, and He (GU)will gather you again from all the peoples where Yahweh your God has (GV)scattered you. 4 If those of you who are banished are at the ends of the sky, (GW)from there Yahweh your God will gather you, and from there He will take you back. 5 (GX)And Yahweh your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and (GY)multiply you more than your fathers.
6 “Moreover (GZ)Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed, (HA)to love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. 7 (HB)And Yahweh your God will [cv]inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. 8 And you shall return and listen to the voice of Yahweh, and you shall do all His commandments which I am commanding you today. 9 (HC)Then Yahweh your God will [cw]prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the [cx]offspring of your [cy]body and in the [cz]offspring of your cattle and in the [da]produce of your ground, for (HD)Yahweh will return to rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers, 10 [db]when you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which (HE)are written in this book of the law, [dc]when you return to Yahweh your God (HF)with all your heart and soul.
11 “For this commandment which I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it far from you. 12 It is not in heaven, [dd]that you should say, ‘(HG)Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us and make us hear it, that we may do it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, [de]that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us and get it for us and make us hear it, that we may do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
Choose Life
15 “See, (HH)I have set before you today life and [df]prosperity, and death and [dg]calamity; 16 in that I am commanding you today (HI)to love Yahweh your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you (HJ)may live and multiply, and that Yahweh your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. 17 But if your heart turns away and you will not listen, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that (HK)you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter [dh]and possess it. 19 (HL)I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, (HM)the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your seed, 20 (HN)by loving Yahweh your God, by listening to His voice, and (HO)by holding fast to Him; (HP)for [di]this is your life and the length of your days, [dj]that you may live in (HQ)the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
Be Strong and Courageous
31 So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, “I am (HR)120 years old today; (HS)I am no longer able to come and go, and Yahweh has said to me, ‘(HT)You shall not cross this Jordan.’ 3 (HU)It is Yahweh your God who will cross ahead of you; He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. (HV)Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, just as Yahweh has spoken. 4 And Yahweh will do to them just as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them. 5 (HW)And Yahweh will give them over before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you. 6 (HX)Be strong and courageous. (HY)Do not be afraid or be in dread of them, for (HZ)Yahweh your God is the one who goes with you. (IA)He will not fail you or forsake you.”
7 Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “(IB)Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which Yahweh has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. 8 (IC)And Yahweh is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. (ID)He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
9 So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi (IE)who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of (IF)the year of the remission of debts, at the (IG)Feast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes (IH)to appear before Yahweh your God at (II)the place which He will choose, (IJ)you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, the men and the women and little ones and [dk]the sojourner who is within your gates, so that they may hear and so that they may (IK)learn and fear Yahweh your God and be careful to do all the words of this law. 13 And their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear Yahweh your God, all the days you live on the land [dl]which you are about to cross the Jordan to [dm]possess.”
Yahweh Has Moses Write a Song
14 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, [dn](IL)the time for you to die is near; call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.” (IM)So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. 15 (IN)And Yahweh appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the doorway of the tent. 16 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, (IO)you are about to lie down with your fathers; and (IP)this people will arise and play the harlot with the foreign gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and they (IQ)will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have cut with them. 17 (IR)Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and (IS)I will forsake them and (IT)hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will find them, so that they will say in that day, ‘(IU)Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have found us?’ 18 But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods.
19 “So now, (IV)write this song for yourselves and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it in their mouths, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel. 20 (IW)For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and (IX)become fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them and spurn Me and break My covenant. 21 Then it will be, (IY)when many evils and troubles have found them, that this song will answer them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the mouths of their seed); for (IZ)I know their intent which they are [do]developing today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.” 22 (JA)So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the sons of Israel.
Joshua Is Commissioned
23 (JB)Then He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “(JC)Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and (JD)I will be with you.”
24 And it happened, when Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book until they were complete, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites (JE)who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, saying, 26 “Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, that it may be there as a witness against you. 27 For I know (JF)your rebellion and (JG)your [dp]stiff-neck; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against Yahweh; how much more, then, after my death? 28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and (JH)call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will (JI)act corruptly and turn away from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the last days, for you will do that which is evil in the sight of Yahweh, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands.”
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 complete:
32 “(JJ)Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak;
And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
2 (JK)Let what I have learned drop as the rain,
My speech distill as the dew,
(JL)As the droplets on the fresh grass
And as the showers on the herb.
3 (JM)For I proclaim the name of Yahweh;
(JN)Ascribe greatness to our God!
4 (JO)The Rock! His work is [dq]perfect,
(JP)For all His ways are [dr]just;
(JQ)A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
Righteous and upright is He.
5 [ds](JR)They have acted corruptly toward Him,
They are not His children because of their defect;
(JS)But are a perverse and crooked generation.
6 Do you thus (JT)repay Yahweh,
(JU)O people who are wickedly foolish and without wisdom?
(JV)Is not He your Father who has bought you?
(JW)He has made you and established you.
7 Remember the ancient days,
Consider the years from generation to generation.
(JX)Ask your father, and he will declare to you,
Your elders, and they will speak to you.
8 (JY)When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
When He separated the sons of [dt]man,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
(JZ)According to the number of the [du]sons of Israel.
9 (KA)For Yahweh’s portion is His people;
Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.
10 (KB)He found him in a desert land,
And in the howling waste of a wilderness;
He encircled him; He cared for him;
He guarded him as (KC)the pupil of His eye.
11 (KD)Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
That hovers over its young,
(KE)He spread His wings and caught them;
He carried them on His pinions.
12 (KF)Yahweh alone guided him,
(KG)And there was no foreign god with him.
13 (KH)He made him ride on the high places of the earth,
And he ate the produce of the field;
(KI)And He made him suck honey from the rock,
And (KJ)oil from the flinty rock,
14 Curds of cows, and milk of the flock,
With fat of lambs,
And rams, the breed of Bashan, and goats,
(KK)With the finest of the wheat—
And of the (KL)blood of grapes you drank wine.
15 “(KM)But [dv]Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—
You grew fat, thick, and sleek—
(KN)Then he abandoned God (KO)who made him,
And treated (KP)the Rock of his salvation with wicked foolishness.
16 (KQ)They made Him jealous with strange gods;
(KR)With abominations they provoked Him to anger.
17 (KS)They sacrificed to demons who were not God,
(KT)To gods whom they have not known,
(KU)New gods who came lately,
Whom your fathers did not dread.
18 You neglected (KV)the Rock who begot you,
(KW)And forgot the God who brought you forth.
19 “(KX)And Yahweh saw this and spurned them
(KY)Because of the provocation of His sons and daughters.
20 Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them;
(KZ)I will see what their end shall be;
(LA)For they are a perverse generation,
(LB)Sons in whom is no faithfulness.
21 (LC)They have made Me jealous with what is not God;
They have provoked Me to anger with their [dw](LD)idols.
(LE)So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people;
I will provoke them to anger with a wickedly foolish nation,
22 (LF)For a fire is kindled in My anger,
And it burns to the lowest part of Sheol,
(LG)And it consumes the earth with its produce,
And it sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.
23 ‘(LH)I will heap calamities on them;
(LI)I will exhaust My arrows on them.
24 (LJ)They will be wasted by famine, and consumed by [dx]plague
(LK)And bitter destruction;
(LL)And the teeth of beasts I will send upon them,
(LM)With the venom of crawling things of the dust.
25 (LN)Outside the sword will bereave,
And inside terror—
(LO)Both choice man and virgin,
The nursing baby with the man of gray hair.
26 I would have said, “(LP)I will cut them to pieces;
(LQ)I will cause the memory of them to cease from men,”
27 Had I not feared the provocation by the enemy,
Lest their adversaries misjudge,
Lest they say, “(LR)Our hand is [dy]triumphant,
And Yahweh has not done all this.”’
28 “(LS)For they are a nation where counsel perishes,
And there is no discernment in them.
29 (LT)Would that they were wise, that they had insight into this,
(LU)That they would understand their [dz]future!
30 (LV)How could one pursue one thousand,
And two put ten thousand to flight,
Unless their (LW)Rock had sold them,
And Yahweh had handed them over?
31 Indeed their rock is not like our Rock,
(LX)Even our enemies [ea]themselves judge this.
32 For their vine is from the vine of Sodom,
And from the fields of Gomorrah;
Their grapes are grapes of (LY)poison,
Their clusters, bitter.
33 Their wine is the venom of [eb]serpents,
And the [ec]deadly poison of cobras.
34 ‘(LZ)Is it not laid up in store with Me,
Sealed up in My treasuries?
35 (MA)Vengeance is Mine, and retribution,
(MB)In due time their foot will stumble;
(MC)For the day of their disaster is near,
And the impending things are hastening upon them.’
36 (MD)For Yahweh will render justice to His people,
(ME)And will have compassion on His slaves,
When He sees that their [ed]strength is gone,
And there is none remaining, bond or free.
37 And He will say, ‘(MF)Where are their gods,
The rock in which they sought refuge?
38 (MG)Who ate the fat of their sacrifices,
And drank the wine of their drink offering?
(MH)Let them rise up and help you,
Let them be your hiding place!
39 (MI)See now that I, I am He,
(MJ)And there is no god besides Me;
(MK)It is I who put to death and give life.
(ML)I have wounded, and it is I who heal,
(MM)And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.
40 Indeed, (MN)I lift up My hand to heaven,
And say, as I live forever,
41 (MO)If I sharpen My [ee]flashing sword,
And My hand takes hold on judgment,
(MP)I will render vengeance on My adversaries,
And I will repay those who hate Me.
42 (MQ)I will make My arrows drunk with blood,
(MR)And My sword will devour flesh,
With the blood of the slain and the captives,
From the long-haired [ef]leaders of the enemy.’
43 (MS)O nations, cause His people to shout for joy;
(MT)For He will avenge the blood of His slaves,
(MU)And He will render vengeance on His adversaries,
(MV)And He 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 and [eg](MW)Joshua the son of Nun. 45 Then Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 and he said to them, “(MX)Place in your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command (MY)your sons to be careful to do, even all the words of this law. 47 For it is not an idle word for you; indeed (MZ)it is your life. And (NA)by this word you will prolong your days in the land, [eh]which you are about to cross the Jordan to [ei]possess.”
Moses to Go Up Mount Nebo
48 (NB)And Yahweh spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, 49 “(NC)Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab [ej]opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. 50 Then die on the mountain where you ascend, and be (ND)gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51 (NE)because you both acted unfaithfully with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the (NF)wilderness of Zin, because you both did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. 52 (NG)For you shall see the land at a distance, but (NH)you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.”
The Blessing of Moses
33 Now this is the blessing with which Moses (NI)the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death. 2 And he said,
“(NJ)Yahweh came from Sinai,
(NK)And He [ek]dawned on them from Seir;
(NL)He shone forth from Mount Paran,
And He came from (NM)the [el]midst of ten thousand holy ones;
(NN)At His right hand there was [em]flashing lightning for them.
3 (NO)Indeed, He loves [en]the people;
(NP)All [eo]Your holy ones are in Your hand,
(NQ)And they [ep]followed in Your steps;
Everyone is bearing up Your words.
4 (NR)Moses commanded us with a law,
(NS)A possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5 (NT)And He was king in Jeshurun,
When the heads of the people were gathered,
The tribes of Israel together.
6 “(NU)May Reuben live and not die,
Nor his men be few.”
7 (NV)And this regarding Judah; so he said,
“Hear, O Yahweh, the voice of Judah,
And bring him to his people.
With his hands he contended for [eq]them,
And may You be a help against his adversaries.”
8 Of Levi he said,
“Let Your (NW)Thummim and Your Urim belong to [er]Your (NX)holy one,
(NY)Whom You tested at Massah,
[es]With whom You contended at the waters of Meribah;
9 (NZ)Who said of his father and his mother,
‘I did not consider them’;
And he did not recognize his brothers,
Nor did he know his own sons,
For (OA)they kept Your word,
And they observed Your covenant.
10 (OB)They shall [et]teach Your judgments to Jacob,
And Your law to Israel.
(OC)They shall put incense [eu]before You,
And (OD)whole burnt offerings on Your altar.
11 O Yahweh, bless his substance,
And accept the work of his hands;
Crush the loins of those who rise up against him,
And those who hate him, so that they will not rise again.”
12 Of Benjamin he said,
“(OE)May the beloved of Yahweh dwell in security by Him,
(OF)Who shields him all the day,
(OG)And he dwells between His shoulders.”
13 Of Joseph he said,
“(OH)Blessed of Yahweh be his land,
With the choice things of heaven, with the dew,
And from the deep lying beneath,
14 And with the choice produce of the sun,
And with the choice yield of the months,
15 And with the [ev]best things of (OI)the ancient mountains,
And with the choice things of the everlasting hills,
16 And with the choice things of the earth and its fullness,
And the favor (OJ)of Him who dwelt in the bush.
Let it come to the head of Joseph,
And to the top of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.
17 As the firstborn of his ox, splendor is his,
And his horns are the horns of (OK)the wild ox;
With them he will (OL)push the peoples,
All [ew]at once, to the ends of the earth.
And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And those are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 (OM)Of Zebulun he said,
“Be glad, Zebulun, in your going forth,
And, Issachar, in your tents.
19 (ON)They will call peoples to the mountain;
There they will offer (OO)righteous sacrifices;
For they will [ex]draw out (OP)the abundance of the seas,
And the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20 (OQ)Of Gad he said,
“Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad;
He lies down (OR)as a [ey]lion,
And tears the arm, also the top of the head.
21 (OS)Then he [ez]provided the first part for himself,
(OT)For there the ruler’s portion was [fa]reserved;
(OU)And he came with the heads of the people;
(OV)He did the righteousness of Yahweh,
And His judgments with Israel.”
22 (OW)Of Dan he said,
“Dan is (OX)a lion’s whelp,
That leaps forth from Bashan.”
23 Of Naphtali he said,
“(OY)O Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
And full of the blessing of Yahweh,
Take possession of the sea and the south.”
24 (OZ)Of Asher he said,
“More blessed than sons is Asher;
May he be favored by his brothers,
(PA)And may he dip his foot in oil.
25 (PB)Your locks will be iron and bronze,
(PC)And according to your days, so your fortitude will be.
26 “(PD)There is none like the God of [fb]Jeshurun,
(PE)Who rides the heavens [fc]to your help,
And through the skies in His majesty.
27 (PF)The eternal God is a [fd]dwelling place,
(PG)And underneath are the everlasting arms;
(PH)And He drove out the enemy from before you,
(PI)And said, ‘Destroy!’
28 (PJ)So Israel dwells in security,
(PK)The fountain of Jacob secluded,
(PL)In a land of grain and new wine;
(PM)His heavens also drop down dew.
29 (PN)Blessed are you, O Israel;
(PO)Who is like you, a people saved by Yahweh,
(PP)Who is the shield of your help
(PQ)And the sword of your majesty!
(PR)So your enemies will cower before you,
(PS)And you will tread upon their high places.”
The Death of Moses
34 (PT)Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And Yahweh (PU)showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, 2 and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the [fe](PV)western sea, 3 and the [ff]Negev and the plain in the valley of Jericho, (PW)the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 Then Yahweh said to him, “This is the land which (PX)I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your seed’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” 5 So Moses (PY)the servant of Yahweh (PZ)died there in the land of Moab, according to the [fg]command of Yahweh. 6 And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, (QA)opposite Beth-peor; but (QB)no man knows his burial place to this day. 7 Now Moses was (QC)120 years old when he died; (QD)his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated. 8 So the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.
9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was (QE)filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 10 (QF)And there has not yet arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom (QG)Yahweh knew face to face, 11 [fh]in regard to all the signs and wonders which Yahweh sent him to do in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, 12 and [fi]in regard to all the mighty [fj]power and [fk]in regard to all the great terror which Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
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