Deuteronomy 28

1 “Now if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

And it shall come to pass, if thou shall hearken diligently to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that Jehovah thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth,

2 And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of the LORD your God:

and all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shall hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God:

3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

Blessed shall thou be in the city, and blessed shall thou be in the field.

4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, as well as the produce of your land and the offspring of your livestock— the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy beasts, the increase of thy cattle, and the young of thy flock.

5 Your basket and kneading bowl will be blessed.

Blessed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough.

6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

Blessed shall thou be when thou come in, and blessed shall thou be when thou go out.

7 The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you in one direction but flee from you in seven.

Jehovah will cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee. They shall come out against thee one way, and shall flee before thee seven ways.

8 The LORD will decree a blessing on your barns and on everything to which you put your hand; the LORD your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.

Jehovah will command the blessing upon thee in thy barns, and in all that thou put thy hand to. And he will bless thee in the land which Jehovah thy God gives thee.

9 The LORD will establish you as His holy people, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.

Jehovah will establish thee for a holy people to himself, as he has sworn to thee, if thou shall keep the commandments of Jehovah thy God, and walk in his ways.

10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you.

And all the peoples of the earth shall see that thou are called by the name of Jehovah, and they shall be afraid of thee.

11 The LORD will make you prosper abundantly—in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land—in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.

And Jehovah will make thee plenteous for good, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which Jehovah swore to thy fathers to give thee.

12 The LORD will open the heavens, His abundant storehouse, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but borrow from none.

Jehovah will open to thee his good treasure the heavens, to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand. And thou shall lend to many nations, and thou shall not borrow.

13 The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward, if you hear and carefully follow the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am giving you today.

And Jehovah will make thee the head, and not the tail. And thou shall only be above, and thou shall not be beneath, if thou shall hearken to the commandments of Jehovah thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do,

14 Do not turn aside to the right or to the left from any of the words I command you today, and do not go after other gods to serve them.

and shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

15 If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

But it shall come to pass, if thou will not hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.

Cursed shall thou be in the city, and cursed shall thou be in the field.

17 Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed.

Cursed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough.

18 The fruit of your womb will be cursed, as well as the produce of your land, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks.

Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, the increase of thy cattle, and the young of thy flock.

19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.

Cursed shall thou be when thou come in, and cursed shall thou be when thou go out.

20 The LORD will send curses upon you, confusion and reproof in all to which you put your hand, until you are destroyed and quickly perish because of the wickedness you have committed in forsaking Him.

Jehovah will send upon thee cursing, discomfiture, and rebuke, in all that thou put thy hand to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly, because of the evil of thy doings, by which thou have forsaken me.

21 The LORD will make the plague cling to you until He has exterminated you from the land that you are entering to possess.

Jehovah will make the pestilence cling to thee, until he has consumed thee from off the land, where thou go in to possess it.

22 The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew; these will pursue you until you perish.

Jehovah will smite thee with consumption, and with fever, and with inflammation, and with fiery heat, and with the sword, and with blight, and with mildew. And they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

23 The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.

And thy sky that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

24 The LORD will turn the rain of your land into dust and powder; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed.

Jehovah will make the rain of thy land powder and dust. From the sky it shall come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

25 The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

Jehovah will cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies. Thou shall go out one way against them, and shall flee seven ways before them. And thou shall be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth.

26 Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the air and beasts of the earth, with no one to scare them away.

And thy dead body shall be food to all birds of the sky, and to the beasts of the earth, and there shall be none to frighten them away.

27 The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors and scabs and itch from which you cannot be cured.

Jehovah will smite thee with the boil of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scurvy, and with the itch, of which thou cannot be healed.

28 The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind,

Jehovah will smite thee with madness, and with blindness, and with confusion of mind,

29 and at noon you will grope about like a blind man in the darkness. You will not prosper in your ways. Day after day you will be oppressed and plundered, with no one to save you.

and thou shall grope at noonday, as the blind man gropes in darkness. And thou shall not prosper in thy ways. And thou shall only be oppressed and robbed always, and there shall be none to save thee.

30 You will be pledged in marriage to a woman, but another man will violate her. You will build a house but will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard but will not enjoy its fruit.

Thou shall betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her. Thou shall build a house, and thou shall not dwell in it. Thou shall plant a vineyard, and shall not use the fruit of it.

31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be taken away and not returned to you. Your flock will be given to your enemies, and no one will save you.

Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shall not eat of it. Thy donkey shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee. Thy sheep shall be given to thine enemies, and thou shall have none to save thee.

32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, while your eyes grow weary looking for them day after day, with no power in your hand.

Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given to another people. And thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day, and there shall be nothing in the power of thy hand.

33 A people you do not know will eat the produce of your land and of all your toil. All your days you will be oppressed and crushed.

The fruit of thy ground, and all thy labors, shall a nation eat up which thou know not. And thou shall only be oppressed and crushed always,

34 You will be driven mad by the sights you see.

so that thou shall be mad because of the sight of thine eyes which thou shall see.

35 The LORD will afflict you with painful, incurable boils on your knees and thighs, from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.

Jehovah will smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore boil, of which thou cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot to the crown of thy head.

36 The LORD will bring you and the king you appoint to a nation neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone.

Jehovah will bring thee, and thy king whom thou shall set over thee, to a nation that thou have not known, thou nor thy fathers. And there thou shall serve other gods, wood and stone.

37 You will become an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the nations to which the LORD will drive you.

And thou shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all the peoples where Jehovah shall lead thee away.

38 You will sow much seed in the field but harvest little, because the locusts will consume it.

Thou shall carry much seed out into the field, and shall gather little in, for the locust shall consume it.

39 You will plant and cultivate vineyards, but will neither drink the wine nor gather the grapes, because worms will eat them.

Thou shall plant vineyards and dress them, but thou shall neither drink of the wine, nor gather, for the worm shall eat them.

40 You will have olive trees throughout your territory but will never anoint yourself with oil, because the olives will drop off.

Thou shall have olive trees throughout all thy borders, but thou shall not anoint thyself with the oil, for thine olive shall drop off.

41 You will father sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, because they will go into captivity.

Thou shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be thine, for they shall go into captivity.

42 Swarms of locusts will consume all your trees and the produce of your land.

All thy trees and the fruit of thy ground shall the locust possess.

43 The foreigner living among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink down lower and lower.

The sojourner who is in the midst of thee shall mount up above thee higher and higher, and thou shall come down lower and lower.

44 He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail.

He shall lend to thee, and thou shall not lend to him. He shall be the head, and thou shall be the tail.

45 All these curses will come upon you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, since you did not obey the LORD your God and keep the commandments and statutes He gave you.

And all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed, because thou hearkened not to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee,

46 These curses will be a sign and a wonder upon you and your descendants forever.

and they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed forever.

47 Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart in all your abundance,

Because thou served not Jehovah thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things,

48 you will serve your enemies the LORD will send against you in famine, thirst, nakedness, and destitution. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.

therefore thou shall serve thine enemies that Jehovah shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things. And he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he has destroyed thee.

49 The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,

Jehovah will bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies, a nation whose tongue thou shall not understand,

50 a ruthless nation with no respect for the old and no pity for the young.

a nation of fierce countenance, that shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young,

51 They will eat the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain or new wine or oil, no calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks, until they have caused you to perish.

and shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy ground, until thou be destroyed, that also shall not leave thee grain, new wine, or oil, the increase of thy cattle, or the young of thy flock, until they have caused thee to perish.

52 They will besiege all the cities throughout your land, until the high and fortified walls in which you trust have fallen. They will besiege all your cities throughout the land that the LORD your God has given you.

And they shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fortified walls come down, in which thou trusted, throughout all thy land. And they shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which Jehovah thy God has given thee.

53 Then you will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you.

And thou shall eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, whom Jehovah thy God has given thee, in the siege and in the distress with which thine enemies shall distress thee.

54 The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children who have survived,

The man who is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his sons whom he has remaining,

55 refusing to share with any of them the flesh of his children he will eat because he has nothing left in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you within all your gates.

so that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his sons whom he shall eat, because he has nothing left to him, in the siege and in the distress with which thine enemy shall distress thee in all thy gates.

56 The most gentle and refined woman among you, so gentle and refined she would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground, will begrudge the husband she embraces and her son and daughter

The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,

57 the afterbirth that comes from between her legs and the children she bears, because she will secretly eat them for lack of anything else in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you within your gates.

and toward her young one who comes out from between her feet, and toward her sons whom she shall bear, for she shall eat them secretly for want of all things, in the siege and in the distress with which thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.

58 If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name—the LORD your God—

If thou will not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou may fear this glorious and fearful name, JEHOVAH THY GOD,

59 He will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary disasters, severe and lasting plagues, and terrible and chronic sicknesses.

then Jehovah will make thy calamities extraordinary, and the calamities of thy seed, even great calamities and of long continuance, and severe sicknesses and of long continuance.

60 He will afflict you again with all the diseases you dreaded in Egypt, and they will cling to you.

And he will bring upon thee again all the diseases of Egypt, which thou were afraid of, and they shall cling to thee.

61 The LORD will also bring upon you every sickness and plague not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed.

Also every sickness, and every calamity, which is not written in the book of this law, them Jehovah will bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

62 You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left few in number, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.

And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude, because thou did not hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God.

63 Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and multiply, so also it will please Him to annihilate you and destroy you. And you will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess.

And it shall come to pass, that, as Jehovah rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you, so Jehovah will rejoice over you to cause you to perish, and to destroy you. And ye shall be plucked from off the land where thou go in to possess it.

64 Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.

And Jehovah will scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. And there thou shall serve other gods, which thou have not known, thou nor thy fathers, even wood and stone.

65 Among those nations you will find no repose, not even a resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despairing soul.

And among these nations thou shall find no ease, and there shall be no rest for the sole of thy foot, but Jehovah will give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and pining of soul.

66 So your life will hang in doubt before you, and you will be afraid night and day, never certain of survival.

And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee, and thou shall fear night and day, and shall have no assurance of thy life.

67 In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’—because of the dread in your hearts of the terrifying sights you will see.

In the morning thou shall say, Would it were evening! and at evening thou shall say, Would it were morning! for the fear of thy heart which thou shall fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shall see.

68 The LORD will return you to Egypt in ships by a route that I said you should never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”

And Jehovah will bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way of which I said to thee, Thou shall see it no more again. And there ye shall sell yourselves to your enemies for bondmen and for bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.