Deuteronomy 30

1 Now when all these things have come on you, the blessing and the curse which I have put before you, if the thought of them comes back to your minds, when you are living among the nations where the Lord your God has sent you,

One day after you experience all this, the blessings and curses I've told you about, you'll think about them, living in all the different nations where the Lord your God has exiled you.

2 And your hearts are turned again to the Lord your God, and you give ear to his word which I give you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul:

When that happens, and when you and your children come back to the Lord your God, and when you do what he says with all your mind and all your being in accordance with everything I'm telling you today, then the Lord your God will be merciful to you.

3 Then the Lord will have pity on you, changing your fate, and taking you back again from among all the nations where you have been forced to go.

He will bring you back home, gathering you from all the nations where he scattered you.

4 Even if those who have been forced out are living in the farthest part of heaven, the Lord your God will go in search of you, and take you back;

Even if you were exiled to the ends of the earth, will gather you from there and bring you back.

5 Placing you again in the land of your fathers as your heritage; and he will do you good, increasing you till you are more in number than your fathers were.

The Lord your God will bring you home to the country that belonged to your forefathers and you will own it again. He will make you successful, and you will have even more descendants than your forefathers.

6 And the Lord your God will give to you and to your seed a circumcision of the heart, so that, loving him with all your heart and all your soul, you may have life.

The Lord your God will make you and your descendants his again, and you will love him with all your mind and with all your being, so that you'll live.

7 And the Lord your God will put all these curses on those who are against you, and on your haters who put a cruel yoke on you.

Then the Lord your God will place all these curses upon your enemies instead, on those who hate and persecute you.

8 And you will again give ear to the voice of the Lord, and do all his orders which I have given you today.

You will once again do what the Lord tells you and follow all his commandments that I'm giving you today.

9 And the Lord your God will make you fertile in all good things, blessing the work of your hands, and the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your cattle, and the fruit of your land: for the Lord will have joy in you, as he had in your fathers:

The Lord your God will make you successful in everything you do, you will have children, your livestock will be productive, and you will have good harvests. The Lord will once again be happy to do you good, as he did to your forefathers,

10 If you give ear to the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his orders and his laws which are recorded in this book of the law, and turning to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

if you obey the Lord your God by keeping his commandments and regulations written in this book of the Law, and if you come back to him with all your mind and with all your being.

11 For these orders which I have given you today are not strange and secret, and are not far away.

The instruction I'm giving you today isn't too difficult for you to follow. It's not as if it's so far from you that it's impossible to achieve.

12 They are not in heaven, for you to say, Who will go up to heaven for us and give us knowledge of them so that we may do them?

It's not in heaven so you have to ask, “Who is going to go up to heaven get it for us and let us know what it says so we can obey it?”

13 And they are not across the sea, for you to say, Who will go over the sea for us and give us news of them so that we may do them?

It's not across the ocean not beyond the sea so you have to ask, “Who is going to cross the ocean to get it for us and let us know what it says so we can obey it?”

14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may do it.

No—you have this instruction is right there with you. It's in your mouth and in your mind so you can obey it.

15 See, I have put before you today, life and good, and death and evil;

Listen! Today I've placed a choice before you: life and what's good, or death and what's evil.

16 In giving you orders today to have love for the Lord your God, to go in his ways and keep his laws and his orders and his decisions, so that you may have life and be increased, and that the blessing of the Lord your God may be with you in the land where you are going, the land of your heritage.

I'm telling you today to love the Lord your God, to follow his ways, and to keep his commandments, rules, and regulations, so you can live and grow in number, and so the Lord your God may bless you in the country that you are entering and will own.

17 But if your heart is turned away and your ear is shut, and you go after those who would make you servants and worshippers of other gods:

If you disregard this and you refuse to listen, if you're lured into bowing down to other gods and worshiping them,

18 I give witness against you this day that destruction will certainly be your fate, and your days will be cut short in the land where you are going, the land of your heritage on the other side of Jordan.

then I warn you right now that you will definitely die. You won't live long in the country that you're going to own after you cross the Jordan.

19 Let heaven and earth be my witnesses against you this day that I have put before you life and death, a blessing and a curse: so take life for yourselves and for your seed:

I call on heaven and earth to be my witnesses against you today that I have placed before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life, so you and your descendants will live,

20 In loving the Lord your God, hearing his voice and being true to him: for he is your life and by him will your days be long: so that you may go on living in the land which the Lord gave by an oath to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

so you will love the Lord your God, obey him, and hold onto him. For he is your life, and he will give you long lives in the country that the Lord promised to give your forefathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.