Deuteronomy 32

1 Give ear, you heavens, and I will speak. Let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

Give ear, you heavens, and let me speak. Let the earth listen to the words of my mouth.

2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain. My speech shall condense as the dew, as the small rain on the tender grass, as the showers on the herb.

Let my teaching drop down like the rain, let my speech distill like the dew, like the gentle rain on the tender grass, and like the showers on the plants.

3 For I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Ascribe greatness to our God.

For I will proclaim the name of Yahweh, and ascribe greatness to our God.

4 The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A faithful God and without iniquity, just and right is he.

The Rock, his work is perfect; for all his paths are just. He is the faithful God, without iniquity. He is just and upright.

5 They have dealt corruptly with him. They are not his children, because of their defect. They are a perverse and crooked generation.

They have acted corruptly against him. They are not his children. It is their disgrace. They are a perverted and crooked generation.

6 Do you thus requite the LORD, foolish people and unwise? Isn't he your father who has bought you? He has made you, and established you.

Do you reward Yahweh in this way, you foolish and senseless people? Is he not your father, the one who has created you? He made you and established you.

7 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.

Call to mind the days of ancient times, think about the years of many ages past. Ask your father and he will show you, your elders and they will tell you.

8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided humankind, he set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.

When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance— when he divided all of mankind, and he set the boundaries of the peoples, as he also fixed the number of their gods.

9 For the LORD's portion is his people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

For Yahweh's portion is his people; Jacob is his apportioned 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.

He found him in a desert land, and in the barren and howling wilderness; he shielded him and cared for him, he guarded 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.

As an eagle that guards her nest and flutters over her young, Yahweh spread out his wings and took them, and carried them on his pinions.

12 The LORD alone led him. There was no foreign god with him.

Yahweh alone led him; no foreign god was 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;

He made him ride on high places of the land, and he fed him the fruits of the field; he nourished him with honey from the rock, and oil from the flinty crag.

14 Butter of the herd, and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the finest of the wheat. Of the blood of the grape you drank wine.

He ate butter from the herd and drank milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the finest of the wheat— and you drank foaming wine made from the juice of grapes.

15 But Jacob ate his fill. Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked. You have grown fat. You have grown thick. You have become sleek. Then he forsook God who made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked— you grew fat, you were too fat, and you had eaten your fill— he abandoned the God who made him, and he rejected the Rock of his salvation.

16 They moved him to jealousy with strange gods. They provoked him to anger with abominations.

They made Yahweh jealous by their strange gods; with their abominations they angered him.

17 They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods that they did not know, to new gods that came up recently, which your fathers did not dread.

They sacrificed to demons, which are not God— gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear.

18 the Rock who fathered you, you are unmindful, and have forgotten God who gave you birth.

You have deserted the Rock, who became your father, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.

19 The LORD saw and abhorred, because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.

Yahweh saw this and he rejected them, because his sons and his daughters provoked him so.

20 He said, "I will hide my face from them. I will see what their end shall be; for they are a very perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness.

“I will hide my face from them,” he said, “and I will see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful.

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.

They have made me jealous by what is not god and angered me by their worthless things. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; by a foolish nation I will make them angry.

22 For a fire is kindled in my anger, and burns to the lowest Sheol, and devours the earth with its increase, and sets the foundations of the mountains on fire. (Sheol h7585)

For a fire is kindled by my anger and is burning to the lowest Sheol; it is devouring the earth and its harvest; it is setting on fire the foundations of the mountains. (Sheol h7585)

23 "I will heap evils on them. I will spend my arrows on them.

I will heap disasters on them; I will shoot all my arrows at 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 poison of crawling creatures of the dust.

They will be wasted by hunger and devoured by burning heat and bitter destruction; I will send on them the teeth of wild animals, with the poison of things that crawl in the dust.

25 Outside the sword shall bereave, and in the rooms, terror; on both young man and virgin, The nursing infant with the gray-haired man.

Outside the sword will bereave, and in the bedrooms terror will do so. It will destroy both young man and virgin, the nursing baby, and the man of gray hairs.

26 I said, I want to cut them to pieces. I will remove the memory of them from men;

I said that I would scatter them far away, that I would make the memory of them to cease from among mankind.

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, the LORD has not done all this.'"

Were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy, and that their enemies would judge mistakenly, and that they would say, 'Our hand is exalted,' I would have done all this.

28 For they are a nation void of counsel. There is no understanding in them.

For Israel is a nation devoid of wisdom, and there is no understanding in them.

29 Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end.

Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their coming fate!

30 How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had delivered them up?

How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and Yahweh had given them up?

31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.

For our enemies' rock is not like our Rock, just as even our enemies admit.

32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, of the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are grapes of gall, Their clusters are bitter.

For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom, and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison; their clusters are bitter.

33 Their wine is the poison of serpents, The cruel venom of asps.

Their wine is the poison of serpents and the cruel venom of asps.

34 "Isn't this laid up in store with me, sealed up among my treasures?

Is not this plan secretly kept by me, sealed up among my treasures?

35 Vengeance is mine, I will repay, at the time when their foot slides; for the day of their calamity is near, and the things to come hasten upon them."

Vengeance is mine to give, and recompense, at the time when their foot slips; for the day of disaster for them is near, and the things that are to come on them will hurry to happen.”

36 For the LORD will judge his people, and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their strength is gone and there is none remaining, confined or set free.

For Yahweh will give justice to his people, and he will pity his servants. He will see that their power is gone, and no one remains, either slaves or free people.

37 And he will say, "Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge?

Then he will say, “Where are their gods, the rock in whom they took refuge?—

38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you. Let them be your protection.

The gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you; let them be your protection.

39 "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god besides me. I kill, and I make alive. I wound, and I heal; and there is no one who can deliver out of my hand.

See now that I, even I, am God, and that there is no god besides me; I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal, and there is no one who can save you from my might.

40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, 'As I live forever,

For I lift up my hand to heaven and say, 'As I live forever, I will act.

41 if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to my adversaries, and will recompense those who hate me.

When I sharpen my glittering sword, and when my hand begins to bring justice, I will render vengeance on my enemies, and I will pay back 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.'"

I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword will devour flesh with the blood of the killed and the captives, and from the heads of the leaders of the enemy.'”

43 Rejoice, O heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him. Rejoice, O nations, with his people, and let all the children of God strengthen themselves in him. For he will avenge the blood of his children, and he will render vengeance to his enemies, and he will recompense them that hate him, and he atones for the land of his people.

Rejoice, you nations, with God's people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will render vengeance on his enemies, and he will make atonement for his land, for his people.

44 Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun.

Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Joshua son of Nun.

45 Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel;

Then 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 this day, which you shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.

He said to them, “Fix your mind on all the words that I have witnessed to you today, so that you may command your children to keep them, 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."

For this is no trivial matter for you, because it is your life, and through this thing you will prolong your days in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

48 The LORD spoke to Moses that same day, saying,

Yahweh spoke to Moses on that same day and said,

49 "Go up into this mountain of Abarim, to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and see the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel for a possession;

“Go up into this range of the mountains of Abarim, up Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho. You will look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel as their possession.

50 and die on the mountain where you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor, and was gathered to his people:

You will die on the mountain that you go up, and you will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your fellow Israelite died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.

51 because you trespassed against me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you did not sanctify me in the midst of the children of Israel.

This will happen because you were unfaithful to me among the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you did not treat me with honor and respect among the people of Israel.

52 For you shall see the land before you; but you shall not go there into the land which I give the children of Israel."

For you will see the land before you, but you will not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.”