Deuteronomy 32

1 Give ear O ye heavens and I will speak, And let the earth hear the sayings of my mouth:

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

2 Let my teaching drop as the rain, Let my speech distil as the dew, —As copious rains on tender grass, As myriad drops on seeding plants.

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.

3 When, the name of Yahweh, I proclaim, Ascribe ye greatness unto our God: —

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

4 A Rock! faultless his work, For, all his ways, are just, A GOD of faithfulness and without perversity, Right and fair, is he!

The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice: a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is he.

5 They have broken faith with him to be no sons of his—their fault, —A generation twisted and crooked.

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

6 Is it Yahweh, ye thus requite, O impious people and unwise? Is not, he, thy father who begat thee? He, that made thee and established thee?

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

7 Remember the days of age-past times, Remark the years of many generations, —Ask thy father and he will tell thee, Thine elders and they will say to thee: —

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.

8 When the Most High gave inheritances unto the nations, When he spread abroad the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the peoples, According to the number of the sons of Israel.

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.

9 For, Yahweh’s portion is his people, —Jacob, his inherited possession.

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

10 He met him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness, —He encompassed him watched over him, Shielded him as the pupil of his own eye.

He found him in a desert land, in the waste howling wilderness. He surrounded him. He cared for him. He kept him as the apple of his eye.

11 As, an eagle, stirreth up his nest, Over his young ones, fluttereth, Spreadeth abroad his wings, taketh one, Beareth it up on his pinions,

As an eagle that stirs up her nest, that flutters over her young, he spread abroad his wings, he took them, he bore them on his feathers.

12 Yahweh alone did lead him, —And there was with him no GOD of a stranger.

YHWH alone led him. There was no foreign god with him.

13 He made him ride on the high places of the land, Caused him to eat the increase of the fields, —And gave him to suck honey out of the cliff, And oil out of the rock of flint:

He made him ride on the high places of the earth. He ate the increase of the field. He caused him to suck honey out of the rock, oil out of the flinty rock;

14 Curds of kine and milk of sheep, —With fat of well-fed lambs, Yea rams bred in Bashan, and he-goats, With the white of the kernels of wheat, —And, the blood of the grape, thou didst drink as it foamed.

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.

15 Then Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: Thou wast fat, Thou wast thick, Thou wast gorged, So he forsook the GOD who made him, And treated as foolish his Rock of salvation.

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.

16 They moved him to jealousy with foreign [gods], —With abominations, angered they him:

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

17 They sacrificed to mischievous demons to a No-GOD, Gods whom they knew not, —New ones lately come in, Your fathers never shuddered at them!

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.

18 Of the Rock who had begotten thee, thou wast unmindful, —And didst forget GOD who had given thee birth.

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

19 When Yahweh saw, he derided, —Because his sons and his daughters gave provocation.

YHWH saw and abhorred, because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.

20 So he said: —I will hide my face from them, I will see what will be their hereafter, —For a generation given to intrigue, they are, Sons, whom there is no trusting;

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.

21 They have moved me to jealousy with a No-GOD, They have angered me with their vanities: I, therefore, will move them to jealousy with a No-people, With an impious nation, will I anger them.

They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God. They have provoked me to anger with their vanities. I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a people. I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

22 For, a fire, is kindled in mine anger, And shall burn as far as hades beneath, —And consume the earth with her produce, And set ablaze the foundations of the mountains: (Sheol h7585)

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)

23 I will heap on them, calamities, —Mine arrows, will I spend upon them:

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

24 The meltings of hunger, The devourings of fever, And the dangerous pestilence, —And, the tooth of beasts, will I send among them, With the poison of crawlers of the dust:

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.

25 Without, shall the sword bereave, In the inmost recesses, terror, —To both young man and virgin, Suckling, with man of grey hairs.

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

26 I said, I would puff them away, I would destroy from mortals, their memory;

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

27 Were it not that the taunt of the foe, I feared, Lest their adversaries should mistake, —Lest they should say—Our own hand, is exalted, It is not Yahweh, therefore who hath wrought all this!

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, YHWH has not done all this.'"

28 For a nation of vanished sagacity, they are, —And there is in them no understanding.

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

29 If they had been wise, they would have understood this, —They would have given heed to their here-after!

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

30 Oh! how would one, have chased, a thousand! And, two, put, ten thousand to flight, —Were it not that their Rock had sold them, And, Yahweh, had abandoned them;

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

31 For, not like our Rock, is their rock, Our enemies themselves, being judges;

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

32 For of the vine of Sodom, is their vine, And of the vineyards of Gomorrah, —Their grapes, are grapes of gall, Clusters of bitter things, are theirs:

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

33 The poison of large serpents, is their wine, —Yea the fierce venom of asps.

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

34 Is not, that, stored up with me, —Sealed up amongst my treasures;

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

35 Unto the days of vengeance and requital: Unto the time their foot shall totter? For, near, is the day of their fate, And their destiny speedeth on.

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."

36 For Yahweh will vindicate his people, And upon his servants, will have compassion, —When he seeth that strength is exhausted, And there is no one shut up or at large,

For YHWH 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.

37 Then will he say, Where are their gods, The rock in whom they have trusted;

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

38 Who used to eat the fat of their sacrifices, To drink the wine of their libations? Let them rise up and help you, Let them be over you for a coveting!

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.

39 See, now, that, I, I, am, he that is, And there are no gods with me, —I, kill—and make alive, I wound and, I, heal, And there is none who, from my hand, can deliver,

"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.

40 For I lift up unto the heavens my hand, —And say, Living am, I, unto times age-abiding:

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

41 If I whet my flashing sword, And my hand take hold on justice, I will return vengeance unto mine adversaries, And them who hate me, will I requite:

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.

42 I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, And, my sword, shall devour flesh, —With the blood of the slain and the captive, With the flesh of the chief leader of the foe.

I will make my arrows drunk with blood. My sword shall devour flesh with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the head of the leaders of the enemy.'"

43 Shout for joy O ye nations [with] his people, For the blood of his servants, he avengeth, —And, vengeance, he returneth unto his adversaries, And is propitious unto the soil of his people.

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.

44 So Moses came in and spake all the words of this Song in the hearing of the people, —he and Hoshea son of Nun.

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

45 And, when Moses made an end of speaking all these words unto all Israel,

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

46 he said unto them—Apply your hearts unto all the words which I am witnessing against you, to-day, —how that ye must command your sons to observe to do all the words of this law;

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.

47 for it is not, too small a thing, for you, for, it, is your life, —and, hereby, shall ye prolong your days upon the soil whereunto ye are, passing over the Jordan to possess it.

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."

48 And Yahweh spake unto Moses, on this selfsame day, saying:

YHWH spoke to Moses that same day, saying,

49 Get thee up into this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, which is over against Jericho—and behold the land of Canaan which I am giving unto the sons of Israel, for a possession;

"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;

50 and die thou in the mount whither thou art going up, and be withdrawn unto thy kinsfolk, —as Aaron thy brother died in Mount Hor, and was withdrawn unto his kinsfolk;

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:

51 for that ye acted unfaithfully against me in the midst of the sons of Israel, regarding the waters of Meribah-Kadesh in the desert of Zin, —for that ye hallowed me not in the midst of the sons of Israel.

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.

52 Yet, over against thee, shalt thou behold the land, —but thereinto, shalt thou not enter, into the land which I am giving unto the sons of Israel.

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