Deuteronomy 28

1 If you listen carefully to the voice of Yahweh your God so as to keep all his commandments that I am commanding you today, Yahweh your God will set you above all the other nations of the earth.

“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.

2 All these blessings will come on you and overtake you, if you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God.

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

3 Blessed will you be in the city, and blessed will you be in the field.

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

4 Blessed will be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your beasts, the increase of your cattle, and the young of your flock.

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.

5 Blessed will be your basket and your kneading trough.

Your basket and kneading bowl will be blessed.

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

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

7 Yahweh will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be struck down before you; they will come out against you one way but will flee before you seven ways.

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.

8 Yahweh will command the blessing to come on you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to; he will bless you in the land that he is giving you.

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.

9 Yahweh will establish you as a people that is set apart for himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and walk in his ways.

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.

10 All the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of Yahweh, and they will be afraid of you.

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.

11 Yahweh will make you very prosperous in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your cattle, in the fruit of your ground, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you.

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.

12 Yahweh will open to you his storehouse of the heavens to give the rain for your land at the right time, and to bless all the work of your hand; you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow.

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.

13 Yahweh will make you the head, and not the tail; you will be only above, and you will never be beneath, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God that I am commanding you today, so as to observe and to do them,

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.

14 and if you do not turn away from any of the words that I am commanding you today, to the right hand or to the left, so as to go after other gods to serve them.

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.

15 But if you do not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, so as to keep all his commandments and his statutes that I am commanding you today, then all these curses will come on you and overtake you.

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:

16 Cursed will you be in the city, and cursed will you be in the field.

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

17 Cursed will be your basket and your kneading trough.

Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed.

18 Cursed will be the fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the increase of your cattle, and the young of your flock.

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.

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

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

20 Yahweh will send on you curses, confusion, and rebukes in all that you put your hand to, until you are destroyed, and until you perish quickly because of your wicked actions by which you will have forsaken me.

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.

21 Yahweh will make the plague cling to you until he destroys you from off the land that you are going in to possess.

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

22 Yahweh will attack you with infectious diseases, with fever, with inflammation, and with drought and blistering heat, and with scorching winds and mildew. These will pursue you until you perish.

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.

23 Your skies that are over your head will be bronze, and the earth that is under you will be iron.

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

24 Yahweh will make the rain of your land into powder and dust; from the heavens will it come down on you, until you are destroyed.

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.

25 Yahweh will cause you to be struck down before your enemies; you will go out one way against them but will flee before them seven ways. You will be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth.

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.

26 Your dead body will be food to all the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the earth; there will be no one to frighten them away.

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

27 Yahweh will attack you with the boils of Egypt and with ulcers, scurvy, and itch, from which you cannot be healed.

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

28 Yahweh will attack you with madness, with blindness, and with mental confusion.

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

29 You will grope about at noonday like the blind grope in the darkness, and you will not prosper in your ways; you will be always oppressed and robbed, and there will be no one to save you.

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.

30 You will become engaged to a woman, but another man will seize her and rape her. You will build a house but not live in it; you will plant a vineyard but not enjoy its fruit.

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.

31 Your ox will be slain before your eyes, but you will not eat its meat; your donkey will be forcibly taken away from before you and will not be restored to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to aid you.

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.

32 Your sons and your daughters will be given to other peoples; your eyes will look for them the entire day, but will fail with longing for them. There will be no strength in your hand.

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.

33 The harvest of your land and of all your labors—a nation that you do not know will eat it up; you will always be oppressed and crushed,

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.

34 so that you will become insane by what you have to see happen.

You will be driven mad by the sights you see.

35 Yahweh will attack you in the knees and legs with severe boils from which you cannot be cured, from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head.

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.

36 Yahweh will take you and the king whom you will place over yourself to a nation that you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors; there you will worship other gods of wood and stone.

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.

37 You will become a source of horror, a proverb, and a byword, among all the peoples where Yahweh will lead you away.

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

38 You will take much seed out into the field, but will gather little seed in, for the locusts will consume it.

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

39 You will plant vineyards and cultivate them, but you will neither drink any of the wine, nor even gather in the grapes, for worms will eat them.

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

40 You will have olive trees within all your territory, but you will not rub any of the oil on yourself, for your olive trees will drop their fruit.

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

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

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

42 All your trees and the fruit of your ground—the locusts will take them over.

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

43 The foreigner who is among you will rise up above you higher and higher; you yourself will come down lower and lower.

The foreigner living among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink 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 will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail.

45 All these curses will come on you and will pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed. This will happen because you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, so as to keep his commandments and his regulations that he commanded you.

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.

46 These curses will be on you as signs and wonders, and on your descendants forever.

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

47 Because you did not worship Yahweh your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart when you were in prosperity,

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

48 therefore will you serve the enemies that Yahweh will send against you; you will serve them in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in poverty. He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he destroys you.

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.

49 Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle flies to its victim, a nation whose language you do not understand;

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,

50 a nation with a fierce face that does not respect the aged and does not show favor to the young.

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

51 They will eat the young of your cattle and the fruit of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave for you no grain, new wine, or oil, no young of your cattle or of your flock, until they have caused you to perish.

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.

52 They will besiege you in all your city gates, until your high and fortified walls come down everywhere in your land, walls in which you had trusted. They will besiege you within all your city gates throughout all the land that Yahweh your God had given you.

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.

53 You will eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters, whom Yahweh your God gave you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies will put upon you.

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.

54 The man who is tender and very delicate among you—he will be envious of his brother and his own dear wife, and of whatever children he has left.

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,

55 So he will not give to any of them the flesh of his own children that he is going to eat, because he will have nothing left for himself in the siege and in the distress which your enemy will put upon you within all your city gates.

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.

56 The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to put the bottom of her foot on the ground for delicateness and tenderness—she will be envious of her own dear husband, of her son, and of her daughter,

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

57 and of her own newborn that comes out from between her legs, and of the children whom she will bear. She will eat them in private for lack of anything else, during the siege and in the distress which your enemy will put upon you within your city gates.

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.

58 If you do not keep all the words of this law that are written in this book, so as to honor this glorious and fearful name, Yahweh your God,

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—

59 then Yahweh will make your plagues terrible, and those of your descendants; they will be great plagues, of long duration, and severe diseases, of long duration.

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

60 He will bring on you again all the diseases of Egypt that you were afraid of; they will cling to you.

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

61 Also every sickness and plague that is not written in the book of this law, those also Yahweh will bring on you until you are destroyed.

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

62 You will be left few in number, although you were like the stars of the heavens in number, because you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God.

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.

63 As Yahweh once rejoiced over you in doing you good, and in multiplying you, so he will rejoice over you in making you perish and in destroying you. You will be plucked off the land that you are going into to possess.

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.

64 Yahweh will scatter you among all peoples from the one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; there you will worship other gods that you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors, gods of wood and stone.

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.

65 Among these nations will you find no ease, and there will be no rest for the bottoms of your feet; instead, Yahweh will give you there a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a soul that mourns.

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.

66 Your life will hang in doubt before you; you will fear every night and day and will have no certainty at all in your life.

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

67 In the morning you will say, 'I wish it were evening!' and in the evening you will say, 'I wish it were morning!' because of the fear in your hearts and the things your eyes will have to see.

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.

68 Yahweh will bring you into Egypt again by ships, by the route about which I had said to you, 'You will not see Egypt again.' There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will purchase you.”

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.”