Deuteronomy 28
1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently to the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all 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 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy 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 shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy cattle, and the flocks of thy sheep.
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 shall be thy basket and thy store.
Your basket and kneading bowl will be blessed.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
7 The LORD shall cause thy enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee 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 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thy hand to; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
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 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people to himself, as he hath sworn to thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy 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 And all the people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
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 And the LORD shall make thee to abound in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD swore to thy fathers to give thee.
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 The LORD shall open to thee his good treasure, the heaven to give rain to thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand: and thou shalt lend to many nations, and thou shalt 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 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken to the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, 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 thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, 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 it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken to the voice of the LORD 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:
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 shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
17 Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed.
18 Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy cattle, and the flocks of thy sheep.
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 shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.
20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thy hand to do, until thou shalt be destroyed, and until thou shalt perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, by which thou hast 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 The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave to thee, until he shall have consumed thee from off the land, where thou goest to possess it.
The LORD will make the plague cling to you until He has exterminated you from the land that you are entering to possess.
22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blighting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou dost 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 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou art 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 The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thy enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into 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 And thy dead body shall be food to all fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the earth, and no man shall 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 The LORD will smite thee with the boil of Egypt, and with tumours, and with the scab, and with the itch, of which thou canst not 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 The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind,
29 And thou shalt grope at noon, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
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 Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell in it: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes of it.
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 Thy ox shall be slain before thy eyes, and thou shalt 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 thy enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.
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 Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given to another people, and thy eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thy 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 fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall be eaten by a nation which thou knowest not; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed always:
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 thou shalt be mad for the sight of thy eyes which thou shalt see.
You will be driven mad by the sights you see.
35 The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with severe boils that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot to the top of thy 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 The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, to a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, 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 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations where the LORD shall lead thee.
You will become an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the nations to which the LORD will drive you.
38 Thou shalt carry much seed into the field, and shalt gather but little; for the locust shall consume it.
You will sow much seed in the field but harvest little, because the locusts will consume it.
39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
You will plant and cultivate vineyards, but will neither drink the wine nor gather the grapes, because worms will eat them.
40 Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy land, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thy olive shall cast its fruit.
You will have olive trees throughout your territory but will never anoint yourself with oil, because the olives will drop off.
41 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
You will father sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, because they will go into captivity.
42 All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
Swarms of locusts will consume all your trees and the produce of your land.
43 The stranger that is within thee shall rise above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
The foreigner living among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink down lower and lower.
44 He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt 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 Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou art destroyed; because thou didst hearken not to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
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 And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
These curses will be a sign and a wonder upon you and your descendants forever.
47 Because thou didst not serve the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart in all your abundance,
48 Therefore shalt thou serve thy enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in lack of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he hath destroyed thee.
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 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose language thou shalt 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 of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young:
a ruthless nation with no respect for the old and no pity for the young.
51 And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou art destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either grain, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy cattle, or flocks of thy sheep, until he hath destroyed thee.
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 And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fortified walls come down, in which thou didst trust, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
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 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thy own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the distress, by which thy enemies shall distress thee:
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 So that the man that 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 children whom he shall leave:
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 that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the distress, by which thy enemies shall distress thee in all thy 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 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,
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 toward her young one her own offspring, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for lack of all things secretly in the siege and distress, by which thy enemy shall distress thee in thy 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 thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY 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 the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and grievous sicknesses, and of long continuance.
He will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary disasters, severe and lasting plagues, and terrible and chronic sicknesses.
60 Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, of which thou wast afraid; and they shall cleave to thee.
He will afflict you again with all the diseases you dreaded in Egypt, and they will cling to you.
61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou art 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 And ye shall be left few in number, though ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy 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 And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land where thou goest to possess it.
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 And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even to the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even 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 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
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 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have no assurance of thy 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 thou shalt say, O that it were evening! and at evening thou shalt say, O that it were morning! for the fear of thy heart which thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thy eyes which thou shalt 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 And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way of which I have said to thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold to your enemies for male and female slaves, and no man shall buy 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.”
