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:

It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to the LORD your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments which I command you today, that 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.

All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to the LORD your God’s voice.

3 Blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the city, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the field.

You shall be blessed in the city, and you shall be blessed in the field.

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.

You shall be blessed in the fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the fruit of your animals, the increase of your livestock, and the young of your flock.

5 Blessed [shall be] thy basket and thy store.

Your basket and your kneading trough shall be blessed.

6 Blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou comest in, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou goest out.

You shall be blessed when you come in, and you shall be 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 your enemies who rise up against you to be struck before you. They will come out against you one way, and will flee before you seven ways.

8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy store-houses, 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 command the blessing on you in your barns, and in all that you put your hand to. He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

9 The LORD shall establish thee a 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 for a holy people to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you shall 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.

All the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the LORD’s name, and they will be afraid 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 grant you abundant prosperity in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which 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 to you his good treasure in the sky, to give the rain of your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You will lend to many nations, and you will not borrow.

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 be above only, and you will not be beneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today, to observe and to do,

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.

and shall not turn away from any of the words which I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to 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:

But it shall come to pass, if you will not listen to the LORD your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come on 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 you will be cursed in the field.

17 Cursed [shall be] thy basket and thy store.

Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.

18 Cursed [shall be] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

The fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the increase of your livestock, and the young of your flock will be cursed.

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 you will be cursed when you go out.

20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou undertakest to perform, 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 on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you put your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the evil of your doings, by which you have forsaken me.

21 The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave to thee, until he shall have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.

The LORD will make the pestilence cling to you, until he has consumed you from off the land where you go in to possess it.

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 blasting, and with mildew: and they shall pursue thee until thou dost perish.

The LORD will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with fiery heat, with the sword, with blight, and with mildew. They 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.

Your sky that is over your head will be bronze, and the earth that is under you will be 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 make the rain of your land powder and dust. It will come down 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 struck before your enemies. You will go out one way against them, and will flee seven ways before them. You will be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth.

26 And thy carcass shall be food to all fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the earth, and no man shall drive [them] away.

Your dead bodies will be food to all birds of the sky, and to the animals of the earth; and there will be no one to frighten them away.

27 The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, of which thou canst not be healed.

The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with the tumors, with the scurvy, and with the itch, of which you can not be healed.

28 The LORD shall smite thee with the madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:

The LORD will strike you with madness, with blindness, and with astonishment of heart.

29 And thou shalt grope at noon-day, 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].

You will grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. You will only be oppressed and robbed always, and there will be no one to save you.

30 Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build a house, and thou shalt not dwell in it: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes of it.

You will betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her. You will build a house, and you won’t dwell in it. You will plant a vineyard, and not use its fruit.

31 Thy ox [shall be] slain before thy eyes, and thou shalt not eat of it: thy ass [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 slain before your eyes, and you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be violently taken away from before your face, and will not be restored to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to 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 your daughters will be given to another people. Your eyes will look and fail with longing for them all day long. There will be no power in your hand.

33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labors, shall be eaten by a nation which thou knowest not: and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed always:

A nation which you don’t know will eat the fruit of your ground and all of your work. You will only be oppressed and crushed always,

34 So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thy eyes which thou shalt see.

so that the sights that you see with your eyes will drive you mad.

35 The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot to the top of thy head.

The LORD will strike you in the knees and in the legs with a sore boil, of which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown 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 your king whom you will set over yourselves, to a nation that you have not known, you nor your fathers. There you will serve other gods of wood and stone.

37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a by-word, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.

You will become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the LORD will lead you away.

38 Thou shalt carry much seed into the field, and shalt gather [but] little: for the locust shall consume it.

You will carry much seed out into the field, and will gather little in, for the locust will consume it.

39 Thou shalt plant vineyards and dress [them], but shalt neither drink [of] the wine, nor gather [the grapes]: for the worm shall eat them.

You will plant vineyards and dress them, but you will neither drink of the wine, nor harvest, because worms will eat them.

40 Thou shalt have olive-trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint [thyself] with the oil: for thy olive shall cast [its fruit].

You will have olive trees throughout all your borders, but you won’t anoint yourself with the oil, for your 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 be yours, for they will go into captivity.

42 All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.

Locusts will consume all of your trees and the fruit of your ground.

43 The stranger that [is] within thee shall rise above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.

The foreigner who is among you will mount up above you higher and higher, and you will come 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, and you won’t 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 hearkenedst 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 on you, and will pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you didn’t listen to the LORD your God’s voice, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you.

46 And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.

They will be for a sign and for a wonder to you and to your offspring 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 didn’t serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things;

48 Therefore shalt thou serve thy enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all [things]: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he hath destroyed thee.

therefore you will serve your enemies whom the LORD sends against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in lack of all things. He will put 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 against you from far away, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies: 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 favor to the young:

a nation of fierce facial expressions, that doesn’t respect the elderly, nor show favor to 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] corn, wine, or oil, [or] the increase of thy cattle, or flocks of thy sheep, until he hath destroyed thee.

They will eat the fruit of your livestock and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed. They also won’t leave you grain, new wine, oil, the increase of your livestock, or the young of your flock, 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 you in all your gates until your high and fortified walls in which you trusted come down throughout all your land. They will besiege you in all your gates throughout all your land which 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 straitness with which thy enemies shall distress thee:

You will eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters, whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies will distress you.

54 [So that] the man [that is] tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil towards his brother, and towards the wife of his bosom, and towards the remnant of his children whom he shall leave:

The man who is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye will be evil toward his brother, toward the wife whom he loves, and toward the remnant of his children whom he has remaining,

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 straitness with which thy enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.

so that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he will eat, because he has nothing left to him, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy will distress you in 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 towards the husband of her bosom, and towards her son, and towards her daughter,

The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye will be evil toward the husband that she loves, toward her son, toward her daughter,

57 And towards her young one, her own offspring, and towards her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all [things] secretly in the siege and straitness with which thy enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.

toward her young one who comes out from between her feet, and toward her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of all things in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy will distress you in 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 will not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and fearful 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 severe sicknesses, and of long continuance.

then the LORD will make your plagues and the plagues of your offspring fearful, even great plagues, and of long duration, and severe sicknesses, and of long duration.

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 bring on you again all the diseases of Egypt, which you were afraid of; 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.

Also every sickness and every plague which is not written in the book of this law, the LORD will bring them on you until you are destroyed.

62 And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldst not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.

You will be left few in number, even though you were as the stars of the sky for multitude, because you didn’t listen to the LORD your God’s voice.

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 naught; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.

It will happen that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you, so the LORD will rejoice over you to cause you to perish and to destroy you. You will be plucked from the land that you are going in 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.

The LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth. There you will serve other gods which you have not known, you nor your fathers, even wood and stone.

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 these nations you will find no ease, and there will be no rest for the sole of your foot; but the LORD will give you there a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and pining of 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:

Your life will hang in doubt before you. You will be afraid night and day, and will have no assurance of your life.

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 with which thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thy eyes which thou shalt see.

In the morning you will say, “I wish it were evening!” and at evening you will say, “I wish it were morning!” for the fear of your heart which you will fear, and for the sights which your eyes 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 bond-men and bond-women, and no man shall buy [you].

The LORD will bring you into Egypt again with ships, by the way of which I told you that you would never see it again. There you will offer yourselves to your enemies for male and female slaves, and nobody will buy you.