Deuteronomy 28

1 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.

“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 upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to the LORD your God’s voice.

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

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

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

4 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.

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 Your basket and your kneading trough shall be blessed.

Your basket and kneading bowl will be blessed.

6 You shall be blessed when you come in, and you shall be blessed when you go out.

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

7 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 shall see that you are called by the LORD’s name, 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 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.

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 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.

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 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,

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 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.

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 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.

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 You will be cursed in the city, and you will be cursed in the field.

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

17 Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.

Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed.

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

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

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

20 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.

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

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 sky that is 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 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.

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 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 amongst 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 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.

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 strike you with the boils of Egypt, with the tumours, with the scurvy, and with the itch, of which you can 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 will strike you with madness, with blindness, and with astonishment of heart.

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

29 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.

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 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.

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, 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.

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 another people. Your eyes will look and fail with longing for them all day long. There will be no power 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 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,

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

You will be driven mad by the sights you see.

35 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.

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 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.

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 an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword amongst all the peoples where the LORD 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 carry much seed out into the field, and will gather little in, for the locust 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 dress them, but you will neither drink of the wine, nor harvest, because 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 throughout all your borders, but you won’t anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives will drop off.

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

41 You will father sons and daughters, but they will not be 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 Locusts will consume all of your trees and the fruit of your ground.

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

43 The foreigner who is amongst you will mount up above you higher and higher, and you 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, and you won’t 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 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.

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 They will be for a sign and for a wonder to you and to your offspring forever.

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

47 Because you didn’t serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart, by reason of 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 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.

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 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,

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 facial expressions, that doesn’t respect the elderly, nor show favour to the young.

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

51 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.

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 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.

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 the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies will distress 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 amongst you, and very delicate, his eye will be evil towards his brother, towards the wife whom he loves, and towards the remnant of his children whom he has remaining,

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 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.

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 amongst you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye will be evil towards the husband that she loves, towards her son, towards 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 towards her young one who comes out from between her feet, and towards 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.

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 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,

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 your plagues and the plagues of your offspring fearful, even great plagues, and of long duration, and severe sicknesses, and 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, which you were afraid of; and 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 every plague which is not written in the book of this law, the LORD will bring them 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, even though you were as the stars of the sky for multitude, because you didn’t listen to the LORD your God’s voice.

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 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.

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 The LORD will scatter you amongst 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.

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 Amongst 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.

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 be afraid night and day, and will have no assurance of 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 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.

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 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.

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.”