Deuteronomy 28
1 'And it hath been, if thou dost hearken diligently to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all His commands which I am commanding thee to-day, that Jehovah thy God hath made thee uppermost above all the nations of the earth,
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.
2 and all these blessings have come upon thee, and overtaken thee, because thou dost hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God:
All these blessings will come on you and overtake you, if you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God.
3 'Blessed [art] thou in the city, and blessed [art] thou in the field.
Blessed will you be in the city, and blessed will you be in the field.
4 'Blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, increase of thine oxen, and wealth of thy flock.
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.
5 'Blessed [is] thy basket and thy kneading-trough.
Blessed will be your basket and your kneading trough.
6 'Blessed [art] thou in thy coming in, and blessed [art] thou in thy going out.
Blessed will you be when you come in, and blessed will you be when you go out.
7 'Jehovah giveth thine enemies, who are rising up against thee — smitten before thy face; in one way they come out unto thee, and in seven ways they flee before thee.
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.
8 'Jehovah commandeth with thee the blessing in thy storehouses, and in every putting forth of thy hand, and hath blessed thee in the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee.
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.
9 'Jehovah doth establish thee to Himself for a holy people, as He hath sworn to thee, when thou keepest the commands of Jehovah thy God, and hast walked in His ways;
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.
10 and all the peoples of the land have seen that the name of Jehovah is called upon thee, and they have been afraid of thee.
All the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of Yahweh, and they will be afraid of you.
11 'And Jehovah hath made thee abundant in good, in the fruit of the womb, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, on the ground which Jehovah hath sworn to thy fathers to give to thee.
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.
12 'Jehovah doth open to thee his good treasure — the heavens — to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand, and thou hast lent to many nations, and thou — thou dost not borrow.
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.
13 'And Jehovah hath given thee for head, and not for tail; and thou hast been only above, and art not beneath, for thou dost hearken unto the commands of Jehovah thy God, which I am commanding thee to-day, to keep and to do,
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,
14 and thou dost not turn aside from all the words which I am commanding you to-day — right or left — to go after other gods, to serve them.
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.
15 'And it hath been, if thou dost not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God to observe to do all His commands, and His statutes, which I am commanding thee to-day, that all these revilings have come upon thee, and overtaken thee:
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.
16 'Cursed [art] thou in the city, and cursed [art] thou in the field.
Cursed will you be in the city, and cursed will you be in the field.
17 'Cursed [is] thy basket and thy kneading-trough.
Cursed will be your basket and your kneading trough.
18 'Cursed [is] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, increase of thine oxen, and wealth of thy flock.
Cursed will be the fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the increase of your cattle, and the young of your flock.
19 'Cursed [art] thou in thy coming in, and cursed [art] thou in thy going out.
Cursed will you be when you come in, and cursed will you be when you go out.
20 'Jehovah doth send on thee the curse, the trouble, and the rebuke, in every putting forth of thy hand which thou dost, till thou art destroyed, and till thou perish hastily, because of the evil of thy doings [by] which thou hast forsaken Me.
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.
21 'Jehovah doth cause to cleave to thee the pestilence, till He consume thee from off the ground whither thou art going in to possess it.
Yahweh will make the plague cling to you until he destroys you from off the land that you are going in to possess.
22 'Jehovah doth smite thee with consumption, and with fever, and with inflammation, and with extreme burning, and with sword, and with blasting, and with mildew, and they have pursued thee till thou perish
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.
23 'And thy heavens which [are] over thy head have been brass, and the earth which [is] under thee iron;
Your skies that are over your head will be bronze, and the earth that is under you will be iron.
24 Jehovah giveth the rain of thy land — dust and ashes; from the heavens it cometh down on thee till thou art destroyed.
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.
25 'Jehovah giveth thee smitten before thine enemies; in one way thou goest out unto them, and in seven ways dost flee before them, and thou hast been for a trembling to all kingdoms of the earth;
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.
26 and thy carcase hath been for food to every fowl of the heavens, and to the beast of the earth, and there is none causing trembling.
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.
27 'Jehovah doth smite thee with the ulcer of Egypt, and with emerods, and with scurvy, and with itch, of which thou art not able to be healed.
Yahweh will attack you with the boils of Egypt and with ulcers, scurvy, and itch, from which you cannot be healed.
28 'Jehovah doth smite thee with madness, and with blindness, and with astonishment of heart;
Yahweh will attack you with madness, with blindness, and with mental confusion.
29 and thou hast been gropling at noon, as the blind gropeth in darkness; and thou dost not cause thy ways to prosper; and thou hast been only oppressed and plundered all the days, and there is no saviour.
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.
30 'A woman thou dost betroth, and another man doth lie with her; a house thou dost build, and dost not dwell in it; a vineyard thou dost plant, and dost not make it common;
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.
31 thine ox [is] slaughtered before thine eyes, and thou dost not eat of it; thine ass [is] taken violently away from before thee, and it is not given back to thee; thy sheep [are] given to thine enemies, and there is no saviour for thee.
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.
32 'Thy sons and thy daughters [are] given to another people, and thine eyes are looking and consuming for them all the day, and thy hand is not to God!
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.
33 The fruit of thy ground, and all thy labour, eat up doth a people whom thou hast not known; and thou hast been only oppressed and bruised all the days;
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,
34 and thou hast been mad, because of the sight of thine eyes which thou dost see.
so that you will become insane by what you have to see happen.
35 'Jehovah doth smite thee with an evil ulcer, on the knees, and on the legs (of which thou art not able to be healed), from the sole of thy foot even unto thy crown.
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.
36 'Jehovah doth cause thee to go, and thy king whom thou raisest up over thee, unto a nation which thou hast not known, thou and thy fathers, and thou hast served there other gods, wood and stone;
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.
37 and thou hast been for an astonishment, for a simile, and for a byword among all the peoples whither Jehovah doth lead thee.
You will become a source of horror, a proverb, and a byword, among all the peoples where Yahweh will lead you away.
38 'Much seed thou dost take out into the field, and little thou dost gather in, for the locust doth consume it;
You will take much seed out into the field, but will gather little seed in, for the locusts will consume it.
39 vineyards thou dost plant, and hast laboured, and wine thou dost not drink nor gather, for the worm doth consume it;
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.
40 olives are to thee in all thy border, and oil thou dost not pour out, for thine olive doth fall off.
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.
41 'Sons and daughters thou dost beget, and they are not with thee, for they go into captivity;
You will have sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, for they will go into captivity.
42 all thy trees and the fruit of thy ground doth the locust possess;
All your trees and the fruit of your ground—the locusts will take them over.
43 the sojourner who [is] in thy midst goeth up above thee very high, and thou goest down very low;
The foreigner who is among you will rise up above you higher and higher; you yourself will come down lower and lower.
44 he doth lend [to] thee, and thou dost not lend [to] him; he is for head, and thou art for 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 'And come upon thee have all these curses, and they have pursued thee, and overtaken thee, till thou art destroyed, because thou hast not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to keep His commands, and His statutes, which he hath commanded thee;
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.
46 and they have been on thee for a sign and for a wonder, also on thy seed — to the age.
These curses will be on you as signs and wonders, and on your descendants forever.
47 'Because that thou hast not served Jehovah thy God with joy, and with gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things —
Because you did not worship Yahweh your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart when you were in prosperity,
48 thou hast served thine enemies, whom Jehovah sendeth against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in lack of all things; and he hath put a yoke of iron on thy neck, till He hath destroyed thee.
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.
49 'Jehovah doth lift up against thee a nation, from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle it flieth; a nation whose tongue thou hast not heard,
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;
50 a nation — fierce of countenance — which accepteth not the face of the aged, and the young doth not favour;
a nation with a fierce face that does not respect the aged and does not show favor to the young.
51 and it hath eaten the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy ground, till thou art destroyed; which leaveth not to thee corn, new wine, and oil, increase of thine oxen, and wealth of thy flock, till it hath destroyed thee.
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.
52 'And it hath laid siege to thee in all thy gates, till thy walls come down, the high and the fenced ones in which thou art trusting, in all thy land; yea, it hath laid siege to thee in all thy gates, in all thy land, which Jehovah thy God hath given to thee;
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.
53 and thou hast eaten the fruit of thy body, flesh of thy sons and thy daughters (whom Jehovah thy God hath given to thee), in the siege, and in the straitness with which thine enemies do straiten thee.
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.
54 'The man who is tender in thee, and who [is] very delicate — his eye is evil against his brother, and against the wife of his bosom, and against the remnant of his sons whom he leaveth,
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.
55 against giving to one of them of the flesh of his sons whom he eateth, because he hath nothing left to him, in the siege, and in the straitness with which thine enemy doth straiten thee in all thy gates.
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.
56 'The tender woman in thee, and the delicate, who hath not tried the sole of her foot to place on the ground because of delicateness and because of tenderness — her eye is evil against the husband of her bosom, and against her son, and against her daughter,
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,
57 and against her seed which cometh out from between her feet, even against her sons whom she doth bear, for she doth eat them for the lacking of all things in secret, in the siege and in the straitness with which thine enemy doth straiten thee within thy gates.
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.
58 'If thou dost not observe to do all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honoured and fearful name — Jehovah thy God —
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,
59 then hath Jehovah made wonderful thy strokes, and the strokes of thy seed — great strokes, and stedfast, and evil sicknesses, and stedfast.
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.
60 'And He hath brought back on thee all the diseases of Egypt, of the presence of which thou hast been afraid, and they have cleaved to thee;
He will bring on you again all the diseases of Egypt that you were afraid of; they will cling to you.
61 also every sickness and every stroke which is not written in the book of this law; Jehovah doth cause them to go up upon thee till thou art destroyed,
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.
62 and ye have been left with few men, instead of which ye have been as stars of the heavens for multitude, because thou hast not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah thy God.
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.
63 'And it hath been, as Jehovah hath rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you, so doth Jehovah rejoice over you to destroy you, and to lay you waste; and ye have been pulled away from off the ground whither thou art going in to possess it;
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.
64 and Jehovah hath scattered thee among all the peoples, from the end of the earth even unto the end of the earth; and thou hast served there other gods which thou hast not known, thou and thy fathers — wood and stone.
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.
65 'And among those nations thou dost not rest, yea, there is no resting-place for the sole of thy foot, and Jehovah hath given to thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and grief of soul;
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.
66 and thy life hath been hanging in suspense before thee, and thou hast been afraid by night and by day, and dost not believe in thy life;
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.
67 in the morning thou sayest, O that it were evening! and in the evening thou sayest, O that it were morning! from the fear of thy heart, with which thou art afraid, and from the sight of thine eyes which thou seest.
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.
68 'And Jehovah hath brought thee back to Egypt with ships, by a way of which I said to thee, Thou dost not add any more to see it, and ye have sold yourselves there to thine enemies, for men-servants and for maid-servants, and there is no buyer.'
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.”
