Deuteronomy 28:36–50

36 “The Lord will bring you and your king that you have appointed to a nation neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will worship other gods, of wood and stone.y 37 You will become an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.z

38 “You will sow much seed in the field but harvest little, because locusts will devour it. 39 You will plant and cultivate vineyards but not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees throughout your territory but not moisten your skin with oil, because your olives will drop off. 41 You will father sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, because they will be taken prisoner. 42 Buzzing insects will take possession of all your trees and your land’s produce. 43 The resident alien among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you, but you won’t lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail.

45 “All these curses will come, pursue, and overtake you until you are destroyed, since you did not obey the Lord your God and keep the commands and statutes he gave you. 46 These curses will be a sign and a wondera against you and your descendants forever. 47 Because you didn’t serve the Lord your God with joy and a cheerful heart,b even though you had an abundance of everything, 48 you will serve your enemies that the Lord will send against you, in famine, thirst, nakedness, and a lack of everything. He will place an iron yokec on your neck until he has destroyed you. 49 The Lord will bring a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth,d to swoop down on you like an eagle,e a nation whose language you won’t understand,f 50 a ruthless nation, showing no respect for the old and not sparing the young.