Deuteronomy 27

Ceremonies

27Then Moses and the elders of Israel charged the people, saying,^a “Keep all of the commandment that I am commanding you today.^{b 2}And then on the day that you cross the Jordan to the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you, then you shall set up for yourselves^c large stones, and you shall paint^d them with lime, ³and you shall write on them all the words of this law at your crossing, so that you may come into the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,^e promised^f to you. ⁴And when you cross the Jordan,^g you shall set up these stones that I am commanding you about today^h on Mount Ebal, and you shall paintⁱ them with lime. ⁵And you shall build an altar there for Yahweh your God, an altar of stone, but^j you shall not use an iron tool to shape the stones.^{k 6}You must build the altar of your God with unhewn stones, and you shall sacrifice on it burnt offerings to Yahweh your God. ⁷And you shall sacrifice fellowship offerings, and you shall eat them there, and you shall rejoice before^l Yahweh your God. ⁸You shall write on the stone all of the words of this law very clearly.”

⁹Then Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying,^m “Be silent and hear, Israel, for this day you have become a peopleⁿ for Yahweh your God. ¹⁰And listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, and observe his commandments and his rules that I am commanding you today.”^o

Blessings and Curses

¹¹And Moses charged the people on that day, saying,^{p 12}“These tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people when you cross^q the Jordan: Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Joseph and Benjamin. ¹³And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for delivering the curse: Reuben, Gad and Asher and Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali. ¹⁴And the Levites shall declare,^r and they shall say to each man of Israel with a loud voice, ¹⁵‘Cursed be the man that makes a divine image or a cast image, which is a detestable thing for Yahweh, the work of the hand of a skilled craftsman, and then sets it in a hiding place.’^s And all the people shall respond,^t ‘Amen.’

¹⁶‘Cursed be the one who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all of the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

¹⁷‘Cursed be the one who moves the boundary marker of his neighbor.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

¹⁸‘Cursed be the one who misleads a blind person on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

¹⁹‘Cursed be the one who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²⁰‘Cursed be the one who lies with the wife of his father, because he has dishonored his father’s bed.’^u And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²¹‘Cursed be the one who lies with any kind of animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²²‘Cursed be the one who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²³‘Cursed be the one who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²⁴‘Cursed be the one who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²⁵‘Cursed be the one who takes a bribe to murder an innocent person.’^v And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²⁶‘Cursed be the one who does not keep^w the words of this law, to observe them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ ”