¹⁸so that there is not^g among you a man or a woman or a clan or a tribe whose heart^h turns todayⁱ from being with Yahweh our God to go to serve the gods of these nations, so that there is not among you a root sprouting poison and wormwood. ¹⁹And then when he hears the words of this oath, then^j he will assure himself^k in his heart, saying,^l ‘Safety shall be mine even though I go in the stubbornness of my heart,’^m thereby destroying the well-watered land along with the parched.ⁿ

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Footnotes

gLiterally “lest there be/develop”
hLiterally “his heart”
iLiterally “the day”
jOr “and”
kLiterally “he will bless himself”; HALOT 160 suggests “to consider oneself fortunate”
lLiterally “to say”
mLiterally “Peace shall happen/be for me, although/even if in the stubbornness of my heart I go”
nSome translators prefer to include the last clause as a part of the words of the wicked man (NASV vs. NEB)

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.

When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,” they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Be sure there is no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit. When someone hears the words of this oath, he may consider himself exempt, thinking, ‘I will have peace even though I follow my own stubborn heart.’ This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered land as well as the dry land.

NLTNew Living Translation

I am making this covenant with you so that no one among you—no man, woman, clan, or tribe—will turn away from the Lord our God to worship these gods of other nations, and so that no root among you bears bitter and poisonous fruit.

“Those who hear the warnings of this curse should not congratulate themselves, thinking, ‘I am safe, even though I am following the desires of my own stubborn heart.’ This would lead to utter ruin!

KJV 1900King James Version

Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:

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