Deuteronomy 27–28

¹‘And Moses—the elders of Israel also—commandeth the people, saying, Keep all the command which I am commanding you to-day; ²and it hath been, in the day that ye pass over the Jordan unto the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, that thou hast raised up for thee great stones, and plaistered them with plaister, ³and written on them all the words of this law in thy passing over, so that thou goest in unto the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee—a land flowing with milk and honey, as Jehovah, God of thy fathers, hath spoken to thee.

⁴‘And it hath been, in your passing over the Jordan, ye raise up these stones which I am commanding you to-day, in mount Ebal, and thou hast plaistered them with plaister, ⁵and built there an altar to Jehovah thy God, an altar of stones, thou dost not wave over them iron. ⁶Of complete stones thou buildest the altar of Jehovah thy God, and hast caused to ascend on it burnt-offerings to Jehovah thy God, ⁷and sacrificed peace-offerings, and eaten there, and rejoiced before Jehovah thy God, ⁸and written on the stones all the words of this law, well engraved.’ ⁹And Moses speaketh—the priests, the Levites, also—unto all Israel, saying, ‘Keep silent, and hear, O Israel, this day thou hast become a people to Jehovah thy God; ¹⁰and thou hast hearkened to the voice of Jehovah thy God, and done His commands, and His statutes, which I am commanding thee to-day.’

¹¹And Moses commandeth the people on that day, saying, ¹²‘These do stand, to bless the people, on mount Gerizzim, in your passing over the Jordan: Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin. ¹³And these do stand, for the reviling, on mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

¹⁴‘And the Levites have answered and said unto every man of Israel—a loud voice:

¹⁵‘Cursed is the man who maketh a graven and molten image, the abomination of Jehovah, work of the hands of an artificer, and hath put it in a secret place,—and all the people have answered and said, Amen.

¹⁶‘Cursed is He who is making light of his father and his mother,—and all the people have said, Amen.

¹⁷‘Cursed is he who is removing his neighbour’s border,—and all the people have said, Amen.

¹⁸‘Cursed is he who is causing the blind to err in the way,—and all the people have said, Amen.

¹⁹‘Cursed is he who is turning aside the judgment of fatherless, sojourner, and widow,—and all the people have said, Amen.

²⁰‘Cursed is he who is lying with his father’s wife, for he hath uncovered his father’s skirt,—and all the people have said, Amen.

²¹‘Cursed is he who is lying with any beast,—and all the people have said, Amen.

²²‘Cursed is he who is lying with his sister, daughter of his father, or daughter of his mother,—and all the people have said, Amen.

²³‘Cursed is he who is lying with his mother-in-law,—and all the people have said, Amen.

²⁴‘Cursed is he who is smiting his neighbour in secret,—and all the people have said, Amen.

²⁵‘Cursed is he who is taking a bribe to smite a person, innocent blood,—and all the people have said, Amen.

²⁶‘Cursed is he who doth not establish the words of this law, to do them,—and all the people have said, Amen.

Chapter 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, ²and all these blessings have come upon thee, and overtaken thee, because thou dost hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God:

³‘Blessed art thou in the city, and blessed art thou 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.

⁵‘Blessed is thy basket and thy kneading-trough.

⁶‘Blessed art thou in thy coming in, and blessed art thou in thy going 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.

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.

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; ¹⁰and all the peoples of the land have seen that the name of Jehovah is called upon thee, and they have been afraid of thee.

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.

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.

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, ¹⁴and 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.

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:

¹⁶‘Cursed art thou in the city, and cursed art thou in the field.

¹⁷‘Cursed is thy basket and thy 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.

¹⁹‘Cursed art thou in thy coming in, and cursed art thou in thy going 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.

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.

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

²³‘And thy heavens which are over thy head have been brass, and the earth which is under thee iron; ²⁴Jehovah giveth the rain of thy land—dust and ashes; from the heavens it cometh down on thee till thou art 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; ²⁶and 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.

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.

²⁸‘Jehovah doth smite thee with madness, and with blindness, and with astonishment of heart; ²⁹and 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.

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; ³¹thine 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.

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! ³³The 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; ³⁴and thou hast been mad, because of the sight of thine eyes which thou dost see.

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.

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; ³⁷and thou hast been for an astonishment, for a simile, and for a byword among all the peoples whither Jehovah doth lead thee.

³⁸‘Much seed thou dost take out into the field, and little thou dost gather in, for the locust doth consume it; ³⁹vineyards thou dost plant, and hast laboured, and wine thou dost not drink nor gather, for the worm doth consume it; ⁴⁰olives are to thee in all thy border, and oil thou dost not pour out, for thine olive doth fall off.

⁴¹‘Sons and daughters thou dost beget, and they are not with thee, for they go into captivity; ⁴²all thy trees and the fruit of thy ground doth the locust possess; ⁴³the sojourner who is in thy midst goeth up above thee very high, and thou goest down very low; ⁴⁴he doth lend to thee, and thou dost not lend to him; he is for head, and thou art for 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; ⁴⁶and they have been on thee for a sign and for a wonder, also on thy seed—to the age.

⁴⁷‘Because that thou hast not served Jehovah thy God with joy, and with gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things— ⁴⁸thou 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…