Deuteronomy 29
29
1 These are the words of the covenant which the Lord instructed Moses to form with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, beside that covenant which he struck with them at Horeb.
2 And Moses called all of Israel, and he said to them: "You have seen all the things that the Lord has done in your sight in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to his entire land:
3 the great trials, which your eyes have seen, those immense signs and wonders.
4 But the Lord has not given you an understanding heart, and seeing eyes, and ears that are able to hear, even to this present day.
5 He led you for forty years through the desert. Your garments have not been worn out, nor have the shoes on your feet been consumed by age.
6 You did not eat bread, nor did you drink wine or liquor, so that you would know that I am the Lord your God.
7 And you arrived at this place. And Sihon, the king of Heshbon, and Og, the king of Bashan, went out to meet us in battle. And we struck them down.
8 And we took their land and delivered it as a possession to Ruben and to Gad, and to half of the tribe of Manasseh.
9 Therefore, keep the words of this covenant, and fulfill them, so that you may understand all that you are doing.
10 Today, you all stand in the sight of the Lord your God: your leaders, and tribes, and those greater by birth, and teachers, all the people of Israel,
11 your children and wives, and the new arrival who dwells with you in the camp, aside from those who cut wood, and those who bring water,
12 so that you may cross into the covenant of the Lord your God, and into the oath which the Lord your God strikes with you today.
13 So shall he raise you up as a people to himself, and so shall he be your God, just as he has spoken to you, and just as he swore to your fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
14 And I am not forming this covenant and confirm these oaths with you alone,
15 but with all those who are present as well as those who are absent.
16 For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we passed through the midst of nations. And when passing through them,
17 you saw their abominations and filth, that is, their idols of wood and of stone, of silver and of gold, which they worshipped,
18 so that there would not be among you man or woman, family or tribe, whose heart has been turned away this day from the Lord our God, so as to go and serve the gods of those nations. For then there would be among you a root springing forth gall and bitterness.
19 And if he were to hear the words of this oath, he would bless himself in his own heart saying: 'There will be peace for me, and I will walk in the depravity of my heart.' And so, the one who is inebriated would consume the one who is thirsty.
20 But the Lord would not ignore him. Instead, at that time, his fury and zealousness would be very greatly enflamed against that man, and all the curses which have been written in this volume would settle upon him. And the Lord would abolish his name from under heaven,
21 and consume him unto perdition out of all the tribes of Israel, according to the curses which are contained in the book of this law and in the covenant.
22 And the subsequent generation would speak out, along with the sons who will be born afterward. And the sojourners, who will arrive from far away, will see the plagues of that land and the infirmities with which the Lord will have afflicted it,
23 having burned it with sulphur and molten salt, so that it can no longer be sown. And certainly no greenery would spring up, as in the example of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overturned with his wrath and fury.
24 And so, all the nations would say: 'Why has the Lord acted this way toward this land? What is this immense wrath of his fury?'
25 And they will respond: 'Because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, which he formed with their fathers, when he led them away from the land of Egypt.
26 And they have served foreign gods, and adored them, though they did not know them, and though they had not been allotted to them.
27 For this reason, the fury of the Lord was enraged against this land, so as to lead over it all the curses which have been written in this volume.
28 And he has cast them out of their own land, with anger and fury, and with a very great indignation, and he has thrown them into a strange land, just as has been proven this day.'
29 These hidden things of the Lord our God have been revealed to us and to our sons in perpetuity, so that we may accomplish all the words of this law."
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Deuteronomy 29
29
The agreement in Moab
1So Moses finished telling the Israelites what they had to do in order to keep the agreement the LORD was making with them in Moab, which was in addition to the one the LORD had made with them at Mount Sinai.#29.1 Mount Sinai: See the note at 1.1-5.
The third speech: Israel must keep its agreement with the Lord
The LORD is your God
2-3Moses called the nation of Israel together and told them:
When you were in Egypt, you saw the LORD perform great miracles that caused trouble for the king, his officials, and everyone else in the country. 4-6He has even told you, “For forty years I, the LORD, led you through the desert, but your clothes and your sandals didn't wear out, and I gave you special food.#29.4-6 I gave…food: Hebrew “you didn't eat bread or drink any wine or beer.” I did these things so you would realize that I am your God.”
But the LORD must give you a change of heart before you truly understand what you have seen and heard.
7When we first camped here, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan attacked, but we defeated them.#Nu 21.21-30; Nu 21.31-35. 8Then we captured their land and divided it among the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh.#Nu 32.33.
Keep the agreement
Moses said:
9Israel, the LORD has made an agreement with you, and if you keep your part, you will be successful in everything you do. 10-12Today everyone in our nation is standing here in the LORD's presence, including leaders and officials, parents and children, and even those foreigners who cut wood and carry water for us. We are at this place of worship to promise that we will keep our part of the agreement with the LORD our God.
13-15In this agreement, the LORD promised that you would be his people and that he would be your God. He first made this promise to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and today the LORD is making this same promise to you. But it isn't just for you; it is also for your descendants.
16-17When we lived in Egypt, you saw the Egyptians worship disgusting idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold. Then as we travelled through other nations, you saw those people worship other disgusting idols. 18So make sure that everyone in your tribe remains faithful to the LORD and never starts worshipping gods of other nations.#He 12.15.
If even one of you worships idols, you will be like the root of a plant that produces bitter, poisonous fruit. 19You may be an Israelite and know-all about the LORD's agreement with us, but he won't bless you if you rebel against him. You may think you can get away with it, but you will cause the rest of Israel to be punished along with you.#29.19 you will cause the rest of Israel to be punished along with you: Hebrew “The mud will be swept away as well as the dust.” 20-21The LORD will be furious, and instead of forgiving you, he will separate you from the other tribes. Then he will destroy you, by piling on you all the curses in The Book of God's Law, and you will be forgotten for ever.
22The LORD will strike your country with diseases and disasters. Your descendants and foreigners from distant countries will see that your land 23has become a scorching desert of salt and sulphur, where nothing is planted, nothing sprouts, and nothing grows. It will be as lifeless as the land around the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, after the LORD became angry and destroyed them.#29.23 Sodom…destroyed them: See Genesis 18.16-28.#Gn 19.24,25.
24People from other nations will ask, “Why did the LORD destroy this country? Why was he so furious?”
25And they will be given this answer:
Our ancestors worshipped the LORD, but after he brought them out of Egypt and made an agreement with them, they rejected the agreement 26and decided to worship gods that had never helped them. The LORD had forbidden Israel to worship these gods, 27-28and so he became furious and punished the land with all the curses in The Book of God's Law. Then he pulled up Israel by the roots and tossed them into a foreign country, where they still are today.
29The LORD our God hasn't explained the present or the future, but he has commanded us to obey the laws he gave to us and our descendants.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012