Deuteronomy 29

¹These 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.

²And 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:

³the great trials, which your eyes have seen, those immense signs and wonders.

⁴But the Lord has not given you an understanding heart, and seeing eyes, and ears that are able to hear, even to this present day.

⁵He 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.

⁶You did not eat bread, nor did you drink wine or liquor, so that you would know that I am the Lord your God.

⁷And 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.

⁸And we took their land and delivered it as a possession to Ruben and to Gad, and to half of the tribe of Manasseh.

⁹Therefore, keep the words of this covenant, and fulfill them, so that you may understand all that you are doing.

¹⁰Today, 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,

¹¹your 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,

¹²so 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.

¹³So 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.

¹⁴And I am not forming this covenant and confirm these oaths with you alone,

¹⁵but with all those who are present as well as those who are absent.

¹⁶For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we passed through the midst of nations. And when passing through them,

¹⁷you saw their abominations and filth, that is, their idols of wood and of stone, of silver and of gold, which they worshipped,

¹⁸so 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.

¹⁹And 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.

²⁰But 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,

²¹and 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.

²²And 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,

²³having 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.

²⁴And so, all the nations would say: ‘Why has the Lord acted this way toward this land? What is this immense wrath of his fury?’

²⁵And 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.

²⁶And they have served foreign gods, and adored them, though they did not know them, and though they had not been allotted to them.

²⁷For 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.

²⁸And 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.’

²⁹These 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.”

Deuteronomy 29

¹These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab: beside that covenant which he made with them in Horeb.

²And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: You have seen all the things that the Lord did before you in the land of Egypt to Pharao, and to all his servants, and to his whole land.

³The great temptations, which thy eyes have seen, those mighty signs and wonders,

⁴And the Lord hath not given you a heart to understand, and eyes to see, and ears that may hear, unto this present day.

⁵He hath brought you forty years through the desert: your garments are not worn out, neither are the shoes of your feet consumed with age.

⁶You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink: that you might know that I am the Lord your God.

⁷And you came to this place: and Sehon king of Hesebon, and Og king of Basan, came out against us to fight. And we slew them.

⁸And took their land, and delivered it for a possession to Ruben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasses.

⁹Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and fulfil them: that you may understand all that you do.

¹⁰You all stand this day before the Lord your God, your princes, and tribes, and ancients, and doctors, all the people of Israel,

¹¹Your children and your wives, and the stranger that abideth with thee in the camp, besides the hewers of wood, and them that bring water:

¹²That thou mayst pass in the covenant of the Lord thy God, and in the oath which this day the Lord thy God maketh with thee.

¹³That he may raise thee up a people to himself, and he may be thy God as he hath spoken to thee, and as he swore to thy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

¹⁴Neither with you only do I make this covenant, and confirm these oaths,

¹⁵But with all that are present and that are absent.

¹⁶For you know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we have passed through the midst of nations, and passing through them,

¹⁷You have seen their abominations and filth, that is to say, their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which they worshipped.

¹⁸Lest perhaps there should be among you a man or a woman, a family or a tribe, whose heart is turned away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations: and there should be among you a root bringing forth gall and bitterness.

¹⁹And when he shall hear the words of this oath, he should bless himself in his heart saying: I shall have peace, and will walk on in the naughtiness of my heart: and the drunken may consume the thirsty,

²⁰And the Lord should not forgive him: but his wrath and jealousy against that man should be exceedingly enkindled at that time, and all the curses that are written in this volume should light upon him: and the Lord should blot out his name from under heaven,

²¹And utterly destroy him out of all the tribes of Israel, according to the curses that are contained in the book of this law and covenant:

²²And the following generation shall say, and the children that shall be born hereafter, and the strangers that shall come from afar, seeing the plagues of that land and the evils wherewith the Lord hath afflicted it,

²³Burning it with brimstone, and the heat of salt, so that it cannot be sown any more, nor any green thing grow therein, after the example of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha, Adama and Seboim, which the Lord destroyed in his wrath and indignation:

²⁴And all the nations shall say: Why hath the Lord done thus to this land? what meaneth this exceeding great heat of his wrath?

²⁵And they shall answer: Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord, which he made with their fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt:

²⁶And they have served strange gods, and adored them, whom they knew not, and for whom they had not been assigned:

²⁷Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this volume:

²⁸And he hath cast them out of their land, in anger and in wrath, and in very great indignation, and hath thrown them into a strange land, as it is seen this day.

²⁹Secret things to the Lord our God: things that are manifest, to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.