Study Desk

"Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and live in it,

that you shall take some of ^(C1)the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the LORD your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and ^(C2)go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name.

"And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, 'I declare today to the LORD ^(F1)my God that I have entered the land which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.'

"Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it before the altar of the LORD your God.

"And you shall respond and say before the LORD your God, '^(C1)My father was a ^(F1)wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and ^(F2)resided there, ^(C2)few in number; but there he became a ^(C3)great, mighty, and populous nation.

'And the ^(C1)Egyptians treated us badly and oppressed us, and imposed hard labor on us.

'Then ^(C1)we cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our wretched condition, our trouble, and our oppression;

^(C1)and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, an outstretched arm, and with great terror, and with signs and wonders;

and He has brought us to this place, and has given us this land, ^(C1)a land flowing with milk and honey.

'And now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground ^(C1)which You, LORD have given me.' Then you shall set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God;

and you, ^(C1)the Levite, and the stranger who is among you shall ^(C2)rejoice in all the good which the LORD your God has given you and your household.

"^(C1)When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the ^(F1)orphan, and to the widow, so that they may eat in your ^(F2)towns and be satisfied.

"And you shall say before the LORD your God, 'I have removed the sacred portion from my house, and have also given it to the Levite, the stranger, the ^(F1)orphan, and the widow, in accordance with all Your commandments which You have commanded me; ^(C1)I have not violated or forgotten any of Your commandments.

'I have not eaten of it while mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of the LORD my God; I have acted in accordance with everything that You have commanded me.

'^(C1)Look down from Your holy dwelling place, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which You have given us, ^(C2)a land flowing with milk and honey just as You swore to our fathers.'

"This day the LORD your God commands you to perform these statutes and ordinances. Therefore you shall be careful to perform them ^(C1)with all your heart and with all your soul.

"^(C1)Today you have declared the LORD to be your God, and ^(F1)that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His ordinances, and listen to His voice.

"And the LORD has today declared you to be ^(C1)His people, His personal possession, just as He promised you, and ^(F1)that you are to keep all His commandments;

and ^(F1)that He will ^(C1)put you high above all the nations which He has made, for glory, fame, and honor; and that you shall be ^(C2)a consecrated people to the LORD your God, just as He has spoken."

Then Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, "Keep all the commandments which I am commanding you today.

"^(C1)So it shall be on the day when you cross the Jordan to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, that you shall set up for yourself large stones and coat them with lime

and write on them all the words of this Law, when you cross over, so that you may enter the land which the LORD your God is giving you, ^(C1)a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, ^(F1)promised you.

"So it shall be when you cross the Jordan, you shall set up these stones ^(C1)on Mount Ebal, ^(F1)as I am commanding you today, and you shall coat them with lime.

"Moreover, you shall build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones; you ^(C1)shall not wield an iron tool on them.

"You shall build the altar of the LORD your God of ^(F1)uncut stones, and you shall offer on it burnt offerings to the LORD your God;

and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and eat there, and ^(C1)rejoice before the LORD your God.

"You shall write on the ^(F1)stones all the words of this Law very clearly."

Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying, "Be silent and listen, Israel! This day you have become a people for the LORD your God.

"So you shall ^(F1)obey the LORD your God, and do His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today."

Moses also commanded the people on that day, saying,

"When you cross the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on ^(C1)Mount Gerizim to bless the people: ^(C2)Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.

"For the curse, these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

"The Levites shall then respond and say to all the people of Israel with a loud voice,

'Cursed is the person who makes ^(C1)a carved image or cast metal image, an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.' And ^(C2)all the people shall reply and say, 'Amen.'

'^(C1)Cursed is one who treats his father or mother contemptuously.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

'^(C1)Cursed is one who displaces his neighbor's boundary marker.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

'^(C1)Cursed is one who misleads a person who is blind on the road.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

'^(C1)Cursed is one who distorts the justice due a stranger, an ^(F1)orphan, or a widow.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

'^(C1)Cursed is he who sleeps with his father's wife, because he has ^(F1)uncovered his father's garment.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

'^(C1)Cursed is one who has sexual intercourse with any animal.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

'^(C1)Cursed is he who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or of his mother.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

'^(C1)Cursed is he who sleeps with his mother-in-law.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

'^(C1)Cursed is he who attacks his neighbor in secret.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

'^(C1)Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to attack an innocent person.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

'^(C1)Cursed is anyone who does not fulfill the words of this Law by doing them.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

"^(C1)Now it shall be, if you diligently ^(F1)obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I am commanding you today, that the LORD your God ^(C2)will put you high above all the nations of the earth.

"And all these blessings will come to you and ^(C1)reach you if you ^(F1)obey the LORD your God:

"Blessed will you be in the city, and blessed will you be ^(C1)in the ^(F1)country.

"Blessed will be the ^(F1)children of your womb, the ^(F1)produce of your ground, and the ^(F1)offspring of your animals: the newborn of your herd and the young of your flock.

"Blessed will be your basket and your kneading bowl.

"Blessed will you be ^(C1)when you come in, and blessed will you be when you go out.

"The LORD will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be ^(F1)defeated by you; they will go out against you one way and will flee at your presence seven ways.

"The LORD will command the blessing for you in your ^(F1)barns and in ^(C1)everything that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

"^(C1)The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.

"So all the peoples of the earth will see that ^(F1)(C1)you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you.

"^(C1)And the LORD will give you more than enough prosperity, in the ^(F1)children of your womb, in the ^(F1)offspring of your livestock, and in the ^(F1)produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.

"The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless every work of your hand; and ^(C1)you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow.

"^(C1)And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will only be above, and not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God which I am commanding you today, to ^(F1)follow them carefully,

and ^(C1)do not turn aside from any of the words which I am commanding you today, to the right or the left, to pursue other gods to serve them.

"^(C1)But it shall come about, if you do not ^(F1)obey the LORD your God, to be careful to ^(F2)follow all His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

"^(C1)Cursed will you be in the city, and cursed will you be in the ^(F1)country.

"^(C1)Cursed will be your basket and your kneading bowl.

"^(C1)Cursed will be the ^(F1)children of your womb, the ^(F1)produce of your ground, the newborn of your herd, and the offspring of your flock.

"^(C1)Cursed will you be when you come in, and cursed will you be when you go out.

"^(C1)The LORD will send against you curses, panic, and ^(C2)rebuke, in ^(F1)everything you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until ^(C3)you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have abandoned Me.

"^(C1)The LORD will make the plague cling to you until He has eliminated you from the land where you are entering to take possession of it.

"^(C1)The LORD will strike you with consumption, inflammation, fever, feverish heat, and with ^(F1)the sword, ^(C2)with blight, and with mildew, and they will pursue you until ^(C3)you perish.

"^(F1)The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron.

"^(C1)The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

"^(C1)The LORD will cause you to be defeated by your enemies; you will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways from their presence, and you will ^(C2)be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

"^(C1)Your dead bodies will ^(F1)serve as food for all birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.

"^(C1)The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt and with ^(C2)tumors, the festering rash, and with scabies, from which you cannot be healed.

"The LORD will strike you with insanity, blindness, and with confusion of ^(F1)mind;

and you will be ^(C1)groping about at noon, just as a person who is blind gropes in the darkness, and you will not be successful in your ways; but you will only be ^(F1)oppressed and robbed all the time, with no one to save you.

"^(C1)You will ^(F1)betroth a woman, but another man will ^(F2)violate her; ^(C2)you will build a house, but you will not live in it; you will plant a vineyard, but you will not make use of its fruit.

"Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat of it; your donkey will be snatched away from you, and will not ^(F1)be restored to you; your ^(F2)sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to save you.

"^(C1)Your sons and your daughters will be given to another people, while your eyes look on and long for them constantly; but there will be nothing ^(F1)you can do.

"^(C1)A people whom you do not know will eat the produce of your ground and every product of your labor, and you will never be anything but oppressed and mistreated continually.

"You will also be driven insane by the sight of ^(F1)what you see.

"^(C1)The LORD will strike you on the knees and thighs with severe boils from which you cannot be healed, and strike you from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.

"^(C1)The LORD will bring you and your king, whom you appoint over you, to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods, made of ^(C2)wood and stone.

"And ^(C1)you will become an object of horror, a song of mockery, and an object of taunting among all the peoples where the LORD drives you.

"^(C1)You will bring out a great amount of seed to the field, but you will gather in little, because ^(C2)the locust will devour it.

"^(C1)You will plant and cultivate vineyards, but you will neither drink of the wine nor bring in the harvest, because the worm will eat it.

"^(C1)You will have olive trees throughout your territory but you will not anoint yourself with the oil, because your olives will drop off prematurely.

"^(C1)You will father sons and daughters but they will not remain yours, because they will go into captivity.

"^(C1)The cricket will take possession of all your trees and the produce of your ground.

"^(C1)The stranger who is among you will rise above you higher and higher, and you will go down lower and lower.

"^(C1)He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him; ^(C2)he will be the head, and you will be the tail.

"So all these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you ^(C1)until you are destroyed, because you would not ^(F1)obey the LORD your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you.

"And they will become ^(C1)a sign and a wonder ^(F1)against you and your ^(F2)descendants forever.

"^(C1)Since you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a cheerful heart, in gratitude for the abundance of all things,

you will serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, ^(C1)in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and devoid of all things; and He ^(C2)will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.

"^(C1)The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, ^(C2)as the eagle swoops down; a nation whose language you will not understand,

a nation ^(F1)with a defiant attitude, who will ^(C1)have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young.

"Furthermore, it will eat the ^(F1)offspring of your herd and the produce of your ground until you are destroyed; a nation that will leave you no grain, new wine, or oil, nor the newborn of your cattle or the young of your flock, until they have eliminated you.

"^(C1)And it will besiege you in all your ^(F1)towns until your high and fortified walls in which you trusted come down throughout your land, and it will besiege you in all your ^(F1)towns throughout your land which the LORD your God has given you.

"^(C1)Then you will eat the ^(F1)offspring of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, during the siege and the hardship by which your enemy will ^(F2)oppress you.

"The man who is ^(F1)refined and very delicate among you ^(F2)will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife ^(F3)he cherishes, and toward the rest of his children who are left,

so that he will not give even one of them any of the flesh of his children which he will eat, since he has nothing else left, during the siege and the hardship by which your enemy will ^(F1)oppress you in all your ^(F2)towns.

"^(C1)The ^(F1)refined and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and tenderness, ^(F2)will be hostile toward the husband ^(F3)she cherishes and toward her son and daughter,

and toward her afterbirth that comes from between her ^(F1)legs, and toward her children to whom she gives birth, because ^(C1)she will eat them secretly for lack of anything else, during the siege and the hardship with which your enemy will ^(F2)oppress you in your ^(F3)towns.

"If you are not careful to ^(F1)follow all the words of this Law that are written in this book, to ^(F2)(C1)fear this honored and awesome ^(C2)name, ^(F3)the LORD your God,

then the LORD will bring extraordinary plagues on you and ^(F1)your descendants, ^(F2)severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses.

"^(C1)And He will bring back on you every disease of Egypt of which you were afraid, and they will cling to you.

"Also every sickness and every plague, which are not written in the book of this Law, the LORD will bring on you ^(C1)until you are destroyed.

"Then you will be left few in ^(F1)number, ^(C1)whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, because you did not ^(F2)obey the LORD your God.

"And it will come about that, just as the LORD ^(C1)rejoiced over you to be good to you, and make you numerous, so will the LORD ^(C2)rejoice over you to wipe you out and destroy you; and you will be ^(C3)torn away from the land which you are entering to possess.

"Furthermore, the LORD will ^(C1)scatter you among all the peoples, from one end of the earth to ^(F1)the other; and there you will ^(C2)serve other gods, made of wood and stone, which you and your fathers have not known.

"^(C1)Among those nations you will find no peace, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there ^(C2)the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul.

"So your lives will be ^(F1)hanging in doubt before you; and you will be terrified night and day, and have no assurance of your life.

"^(C1)In the morning you will say, 'If only it were evening!' And at evening you will say, 'If only it were morning!' because of the terror of your heart which you fear, and the sight of your eyes which you will see.

"And the LORD will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the way about which I said to you, 'You will never see it again!' And there you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer."

^(F1)(C1)These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the ^(C2)covenant which He had made with them at Horeb.

^(F1)And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, "You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants, and to all his land;

^(C1)the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders.

"Yet to this day ^(C1)the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.

"And I have led you in the wilderness for forty years; ^(C1)your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot.

"^(C1)You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or other strong drink, in order that you might know that I am the LORD your God.

"^(C1)When you ^(F1)reached this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out to meet us for battle, but we ^(F2)defeated them;

and we took their land and ^(C1)gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites.

"^(C1)So you will keep the words of this covenant and do them, ^(C2)in order that you may be successful in everything that you do.

"You stand today, all of you, before the LORD your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders and your officers, that is, all the men of Israel,

your little ones, your wives, and the stranger who is within your camps, from ^(C1)the one who gathers your firewood to the one who draws your water,

so that you may enter into the covenant with the LORD your God, and into His oath which the LORD your God is making with you today,

in order that He may establish you today as His people, and that ^(C1)He may be your God, just as He spoke to you and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

"Now it is not with you alone that I am ^(C1)making this covenant and this oath,

^(C1)but both with those who stand here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God, and with those who are not with us here today

(for you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we passed through the midst of the nations through which you passed;

moreover, you have seen their abominations and their idols made of ^(C1)wood and stone, silver and gold, which they had with them);

^(C1)so that there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; that there will not be among you ^(C2)a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood.

"And it shall be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will consider himself fortunate in his heart, saying, 'I will do well though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order ^(F1)to destroy the watered land along with the dry.'

"The LORD will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and ^(C1)His wrath will ^(F1)(C2)burn against that person, and every curse that is written in this book will lie upon him, and the LORD will ^(C3)wipe out his name from under heaven.

"Then the LORD will single him out for disaster from all the tribes of Israel, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant ^(C1)which is written in this Book of the Law.

"Now the future generation, your sons who rise up after you and ^(C1)the foreigner who comes from a distant land, when they see the plagues of that land and the diseases with which the LORD has afflicted it, will say,

'All its land is ^(C1)brimstone and salt, ^(C2)burned debris, ^(F1)unsown and unproductive, and no grass grows on it, like the overthrow of ^(C3)Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger and in His wrath.'

"All the nations will say, '^(C1)Why has the LORD done all this to this land? Why this great ^(F1)outburst of anger?'

"Then people will say, 'It is ^(C1)because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.

'And they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they have not known and whom He had not ^(F1)assigned to them.

'Therefore, the anger of the LORD burned against that land, ^(C1)to bring upon it every curse which is written in this book;

and ^(C1)the LORD uprooted them from their land in anger, fury, and in great wrath, and hurled them into another land, as it is this day.'

"^(C1)The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but ^(C2)the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, so that we may ^(F1)follow all the words of this Law.