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Since the Lord, your God, will bless you as he promised, you will lend to many nations, and borrow from none;(A) you will rule over many nations, and none will rule over you.

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For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.(A)

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Chapter 28

Blessings for Obedience. Now,(A)(B) if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord, your God, carefully observing all his commandments which I give you today, the Lord, your God, will set you high above all the nations of the earth.(C) All these blessings will come upon you and overwhelm you when you obey the voice of the Lord, your God:

(D)May you be blessed in the city,
    and blessed in the country!
Blessed be the fruit of your womb,
    the produce of your soil and the offspring of your livestock,
    the issue of your herds and the young of your flocks!(E)
Blessed be your grain basket and your kneading bowl!
May you be blessed in your coming in,
    and blessed in your going out![a](F)

Victory and Prosperity. The Lord will beat down before you the enemies that rise up against you; they will come out against you from one direction, and flee before you in seven.[b](G) The Lord will affirm the blessing upon you, on your barns and on all your undertakings; he will bless you in the land that the Lord, your God, is giving you. The Lord will establish you as a holy people, as he swore to you,(H) if you keep the commandments of the Lord, your God, and walk in his ways. 10 All the peoples of the earth will see that the name of the Lord is proclaimed over you,[c] and they will be afraid of you.(I) 11 The Lord will generously increase the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil, upon the land which the Lord swore to your ancestors he would give you.(J) 12 The Lord will open up for you his rich storehouse, the heavens, to give your land rain in due season and to bless all the works of your hands. You will lend to many nations but borrow from none.(K) 13 The Lord will make you the head not the tail, the top not the bottom, if you obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I am giving you today, observing them carefully, 14 not turning aside, either to the right or to the left, from any of the words which I am giving you today, following other gods and serving them.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. 28:6 In your coming in…in your going out: at the beginning and end of every action, or in all actions in general. The rhetorical figure is called merismus. See also 6:7.
  2. 28:7 From one direction…in seven: in one disciplined body, contrasted with many scattered groups.
  3. 28:10 The name of the Lord is proclaimed over you: an expression signifying ownership and protection. Cf. 2 Sm 12:28; 1 Kgs 8:43; Is 4:1; 63:19; Jer 7:10–11; 14:9; 15:16; 25:29; Am 9:12.

Blessings for Obedience

28 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow(A) all his commands(B) I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.(C) All these blessings will come on you(D) and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:

You will be blessed(E) in the city and blessed in the country.(F)

The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.(G)

Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.(H)

The Lord will grant that the enemies(I) who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.(J)

The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless(K) you in the land he is giving you.

The Lord will establish you as his holy people,(L) as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands(M) of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name(N) of the Lord, and they will fear you. 11 The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock(O) and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.(P)

12 The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse(Q) of his bounty,(R) to send rain(S) on your land in season and to bless(T) all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.(U) 13 The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow(V) them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.(W) 14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left,(X) following other gods and serving them.

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Chapter 30

Compassion for the Repentant. [a](A)When all these things, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, come upon you,(B) and you take them to heart in any of the nations where the Lord, your God, has dispersed you, (C)and return to the Lord, your God, obeying his voice, according to all that I am commanding you today, you and your children, with your whole heart and your whole being, the Lord, your God, will restore your fortunes and will have compassion on you; he will again gather you from all the peoples where the Lord, your God, has scattered you. Though you may have been dispersed to the farthest corner of the heavens, even from there will the Lord, your God, gather you; even from there will he bring you back.(D) The Lord, your God, will then bring you into the land your ancestors once possessed, that you may possess it; and he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors.(E) The Lord, your God, will circumcise your hearts[b] and the hearts of your descendants,(F) so that you will love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart and your whole being, in order that you may live. The Lord, your God, will put all those curses on your enemies and the foes who pursued you.(G) You, however, shall again obey the voice of the Lord and observe all his commandments which I am giving you today. Then the Lord, your God, will generously increase your undertakings, the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil;(H) for the Lord, your God, will again take delight in your prosperity, just as he took delight in your ancestors’, 10 because you will obey the voice of the Lord, your God, keeping the commandments and statutes that are written in this book of the law, when you return to the Lord, your God, with your whole heart and your whole being.

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Footnotes

  1. 30:1–5 Text such as this suggests a postexilic perspective; cf. also chaps. 31–32.
  2. 30:6 Circumcise your hearts: see note on 10:16.

Prosperity After Turning to the Lord

30 When all these blessings and curses(A) I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations,(B) and when you and your children return(C) to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart(D) and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes[a](E) and have compassion(F) on you and gather(G) you again from all the nations where he scattered(H) you.(I) Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens,(J) from there the Lord your God will gather(K) you and bring you back.(L) He will bring(M) you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous(N) than your ancestors. The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants,(O) so that you may love(P) him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. The Lord your God will put all these curses(Q) on your enemies who hate and persecute you.(R) You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am giving you today. Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land.(S) The Lord will again delight(T) in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, 10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law(U) and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.(V)

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 30:3 Or will bring you back from captivity

22 If you obey him and carry out all I tell you, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

23 My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites; and I will wipe them out. 24 Therefore, you shall not bow down to their gods and serve them, nor shall you act as they do; rather, you must demolish them and smash their sacred stones.[a](A) 25 You shall serve the Lord, your God; then he will bless your food and drink, and I will remove sickness from your midst; 26 no woman in your land will be barren or miscarry; and I will give you a full span of life.

27 I will have the terror of me precede you, so that I will throw into panic every nation you reach.(B) I will make all your enemies turn from you in flight, 28 and ahead of you I will send hornets[b] to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. 29 But I will not drive them all out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have grown numerous enough to take possession of the land. 31 (C)I will set your boundaries from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines,[c] and from the wilderness to the Euphrates; all who dwell in this land I will hand over to you and you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall not make a covenant with them or their gods. 33 They must not live in your land. For if you serve their gods, this will become a snare to you.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. 23:24 Sacred stones: objects that symbolized the presence of Canaanite deities. In general, standing stones served as memorials for deities, persons, or significant events such as military victories or covenant-making. See 24:4.
  2. 23:28 Hornets: the Hebrew sir’ah is a disputed term, but according to ancient interpreters it refers to hornets that were unleashed against the enemy to sting them and cause panic (cf. Dt 7:20; Jos 24:12; Wis 12:8). Others associate the word with plagues or troublesome afflictions.
  3. 23:31 The sea of the Philistines: the Mediterranean. Only in the time of David and Solomon did the territory of Israel come near to reaching such distant borders.

22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do(A) all that I say, I will be an enemy(B) to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites,(C) and I will wipe them out. 24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship(D) them or follow their practices.(E) You must demolish(F) them and break their sacred stones(G) to pieces. 25 Worship the Lord your God,(H) and his blessing(I) will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness(J) from among you, 26 and none will miscarry or be barren(K) in your land. I will give you a full life span.(L)

27 “I will send my terror(M) ahead of you and throw into confusion(N) every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run.(O) 28 I will send the hornet(P) ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites(Q) out of your way. 29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals(R) too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession(S) of the land.

31 “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea[a] to the Mediterranean Sea,[b] and from the desert to the Euphrates River.(T) I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out(U) before you. 32 Do not make a covenant(V) with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare(W) to you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 23:31 Or the Sea of Reeds
  2. Exodus 23:31 Hebrew to the Sea of the Philistines

[a](A)If you live in accordance with my statutes and are careful to observe my commandments, I will give you your rains in due season, so that the land will yield its crops, and the trees their fruit;(B) your threshing will last till vintage time, and your vintage till the time for sowing, and you will eat your fill of food, and live securely in your land.(C) I will establish peace in the land, and you will lie down to rest with no one to cause you anxiety. I will rid the country of ravenous beasts, and no sword shall sweep across your land. You will rout your enemies, and they shall fall before your sword. Five of you will put a hundred of your foes to flight, and a hundred of you will put to flight ten thousand, till your enemies fall before your sword.(D) I will look with favor upon you, and make you fruitful and numerous,(E) as I carry out my covenant with you. 10 You shall eat the oldest stored harvest, and have to discard it to make room for the new.(F) 11 (G)I will set my tabernacle in your midst, and will not loathe you. 12 Ever present in your midst, I will be your God, and you will be my people; 13 I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be their slaves no more, breaking the bars of your yoke and making you walk erect.(H)

The Punishment of Disobedience.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 26:3–13 The blessings are concerned with the well-being of the nation and its land and involve agricultural bounty, national security, military success and population growth.
  2. 26:14–46 To encourage obedience, the list of punishments is longer than the blessings (cf. a similar proportion in Dt 28). The punishments are presented in waves (vv. 14–17, 18–20, 21–22, 23–26, 27–39), one group following another if the people do not return to obedience. Punishments involve sickness, pestilence, agricultural failure and famine, attack of wild animals, death of the people’s children, destruction of illicit and even licit cults, military defeat, panic, and exile.

“‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey(A) my commands, I will send you rain(B) in its season,(C) and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.(D) Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want(E) and live in safety in your land.(F)

“‘I will grant peace in the land,(G) and you will lie down(H) and no one will make you afraid.(I) I will remove wild beasts(J) from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies,(K) and they will fall by the sword before you. Five(L) of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.(M)

“‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers,(N) and I will keep my covenant(O) with you. 10 You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new.(P) 11 I will put my dwelling place[a](Q) among you, and I will not abhor you.(R) 12 I will walk(S) among you and be your God,(T) and you will be my people.(U) 13 I am the Lord your God,(V) who brought you out of Egypt(W) so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke(X) and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 26:11 Or my tabernacle