Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
1“Now if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. | 1“If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. |
2And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of the LORD your God: | 2You will experience all these blessings if you obey the LORD your God: |
3You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. | 3Your towns and your fields will be blessed. |
4The fruit of your womb will be blessed, as well as the produce of your land and the offspring of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. | 4Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. |
5Your basket and kneading bowl will be blessed. | 5Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. |
6You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. | 6Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed. |
7The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you in one direction but flee from you in seven. | 7“The LORD will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! |
8The LORD will decree a blessing on your barns and on everything to which you put your hand; the LORD your God will bless you in the land He is giving you. | 8“The LORD will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. |
9The LORD will establish you as His holy people, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. | 9“If you obey the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways, the LORD will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. |
10Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you. | 10Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you. |
11The LORD will make you prosper abundantly—in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land—in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. | 11“The LORD will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. |
12The LORD will open the heavens, His abundant storehouse, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but borrow from none. | 12The LORD will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. |
13The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward, if you hear and carefully follow the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am giving you today. | 13If you listen to these commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. |
14Do not turn aside to the right or to the left from any of the words I command you today, and do not go after other gods to serve them. | 14You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them. Curses for Disobedience |
15If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: | 15“But if you refuse to listen to the LORD your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you: |
16You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. | 16Your towns and your fields will be cursed. |
17Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed. | 17Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be cursed. |
18The fruit of your womb will be cursed, as well as the produce of your land, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks. | 18Your children and your crops will be cursed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be cursed. |
19You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. | 19Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be cursed. |
20The LORD will send curses upon you, confusion and reproof in all to which you put your hand, until you are destroyed and quickly perish because of the wickedness you have committed in forsaking Him. | 20“The LORD himself will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in everything you do, until at last you are completely destroyed for doing evil and abandoning me. |
21The LORD will make the plague cling to you until He has exterminated you from the land that you are entering to possess. | 21The LORD will afflict you with diseases until none of you are left in the land you are about to enter and occupy. |
22The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew; these will pursue you until you perish. | 22The LORD will strike you with wasting diseases, fever, and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew. These disasters will pursue you until you die. |
23The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. | 23The skies above will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as hard as iron. |
24The LORD will turn the rain of your land into dust and powder; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed. | 24The LORD will change the rain that falls on your land into powder, and dust will pour down from the sky until you are destroyed. |
25The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. | 25“The LORD will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You will attack your enemies from one direction, but you will scatter from them in seven! You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. |
26Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the air and beasts of the earth, with no one to scare them away. | 26Your corpses will be food for all the scavenging birds and wild animals, and no one will be there to chase them away. |
27The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors and scabs and itch from which you cannot be cured. | 27“The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, scurvy, and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. |
28The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind, | 28The LORD will strike you with madness, blindness, and panic. |
29and at noon you will grope about like a blind man in the darkness. You will not prosper in your ways. Day after day you will be oppressed and plundered, with no one to save you. | 29You will grope around in broad daylight like a blind person groping in the darkness, but you will not find your way. You will be oppressed and robbed continually, and no one will come to save you. |
30You will be pledged in marriage to a woman, but another man will violate her. You will build a house but will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard but will not enjoy its fruit. | 30“You will be engaged to a woman, but another man will sleep with her. You will build a house, but someone else will live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will never enjoy its fruit. |
31Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be taken away and not returned to you. Your flock will be given to your enemies, and no one will save you. | 31Your ox will be butchered before your eyes, but you will not eat a single bite of the meat. Your donkey will be taken from you, never to be returned. Your sheep and goats will be given to your enemies, and no one will be there to help you. |
32Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, while your eyes grow weary looking for them day after day, with no power in your hand. | 32You will watch as your sons and daughters are taken away as slaves. Your heart will break for them, but you won’t be able to help them. |
33A people you do not know will eat the produce of your land and of all your toil. All your days you will be oppressed and crushed. | 33A foreign nation you have never heard about will eat the crops you worked so hard to grow. You will suffer under constant oppression and harsh treatment. |
34You will be driven mad by the sights you see. | 34You will go mad because of all the tragedy you see around you. |
35The LORD will afflict you with painful, incurable boils on your knees and thighs, from the soles of your feet to the top of your head. | 35The LORD will cover your knees and legs with incurable boils. In fact, you will be covered from head to foot. |
36The LORD will bring you and the king you appoint to a nation neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone. | 36“The LORD will exile you and your king to a nation unknown to you and your ancestors. There in exile you will worship gods of wood and stone! |
37You will become an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the nations to which the LORD will drive you. | 37You will become an object of horror, ridicule, and mockery among all the nations to which the LORD sends you. |
38You will sow much seed in the field but harvest little, because the locusts will consume it. | 38“You will plant much but harvest little, for locusts will eat your crops. |
39You will plant and cultivate vineyards, but will neither drink the wine nor gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. | 39You will plant vineyards and care for them, but you will not drink the wine or eat the grapes, for worms will destroy the vines. |
40You will have olive trees throughout your territory but will never anoint yourself with oil, because the olives will drop off. | 40You will grow olive trees throughout your land, but you will never use the olive oil, for the fruit will drop before it ripens. |
41You will father sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, because they will go into captivity. | 41You will have sons and daughters, but you will lose them, for they will be led away into captivity. |
42Swarms of locusts will consume all your trees and the produce of your land. | 42Swarms of insects will destroy your trees and crops. |
43The foreigner living among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink down lower and lower. | 43“The foreigners living among you will become stronger and stronger, while you become weaker and weaker. |
44He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail. | 44They will lend money to you, but you will not lend to them. They will be the head, and you will be the tail! |
45All these curses will come upon you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, since you did not obey the LORD your God and keep the commandments and statutes He gave you. | 45“If you refuse to listen to the LORD your God and to obey the commands and decrees he has given you, all these curses will pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed. |
46These curses will be a sign and a wonder upon you and your descendants forever. | 46These horrors will serve as a sign and warning among you and your descendants forever. |
47Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart in all your abundance, | 47If you do not serve the LORD your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received, |
48you will serve your enemies the LORD will send against you in famine, thirst, nakedness, and destitution. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you. | 48you will serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you. You will be left hungry, thirsty, naked, and lacking in everything. The LORD will put an iron yoke on your neck, oppressing you harshly until he has destroyed you. |
49The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand, | 49“The LORD will bring a distant nation against you from the end of the earth, and it will swoop down on you like a vulture. It is a nation whose language you do not understand, |
50a ruthless nation with no respect for the old and no pity for the young. | 50a fierce and heartless nation that shows no respect for the old and no pity for the young. |
51They will eat the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain or new wine or oil, no calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks, until they have caused you to perish. | 51Its armies will devour your livestock and crops, and you will be destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine, olive oil, calves, or lambs, and you will starve to death. |
52They will besiege all the cities throughout your land, until the high and fortified walls in which you trust have fallen. They will besiege all your cities throughout the land that the LORD your God has given you. | 52They will attack your cities until all the fortified walls in your land—the walls you trusted to protect you—are knocked down. They will attack all the towns in the land the LORD your God has given you. |
53Then you will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you. | 53“The siege and terrible distress of the enemy’s attack will be so severe that you will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters, whom the LORD your God has given you. |
54The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children who have survived, | 54The most tenderhearted man among you will have no compassion for his own brother, his beloved wife, and his surviving children. |
55refusing to share with any of them the flesh of his children he will eat because he has nothing left in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you within all your gates. | 55He will refuse to share with them the flesh he is devouring—the flesh of one of his own children—because he has nothing else to eat during the siege and terrible distress that your enemy will inflict on all your towns. |
56The most gentle and refined woman among you, so gentle and refined she would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground, will begrudge the husband she embraces and her son and daughter | 56The most tender and delicate woman among you—so delicate she would not so much as touch the ground with her foot—will be selfish toward the husband she loves and toward her own son or daughter. |
57the afterbirth that comes from between her legs and the children she bears, because she will secretly eat them for lack of anything else in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you within your gates. | 57She will hide from them the afterbirth and the new baby she has borne, so that she herself can secretly eat them. She will have nothing else to eat during the siege and terrible distress that your enemy will inflict on all your towns. |
58If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name—the LORD your God— | 58“If you refuse to obey all the words of instruction that are written in this book, and if you do not fear the glorious and awesome name of the LORD your God, |
59He will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary disasters, severe and lasting plagues, and terrible and chronic sicknesses. | 59then the LORD will overwhelm you and your children with indescribable plagues. These plagues will be intense and without relief, making you miserable and unbearably sick. |
60He will afflict you again with all the diseases you dreaded in Egypt, and they will cling to you. | 60He will afflict you with all the diseases of Egypt that you feared so much, and you will have no relief. |
61The LORD will also bring upon you every sickness and plague not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed. | 61The LORD will afflict you with every sickness and plague there is, even those not mentioned in this Book of Instruction, until you are destroyed. |
62You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left few in number, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God. | 62Though you become as numerous as the stars in the sky, few of you will be left because you would not listen to the LORD your God. |
63Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and multiply, so also it will please Him to annihilate you and destroy you. And you will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. | 63“Just as the LORD has found great pleasure in causing you to prosper and multiply, the LORD will find pleasure in destroying you. You will be torn from the land you are about to enter and occupy. |
64Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. | 64For the LORD will scatter you among all the nations from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship foreign gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods made of wood and stone! |
65Among those nations you will find no repose, not even a resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despairing soul. | 65There among those nations you will find no peace or place to rest. And the LORD will cause your heart to tremble, your eyesight to fail, and your soul to despair. |
66So your life will hang in doubt before you, and you will be afraid night and day, never certain of survival. | 66Your life will constantly hang in the balance. You will live night and day in fear, unsure if you will survive. |
67In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’—because of the dread in your hearts of the terrifying sights you will see. | 67In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were night!’ And in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’ For you will be terrified by the awful horrors you see around you. |
68The LORD will return you to Egypt in ships by a route that I said you should never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.” | 68Then the LORD will send you back to Egypt in ships, to a destination I promised you would never see again. There you will offer to sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves, but no one will buy you.” |
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