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Deuteronomy 29

The Covenant Renewed in Moab

1 t These are the words of the covenant that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant that he had made with them at Horeb.

2 t 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 to all his servants and to all his land,3 the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders.4 But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.5 I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet.6 You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.7 And when you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us to battle, but we defeated them.8 We took their land and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites.9 Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prospert in all that you do.

10 "You are standing today all of you before the Lord your God: the heads of your tribes,t your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel,11 your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner who is in your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water,12 so that you may enter into the sworn covenant of the Lord your God, which the Lord your God is making with you today,13 that he may establish you today as his people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.14 It is not with you alone that I am making this sworn covenant,15 but with whoever is standing here with us today before the Lord our God, and with whoever is not here with us today.

16 "You know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed.17 And you have seen their detestable things, their idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold, which were among them.18 Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit,19 one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, 'I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.' This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike.20 The Lord will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the Lord and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven.21 And the Lord will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for calamity, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.22 And the next generation, your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, will say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the Lord has made it sick—23 the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and wrath—24 all the nations will say, 'Why has the Lord done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?'25 Then people will say, 'It is 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,26 and went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them.27 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, bringing upon it all the curses written in this book,28 and the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger and fury and great wrath, and cast them into another land, as they are this day.'

29 "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 29

1 These are the words of the covenant which Yahweh commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.2 Moses called to all Israel, and said to them, You have seen all that Yahweh did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land;3 the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders:4 but Yahweh has not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, to this day.5 I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes have not grown old on you, and your shoes have not grown old on your feet.6 You have not eaten bread, neither have you drunk wine or strong drink; that you may know that I am Yahweh your God.7 When you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us to battle, and we struck them:8 and we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of the Manassites.9 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.10 You stand this day all of you before Yahweh your God; your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel,11 your little ones, your wives, and your foreigner who is in the midst of your camps, from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water;12 that you may enter into the covenant of Yahweh your God, and into his oath, which Yahweh your God makes with you this day;13 that he may establish you this day to himself for a people, and that he may be to you a God, as he spoke to you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.14 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath,15 but with him who stands here with us this day before Yahweh our God, and also with him who is not here with us this day16 (for you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed;17 and you have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them);18 lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turns away this day from Yahweh our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that bears gall and wormwood;19 and it happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, “I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.”20 Yahweh will not pardon him, but then the anger of Yahweh and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under the sky.

21 Yahweh will set him apart to evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law.
22 The generation to come, your children who shall rise up after you, and the foreigner who shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses with which Yahweh has made it sick;23 and that the whole land of it is sulfur, salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor bears, nor any grass grows therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which Yahweh overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:

24 even all the nations shall say, “Why has Yahweh done thus to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?”
25 Then men shall say, “Because they forsook the covenant of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt,26 and went and served other gods, and worshiped them, gods that they didn’t know, and that he had not given to them:27 therefore the anger of Yahweh was kindled against this land, to bring on it all the curse that is written in this book;

28 and Yahweh rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as at this day.”

29 The secret things belong to Yahweh our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.