Deuteronomy 32

Chapter 32

1 “Listen, O heavens, and I will speak!
Hear, O earth, the words that I say!2 Let my teaching fall on you like rain;
let my speech settle like dew.
Let my words fall like rain on tender grass,
like gentle showers on young plants.3 I will proclaim the name of the LORD;
how glorious is our God!4 He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.
Everything he does is just and fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong;
how just and upright he is!5 “But they have acted corruptly toward him;
when they act so perversely,
are they really his children?t
They are a deceitful and twisted generation.6 Is this the way you repay the LORD,
you foolish and senseless people?
Isn’t he your Father who created you?
Has he not made you and established you?7 Remember the days of long ago;
think about the generations past.
Ask your father, and he will inform you.
Inquire of your elders, and they will tell you.8 When the Most High assigned lands to the nations,
when he divided up the human race,
he established the boundaries of the peoples
according to the number in his heavenly court.t9 “For the people of Israel belong to the LORD;
Jacob is his special possession.10 He found them in a desert land,
in an empty, howling wasteland.
He surrounded them and watched over them;
he guarded them as he would guard his own eyes.t11 Like an eagle that rouses her chicks
and hovers over her young,
so he spread his wings to take them up
and carried them safely on his pinions.12 The LORD alone guided them;
they followed no foreign gods.13 He let them ride over the highlands
and feast on the crops of the fields.
He nourished them with honey from the rock
and olive oil from the stony ground.14 He fed them yogurt from the herd
and milk from the flock,
together with the fat of lambs.
He gave them choice rams from Bashan, and goats,
together with the choicest wheat.
You drank the finest wine,
made from the juice of grapes.15 “But Israelt soon became fat and unruly;
the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed!
Then they abandoned the God who had made them;
they made light of the Rock of their salvation.16 They stirred up his jealousy by worshiping foreign gods;
they provoked his fury with detestable deeds.17 They offered sacrifices to demons, which are not God,
to gods they had not known before,
to new gods only recently arrived,
to gods their ancestors had never feared.18 You neglected the Rock who had fathered you;
you forgot the God who had given you birth.19 “The LORD saw this and drew back,
provoked to anger by his own sons and daughters.20 He said, ‘I will abandon them;
then see what becomes of them.
For they are a twisted generation,
children without integrity.21 They have roused my jealousy by worshiping things that are not God;
they have provoked my anger with their useless idols.
Now I will rouse their jealousy through people who are not even a people;
I will provoke their anger through the foolish Gentiles.22 For my anger blazes forth like fire
and burns to the depths of the grave.t
It devours the earth and all its crops
and ignites the foundations of the mountains.23 I will heap disasters upon them
and shoot them down with my arrows.24 I will weaken them with famine,
burning fever, and deadly disease.
I will send the fangs of wild beasts
and poisonous snakes that glide in the dust.25 Outside, the sword will bring death,
and inside, terror will strike
both young men and young women,
both infants and the aged.26 I would have annihilated them,
wiping out even the memory of them.27 But I feared the taunt of Israel’s enemy,
who might misunderstand and say,
“Our own power has triumphed!
The LORD had nothing to do with this!”’28 “But Israel is a senseless nation;
the people are foolish, without understanding.29 Oh, that they were wise and could understand this!
Oh, that they might know their fate!30 How could one person chase a thousand of them,
and two people put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
unless the LORD had given them up?31 But the rock of our enemies is not like our Rock,
as even they recognize.t32 Their vine grows from the vine of Sodom,
from the vineyards of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are poison,
and their clusters are bitter.33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
the deadly poison of cobras.34 “The LORD says, ‘Am I not storing up these things,
sealing them away in my treasury?35 I will take revenge; I will pay them back.
In due time their feet will slip.
Their day of disaster will arrive,
and their destiny will overtake them.’36 “Indeed, the LORD will give justice to his people,
and he will change his mind aboutt his servants,
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave or free.37 Then he will ask, ‘Where are their gods,
the rocks they fled to for refuge?38 Where now are those gods,
who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their offerings?
Let those gods arise and help you!
Let them provide you with shelter!39 Look now; I myself am he!
There is no other god but me!
I am the one who kills and gives life;
I am the one who wounds and heals;
no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!40 Now I raise my hand to heaven
and declare, “As surely as I live,41 when I sharpen my flashing sword
and begin to carry out justice,
I will take revenge on my enemies
and repay those who reject me.42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword will devour flesh—
the blood of the slaughtered and the captives,
and the heads of the enemy leaders.”’43 “Rejoice with him, you heavens,
and let all of God’s angels worship him.t
Rejoice with his people, you nations,
and let all the angels be strengthened in him.t
For he will avenge the blood of his servants;
he will take revenge against his enemies.
He will repay those who hate himt
and cleanse the land for his people.”

44 So Moses came with Joshuat son of Nun and recited all the words of this song to the people.
45 When Moses had finished reciting all these words to the people of Israel,46 he added: “Take to heart all the words of warning I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions.

47 These instructions are not empty words—they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life in the land you will occupy when you cross the Jordan River.”

Moses’ Death Foretold

48 That same day the LORD said to Moses,49 “Go to Moab, to the mountains east of the river,t and climb Mount Nebo, which is across from Jericho. Look out across the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the people of Israel as their own special possession.50 Then you will die there on the mountain. You will join your ancestors, just as Aaron, your brother, died on Mount Hor and joined his ancestors.51 For both of you betrayed me with the Israelites at the waters of Meribah at Kadesht in the wilderness of Zin. You failed to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel there.

52 So you will see the land from a distance, but you may not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”

Deuteronomy 33

Chapter 33

Moses Blesses the People

1 This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave to the people of Israel before his death:
2 “The LORD came from Mount Sinai
and dawned upon ust from Mount Seir;
he shone forth from Mount Paran
and came from Meribah-kadesh
with flaming fire at his right hand.t3 Indeed, he loves his people;t
all his holy ones are in his hands.
They follow in his steps
and accept his teaching.4 Moses gave us the LORD’s instruction,
the special possession of the people of Israel.t5 The LORD became king in Israelt—
when the leaders of the people assembled,
when the tribes of Israel gathered as one.”

6 Moses said this about the tribe of Reuben:t
“Let the tribe of Reuben live and not die out,
though they are few in number.”

7 Moses said this about the tribe of Judah:
“O LORD, hear the cry of Judah
and bring them together as a people.
Give them strength to defend their cause;
help them against their enemies!”

8 Moses said this about the tribe of Levi:
“O LORD, you have given your Thummim and Urim—the sacred lots—
to your faithful servants the Levites.t
You put them to the test at Massah
and struggled with them at the waters of Meribah.9 The Levites obeyed your word
and guarded your covenant.
They were more loyal to you
than to their own parents.
They ignored their relatives
and did not acknowledge their own children.10 They teach your regulations to Jacob;
they give your instructions to Israel.
They present incense before you
and offer whole burnt offerings on the altar.11 Bless the ministry of the Levites, O LORD,
and accept all the work of their hands.
Hit their enemies where it hurts the most;
strike down their foes so they never rise again.”

12 Moses said this about the tribe of Benjamin:
“The people of Benjamin are loved by the LORD
and live in safety beside him.
He surrounds them continuously
and preserves them from every harm.”

13 Moses said this about the tribes of Joseph:
“May their land be blessed by the LORD
with the precious gift of dew from the heavens
and water from beneath the earth;14 with the rich fruit that grows in the sun,
and the rich harvest produced each month;15 with the finest crops of the ancient mountains,
and the abundance from the everlasting hills;16 with the best gifts of the earth and its bounty,
and the favor of the one who appeared in the burning bush.
May these blessings rest on Joseph’s head,
crowning the brow of the prince among his brothers.17 Joseph has the majesty of a young bull;
he has the horns of a wild ox.
He will gore distant nations,
driving them to the ends of the earth.
This is my blessing for the multitudes of Ephraim
and the thousands of Manasseh.”

18 Moses said this about the tribes of Zebulun and Issachart:
“May the people of Zebulun prosper in their travels.
May the people of Issachar prosper at home in their tents.19 They summon the people to the mountain
to offer proper sacrifices there.
They benefit from the riches of the sea
and the hidden treasures in the sand.”

20 Moses said this about the tribe of Gad:
“Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad’s territory!
Gad is poised there like a lion
to tear off an arm or a head.21 The people of Gad took the best land for themselves;
a leader’s share was assigned to them.
When the leaders of the people were assembled,
they carried out the LORD’s justice
and obeyed his regulations for Israel.”

22 Moses said this about the tribe of Dan:
“Dan is a lion’s cub,
leaping out from Bashan.”

23 Moses said this about the tribe of Naphtali:
“O Naphtali, you are rich in favor
and full of the LORD’s blessings;
may you possess the west and the south.”

24 Moses said this about the tribe of Asher:
“May Asher be blessed above other sons;
may he be esteemed by his brothers;
may he bathe his feet in olive oil.25 May the bolts of your gates be of iron and bronze;
may you be secure all your days.”26 “There is no one like the God of Israel.t
He rides across the heavens to help you,
across the skies in majestic splendor.27 The eternal God is your refuge,
and his everlasting arms are under you.
He drives out the enemy before you;
he cries out, ‘Destroy them!’28 So Israel will live in safety,
prosperous Jacob in security,
in a land of grain and new wine,
while the heavens drop down dew.29 How blessed you are, O Israel!
Who else is like you, a people saved by the LORD?
He is your protecting shield
and your triumphant sword!
Your enemies will cringe before you,
and you will stomp on their backs!”

Deuteronomy 34

Chapter 34

The Death of Moses

1 Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab and climbed Pisgah Peak, which is across from Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land, from Gilead as far as Dan;2 all the land of Naphtali; the land of Ephraim and Manasseh; all the land of Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Seat;3 the Negev; the Jordan Valley with Jericho—the city of palms—as far as Zoar.

4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.”
5 So Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, just as the LORD had said.6 The LORD buried himt in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place.7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever.

8 The people of Israel mourned for Moses on the plains of Moab for thirty days, until the customary period of mourning was over.

9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him, doing just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
10 There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.11 The LORD sent him to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, and all his servants, and his entire land.

12 With mighty power, Moses performed terrifying acts in the sight of all Israel.