1 G ive ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

“ Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

2 M y message shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the light rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb.

“ Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As the droplets on the fresh grass And as the showers on the herb.

3 F or I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Concede and ascribe greatness to our God.

“ For I proclaim the name of the Lord; Ascribe greatness to our God!

4 H e is the Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are law and justice. A God of faithfulness without breach or deviation, just and right is He.

“ The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.

5 T hey have spoiled themselves. They are not sons to Him, and that is their blemish—a perverse and crooked generation!

“ They have acted corruptly toward Him, They are not His children, because of their defect; But are a perverse and crooked generation.

6 D o you thus repay the Lord, you foolish and senseless people? Is not He your Father Who acquired you for His own, Who made and established you ?

“Do you thus repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you.

7 R emember the days of old; consider the years of many generations. Ask your father and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.

“Remember the days of old, Consider the years of all generations. Ask your father, and he will inform you, Your elders, and they will tell you.

8 W hen the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of men, He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the Israelites.

“ When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, When He separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the sons of Israel.

9 F or the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob (Israel) is the lot of His inheritance.

“ For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.

10 H e found him in a desert land, in the howling void of the wilderness; He kept circling around him, He scanned him, He kept him as the pupil of His eye.

“ He found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye.

11 A s an eagle that stirs up her nest, that flutters over her young, He spread abroad His wings and He took them, He bore them on His pinions.

“ Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions.

12 S o the Lord alone led him; there was no foreign god with Him.

“ The Lord alone guided him, And there was no foreign god with him.

13 H e made Israel ride on the high places of the earth, and he ate the increase of the field; and He made him suck honey out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock,

“ He made him ride on the high places of the earth, And he ate the produce of the field; And He made him suck honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock,

14 B utter and curds of the herd and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and he-goats, with the finest of the wheat; and you drank wine of the blood of the grape.

Curds of cows, and milk of the flock, With fat of lambs, And rams, the breed of Bashan, and goats, With the finest of the wheat— And of the blood of grapes you drank wine.

15 B ut Jeshurun (Israel) grew fat and kicked. You became fat, you grew thick, you were gorged and sleek! Then he forsook God Who made him and forsook and despised the Rock of his salvation.

“ But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked— You are grown fat, thick, and sleek— Then he forsook God who made him, And scorned the Rock of his salvation.

16 T hey provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations they provoked Him to anger.

“ They made Him jealous with strange gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger.

17 T hey sacrificed to demons, not to God—to gods whom they knew not, to new gods lately come up, whom your fathers never knew or feared.

“ They sacrificed to demons who were not God, To gods whom they have not known, New gods who came lately, Whom your fathers did not dread.

18 O f the Rock Who bore you you were unmindful; you forgot the God Who travailed in your birth.

“You neglected the Rock who begot you, And forgot the God who gave you birth.

19 A nd the Lord saw it and He spurned and rejected them, out of indignation with His sons and His daughters.

“ The Lord saw this, and spurned them Because of the provocation of His sons and daughters.

20 A nd He said, I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness.

“Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; For they are a perverse generation, Sons in whom is no faithfulness.

21 T hey have moved Me to jealousy with what is not God; they have angered Me with their idols. So I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a people; I will anger them with a foolish nation.

‘ They have made Me jealous with what is not God; They have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation,

22 F or a fire is kindled by My anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol, devours the earth with its increase, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

For a fire is kindled in My anger, And burns to the lowest part of Sheol, And consumes the earth with its yield, And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 A nd I will heap evils upon them; I will spend My arrows upon them.

‘ I will heap misfortunes on them; I will use My arrows on them.

24 T hey shall be wasted with hunger and devoured with burning heat and poisonous pestilence; and the teeth of beasts will I send against them, with the poison of crawling things of the dust.

‘ They will be wasted by famine, and consumed by plague And bitter destruction; And the teeth of beasts I will send upon them, With the venom of crawling things of the dust.

25 F rom without the sword shall bereave, and in the chambers shall be terror, destroying both young man and virgin, the sucking child with the man of gray hairs.

‘ Outside the sword will bereave, And inside terror— Both young man and virgin, The nursling with the man of gray hair.

26 I said, I would scatter them afar and I would have made the remembrance of them to cease from among men,

‘I would have said, “ I will cut them to pieces, I will remove the memory of them from men,”

27 H ad I not feared the provocation of the foe, lest their enemies misconstrue it and lest they should say, Our own hand has prevailed; all this was not the work of the Lord.

Had I not feared the provocation by the enemy, That their adversaries would misjudge, That they would say, “ Our hand is triumphant, And the Lord has not done all this.”’

28 F or they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them.

“ For they are a nation lacking in counsel, And there is no understanding in them.

29 O that they were wise and would see through this to their ultimate fate!

“ Would that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would discern their future!

30 H ow could one have chased a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had delivered them up?

“ How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the Lord had given them up?

31 F or their rock is not like our Rock, even our enemies themselves judge this.

“Indeed their rock is not like our Rock, Even our enemies themselves judge this.

32 F or their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter.

“For their vine is from the vine of Sodom, And from the fields of Gomorrah; Their grapes are grapes of poison, Their clusters, bitter.

33 T heir wine is the venom of serpents, and the pitiless poison of vipers.

“Their wine is the venom of serpents, And the deadly poison of cobras.

34 I s not this laid up in store with Me, sealed up in My treasuries?

‘ Is it not laid up in store with Me, Sealed up in My treasuries?

35 V engeance is Mine, and recompense, in the time when their foot shall slide; for the day of their disaster is at hand and their doom comes speedily.

‘ Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.’

36 F or the Lord will revoke sentence for His people and relent for His servants’ sake when He sees that their power is gone and none remains, whether bond or free.

“ For the Lord will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.

37 A nd He will say, Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge,

“And He will say, ‘ Where are their gods, The rock in which they sought refuge?

38 W ho ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you, let them be your protection!

‘ Who ate the fat of their sacrifices, And drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you, Let them be your hiding place!

39 S ee now that I, I am He, and there is no god beside Me; I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand.

‘ See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.

40 F or I lift up My hand to heaven and swear, As I live forever,

‘Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven, And say, as I live forever,

41 I f I whet My lightning sword and My hand takes hold on judgment, I will wreak vengeance on My foes and recompense those who hate Me.

If I sharpen My flashing sword, And My hand takes hold on justice, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me.

42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood, and My sword shall devour flesh, with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the long-haired heads of the foe.

‘ I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword will devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the long-haired leaders of the enemy.’

43 R ejoice His people, O you nations, for He avenges the blood of His servants, and vengeance He inflicts on His foes and clears guilt from the land of His people.

“ Rejoice, O nations, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And will render vengeance on His adversaries, And will atone for His land and His people.”

44 A nd Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Hoshea (Joshua) son of Nun.

Then Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he, with Joshua the son of Nun.

45 A nd when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel,

When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel,

46 H e said to them, Set your hearts on all the words which I command you this day, that you may command them to your children, that they may be watchful to do all the words of this law.

he said to them, “ Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law.

47 F or it is not an empty and worthless trifle for you; it is your life. By it you shall live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to possess.

For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.”

48 A nd the Lord said to Moses that same day,

The Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying,

49 G et up into this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan which I give to the Israelites for a possession.

“ Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession.

50 A nd die on the mountain which you ascend and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people,

Then die on the mountain where you ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people,

51 B ecause you broke faith with Me in the midst of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin and because you did not set Me apart as holy in the midst of the Israelites.

because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel.

52 F or you shall see the land opposite you at a distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I give the Israelites.

For you shall see the land at a distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.”