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

Give ear, you heavens, and I will speak. 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.

My doctrine will drop as the rain. My speech will condense as the dew, as the misty rain on the tender grass, 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 will proclaim Yahweh’s name. 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 who does no wrong, just and right 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 dealt corruptly with him. They are not his children, because of their defect. They 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 ?

Is this the way you repay Yahweh, foolish and unwise people? Isn’t 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 many generations. Ask your father, and he will show 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 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 children of Israel.

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

For Yahweh’s portion is his people. Jacob is the lot 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, in the waste howling wilderness. He surrounded him. He cared for him. He kept him as the apple 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.

As an eagle that stirs up her nest, that flutters over her young, he spread abroad his wings, he took them, he bore them on his feathers.

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

Yahweh alone led him. 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. He ate the increase of the field. He caused him to suck honey out of the rock, oil out of 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.

butter from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the finest of the wheat. From the blood of the grape, 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 have grown fat. You have grown thick. You have become sleek. Then he abandoned God who made him, and rejected the Rock of his salvation.

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

They moved him to jealousy with strange gods. They provoked him to anger with abominations.

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, not God, to gods that they didn’t know, to new gods that came up recently, which your fathers didn’t dread.

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

Of the Rock who became your father, you are unmindful, and have forgotten 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.

Yahweh saw and abhorred, because of the provocation of his sons and his 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.

He said, “I will hide my face from them. I will see what their end will be; for they are a very perverse generation, children 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 moved me to jealousy with that which is not God. They have provoked me to anger with their vanities. I will move them to jealousy 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, that burns to the lowest Sheol, devours the earth with its increase, and sets the foundations of the mountains on fire.

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

“I will heap evils on them. I will spend 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 shall be wasted with hunger, and devoured with burning heat and bitter destruction. I will send the teeth of animals on them, with the venom of vipers that glide in 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 in the rooms, terror; on both young man and virgin, the nursing infant with the gray-haired man.

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

I said that I would scatter them afar. I would make their memory to cease from among 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.

were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy, lest their adversaries should judge wrongly, lest they should say, ‘Our hand is exalted, Yahweh 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 void of counsel. There is no understanding in them.

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

Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!

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 Yahweh had delivered them up?

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

For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves concede.

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 of the vine of Sodom, of the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poison grapes. Their clusters are bitter.

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

Their wine is the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps.

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

“Isn’t this laid up in store with me, sealed up among my treasures?

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 recompense, at the time when their foot slides; for the day of their calamity is at hand. Their doom rushes at 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 Yahweh will judge his people, and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone; that there is no one remaining, shut up or left at large.

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

He will say, “Where are their gods, the rock in which they took 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!

which 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.

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 myself am he. There is no god with me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal. There is no one who can deliver out of my hand.

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

For I lift up my hand to heaven and declare, 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 glittering sword, my hand grasps it in judgment; I will take vengeance on my adversaries, and 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. My sword shall devour flesh with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the head of the 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, you nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants. He will take vengeance on his adversaries, and will make atonement for his land and for 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.

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

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

Moses finished reciting 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, “Set your heart to all the words which I testify to you today, which you shall command your children to observe to do, 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 no vain thing for you; because it is your life, and through this thing you shall prolong your days in the land, where you go over the Jordan to possess it.”

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

Yahweh spoke to Moses that 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 into this mountain of Abarim, to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is across from Jericho; and see the land of Canaan, which I give to the children 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,

Die on the mountain where you go up, 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 trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you didn’t uphold my holiness among the children 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 from a distance; but you shall not go there into the land which I give the children of Israel.”