1 “ Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.

“Be faithful in obeying the Lord your God. Be careful to keep all His Laws which I tell you today. And the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

2 A nd all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:

All these good things will come upon you if you will obey the Lord your God.

3 “ Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.

Good will come to you in the city, and good will come to you in the country.

4 “ Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

Good will come to your children, and the fruit of your ground, and the young of your animals. Your cattle and flock will have many young ones.

5 “ Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

Good will come to your basket and your bread pan.

6 “ Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

Good will come to you when you come in, and when you go out.

7 “ The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

“The Lord will cause you to win the battles against those who fight against you. They will come against you one way, and run away from you seven ways.

8 “ The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

The Lord will send good upon you in your store-houses and in all your work. He will bring good to you in the land the Lord your God gives you.

9 “ The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.

The Lord will make you a holy nation to Himself, as He promised you. But you must keep the Laws of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.

10 T hen all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.

Then all the nations of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord and they will be afraid of you.

11 A nd the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.

The Lord will give much to you. He will give you many children, and many young ones among your animals, and much food from the ground, in the land the Lord promised to your fathers to give you.

12 T he Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

The Lord will open for you His good store-house, the heavens. He will give rain to your land at the right time. He will bring good to all the work you do. You will give to many nations. But you will not use anything that belongs to them.

13 A nd the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.

The Lord will make you the head and not the tail. If you listen to the Laws of the Lord your God which I tell you today and be careful to obey them, you will only be above and not below.

14 S o you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them. Curses on Disobedience

Do not turn aside from any of the words I tell you today, to the right or to the left. Do not follow other gods and work for them.

15 “ But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

“If you will not obey the Lord your God or be careful to do all His Laws which I tell you today, all these curses will come upon you.

16 “ Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.

You will be cursed in the city, and in the country.

17 “ Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

Your basket and your bread pan will be cursed.

18 “ Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

Your children will be cursed, and the fruit of your ground, and the young of your cattle and flock.

19 “ Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.

You will be cursed when you come in and when you go out.

20 “ The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.

“The Lord will send upon you curses, trouble and sharp words in all you try to do, until you are destroyed. You will be quick to die, because of the sinful things you do, and because you have turned away from Me.

21 T he Lord will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess.

The Lord will make disease to be with you until He has destroyed you from the land you are going in to take.

22 T he Lord will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish.

The Lord will punish you with a wasting disease, a hot sickness, growing pain, heat like fire, the sword, and diseases that destroy your food. They will follow you until you die.

23 A nd your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron.

The heavens above your head will be brass. And the earth under you will be iron.

24 T he Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

The Lord will change the rain of your land into dust. It will come down on you until you are destroyed.

25 “ The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth.

The Lord will cause you to lose the battle against those who hate you. You will go one way against them, but run seven ways away from them. You will fill all the nations of the earth with fear.

26 Y our carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and no one shall frighten them away.

Your dead bodies will be food for all the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth. There will be no one to make them afraid and to send them away.

27 T he Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed.

“The Lord will punish you with the sores of Egypt, growing sores, and skin diseases, that will not be healed.

28 T he Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart.

The Lord will punish you by making you crazy, and blind, and troubled in your mind.

29 A nd you shall grope at noonday, as a blind man gropes in darkness; you shall not prosper in your ways; you shall be only oppressed and plundered continually, and no one shall save you.

You will have to feel for your way at noon, as the blind man feels his way in darkness. And your way will not go well. It will be made hard for you, and you will always be robbed. There will be no one to save you.

30 “ You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes.

You will marry a wife. But another man will lie with her. You will build a house. But you will not live in it. You will plant vines. But you will not eat the fruit.

31 Y our ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat of it; your donkey shall be violently taken away from before you, and shall not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have no one to rescue them.

Your bull will be killed in front of you. But you will not eat of it. Your donkey will be taken from you, and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to those who hate you. No one will help you.

32 Y our sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, and your eyes shall look and fail with longing for them all day long; and there shall be no strength in your hand.

Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation. Your eyes will watch for them always and you will have much desire for them. But there will be nothing you can do.

33 A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually.

A nation you have not known will eat the food of your field and of your work. You will suffer under the power of others always.

34 S o you shall be driven mad because of the sight which your eyes see.

You will be driven crazy by what you see.

35 T he Lord will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.

The Lord will make sores on your knees and legs that you cannot heal, from the bottom of your foot to the top of your head.

36 “ The Lord will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods—wood and stone.

The Lord will bring you and your chosen king to a nation that you and your fathers have not known. There you will work for other gods, of wood and stone.

37 A nd you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the Lord will drive you.

You will become a people who are hated, who are made fun of, and a shame among the people where the Lord will send you.

38 “ You shall carry much seed out to the field but gather little in, for the locust shall consume it.

“You will sow much seed in the field, but gather little, for the locust will eat it.

39 Y ou shall plant vineyards and tend them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.

You will plant and take care of vines, but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, for worms will eat them.

40 Y ou shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olives shall drop off.

You will have olive trees everywhere. But you will not pour the oil upon yourself, for your olives will fall off.

41 Y ou shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; for they shall go into captivity.

You will have sons and daughters, but you will not keep them, for they will be taken away.

42 L ocusts shall consume all your trees and the produce of your land.

The locust will own all your trees and the food of your field.

43 “ The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower.

The stranger among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will become less and less.

44 H e shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.

He will give to you. But you will not give to him. He will be the head and you will be the tail.

45 “ Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you.

All these curses will come upon you. They will follow you and come upon you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the Lord your God by keeping all the Laws He gave you.

46 A nd they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever.

They will be something special to see, and a powerful work upon you and your children forever.

47 “ Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything,

Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart because of all He has given you,

48 t herefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you.

you will serve those who hate you, whom the Lord will send against you. You will be hungry, thirsty, without clothing, and needing all things. He will put a heavy load on your neck until He has destroyed you.

49 T he Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand,

“The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, as fast as an eagle flies. It will be a nation whose language you will not understand,

50 a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young.

a nation that shows a hard face. It will have no respect for the old, or show favor to the young.

51 A nd they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you.

It will eat the young ones of your cattle and the food of your field until you are destroyed. It will leave you no grain, new wine, oil, or the young of your cattle or flock, until it has caused you to die.

52 “ They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the Lord your God has given you.

Your towns will be taken over by its armies until your high strong walls that you have trusted in come down everywhere in your land. Its armies will take over all your towns everywhere in the land the Lord your God has given you.

53 Y ou shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you.

During this time and because of the trouble caused by those who hate you, you will eat your own children, the flesh of your sons and daughters whom the Lord your God has given you.

54 T he sensitive and very refined man among you will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the rest of his children whom he leaves behind,

The most gentle man among you will be against his brother, the wife he loves, and the children he still has.

55 s o that he will not give any of them the flesh of his children whom he will eat, because he has nothing left in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates.

He will not give them any of the flesh of his children whom he is eating, because it is all he has left for himself. This is how bad the trouble will be that those who hate you will bring to all your towns.

56 T he tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and sensitivity, will refuse to the husband of her bosom, and to her son and her daughter,

The most gentle woman among you may be careful not to set the bottom of her foot on the ground. But she will be hard to the husband she loves, to her son and daughter,

57 h er placenta which comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of everything in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates.

to the afterbirth which comes out of her body, and to the children who are born from her. She will eat them in secret because she has nothing else. This is how bad the trouble will be that those who hate you will bring to all your towns.

58 “ If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD,

“If you are not careful to obey all the words of the Law which are written in this book, to fear this honored name of the Lord your God,

59 t hen the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues—great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses.

then the Lord will bring bad diseases on you and your children, hard and lasting diseases and sicknesses.

60 M oreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you.

He will bring all the diseases upon you that you were afraid of in Egypt. And they will stay with you.

61 A lso every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed.

The Lord will bring upon you every sickness and every trouble which is not written in the book of this Law also, until you are destroyed.

62 Y ou shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.

You will have been as many as the stars of heaven but there will be few of you left, because you did not obey the Lord your God.

63 A nd it shall be, that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess.

As the Lord was happy with you and caused good to come to you and you were many, He will be happy to bring trouble upon you and destroy you. And you will be taken from the land you are going in to take.

64 “ Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known—wood and stone.

The Lord will spread you out among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will serve other gods, of wood and stone, which you and your fathers have not known.

65 A nd among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot have a resting place; but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul.

You will find no rest among those nations. There will be no place of rest for the bottom of your foot. But there the Lord will give you fear in your heart, eyes that become weak, and sorrow in your soul.

66 Y our life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life.

Your life will be full of doubts. You will be afraid night and day. And you will not be sure of anything in your life.

67 I n the morning you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were morning!’ because of the fear which terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see.

In the morning you will say, ‘If it were only evening!’ In the evening you will say, ‘If it were only morning!’ because of the fear of your heart, and the things your eyes see.

68 “ And the Lord will take you back to Egypt in ships, by the way of which I said to you, ‘You shall never see it again.’ And there you shall be offered for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you. ”

The Lord will bring you back to Egypt in ships, in the way I said, ‘You will never see it again.’ There you will try to sell yourselves as men and women servants to those who hate you. But no one will buy you.”