1 “ Listen, O heavens, and let me speak. Let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

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

2 L et my teaching fall as the rain, and my voice like the water on the grass in the early morning, like rain upon the new grass, and rain upon the plant.

Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As raindrops on the tender herb, And as showers on the grass.

3 F or I will make known the name of the Lord. I will tell of the greatness of God!

For I proclaim the name of the Lord: Ascribe greatness to our God.

4 T he Rock! His work is perfect. All His ways are right and fair. A God Who is faithful and without sin, right and good is He.

He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.

5 T hey have acted in sin toward Him, but they are not His children, because the mark of sin is on them. They are a bad and sinful people.

“They have corrupted themselves; They are not His children, Because of their blemish: A perverse and crooked generation.

6 I s this how you pay the Lord, you foolish people who are not wise? Is He not your Father Who has bought you? He has made you and given you your place.

Do you thus deal with the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father, who bought you? Has He not made you and established you?

7 R emember the days long ago. Think of the years of all people. Ask your father and he will show you. Ask your leaders. 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 divided up the world among the nations, he divided the children of men. He set the place where each nation was to live by the number of the sons of Israel.

When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, When He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel.

9 F or the Lord’s share is His people. He chose the people of Jacob for Himself.

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

10 H e found him in a desert land, in the empty waste of a desert. He came around him and cared for him. He kept him as He would His own eye.

“He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.

11 L ike an eagle that shakes its nest, that flies over its young, He spread His wings and caught them. He carried them on His wings.

As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings,

12 T he Lord alone led him. There was no strange god with him.

So the Lord alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him.

13 H e made him sit on the high places of the earth. And he ate the food of the field. He made him eat honey from the rock, oil out of hard rock,

“He made him ride in the heights of the earth, That he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him draw honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock;

14 m ilk from cows and milk from the flock, the fat of lambs, rams of Bashan, goats, and the best of the grain. And you drank wine of the blood of grapes.

Curds from the cattle, and milk of the flock, With fat of lambs; And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, With the choicest wheat; And you drank wine, the blood of the grapes.

15 “ But Jeshurun grew fat and would not obey. You became fat and full of food. Then he turned away from God Who made him. He hated the Rock of His saving power.

“But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

16 T hey made Him jealous with strange gods. They made Him angry with hated things.

They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger.

17 T hey gave gifts to demons who were not God, to gods they have not known, new gods who came later, whom your fathers did not fear.

They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, To new gods, new arrivals That your fathers did not fear.

18 Y ou did not think of the Rock Who gave you birth. You forgot the God Who gave you birth.

Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, And have forgotten the God who fathered you.

19 “ The Lord saw this, and hated them. His sons and daughters made Him angry.

“And when the Lord saw it, He spurned them, Because of the provocation of His sons and His daughters.

20 T hen He said, ‘I will hide My face from them. I will see what their end will be. For they are a sinful people, children who are not faithful.

And 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 faith.

21 T hey have made Me jealous with what is not God. They have made Me angry with their false gods. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people. I will make them angry with a foolish nation.

They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God; They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.

22 F or a fire is started by My anger. It burns to the very bottom of the place of the dead. It burns up the earth and all that grows on the earth. It burns the base of the mountains.

For a fire is kindled in My anger, And shall burn to the lowest hell; It shall consume the earth with her increase, And set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 ‘ I will send much trouble upon them. I will use My arrows against them.

‘I will heap disasters on them; I will spend My arrows on them.

24 T hey will be wasted with hunger. They will be destroyed by burning heat and disease. I will send the teeth of wild animals against them, with the poison of things moving in the dust.

They shall be wasted with hunger, Devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction; I will also send against them the teeth of beasts, With the poison of serpents of the dust.

25 T he sword will bring death in the street, and bring fear in the homes. It will destroy both young man and young woman, the baby and the man with white hair.

The sword shall destroy outside; There shall be terror within For the young man and virgin, The nursing child with the man of gray hairs.

26 I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces. I will make all people forget about them.”

I would have said, “I will dash them in pieces, I will make the memory of them to cease from among men,”

27 B ut I was afraid that those who hate them would fight in anger against them and would not understand. They would say, “We have won with our own strength. The Lord has not done this.”’

Had I not feared the wrath of the enemy, Lest their adversaries should misunderstand, Lest they should say, “Our hand is high; And it is not the Lord who has done all this.”’

28 “ For they are a nation without wise teaching. There is no understanding in them.

“For they are a nation void of counsel, Nor is there any understanding in them.

29 I f they were wise, they would understand this. They would know their future!

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

30 H ow could one run after a thousand? How could two make ten thousand run away, unless their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had given 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 surrendered them?

31 F or their rock is not like our Rock. Even those who hate us judge this.

For their rock is not like our Rock, Even our enemies themselves being judges.

32 T heir vine is from the vine of Sodom, and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are grapes of poison. Their fruit tastes bitter.

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

33 T heir wine is the poison of snakes that kill.

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

34 ‘ Are they not kept in store with Me, shut in with My stores of riches?

‘ Is this not laid up in store with Me, Sealed up among My treasures?

35 I t is Mine to punish when their foot makes a false step. The day of their trouble is near. Their fall is coming fast upon them.’

Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.’

36 F or the Lord will judge His people. He will have loving-pity on His servants when He sees their strength is gone, and none are left of those who are free or of those who are not free.

“For the Lord will judge His people And have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their power is gone, And there is no one remaining, bond or free.

37 T hen He will say, ‘Where are their gods? Where is the rock where they went to be safe?

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

38 W ho ate the fat of their burnt gifts and drank the wine of their drink gifts? Let them come and help you. Let them be your hiding place!

Who ate the fat of their sacrifices, And drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise and help you, And be your refuge.

39 S ee now that it is I. I am He. There is no god except Me. It is I Who kills and gives life. I hurt, and I heal. And there is no one who can take from My hand.

‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

40 F or I lift up My hand to heaven, and promise that, as I live forever,

For I raise My hand to heaven, And say, “ As I live forever,

41 I will make My shining sword sharp. My hand takes hold of what is right and fair. I will punish those who are against Me. And I will punish those who hate Me.

If I whet My glittering sword, And My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My enemies, And repay those who hate Me.

42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood. My sword will eat flesh with the blood of those who are killed and those who are in prison, from the long-haired leaders of those who hate Me.’

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 heads of the leaders of the enemy.”’

43 B e glad, O nations, with His people! For He will punish because of the blood of His servants. He will punish those who fight against Him. And He will take away the sin of His land and His people.”

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people.”

44 M oses came with Joshua the son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people.

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

45 W hen Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel,

Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel,

46 h e said to them, “Take into your heart all the words I tell you today. Tell them to your children, so they may be careful to do all the words of this Law.

and he said to them: “Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe—all the words of this law.

47 T his word is of great worth to you. It is your very life. By this word you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to take.” Moses to Die on Mount Nebo

For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess.” Moses to Die on Mount Nebo

48 T he Lord said to Moses that same day,

Then the Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying:

49 “ Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, in the land of Moab beside Jericho. Look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for their own.

“Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, across from Jericho; view the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel as a possession;

50 T hen die on the mountain you go up, and join your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and joined his people.

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

51 T his is because you were not faithful to Me among the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin and you did not honor Me as holy among the people of Israel.

because you trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin, because you did not hallow Me in the midst of the children of Israel.

52 Y ou will see the land from far away, but you will not go into the land I am giving the people of Israel.”

Yet you shall see the land before you, though you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving to the children of Israel.”