1 “ Listen, O heavens, and let me speak. 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 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.

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

For I will proclaim Yahweh’s name. 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.

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 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 dealt corruptly with him. They are not his children, because of their defect. They are 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.

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 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 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 share is His people. He chose the people of Jacob for Himself.

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 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, in the waste howling wilderness. He surrounded him. He cared for 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 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 T he Lord alone led him. There was no strange god with him.

Yahweh alone led him. 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 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 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.

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 “ 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 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 made Him jealous with strange gods. They made Him angry with hated things.

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

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

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 became your father, you are unmindful, and have forgotten God who gave you birth.

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

Yahweh saw and abhorred, 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.

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 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 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 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, that burns to the lowest Sheol, devours the earth with its increase, and sets the foundations of the mountains on fire.

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

“I will heap evils 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, 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 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.

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

I said that I would scatter them afar. I would make their memory 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.”’

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

For they are a nation void of counsel. There is no 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 Yahweh had delivered them up?

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Isn’t this 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, 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 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 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 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 took 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!

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 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.

“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 promise that, as I live forever,

For I lift up my hand to heaven and declare, 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 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. 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. My sword shall devour flesh with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the head 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, 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 M oses came with Joshua the son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people.

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

45 W hen 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, “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.

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 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 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 T he Lord said to Moses that same day,

Yahweh spoke to Moses that 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 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 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.

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 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 of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you didn’t uphold my holiness among 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.”

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.”