Deuteronomy 28:13-23

13 The Lord God shall set thee into the head, and not into the tail, and ever[more] thou shalt be above, and not beneath (The Lord God shall make thee the head, and not the tail, and thou shalt always be above, and never beneath); if nevertheless thou hearest the commandments of thy Lord God, which I command to thee today, and keepest, and doest them,
14 and bowest not away from them, neither to the right side, neither to the left side, neither followest alien gods (nor followest foreign, or other, gods), nor worshippest them.
15 That if thou wilt not hear the voice of thy Lord God, that thou keep and do all his behests, and ceremonies, which I command to thee today, all these cursings shall come upon thee, and shall take thee. (But if thou wilt not listen to the voice of the Lord thy God, and obey all his commandments, and statutes, which I command to thee today, all these curses shall come to thee, and shall overtake thee.)
16 Thou shalt be cursed in (the) city, and cursed in (the) field.
17 Cursed shall be thy barn, and cursed shall be thy remnants, (or that which thou hast stored up).
18 Cursed shall be the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, the droves of thine oxen (the herds of thy oxen), and the flocks of thy sheep.
19 Thou shalt be cursed going in, and cursed going out.
20 The Lord shall send upon thee hunger, and thirst, and blaming, into all the works which thou shalt do, till he all-break thee, and lose thee swiftly, for thy full wicked findings, in which thou hast forsaken me. (The Lord shall send hunger, and thirst, and rebuke upon thee, in all the things which thou shalt do, until he hath all-broken thee, and swiftly destroyed thee, for thy full wicked doings in which thou hast forsaken me.)
21 The Lord shall join pestilence to thee, till he waste thee from (off) the land, to which thou shalt enter to wield.
22 The Lord shall smite thee with neediness, with fever, and cold, with burning, and heat, with corrupt air, and mildew, either rust; and he shall pursue thee till thou perish.
23 Heaven, that is above thee, be it brazen; and the earth, that thou treadest on, be it iron. (The heavens, that be above thee, shall become as hard as brass; and the earth, which thou treadest upon, shall become as hard as iron.)

Deuteronomy 28:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 28

In this chapter Moses enlarges on the blessings and the curses which belong, the one to the doers, the other to the transgressors of the law; the blessings, De 28:1-14; the curses, some of which concern individual persons, others the whole nation and body of people, and that both under the former and present dispensations, and which had their fulfilment in their former captivities, and more especially in their present dispersion, De 28:15-68.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.