Deuteronomy 28:38-48

38 You will plant many crops in your fields, but harvest little because locusts will destroy your crops.
39 You will plant vineyards and take care of them, but you won't drink any wine or gather any grapes, because worms will eat them.
40 You will have olive trees everywhere in your country but no olive oil to rub on your skin, because the olives will fall off the trees.
41 You will have sons and daughters, but you won't be able to keep them because they will be taken as prisoners of war.
42 Crickets will swarm all over your trees and the crops in your fields.
43 The [standard of living for the] foreigners who live among you will rise higher and higher, while your [standard of living] will sink lower and lower.
44 They will be able to make loans to you, but you won't be able to make loans to them. They will be the head, and you will be the tail.
45 All these curses will come to you. They will pursue you and stay close to you until you're destroyed, because you didn't obey the LORD your God or follow his commands and laws, which I'm giving you.
46 These curses will be a sign and an amazing thing to warn you and your descendants forever.
47 You didn't serve the LORD your God with a joyful and happy heart when you had so much.
48 So you will serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you. You will serve them even though you are already hungry, thirsty, naked, and in need of everything. The LORD will put a heavy burden of hard work on you until he destroys you.

Deuteronomy 28:38-48 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.

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