Deuteronomy 28:49-68

49 The Lord shall bring on thee a folk from far place, and from the last ends of [the] earth, into the likeness of an eagle flying with rush, of which folk thou mayest not understand their language; (The Lord shall bring against thee a nation from a far place, and from the last ends of the earth, like an eagle flying swiftly to its prey, of which nation thou shalt not understand their language;)
50 a folk most greedy asker this shall be (they shall be a nation, or a people, of fierce countenance), that shall not give reverence to an eld man, neither have mercy upon a little child.
51 And it shall devour the fruit of thy beasts, and the fruits of thy land, till thou perishest, and this folk shall not leave to thee wheat, wine, and oil, nor droves of oxen, and flocks of sheep, till he lose thee, (And they shall devour the fruit of thy beasts, and the fruit of thy land, until thou diest, and this nation shall not leave thee any corn, or wine, or oil, or herds of oxen, or flocks of sheep, until they have completely destroyed thee,)
52 and all-break [thee] in all thy cities (and have all-broken thee in all thy cities), and till thy firm and high walls be destroyed, in which thou haddest trust in all thy land. Thou shalt be besieged within thy gates in all thy land, which thy Lord God shall give to thee.
53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thy womb, and the flesh of thy sons, and of thy daughters, which thy Lord God shall give to thee, in the anguish, and in the destroying, by which thine enemies shall oppress thee. (And thou shalt eat the fruit of thy womb, yea, the flesh of thy sons, and of thy daughters, whom the Lord thy God hath given thee, amidst the anguish and the destruction with which thy enemies shall oppress thee.)
54 A man delicate of life, and full lecherous, shall have envy greatly to his brother, and to his wife that lieth in his bosom, (and also toward the remnant of his children, that he hath left,) (A delicate and tender man among you, shall be stingy toward his brother, and toward his wife who lieth in his bosom, and even toward the remnant of his children, who be left,)
55 lest he give to them of the flesh of his sons which he shall eat; for he hath none other thing in [the] besieging, and (the) poverty, by which thine enemies shall waste thee within all thy gates. (lest he give them any of the flesh of his other children which he shall eat; for he hath nothing left amidst the anguish and the destruction, with which thy enemies shall oppress thee within all thy gates.)
56 A tender woman and delicate, that might not go upon the earth, neither set a step of [the] foot, for her most softness and tenderness, shall have envy to her husband that lieth in her bosom, on the flesh of her son, and daughter, (A delicate and tender woman, who, because of her great softness and tenderness, need not walk, nor even put a step of her foot upon the ground, shall be stingy toward her husband who lieth in her bosom, and toward her son and her daughter,)
57 and on the filth of [the] skins, wherein the child is wrapped in the mother's womb, that go out of the midst of her hip bones, or loins, and on [the] free children that be born in the same hour. They shall eat those children privily, for the scarcity of all things in besieging and destroying, by which thine enemy shall oppress thee within thy gates. (and she shall keep for herself all the filthy skins, in which the child is wrapped in its mother's womb, that goeth out of the midst of her hip bones, and the children who be born at that same hour. And she shall secretly eat those skins, and those children, for the scarcity of all things amidst the anguish and the destruction, with which thy enemies shall oppress thee within thy gates.)
58 No but thou shalt keep and do all the words of this law, that be written in this volume, either book, and shalt dread his glorious name and fearful, that is, thy Lord God, (No, unless thou obey and do all the words of this law, that be written in this book, and fear his glorious and fearful name, that is, The Lord Thy God,)
59 the Lord shall increase thy wounds, or torments, and the wounds of thy seed; great wounds and continual, sicknesses worst and everlasting. (the Lord shall send more and more plagues upon thee, and upon thy descendants; yea, great and continual plagues, and the worst and everlasting sicknesses.)
60 And he shall turn into thee all the torments of Egypt, which thou dreadedest, and those shall cleave to thee. (And he shall bring in upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou hast feared, and they shall cleave to thee.)
61 Furthermore the Lord shall bring upon thee also all the sorrows and wounds, that be not written in the book of this law, till he all-break thee. (And furthermore, the Lord shall bring in upon thee all the other sicknesses and plagues, that be not written down in this Book of the Law, until he hath all-broken thee.)
62 And ye shall dwell few in number, that were before as the stars of heaven for multitude, for thou heardest not the voice of thy Lord God. (And ye shall be few in number, who before were like the stars in the heavens in multitude, for thou did not obey the Lord thy God.)
63 And as the Lord was glad before upon you, and did well to you, and multiplied you; so he shall be glad to lose you, and to destroy you, that ye be taken away from the land, to which thou shalt enter to wield. (And so before, the Lord was glad about you, and did good to you, and multiplied you; but now, he shall be glad to utterly destroy you, and ye shall be taken away from the land, which thou shalt enter to take.)
64 The Lord shall scatter thee into all peoples, from [the] highness of the earth unto the coasts thereof; and thou shalt serve there to alien gods, which thou knowest not, and thy fathers knew not, to trees and stones. (The Lord shall scatter thee among all the peoples, from the heights of the earth unto the coasts of the sea; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which thou knowest not, and thy fathers knew not, yea, gods made out of wood and stone.)
65 Also thou shalt not (have) rest in those folks, neither rest shall be (given) to the step of thy foot. For the Lord shall give to thee there a fearful heart, and eyes failing, and a soul wasted with privy sorrow. (And thou shalt not have rest among these nations, nor shall thy footsteps have rest. For the Lord shall give thee there a fearful heart, and failing eyes, and a soul wasted with secret sorrows.)
66 And thy life shall be as hanging before thee; thou shalt dread night and day, and thou shalt not trust to thy life. (And thy life shall be seen as hanging in doubt before thee; thou shalt have fear day and night, and thou shalt have no security, or assurance, in all thy life.)
67 In the morrowtide thou shalt say, Who shall give the eventide to me? and in the eventide thou shalt say, Who shall give the morrowtide to me? for the dread of thine heart, by which thou shalt be made afeared, and for those things which thou shalt see with thine eyes.
68 The Lord shall lead thee again by ships into Egypt, by the way of which he said to thee, Thou shouldest no more see it. There thou shalt be sold to thine enemies, into menservants and womenservants; and none shall be that shall deliver thee. (And the Lord shall bring thee back to Egypt by ships, by the very way of which I had said to thee, Thou shalt not go that way again. And there thou shalt try to sell thyselves to thy enemies, as slaves and slave-girls; but no one will want to buy thee.)

Deuteronomy 28:49-68 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.