Deuteronomy 27:1-11

1 And Moses commanded, and the elder men, to the people of Israel, and said, Keep ye each commandment which I command to you today. (And Moses, with the elders of Israel, commanded to the people, and said, Obey ye each commandment which I command to you today.)

2 And when ye have passed (the) Jordan (And when ye have crossed over the Jordan River), into the land which thy Lord God shall give to thee, thou shalt raise (up) great stones, and thou shalt make them plane with chalk,

3 that thou may write in them all the words of this law, when (the) Jordan is passed, that thou enter into the land which thy Lord God shall give to thee, the land flowing with milk and honey, as he promised to thy fathers. (so that thou can write on them all the words of this law, when the Jordan River is crossed over, and thou enter into the land that the Lord thy God shall give thee, the land flowing with milk and honey, as he promised to thy fathers.)

4 Therefore when thou hast passed (the) Jordan, raise thou up the stones which I command today to thee, in the hill of Ebal; and thou shalt make them plane with chalk. (And so when thou hast crossed over the Jordan River, raise thou up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command to thee today, and thou shalt make them plane with chalk.)

5 And there thou shalt build an altar to thy Lord God, of stones which iron touched not, (And thou shalt build an altar there to the Lord thy God, out of stones which iron hath not touched,)

6 and of stones unformed and unpolished; and thou shalt offer thereon burnt sacrifices to thy Lord God; (yea, of unformed and unpolished stones; and thou shalt offer burnt sacrifices on it to the Lord thy God;)

7 and thou shalt offer peaceable sacrifices, and thou shalt eat there, and thou shalt make feast before thy Lord God. (and thou shalt offer peace offerings, and thou shalt eat them there, and thou shalt make a feast before the Lord thy God.)

8 And thou shalt write plainly and clearly on the stones all the words of this law. (And thou shalt write all the words of this law, clearly and plainly upon those stones.)

9 And Moses and the priests of the kindred of Levi said to all Israel, Israel, take heed thou, and hear; today thou art made the people of thy Lord God; (And Moses and the levitical priests said to all Israel, O Israel, take heed thou, and listen; today thou art made the people of the Lord thy God;)

10 thou shalt hear his voice, and thou shalt do the commandments, and his rightwisenesses, which I command to thee today. (thou shalt listen to his voice, and thou shalt do his commandments, and his statutes, which I command to thee today.)

11 And Moses commanded to the people in that day, and said,

Deuteronomy 27:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 27

In this chapter the people of Israel are ordered to write the law on plastered stones, and set them on Mount Ebal, De 27:1-4; where they are bid to erect an altar, and offer sacrifices on it, De 27:5-8; and are charged by Moses and the priests to obey the Lord, and keep his commandments, De 27:9,10; and a direction is given to each tribes which should stand and bless, and which curse, and where, De 27:11-13; and the curses which the Levites should pronounce with a loud voice, and the people should say Amen to, are recited, De 27:14-25; and the whole is concluded with a curse on all who in general do not perform the whole law, De 27:26.