1And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 3Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 4Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 5Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.28.5 store: or, dough, or, kneadingtroughs 6Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 7The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. 8The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.28.8 storehouses: or, barns 9The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. 10And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. 11And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.28.11 in goods: or, for good28.11 body: Heb. belly 12The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. 13And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: 14And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
15¶ But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: 16Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. 17Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. 18Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 19Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 20The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.28.20 for…: Heb. which thou wouldest do 21The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. 22The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.28.22 sword: or, drought 23And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. 24The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. 25The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.28.25 removed: Heb. for a removing 26And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away. 27The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. 28The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: 29And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee. 30Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.28.30 gather…: Heb. profane, or, use it as common meat 31Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.28.31 shall not…: Heb. shall not return to thee 32Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand. 33The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: 34So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. 35The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head. 36The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. 37And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee. 38Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. 39Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. 40Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit. 41Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.28.41 thou shalt not…: Heb. they shall not be thine 42All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.28.42 consume: or, possess 43The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. 44He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
45Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: 46And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. 47Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; 48Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. 49The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;28.49 understand: Heb. hear 50A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:28.50 of fierce…: Heb. strong of face 51And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. 52And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. 53And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:28.53 body: Heb. belly 54So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: 55So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. 56The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, 57And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.28.57 young one: Heb. afterbirth 58If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; 59Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. 60Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. 61Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.28.61 bring: Heb. cause to ascend 62And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God. 63And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. 64And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. 65And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: 66And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: 67In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. 68And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
Velsignelsen ved lydighed
1-2Moses fortsatte: „Men hvis I omhyggeligt adlyder de befalinger fra Herren, som jeg pålægger jer i dag, vil han gøre jer større og mægtigere end noget andet folk på jorden, og følgende velsignelser vil følge jer:
3Herren vil velsigne jeres byer og marker.
4Herren vil velsigne jer med mange børn, en stor høst og med meget afkom fra både hornkvæg og småkvæg.
5Herren vil velsigne jer med korn i overflod og fyldte dejtrug.
6Herren vil velsigne jer ude og inde, overalt hvor I går.
7Når fjenderne angriber, vil Herren slå dem på flugt. De angriber i samlet flok, men flygter i alle retninger.
8Herren vil velsigne jer i jeres arbejde og fylde jeres lader med korn. Han vil velsigne jer i det land, han giver jer.
9Hvis I adlyder Herren, jeres Gud, og gør, hvad han har befalet, vil han gøre jer til sit hellige folk, sådan som han har lovet. 10Da skal alle jordens folk få at se, at I er Herrens udvalgte folk, og de vil betragte jer med ærefrygt.
11Herren vil velsigne jer på alle måder i landet, som han lovede jeres forfædre, med mange børn, med rekordhøst og meget kvæg. 12Han vil åbne for himlens sluser, så landet får regn i rette tid. Han vil velsigne jer i alt, hvad I tager jer for, så I kan låne ud til andre og ikke selv har brug for at låne af nogen. 13Hvis I blot vil høre og adlyde de befalinger fra Herren, som jeg pålægger jer i dag, vil Herren give jer fremgang og gøre jer til hoved i stedet for hale. 14Men betingelsen er, at I aldrig vender jer fra de love, jeg pålægger jer i dag, og dyrker andre guder.
Forbandelsen ved ulydighed
15Men hvis I ikke vil lytte til Herren, jeres Gud, og adlyde de befalinger, jeg pålægger jer i dag, vil følgende forbandelser ramme jer:
16Herren vil forbande jeres byer og marker.
17Herren vil forbande jeres kornmarker og jeres dejtrug.
18Herren vil forbande jer med barnløshed, med dårlig høst og mangel på afkom fra jeres hornkvæg og småkvæg.
19Herren vil forbande jer ude og inde, overalt hvor I går.
20Hvis I handler ondt og forkaster Herren, vil han sende sin dom over jer i form af ulykke og forvirring, så I oplever problemer i alt, hvad I tager jer for. Det vil gå ned ad bakke for jer, indtil undergangen kommer over jer. 21Herren vil sende sygdomsepidemier iblandt jer, indtil I bukker under i det land, I skal over og tage i besiddelse. 22Herren vil ramme jer med smitsomme sygdomme, med feber og betændelse, med brændende hede og svidende tørke, med skimmel og meldug. De her forbandelser vil følge jer livet igennem. 23Solen vil brænde fra en skyfri himmel, så jorden under jer bliver hård som jern. 24I stedet for regn sender Herren sandstorme fra himlen, indtil landet ligger øde, og I er tilintetgjort.
25Herren vil give jeres fjender sejr over jer. I går i kamp i samlet flok, men må flygte i alle retninger. Nationerne omkring jer vil ynkes, når de hører om jeres sørgelige skæbne. 26Jeres lig vil blive føde for grådige gribbe og vilde dyr, og ingen vil jage dem bort.
27Herren vil ramme jer med de plager, han sendte over egypterne, med bylder og sår, med udslæt og kløe, som ikke kan helbredes af nogen kur. 28Han rammer jer med sindssyge, blindhed og febervildelse, 29så I ved højlys dag må famle jer frem. Intet vil lykkes for jer. I vil blive overfaldet og undertrykt dagen lang uden håb om hjælp.
30En forlovet mand må se sin kæreste blive voldtaget. Én bygger sig et hus, men kommer aldrig til at bo i det. Én planter sig en vingård, men får aldrig plukket dens druer. 31Jeres køer vil blive slagtet for øjnene af jer, uden at I får del i kødet. Jeres æsler vil blive drevet bort for aldrig at vende tilbage igen. Jeres får og geder vil blive fjernet af jeres fjender, mens I ser hjælpeløst til. 32Jeres sønner og døtre vil blive pågrebet for øjnene af jer og ført bort som slaver. Jeres hjerte vil blive knust af sorg og længsel efter dem, men I kan intet stille op. 33Et fremmed folk, I ikke kender, vil spise de afgrøder, I har arbejdet så hårdt for at få. Dagen lang bliver I offer for vold og undertrykkelse, 34jeres lidelser øges, indtil I går amok. 35Herren vil ramme jeres ben med smertende, uhelbredelige sår, bylder vil dække jer fra top til tå.
36Herren vil tage jer og den konge, I har indsat over jer, og føre jer i landflygtighed blandt et folk, hverken I eller jeres forfædre før har kendt. Dér vil I komme til at dyrke fremmede guder af træ og sten. 37De folk, I kommer til at bo iblandt, vil chokeres og ynkes over jeres grusomme skæbne. I bliver et spottende mundheld for de folkeslag, Herren spreder jer iblandt.
38I vil så meget korn, men kun høste en smule, for græshopper vil æde det meste. 39I vil plante vingårde og passe vinrankerne, men druerne vil blive ædt af orm, så der intet bliver at lave vin af. 40I vil plante olivenlunde, men frugterne falder af før tiden, så der intet bliver at lave olie af. 41I vil få sønner og døtre, men de vil blive bortført som slaver. 42Insekter vil hærge landet, så jeres træer og afgrøder går til grunde. 43De fremmede iblandt jer vil sidde højt på strå, mens I selv synker ned i skidtet. 44De vil låne ud til jer, uden at I kan give noget tilbage. De vil blive hoved, og I vil blive hale.
45-46Alle de her plager vil ramme jer og forfølge jer, indtil I er udryddet. Det skal være en stadig advarsel for jer og jeres efterkommere, hvis I ikke vil adlyde Herren, jeres Gud, og gøre, som han har befalet. 47Det sker, hvis et liv i overflod får jer til at holde op med at tjene Herren, jeres Gud, med glæde og lovsang i hjertet. 48Herren vil da udlevere jer til jeres fjender, så I kommer til at tjene dem som slaver. I vil miste alt og bære åg på nakken. I vil opleve mangel på mad og drikke og tøj, ja, alle de daglige fornødenheder.
49-50Herren vil kalde på et folk i det fjerne, et brutalt og hensynsløst folk, hvis sprog I ikke forstår. De vil angribe jer som ørnen, der slår ned på sit bytte, 51og ødelægge jeres ungkvæg og afgrøder, så der hverken er korn, vin, olivenolie, kalve, gedekid eller lam tilbage. 52De vil belejre jeres byer og vælte de høje mure, I har sat jeres lid til. 53Under den frygtelige belejring vil I være tvunget til at spise kødet af jeres egne sønner og døtre. 54-55Selv den ædleste mand iblandt jer vil blive så desperat, at han spiser nogle af sine egne børn af mangel på mad, ja, han nægter endog at dele med sin bror, sin kone og sine øvrige børn. 56-57Selv den mest velhavende kvinde, så fornem, at hun aldrig behøver at gå på sine ben, vil gøre det samme: Under den frygtelige belejring vil hun blive så desperat, at hun i al hemmelighed spiser sit nyfødte barn og efterbyrden uden at dele med sin mand og sine børn.
58Hvis I nægter at adlyde de love, som er optegnet i denne bog, og derved undlader at vise ærefrygt for Herrens herlige og frygtindgydende navn, 59-60vil han sende uhelbredelige sygdomme over jer og jeres børn, ja, han vil ramme jer med de samme plager, han sendte over Egypten, og som I frygtede så stærkt. 61Ikke nok med det. Herren vil ramme jer med alskens plager og ulykker, med katastrofer, der ikke engang er nævnt i denne bog, indtil I er udryddet. 62Kun en rest vil blive tilbage, skønt I før var talrige som himlens stjerner. Det bliver konsekvensen, hvis I ikke vil adlyde Herren, jeres Gud, 63for i så fald er Herren lige så opsat på at straffe jer, som han var opsat på at velsigne jer med fremgang og tilvækst. Han viger ikke tilbage for at rykke jer op med rode fra det land, I nu skal over og tage i besiddelse. 64Han vil sprede jer blandt alle jordens folk. Dér vil I komme til at dyrke andre folkeslags guder af træ og sten, guder, som hverken I eller jeres forfædre før har kendt. 65I vil blive et rodløst og hvileløst folk. Herren vil slå jer med frygt, håbløshed og fortvivlelse. 66Både dag og nat vil I frygte for at blive slået ihjel. Jeres liv vil hænge i en tynd tråd. 67Om morgenen vil I ønske, det var aften, og om aftenen vil I ønske, det var morgen. Så frygtelig er den terror, der truer jer. 68Da vil Herren sende jer tilbage til Egypten på skibe, en rejse jeg lovede, I aldrig mere skulle gøre, og dér vil I prøve at sælge jer selv som slaver til jeres fjender, men ingen vil være interesseret i at købe jer.”
69Alle de her ord hører til den pagt, som Herren bad Moses slutte med israelitterne på Moabs sletter. Det er en tilføjelse til og fornyelse af pagten ved Horebs bjerg.
