1Heavens, listen to me. Then I will speak.
Earth, hear the words of my mouth.
2Let my teaching fall like rain.
Let my words come down like dew.
Let them be like raindrops on new grass.
Let them be like rain on tender plants.
3I will make known the name of the Lord.
Praise God! How great he is!
4He is the Rock. His works are perfect.
All his ways are right.
He is faithful. He doesn’t do anything wrong.
He is honest and fair.
5Israel, you have sinned against him very much.
It’s too bad for you that you aren’t his children anymore.
You have become a twisted and evil nation.
6Is that how you thank the Lord?
You aren’t wise. You are foolish.
Remember, he’s your Father. He’s your Creator.
He made you. He formed you.
7Remember the days of long ago.
Think about what the Lord did through those many years.
Ask your father. He will tell you.
Ask your elders. They’ll explain it to you.
8The Most High God gave the nations their lands.
He divided up the human race.
He set up borders for the nations.
He did it based on the number of the angels in his heavenly court.
9The Lord’s people are his share.
Jacob is the nation he has received.
10The Lord found Israel in a desert.
He found them in an empty and windy land.
He took care of them and kept them safe.
He guarded them as he would guard his own eyes.
11He was like an eagle that stirs up its nest.
It hovers over its little ones.
It spreads out its wings to catch them.
It carries them up in the air on its feathers.
12The Lord was the only one who led Israel.
No other god was with them.
13The Lord made them ride on the highest places in the land.
He fed them what grew in the fields.
He gave them the sweetest honey.
He fed them olive oil from a rocky hillside.
14He gave them butter and milk from the herds and flocks.
He fed them the fattest lambs and goats.
He gave them the best of Bashan’s rams.
He fed them the finest wheat.
They drank the bubbling red juice of grapes.
15When Israel grew fat, they became stubborn.
When they were filled with food, they became fat and heavy.
They left the God who made them.
They turned away from the Rock who saved them.
16They made him jealous by serving false gods.
They made him angry by worshiping statues of gods.
He hated those gods.
17The people sacrificed to those false gods, not to God.
They hadn’t known anything about those false gods.
Those gods were new to them.
Their people of long ago didn’t worship them.
18But then they deserted the Rock. He was their Father.
They forgot the God who created them.
19When the Lord saw this, he turned away from them.
His sons and daughters made him angry.
20“I will turn my face away from them,” he said.
“I will see what will happen to them in the end.
They are sinful people.
They are unfaithful children.
21They made me jealous by serving what is not even a god.
They made me angry by worshiping worthless statues of gods.
I will use people who are not a nation to make them jealous.
A nation that has no understanding will make them angry.
22My anger will start a fire.
It will burn all the way down to the kingdom of the dead.
It will eat up the earth and its crops.
It will set the base of the mountains on fire.
23“I will pile troubles on my people.
I will shoot all my arrows at them.
24I will send them hunger. It will make them weak.
I will send terrible sickness. I will send deadly plagues.
I will send wild animals that will tear them apart.
Snakes that glide through the dust will bite them.
25In the streets their children will be killed by swords.
Their homes will be filled with terror.
The young men and women will die.
The babies and old people will die.
26I said I would scatter them.
I said I would erase their name from human memory.
27But I was afraid their enemies would make fun of that.
I was afraid their attackers would not understand.
I was sure they would say, ‘We’re the ones who’ve beaten them!
The Lord isn’t the one who did it.’ ”
28Israel is a nation that doesn’t have any sense.
They can’t understand anything.
29I wish they were wise. Then they would understand what’s coming.
They’d realize what would happen to them in the end.
30How could one person chase a thousand?
How could two make ten thousand run away?
It couldn’t happen unless their Rock had deserted them.
It couldn’t take place unless the Lord had given them up.
31Their rock is not like our Rock.
Even our enemies know that.
32Their vine comes from the vines of Sodom.
It comes from the vineyards of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are filled with poison.
Their bunches of grapes taste bitter.
33Their wine is like the poison of snakes.
It’s like the deadly poison of cobras.
34The Lord says, “I have kept all those terrible things stored away.
I have kept them sealed up in my strongbox.
35I punish people. I will pay them back.
The time will come when their feet will slip.
Their day of trouble is near.
Very soon they will be destroyed.”
36The Lord will come to the aid of his people.
He’ll show tender love to those who serve him.
He will know when their strength is gone.
He’ll see that no one at all is left.
37He’ll say, “Where are their gods now?
Where is the rock they went to for safety?
38Where are the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices?
Where are the gods who drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let those gods rise up to help you!
Let them keep you safe!
39“Look! I am the One!
There is no other God except me.
I put some people to death. I bring others to life.
I have wounded, and I will heal.
No one can save you from my power.
40I raise my hand to heaven. Here is the promise I make.
You can be sure that I live forever.
41And you can be just as sure
that I will sharpen my flashing sword.
My hand will hold it when I judge.
I will get even with my enemies.
I will pay back those who hate me.
42I will make my arrows drip with blood.
My sword will destroy people.
It will kill some. It will even kill prisoners.
It will cut off the heads of enemy leaders.”
43You nations, be full of joy. Be joyful together with God’s people.
The Lord will get even with his enemies.
He will pay them back for killing those who serve him.
He will wipe away the sin of his land and people.
44Moses spoke all the words of this song to the people. Joshua, the son of Nun, was with him. 45Moses finished speaking all these words to all the Israelites. 46Then he said to them, “Think carefully about all the words I have announced to you today. I want you to command your children to be careful to obey all the words of this law. 47They aren’t just useless words for you. They are your very life. If you obey them, you will live in the land for a long time. It’s the land you are going across the Jordan River to take as your own.”
Moses Will Die on Mount Nebo
48On that same day the Lord said to Moses, 49“Go up into the Abarim mountains. Go to Mount Nebo in Moab. It is across from Jericho. From there look out over Canaan. It is the land I am giving the Israelites to take as their own. 50You will die there on the mountain you have climbed. You will join the members of your family who have already died. In the same way, your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor. He joined the members of his family who had already died. 51You and Aaron disobeyed me in front of the Israelites. It happened at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin. You did not honor me among the Israelites as the holy God. 52So you will see the land, but only from far away. You will not enter the land I am giving to the Israelites.”
摩西之歌
1「諸天啊，請留心聽；
大地啊，請聽我說。
2願我的教導如雨降下，
願我的話語如露滴落，
像水滴滋潤嫩草，
像甘霖澆灌草木。
3我要宣揚耶和華的名，
你們要頌讚我們上帝的偉大。
4「祂是磐石，
祂的作為完美，
祂按公義行事，
祂信實可靠，公平正直。
5狡詐、墮落的一代啊，
你們卻對祂不忠，行事敗壞，
不配做祂的兒女。
6愚昧無知的人啊，
你們就這樣報答耶和華嗎？
祂是你們的父，你們的創造主，
祂創造了你們，塑造了你們。
7「要回顧往昔，追溯歷史；
問你們的父親，
他們必回答你們；
問你們的長者，
他們必告訴你們。
8當初，至高者賜萬國產業，
把人類分開，
祂依照天使32·8 「天使」希伯來文是「以色列的兒子」。的數目，
為萬族定疆界。
9但以色列人屬於耶和華，
雅各是祂的產業。
10「在荒涼的曠野，
在野獸吼叫的荒野，
耶和華找到他們，
庇護他們，看顧他們，
保護他們如同保護眼中的瞳人，
11又如老鷹攪動窩巢，
盤旋在雛鷹之上，展開雙翼，
背著雛鷹飛翔。
12耶和華獨自帶領他們，
身邊沒有外族神明。
13耶和華使他們馳騁在大地的高處，
吃田間的五穀，
磐石中的蜂蜜，
石頭地產的油；
14吃牛酪和羊奶，
肥美的羔羊，
巴珊的綿羊和山羊，
上好的麥子；
喝葡萄汁釀的酒。
15「但耶書崙32·15 「耶書崙」是以色列的暱稱。吃飽喝足，
養肥長壯後，就得意忘形，
背棄造他們的上帝，
藐視救他們的磐石。
16他們拜外族的神明，令祂憤恨；
行可憎之事，惹祂發怒。
17他們祭拜的不是真神，
而是鬼魔，
是他們素不認識的新神明，
是他們祖先所不敬畏的。
18他們輕視生他們的磐石，
忘記養他們的上帝。
19「耶和華看見祂兒女的惡行，
就憤然厭棄他們，
20說，『這墮落的子民，
不忠的兒女！
我要掩面不理他們，
看他們的結局如何。
21他們拜假神，讓我憤恨；
供虛無之物，惹我發怒。
我要藉無名之民挑起他們的嫉妒，
用愚昧的國民激起他們的怒氣。
22我的怒火已經點燃，
要燒到陰間的盡頭，
吞滅大地及其出產，
甚至燒毀山的根基。
23『我要使災禍連連臨到他們，
我的箭都射向他們。
24他們必飽受饑荒之苦，
被瘟疫和災禍吞噬，
被猛獸和毒蛇襲擊。
25外有刀劍殺戮，
內有恐懼籠罩，
少男、少女、嬰兒、
老人無一倖免。
26我本要消滅他們，
使世人忘記他們；
27但我不願讓敵人誇口，
宣稱這是他們的勝利，
而非我的作為。』
28「以色列人愚昧無知，毫無見識。
29如果他們有智慧，
就能明白這一切、
知道自己的結局。
30若不是他們的磐石賣掉他們，
若不是耶和華拋棄他們，
一人怎能趕散他們千人？
二人怎能擊潰他們萬人？
31我們的敵人也承認他們的磐石不如我們的磐石。
32他們猶如來自所多瑪、
長在蛾摩拉的葡萄樹，
結的葡萄粒粒有毒，串串苦澀；
33釀的酒如蛇的毒液，
如眼鏡蛇的毒液。
34「祂說，『我把這一切積存起來，
封在我的倉庫裡。
35伸冤在我，我必報應，
到時候他們必站不住腳，
他們遭禍的日子近了，
他們的末日來了。』
36「耶和華見自己的子民力量衰竭，
奴隸和自由人所剩無幾，
必為他們主持公道，
憐憫祂的僕人。
37祂必說，『你們的神明在哪裡？
庇護你們的磐石在哪裡？
38它們吃你們祭牲的脂肪，
喝你們的奠酒。
讓它們起來幫助你們，
庇護你們吧！
39『你們要知道，
唯有我是上帝；
除我之外，別無他神。
我掌管生死，我打傷、我醫治；
無人能逃出我的掌心。
40我向天伸手，
憑我的永恆起誓，
41我要磨快閃亮的劍，
主持公道，報應仇敵，
懲罰恨我的人。
42我要使我的箭飽飲鮮血，
被殺被擄之人的血；
我的劍要吞噬人肉，
敵人將領的肉。』
43「列邦啊，
你們當與祂的子民一同歡樂！
因為祂要為自己的僕人報血仇，
報應祂的仇敵，
潔淨祂的土地和子民。」
44摩西和嫩的兒子約書亞把這首詩歌讀給會眾聽。
摩西的遺囑
45讀完後，摩西又對以色列人說： 46「要謹記我今天警告你們的話，要吩咐你們的子孫謹遵這律法上的話。 47這律法不是空話，而是你們的生命。你們若遵守這律法，就必長住在約旦河對岸你們將要佔領的土地上。」
預言摩西的死
48當天，耶和華對摩西說： 49「你去耶利哥對面的摩押，登上亞巴琳山區的尼波山，觀看我要賜給以色列人作產業的迦南。 50之後，你會死在山上，歸到你祖先那裡，如亞倫在何珥山離世歸祖一樣。 51因為在荀曠野，在加低斯的米利巴泉旁，你和亞倫對我不忠，沒有在以色列人中尊我為聖。 52所以，你只能遠遠地觀看我要賜給以色列人的土地，卻不能進去。」
