Deuteronomy 28
World English Bible
WEB1It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to Yahweh your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments which I command you today, that Yahweh your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to Yahweh your God’s voice. 3You shall be blessed in the city, and you shall be blessed in the field. 4You shall be blessed in the fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the fruit of your animals, the increase of your livestock, and the young of your flock. 5Your basket and your kneading trough shall be blessed. 6You shall be blessed when you come in, and you shall be blessed when you go out. 7Yahweh will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be struck before you. They will come out against you one way, and will flee before you seven ways. 8Yahweh will command the blessing on you in your barns, and in all that you put your hand to. He will bless you in the land which Yahweh your God gives you. 9Yahweh will establish you for a holy people to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you shall keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and walk in his ways. 10All the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by Yahweh’s name, and they will be afraid of you. 11Yahweh will grant you abundant prosperity in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give you. 12Yahweh will open to you his good treasure in the sky, to give the rain of your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You will lend to many nations, and you will not borrow. 13Yahweh will make you the head, and not the tail. You will be above only, and you will not be beneath, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you today, to observe and to do, 14and shall not turn away from any of the words which I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. 15But it shall come to pass, if you will not listen to Yahweh your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come on you and overtake you. 16You will be cursed in the city, and you will be cursed in the field. 17Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. 18The fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the increase of your livestock, and the young of your flock will be cursed. 19You will be cursed when you come in, and you will be cursed when you go out. 20Yahweh will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you put your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the evil of your doings, by which you have forsaken me. 21Yahweh will make the pestilence cling to you, until he has consumed you from off the land where you go in to possess it. 22Yahweh will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with fiery heat, with the sword, with blight, and with mildew. They will pursue you until you perish. 23Your sky that is over your head will be bronze, and the earth that is under you will be iron. 24Yahweh will make the rain of your land powder and dust. It will come down on you from the sky, until you are destroyed. 25Yahweh will cause you to be struck before your enemies. You will go out one way against them, and will flee seven ways before them. You will be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth. 26Your dead bodies will be food to all birds of the sky, and to the animals of the earth; and there will be no one to frighten them away. 27Yahweh will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with the tumors, with the scurvy, and with the itch, of which you can not be healed. 28Yahweh will strike you with madness, with blindness, and with astonishment of heart. 29You will grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. You will only be oppressed and robbed always, and there will be no one to save you. 30You will betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her. You will build a house, and you won’t dwell in it. You will plant a vineyard, and not use its fruit. 31Your ox will be slain before your eyes, and you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be violently taken away from before your face, and will not be restored to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to save you. 32Your sons and your daughters will be given to another people. Your eyes will look and fail with longing for them all day long. There will be no power in your hand. 33A nation which you don’t know will eat the fruit of your ground and all of your work. You will only be oppressed and crushed always, 34so that the sights that you see with your eyes will drive you mad. 35Yahweh will strike you in the knees and in the legs with a sore boil, of which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head. 36Yahweh will bring you, and your king whom you will set over yourselves, to a nation that you have not known, you nor your fathers. There you will serve other gods of wood and stone. 37You will become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where Yahweh will lead you away. 38You will carry much seed out into the field, and will gather little in, for the locust will consume it. 39You will plant vineyards and dress them, but you will neither drink of the wine, nor harvest, because worms will eat them. 40You will have olive trees throughout all your borders, but you won’t anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives will drop off. 41You will father sons and daughters, but they will not be yours, for they will go into captivity. 42Locusts will consume all of your trees and the fruit of your ground. 43The foreigner who is among you will mount up above you higher and higher, and you will come down lower and lower. 44He will lend to you, and you won’t lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail. 45All these curses will come on you, and will pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you didn’t listen to Yahweh your God’s voice, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you. 46They will be for a sign and for a wonder to you and to your offspring forever. 47Because you didn’t serve Yahweh your God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things; 48therefore you will serve your enemies whom Yahweh sends against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in lack of all things. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you. 49Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies: a nation whose language you will not understand, 50a nation of fierce facial expressions, that doesn’t respect the elderly, nor show favor to the young. 51They will eat the fruit of your livestock and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed. They also won’t leave you grain, new wine, oil, the increase of your livestock, or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish. 52They will besiege you in all your gates until your high and fortified walls in which you trusted come down throughout all your land. They will besiege you in all your gates throughout all your land which Yahweh your God has given you. 53You will eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters, whom Yahweh your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies will distress you. 54The man who is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye will be evil toward his brother, toward the wife whom he loves, and toward the remnant of his children whom he has remaining, 55so that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he will eat, because he has nothing left to him, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy will distress you in all your gates. 56The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye will be evil toward the husband that she loves, toward her son, toward her daughter, 57toward her young one who comes out from between her feet, and toward her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of all things in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy will distress you in your gates. 58If you will not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and fearful name, YAHWEH your God, 59then Yahweh will make your plagues and the plagues of your offspring fearful, even great plagues, and of long duration, and severe sicknesses, and of long duration. 60He will bring on you again all the diseases of Egypt, which you were afraid of; and they will cling to you. 61Also every sickness and every plague which is not written in the book of this law, Yahweh will bring them on you until you are destroyed. 62You will be left few in number, even though you were as the stars of the sky for multitude, because you didn’t listen to Yahweh your God’s voice. 63It will happen that as Yahweh rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you, so Yahweh will rejoice over you to cause you to perish and to destroy you. You will be plucked from the land that you are going in to possess. 64Yahweh will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth. There you will serve other gods which you have not known, you nor your fathers, even wood and stone. 65Among these nations you will find no ease, and there will be no rest for the sole of your foot; but Yahweh will give you there a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and pining of soul. 66Your life will hang in doubt before you. You will be afraid night and day, and will have no assurance of your life. 67In the morning you will say, “I wish it were evening!” and at evening you will say, “I wish it were morning!” for the fear of your heart which you will fear, and for the sights which your eyes will see. 68Yahweh will bring you into Egypt again with ships, by the way of which I told you that you would never see it again. There you will offer yourselves to your enemies for male and female slaves, and nobody will buy you.
World English Bible, 2020 stable text edition. Public domain; “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org. eBible.org
Overview
Deuteronomy Chapter 28 presents a powerful contrast between the blessings of obedience to God and the curses that result from disobedience. The chapter begins with a clear declaration of the blessings that will come upon the Israelites if they diligently obey the commandments of the Lord. These blessings include prosperity, health, and victory over enemies, as outlined in verses 1-14. The promises emphasize that God will elevate His people above all nations, providing them with abundant harvests and protection, reflecting His covenant faithfulness to #Israel. The blessings serve as a reminder of the rewards that come from living in accordance with God’s will and His laws, reinforcing the importance of faithfulness in the relationship between God and His people.
However, the latter part of the chapter (verses 15-68) starkly shifts to the consequences of disobedience. The curses that will befall the Israelites if they turn away from God are severe and comprehensive, affecting every aspect of life, including their health, agricultural productivity, and social standing. The vivid descriptions of these curses serve as a sobering warning about the seriousness of straying from God’s commandments. The chapter concludes with a reminder that these consequences are not just physical but also spiritual, leading to exile and separation from God’s blessings. This duality of blessings and curses encapsulates the covenant relationship, urging the people to choose life and obedience, as seen in the overarching theme of #covenant in the book of Deuteronomy.
Referenced by
- Exodus 9:3v27Exodus 9:3 describes the plague on livestock, which is part of the curses for disobedience outlined in Deuteronomy 28:27, showing the consequences of defying God.
- Leviticus 20:22v1Leviticus 20:22 commands the Israelites to keep all God's statutes and judgments to ensure they can inhabit the promised land. This is paralleled in Deuteronomy 28:1-2, where blessings are promised for obedience to God's commands.
- Leviticus 26:3-4v1Leviticus 26:3-4 promises blessings for obedience, similar to Deuteronomy 28:1-2, which outlines blessings for those who diligently obey God's commandments.
- Leviticus 26:14-16v15Leviticus 26:14-16 warns of curses for disobedience, paralleling Deuteronomy 28:15-19, which details the consequences of not obeying God's commandments.
- Joshua 23:16v15Joshua 23:16 warns that if Israel transgresses the covenant, they will perish from the good land, echoing the curses for disobedience in Deuteronomy 28:15.
- 1 Samuel 5:9v271 Samuel 5:9 describes the affliction of the people with tumors, which aligns with the curses described in Deuteronomy 28:27, where God warns of sending boils and tumors as a consequence of disobedience.
- 1 Samuel 12:14-15v11 Samuel 12:14-15 outlines the conditional nature of Israel's prosperity based on obedience to God, echoing the blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28, which also emphasizes obedience to God's commandments as a condition for blessing.
- 1 Kings 9:6-7v151 Kings 9:6-7 warns of the consequences of Israel's disobedience, including exile, which aligns with the curses for disobedience outlined in Deuteronomy 28:15, 63-64.
- 1 Kings 11:38v11 Kings 11:38 promises Jeroboam blessings if he obeys God's commands, echoing the blessings for obedience outlined in Deuteronomy 28:1-2.
- 1 Kings 14:15v641 Kings 14:15 speaks of Israel being uprooted and scattered beyond the Euphrates, echoing the curses for disobedience in Deuteronomy 28:64.
- 2 Kings 17:18v632 Kings 17:18 speaks of God's anger leading to Israel's exile, fulfilling the warnings in Deuteronomy 28:63-64 about the consequences of disobedience.
- 2 Chronicles 7:19-20v152 Chronicles 7:19-20 warns of the consequences of forsaking God, similar to the curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28:15 for disobedience to God's commandments.
- Psalms 65:11v12Psalm 65:11 describes God crowning the year with bounty, similar to Deuteronomy 28:12 where God promises to bless the work of His people's hands and their land.
- Psalms 121:7-8v6Psalm 121:7-8 promises that God will keep one's going out and coming in, similar to Deuteronomy 28:6 which blesses those who follow God's commandments in their daily activities.
- Psalms 133:3v8Psalm 133:3 likens unity to the dew of Hermon, which brings life and blessing, similar to the blessings promised in Deuteronomy 28:8 for obedience to God's commands.
- Isaiah 5:26v49Isaiah 5:26 speaks of God summoning a distant nation as an instrument of judgment, which parallels Deuteronomy 28:49, where God warns of a foreign nation coming as judgment for disobedience.
- Jeremiah 24:9v25Jeremiah 24:9 describes the bad figs as a reproach and a curse, which aligns with the curses for disobedience in Deuteronomy 28:25, highlighting the consequences of turning away from God.
- Jeremiah 35:16v1Jeremiah 35:16 contrasts the obedience of the Rechabites with the disobedience of Judah, echoing the blessings for obedience outlined in Deuteronomy 28:1-2.
- Jeremiah 36:31v15Jeremiah 36:31 warns of disaster due to disobedience, reflecting the covenant curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28:15, where disobedience to God's commands results in specific judgments.
- Lamentations 1:5v15Lamentations 1:5 speaks of the affliction and servitude of Jerusalem due to her transgressions, which aligns with the curses for disobedience outlined in Deuteronomy 28:15.
- Lamentations 4:10v53Lamentations 4:10 describes the horrific conditions during the siege, where mothers eat their children, fulfilling the curse in Deuteronomy 28:53 as a consequence of disobedience.
- Ezekiel 4:12-15v53Ezekiel 4:12-15's depiction of defiled bread during the siege is a fulfillment of the curses in Deuteronomy 28:53, where the Israelites would eat defiled food due to disobedience.
- Hosea 9:3v36Hosea 9:3 speaks of Israel returning to Egypt and Assyria, echoing the curses in Deuteronomy 28:36-37 where disobedience leads to exile.
- Amos 4:6v22Amos 4:6 speaks of God sending famine as a form of judgment, which echoes the curses for disobedience outlined in Deuteronomy 28:22-24, where God warns of sending drought and blight as consequences for Israel's unfaithfulness.
- Haggai 1:6v38Haggai 1:6 describes the people's unfruitful labor, echoing the curses of disobedience in Deuteronomy 28:38-40, where efforts are frustrated due to not following God's commands.
- Zechariah 5:3-4v15Zechariah 5:3-4 speaks of a curse going out over the land, which parallels the curses for disobedience outlined in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. Both passages emphasize the consequences of breaking God's law.
Topics in this chapter
- Covenant
- Obedience
- Disobedience
- Blessing
- Blessings
- Judgment
- Curses
- Exile
- Justice
- Repentance
- Curse
- Faithfulness
- Leadership
- Moses
- Promised Land
- Prophet
- Sovereignty of God
- Avoiding Pride
- Biblical Art
- Blessings and Curses
- Bondage
- Chosen People
- Community
- Consequences
- Deliverance
- Dependence on God
- Divine Favor
- Divine Justice
- Divine Retribution
- Divine Sovereignty
- Divine Warning
- Egypt
- Faith
- Fulfillment
- God's Favor
- God's Voice
- Grace
- Hearing (Spiritual Hearing)
- Holiness
- Humility
- Israel
- Israelites
- Keep
- Listening
- Mercy
- Moral Reform
- Oppression
- Prophecy
- Prosperity
- Redemption
- Restoration
- Scattering
- Shema
- Support
- The Commandments
- Trusting God
- Warnings in the Bible
Related chapters
- Leviticus 26Blessings and CursesCursesBlessings
- 2 Kings 17Hearing (Spiritual Hearing)The CommandmentsIsraelites
- Jeremiah 11Hearing (Spiritual Hearing)ShemaCurse
- Hosea 9BondageDisobedienceWarnings in the Bible
- Deuteronomy 11CursesShemaBondage
- Deuteronomy 27Blessings and CursesCursesCurse
- Amos 4OppressionDisobedienceWarnings in the Bible
- 1 Kings 9ProsperityBlessingsDisobedience
- Deuteronomy 5ShemaGod's VoiceChosen People
- Exodus 19God's VoiceListeningChosen People
- Ezekiel 5ScatteringDivine RetributionDisobedience
- 2 Chronicles 7Divine WarningDisobedience
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