Font Size
Deuteronomy 28:15-68
Christian Standard Bible
Deuteronomy 28:15-68
Christian Standard Bible
Curses for Disobedience
15 “But if you do not obey the Lord your God by carefully following all his commands and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake(A) you:(B)
16 You will be cursed in the city
and cursed in the country.
17 Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed.
18 Your offspring will be cursed,
and your land’s produce,
the young of your herds,
and the newborn of your flocks.
19 You will be cursed when you come in
and cursed when you go out.
20 The Lord will send against you curses, confusion,(C) and rebuke in everything you do until you are destroyed and quickly perish,(D) because of the wickedness of your actions in abandoning me.(E) 21 The Lord will make pestilence cling to you until he has exterminated you from the land you are entering to possess.(F) 22 The Lord will afflict you with wasting disease, fever, inflammation, burning heat, drought,[a] blight, and mildew;(G) these will pursue you until you perish. 23 The sky above you will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. 24 The Lord will turn the rain of your land into falling[b] dust; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed. 25 The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions.(H) You will be an object of horror(I) to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth, with no one to scare them away.(J)
27 “The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt,(K) tumors, a festering rash, and scabies, from which you cannot be cured. 28 The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness, and mental confusion,(L) 29 so that at noon you will grope as a blind person gropes in the dark.(M) You will not be successful in anything you do. You will only be oppressed and robbed continually, and no one will help you.(N) 30 You will become engaged to a woman, but another man will rape her. You will build a house but not live in it.(O) You will plant a vineyard but not enjoy its fruit. 31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be taken away from you and not returned to you. Your flock will be given to your enemies, and no one will help you. 32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another people, while your eyes grow weary looking for them every day. But you will be powerless to do anything.(P) 33 A people you don’t know will eat your land’s produce and everything you have labored for. You will only be oppressed and crushed continually.(Q) 34 You will be driven mad by what you see. 35 The Lord will afflict you with painful and incurable boils on your knees and thighs—from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.(R)
36 “The Lord will bring you and your king that you have appointed to a nation neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will worship other gods, of wood and stone.(S) 37 You will become an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.(T)
38 “You will sow much seed in the field but harvest little, because locusts will devour it. 39 You will plant and cultivate vineyards but not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees throughout your territory but not moisten your skin with oil, because your olives will drop off. 41 You will father sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, because they will be taken prisoner. 42 Buzzing insects will take possession of all your trees and your land’s produce. 43 The resident alien among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you, but you won’t lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail.
45 “All these curses will come, pursue, and overtake you until you are destroyed, since you did not obey the Lord your God and keep the commands and statutes he gave you. 46 These curses will be a sign and a wonder(U) against you and your descendants forever. 47 Because you didn’t serve the Lord your God with joy and a cheerful heart,(V) even though you had an abundance of everything, 48 you will serve your enemies that the Lord will send against you, in famine, thirst, nakedness, and a lack of everything. He will place an iron yoke(W) on your neck until he has destroyed you. 49 The Lord will bring a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth,(X) to swoop down on you like an eagle,(Y) a nation whose language you won’t understand,(Z) 50 a ruthless nation, showing no respect for the old and not sparing the young. 51 They will eat the offspring of your livestock and your land’s produce until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine, fresh oil, young of your herds, or newborn of your flocks until they cause you to perish. 52 They will besiege you within all your city gates until your high and fortified walls, that you trust in, come down throughout your land. They will besiege you within all your city gates throughout the land the Lord your God has given you.
53 “You will eat your offspring,[c] the flesh of your sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you(AA) during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you. 54 The most sensitive and refined man among you will look grudgingly at his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children, 55 refusing to share with any of them his children’s flesh that he will eat because he has nothing left during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you in all your towns. 56 The most sensitive and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her refinement and sensitivity, will begrudge the husband she embraces, her son, and her daughter, 57 the afterbirth that comes out from between her legs and the children she bears, because she will secretly eat them for lack of anything else during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you within your city gates.
58 “If you are not careful to obey all the words of this law, which are written in this scroll, by fearing this glorious and awe-inspiring name—the Lord, your God— 59 he will bring wondrous plagues on you and your descendants, severe and lasting plagues, and terrible and chronic sicknesses. 60 He will afflict you again with all the diseases of Egypt,(AB) which you dreaded, and they will cling to you. 61 The Lord will also afflict you with every sickness and plague not recorded in the book of this law, until you are destroyed. 62 Though you were as numerous as the stars of the sky, you will be left with only a few people, because you did not obey the Lord your God. 63 Just as the Lord was glad to cause you to prosper and to multiply you, so he will also be glad to cause you to perish and to destroy you. You will be ripped out of the land you are entering to possess. 64 Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples from one end of the earth to the other,(AC) and there you will worship other gods, of wood and stone,(AD) which neither you nor your ancestors have known.(AE) 65 You will find no peace among those nations, and there will be no resting place(AF) for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despondent spirit. 66 Your life will hang in doubt before you. You will be in dread night and day, never certain of survival. 67 In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’—because of the dread you will have in your heart and because of what you will see. 68 The Lord will take you back in ships to Egypt by a route that I said you would never see again.(AG) There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”
Read full chapter
Deuteronomy 28:15-68
New International Version
Deuteronomy 28:15-68
New International Version
Curses for Disobedience
15 However, if you do not obey(A) the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today,(B) all these curses will come on you and overtake you:(C)
16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.(D)
17 Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.(E)
18 The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.(F)
19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.(G)
20 The Lord will send on you curses,(H) confusion and rebuke(I) in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin(J) because of the evil(K) you have done in forsaking him.[a] 21 The Lord will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess.(L) 22 The Lord will strike you with wasting disease,(M) with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought,(N) with blight(O) and mildew, which will plague(P) you until you perish.(Q) 23 The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron.(R) 24 The Lord will turn the rain(S) of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.
25 The Lord will cause you to be defeated(T) before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven,(U) and you will become a thing of horror(V) to all the kingdoms on earth.(W) 26 Your carcasses will be food for all the birds(X) and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.(Y) 27 The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt(Z) and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. 28 The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. 29 At midday you will grope(AA) about like a blind person in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue(AB) you.
30 You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will take her and rape her.(AC) You will build a house, but you will not live in it.(AD) You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit.(AE) 31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue them. 32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation,(AF) and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand. 33 A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression(AG) all your days.(AH) 34 The sights you see will drive you mad.(AI) 35 The Lord will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils(AJ) that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.(AK)
36 The Lord will drive you and the king(AL) you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your ancestors.(AM) There you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone.(AN) 37 You will become a thing of horror,(AO) a byword(AP) and an object of ridicule(AQ) among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.(AR)
38 You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little,(AS) because locusts(AT) will devour(AU) it. 39 You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine(AV) or gather the grapes, because worms will eat(AW) them.(AX) 40 You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off.(AY) 41 You will have sons and daughters but you will not keep them, because they will go into captivity.(AZ) 42 Swarms of locusts(BA) will take over all your trees and the crops of your land.
43 The foreigners who reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower.(BB) 44 They will lend to you, but you will not lend to them.(BC) They will be the head, but you will be the tail.(BD)
45 All these curses will come on you. They will pursue you and overtake you(BE) until you are destroyed,(BF) because you did not obey the Lord your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you. 46 They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever.(BG) 47 Because you did not serve(BH) the Lord your God joyfully and gladly(BI) in the time of prosperity, 48 therefore in hunger and thirst,(BJ) in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. He will put an iron yoke(BK) on your neck(BL) until he has destroyed you.
49 The Lord will bring a nation against you(BM) from far away, from the ends of the earth,(BN) like an eagle(BO) swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand,(BP) 50 a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old(BQ) or pity for the young. 51 They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine(BR) or olive oil,(BS) nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined.(BT) 52 They will lay siege(BU) to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the Lord your God is giving you.(BV)
53 Because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you.(BW) 54 Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, 55 and he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of all your cities.(BX) 56 The most gentle and sensitive(BY) woman among you—so sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her foot—will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter(BZ) 57 the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. For in her dire need she intends to eat them(CA) secretly because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of your cities.
58 If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law,(CB) which are written in this book, and do not revere(CC) this glorious and awesome name(CD)—the Lord your God— 59 the Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. 60 He will bring on you all the diseases of Egypt(CE) that you dreaded, and they will cling to you. 61 The Lord will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law,(CF) until you are destroyed.(CG) 62 You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky(CH) will be left but few(CI) in number, because you did not obey the Lord your God. 63 Just as it pleased(CJ) the Lord to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please(CK) him to ruin and destroy you.(CL) You will be uprooted(CM) from the land you are entering to possess.
64 Then the Lord will scatter(CN) you among all nations,(CO) from one end of the earth to the other.(CP) There you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known.(CQ) 65 Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place(CR) for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes(CS) weary with longing, and a despairing heart.(CT) 66 You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. 67 In the morning you will say, “If only it were evening!” and in the evening, “If only it were morning!”—because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see.(CU) 68 The Lord will send you back in ships to Egypt on a journey I said you should never make again.(CV) There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 28:20 Hebrew me
Deuteronomy 29:16-30:20
Christian Standard Bible
Deuteronomy 29:16-30:20
Christian Standard Bible
Abandoning the Covenant
16 “Indeed, you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and passed through the nations where you traveled. 17 You saw their abhorrent images and idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which were among them.(A) 18 Be sure there is no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.(B) 19 When someone hears the words of this oath, he may consider himself exempt,[a] thinking, ‘I will have peace even though I follow my own stubborn heart.’ This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered land as well as the dry land. 20 The Lord will not be willing to forgive him. Instead, his anger and jealousy will burn against that person, and every curse written in this scroll will descend on him. The Lord will blot out his name under heaven,(C) 21 and single him out for harm from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the law.
22 “Future generations of your children who follow you and the foreigner who comes from a distant country will see the plagues of that land and the sicknesses the Lord has inflicted on it. 23 All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown, producing nothing, with no plant growing on it, just like the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord demolished in his fierce anger.(D) 24 All the nations will ask, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this intense outburst of anger?’ 25 Then people will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, which he had made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26 They began to serve other gods, bowing in worship to gods they had not known(E)—gods that the Lord had not permitted them to worship.(F) 27 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, and he brought every curse written in this book on it. 28 The Lord uprooted them from their land in his anger, rage, and intense wrath, and threw them into another land where they are today.’ 29 The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.
Returning to the Lord
30 “When all these things happen to you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you,(G) 2 and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and all your soul(H) by doing[b] everything I am commanding you today, 3 then he will restore your fortunes,[c](I) have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.(J) 4 Even if your exiles are at the farthest horizon, he will gather you and bring you back from there.(K) 5 The Lord your God will bring you into the land your ancestors possessed, and you will take possession of it.(L) He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than he did your ancestors.(M) 6 The Lord your God will circumcise your heart(N) and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live.(O) 7 The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. 8 Then you will again obey him and follow all his commands I am commanding you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands,(P) your offspring,[d] the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land. Indeed, the Lord will again delight in your prosperity, as he delighted in that of your ancestors, 10 when you obey the Lord your God by keeping his commands and statutes that are written in this book of the law and return to him with all your heart and all your soul.
Choose Life
11 “This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach. 12 It is not in heaven so that you have to ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 13 And it is not across the sea so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 14 But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it.(Q) 15 See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity.(R) 16 For[e] I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live[f] and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow in worship to other gods and serve them, 18 I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not prolong your days in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life(S) so that you and your descendants may live, 20 love the Lord your God, obey him, and remain faithful[g] to him. For he is your life, and he will prolong your days as you live in the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors(T) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Deuteronomy 29:16-30:20
New International Version
Deuteronomy 29:16-30:20
New International Version
16 You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries on the way here. 17 You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold.(A) 18 Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns(B) away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.(C)
19 When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing(D) on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,”(E) they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. 20 The Lord will never be willing to forgive(F) them; his wrath and zeal(G) will burn(H) against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the Lord will blot(I) out their names from under heaven. 21 The Lord will single them out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster,(J) according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.(K)
22 Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which the Lord has afflicted it.(L) 23 The whole land will be a burning waste(M) of salt(N) and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah,(O) Admah and Zeboyim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger.(P) 24 All the nations will ask: “Why has the Lord done this to this land?(Q) Why this fierce, burning anger?”
25 And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.(R) 26 They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. 27 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book.(S) 28 In furious anger and in great wrath(T) the Lord uprooted(U) them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.”
29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God,(V) but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.(W)
Prosperity After Turning to the Lord
30 When all these blessings and curses(X) I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations,(Y) 2 and when you and your children return(Z) to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart(AA) and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes[a](AB) and have compassion(AC) on you and gather(AD) you again from all the nations where he scattered(AE) you.(AF) 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens,(AG) from there the Lord your God will gather(AH) you and bring you back.(AI) 5 He will bring(AJ) you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous(AK) than your ancestors. 6 The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants,(AL) so that you may love(AM) him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. 7 The Lord your God will put all these curses(AN) on your enemies who hate and persecute you.(AO) 8 You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am giving you today. 9 Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land.(AP) The Lord will again delight(AQ) in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, 10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law(AR) and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.(AS)
The Offer of Life or Death
11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.(AT) 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven(AU) to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”(AV) 13 Nor is it beyond the sea,(AW) so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”(AX) 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.(AY)
15 See, I set before you today life(AZ) and prosperity,(BA) death(BB) and destruction.(BC) 16 For I command you today to love(BD) the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live(BE) and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.(BF) You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you(BG) that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.(BH) Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love(BI) the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life,(BJ) and he will give(BK) you many years in the land(BL) he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 30:3 Or will bring you back from captivity
Luke 2:22
Christian Standard Bible
Luke 2:22
Christian Standard Bible
22 And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished,(A) they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
Read full chapter
Luke 2:22
New International Version
Luke 2:22
New International Version
Jesus Presented in the Temple
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses,(A) Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.