Deuteronomy 32

1 Hear, heavens, and I will speak! Listen, earth, to the words of my mouth!ISV — Deuteronomy 32:1

2 May my instructions descend like rain and may my words flow like dew, as light rain upon the grass, and as showers upon new plants.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:2

3 For I’ll proclaim the name of our LORD. Ascribe greatness to our God!ISV — Deuteronomy 32:3

4 Flawless is the work of the Rock, because all his ways are just. A faithful God—never unjust— righteous and upright is he.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:4

5 But those who are not his children acted corruptly against him; they are a defective and perverted generation.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:5

6 This is not the way to repay the LORD, is it, you foolish and witless people? Is he not your father, who bought you, formed you, and established you?ISV — Deuteronomy 32:6

7 Remember the days of old, reflect on the years of previous generations. Ask your father, and he’ll tell you; your elders will inform you.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:7

8 When the Most High gave nations as their inheritance, when he separated the human race, he set boundaries for the people according to the number of the children of God. ^{a32:8 So with LXX and DSS 4QDeut. MT reads the Israelis}ISV — Deuteronomy 32:8

9 For the LORD’s portion is his people; Jacob is his allotted portion.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:9

10 The LORD ^{b32:10 Lit. He} found him ^{c32:10 i.e. Jacob as a personification of national Israel; and so throughout the song} in a desert land, in a barren, eerie ^{d32:10 Lit. howling} wilderness. He surrounded, cared for, and guarded him as the pupil of his eye.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:10

11 Like an eagle stirs its nest, hovering near its young, spreading out his wings to take him and carry him on his pinions,ISV — Deuteronomy 32:11

12 the LORD alone guided him. There was no foreign god with him.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:12

13 He mounted him on a high place above the earth, feeding him from the produce of the field. He nourished ^{e32:13 Or nursed} him with honey from the rock and with oil from the flint rock,ISV — Deuteronomy 32:13

14 with curds from cattle and with milk from sheep, with the fat of lambs, with rams from Bashan, with the fat of goats, with the finest ^{f32:14 Lit. kernel} of wheat— and from the juice of grapes you drank wine.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:14

15 Jacob dined until satisfied; ^{g32:15 So DSS Q Sam and LXX; the Heb. lacks Jacob dined until satisfied} Jeshurun ^{h32:15 i.e. a poetic term for national Israel; the Heb. name means Upright One} grew fat and kicked. He ^{i32:15 Lit. You} grew fat, coarse, and gross, so that he abandoned the God who made him and spurned the Rock that was his salvation.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:15

16 They provoked him to jealousy over foreigners and to anger over detestable things.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:16

17 They sacrificed to demons— not to the real God— gods whom they didn’t know, new neighbors who had recently appeared, whom your ancestors never feared.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:17

18 You ^{j32:18 i.e. the nation of Israel personified in the second person sing. pronoun, and so throughout the verse} neglected the Rock that fathered you; you abandoned God, who was awaiting your birth. ^{k32:18 Or who was giving birth to you}ISV — Deuteronomy 32:18

19 The LORD saw it and became jealous, ^{l32:19 So DSS, LXX. MT reads and was repulsed} provoked by his sons and daughters.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:19

20 So he said: “Let me hide my face from them. I will observe what their end will be, because they are a perverted generation, children within whom there is no loyalty.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:20

21 They provoked me to jealousy over non-gods, and to be angry over their vanity. Now I’ll provoke them to jealousy over a non-people; and over a foolish nation I’ll provoke them to anger.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:21

22 For a fire breaks out in my anger— burning to the deepest part of ^{m32:22 The Heb. lacks part of} the afterlife, ^{n32:22 Lit. Sheol} consuming the earth and its produce and igniting the foundations of the mountains.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:22

23 I’ll bury them in misfortunes and bring them to an end with my arrows.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:23

24 Emaciated from famine, feverish from plague, and destroyed by bitterness, I’ll send fanged beasts against them, along with poisonous snakes that glide through the dust.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:24

25 Outside, the sword will cause bereavement; within, ^{o32:25 Lit. within the room} there will be terror for the young man and virgin alike, also for the nursing infant and the aged man.” ^{p32:25 Lit. and a man of gray hair}ISV — Deuteronomy 32:25

26 “I said, ‘I will scatter them, ^{q32:26 Or will break them to pieces} erasing their memory from the human race, ^{r32:26 Lit. from among men}ISV — Deuteronomy 32:26

27 if it weren’t for dreading the taunting of their enemies— otherwise, their adversary might misinterpret and say, “Our power is great. It isn’t the LORD who made all of this happen.”’”ISV — Deuteronomy 32:27

28 They are a nation devoid of purpose and without insight.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:28

29 O, that they were wise to understand this and consider their future! ^{s32:29 Lit. end}ISV — Deuteronomy 32:29

30 How can one person ^{t32:30 The Heb. lacks person} chase a thousand of them and two put a myriad ^{u32:30 Or put countless ones; Lit. put ten thousand} to flight, unless their Rock delivers them and the LORD gives them up?ISV — Deuteronomy 32:30

31 For their rock isn’t like our Rock, as even ^{v32:31 Lit. and} our enemies admit. ^{w32:31 Or concede}ISV — Deuteronomy 32:31

32 Instead, ^{x32:32 Lit. Because} their vine is from the vines of Sodom and the vineyards of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous, their clusters bitter.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:32

33 Their wine is the venom of serpents, a poisonous cobra.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:33

34 “Is this not kept in reserve, sealed up with me in my treasury?ISV — Deuteronomy 32:34

35 To me belong vengeance and recompense. In due time their feet will slip, because their time of calamity is near and the things prepared for them draw near.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:35

36 For the LORD will vindicate his people and bring comfort to his servants, because he will observe that their power ^{y32:36 Lit. hand} has waned, when neither prisoner ^{z32:36 Or slave} nor free person remain.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:36

37 “He will say, ‘Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge?ISV — Deuteronomy 32:37

38 Who ate the fat of their offerings and drank the wine that was their drink offering? Let them rise and help you and be your hiding place!’ISV — Deuteronomy 32:38

39 “Look now! I AM, ^{aa32:39 So LXX; MT reads I, I myself, am he} and there is no other god besides me. I myself cause death and I sustain life; I wound severely and I also heal; from my power ^{bb32:39 Lit. hand} no one can deliver.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:39

40 “I solemnly swear ^{cc32:40 Lit. raise my hand} to heaven— I say ‘As certainly as I’m alive and living forever,ISV — Deuteronomy 32:40

41 I’ll whet my shining sword, with my hands in firm grasp of judgment. I’ll show vengeance on my adversary and repay those who keep on hating me.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:41

42 I’ll make my arrows drunk with blood. My sword will devour flesh, along with the blood of the slain, and I’ll take their enemy leaders captive.’ISV — Deuteronomy 32:42

43 “Sing for joy, nations! Sing for joy, ^{dd32:43 The Heb. lacks Sing for joy} people who belong to him! For he’ll avenge the blood of his servants, turn on his adversary, and cleanse both his land and his people.”ISV — Deuteronomy 32:43

44 So Moses and Nun’s son Joshua came and recited all the words of this song while the people were assembled.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:44

45 When Moses had finished addressing all of these words to all Israel,ISV — Deuteronomy 32:45

46 he told them, “Take to heart my entire testimony against you today. Command your children to observe carefully every word of this Law,ISV — Deuteronomy 32:46

47 because they’re not just empty words for you—they are your very life. Through these instructions you will live long in the land that you are about to cross over the Jordan River to possess.”ISV — Deuteronomy 32:47

48 Later that day, the LORD told Moses,ISV — Deuteronomy 32:48

49 “Ascend this Abarim mountain range ^{ee32:49 The Heb. lacks range} toward Mount Nebo in the land of Moab across from Jericho, and look out over the land of Canaan that I’m about to give to the Israelis as a possession.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:49

50 You will die on the mountain that you are about to ascend and be taken to be with your ancestors, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was taken to be with his ancestors.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:50

51 Both of you acted unfaithfully against me among the Israelis at Meribah-kadesh in the desert of Zin, when you failed to uphold my holiness among the Israelis.ISV — Deuteronomy 32:51

52 You’ll see the land from a distance, but you won’t be able to enter the land that I am about to give to the Israelis.”ISV — Deuteronomy 32:52