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Invocation of Witnesses

32 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak;
hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
My teaching will drop like the rain,
my sayings will drip like the dew,[a]
as rain drops upon the grass,
and showers upon new growth.
For I will proclaim the name[b] of the Lord;
you must acknowledge the greatness of our God.
As for the Rock,[c] his work is perfect,
for all his ways are just.
He is a reliable God who is never unjust,
he is fair[d] and upright.
His people have been unfaithful[e] to him;
they have not acted like his children[f]—this is their sin.[g]
They are a perverse[h] and deceitful generation.
Is this how you repay[i] the Lord,
you foolish, unwise people?
Is he not your father, your Creator?
He has made you and established you.
Remember the ancient days;
bear in mind[j] the years of past generations.[k]
Ask your father and he will inform you,
your elders, and they will tell you.
When the Most High[l] gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided up humankind,[m]
he set the boundaries of the peoples,
according to the number of the heavenly assembly.[n]
For the Lord’s allotment is his people,
Jacob is his special possession.[o]
10 The Lord[p] found him[q] in a desolate land,[r]
in an empty wasteland where animals howl.[s]
He continually guarded him[t] and taught him;[u]
he continually protected him[v] like the pupil[w] of his eye.
11 Like an eagle that stirs up[x] its nest,
that hovers over its young,
so the Lord[y] spread out his wings and took him,[z]
he lifted him up on his pinions.
12 The Lord alone was guiding him,[aa]
no foreign god was with him.
13 He enabled him[ab] to travel over the high terrain of the land,
and he ate of the produce of the fields.
He provided honey for him from the cliffs,[ac]
and olive oil[ad] from the hardest of[ae] rocks,[af]
14 butter from the herd
and milk from the flock,
along with the fat of lambs,
rams and goats of Bashan,
along with the best of the kernels of wheat;
and from the juice[ag] of grapes you drank wine.

Israel’s Rebellion

15 But Jeshurun[ah] became fat and kicked;
you[ai] got fat, thick, and stuffed!
Then he deserted the God who made him,
and treated the Rock who saved him with contempt.
16 They made him jealous with other gods,[aj]
they enraged him with abhorrent idols.[ak]
17 They sacrificed to demons, not God,
to gods they had not known;
to new gods who had recently come along,
gods your ancestors[al] had not known about.
18 You forgot[am] the Rock who fathered you,
and put out of mind the God who gave you birth.

A Word of Judgment

19 But the Lord took note and despised them
because his sons and daughters enraged him.
20 He said, “I will reject them.[an]
I will see what will happen to them;
for they are a perverse generation,
children[ao] who show no loyalty.
21 They have made me jealous[ap] with false gods,[aq]
enraging me with their worthless gods;[ar]
so I will make them jealous with a people they do not recognize,[as]
with a nation slow to learn[at] I will enrage them.
22 For a fire has been kindled by my anger,
and it burns to lowest Sheol;[au]
it consumes the earth and its produce,
and ignites the foundations of the mountains.
23 I will increase their[av] disasters;
I will use up my arrows on them.
24 They will be starved by famine,
eaten by plague, and bitterly stung;[aw]
I will send the teeth of wild animals against them,
along with the poison of creatures that crawl in the dust.
25 The sword will make people childless outside,
and terror will do so inside;
they will destroy[ax] both the young man and the virgin,
the infant and the gray-haired man.

The Weakness of Other Gods

26 “I said, ‘I want to cut them in pieces.[ay]
I want to make people forget they ever existed.
27 But I fear the reaction[az] of their enemies,
for[ba] their adversaries would misunderstand
and say, “Our power is great,[bb]
and the Lord has not done all this!”’
28 They are a nation devoid of wisdom,
and there is no understanding among them.
29 I wish that they were wise and could understand this,
and that they could comprehend what will happen to them.”
30 How can one man chase a thousand of them,[bc]
and two pursue ten thousand,
unless their Rock had delivered them up[bd]
and the Lord had handed them over?
31 For our enemies’[be] rock is not like our Rock,
as even our enemies concede.
32 For their vine is from the stock[bf] of Sodom,
and from the fields of Gomorrah.[bg]
Their grapes contain venom;
their clusters of grapes are bitter.
33 Their wine is snakes’ poison,
the deadly venom of cobras.
34 “Is this not stored up with me?” says the Lord,[bh]
“Is it not sealed up in my storehouses?
35 I will get revenge and pay them back
at the time their foot slips;
for the day of their disaster is near,
and the impending judgment[bi] is rushing upon them!”
36 The Lord will judge his people,
and will change his plans concerning[bj] his servants;
when he sees that their power has disappeared,
and that no one is left, whether confined or set free.
37 He will say, “Where are their gods,
the rock in whom they sought security,
38 who ate the best of their sacrifices,
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let them rise and help you;
let them be your refuge!

The Vindication of the Lord

39 “See now that I, indeed I, am he!” says the Lord,[bk]
“and there is no other god besides me.
I kill and give life,
I smash and I heal,
and none can resist[bl] my power.
40 For I raise up my hand to heaven,
and say, ‘As surely as I live forever,
41 I will sharpen my lightning-like sword,
and my hand will grasp hold of the weapon of judgment;[bm]
I will execute vengeance on my foes,
and repay those who hate me![bn]
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword will devour flesh—
the blood of the slaughtered and captured,
the chief[bo] of the enemy’s leaders.’”
43 Cry out, O nations, with his people,
for he will avenge his servants’ blood;
he will take vengeance against his enemies,
and make atonement for his land and people.

Narrative Interlude

44 Then Moses went with Joshua[bp] son of Nun and recited all the words of this song to the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel 46 he said to them, “Keep in mind all the words I am solemnly proclaiming to you today; you must command your children to observe carefully all the words of this law. 47 For this is no idle word for you—it is your life! By this word you will live a long time in the land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.”

Instructions about Moses’ Death

48 Then the Lord said to Moses that same day, 49 “Go up to this Abarim[bq] hill country, to Mount Nebo (which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho), and look at the land of Canaan that I am giving to the Israelites as a possession. 50 You will die[br] on the mountain that you ascend and join your deceased ancestors,[bs] just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor[bt] and joined his deceased ancestors, 51 for both of you[bu] rebelled against me among the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin when you did not show me proper respect[bv] among the Israelites. 52 You will see the land before you, but you will not enter the land that I am giving to the Israelites.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 32:2 tn Or “mist,” “light drizzle.” In some contexts the term appears to refer to light rain, rather than dew.
  2. Deuteronomy 32:3 tc Smr and Tg read “in the name.”
  3. Deuteronomy 32:4 tc The LXX reads Θεός (theos, “God”) for the MT’s “Rock.”sn The Hebrew term depicts God as a rocky summit where one may find safety and protection. Within a covenantal context it serves as a reminder to the people that their God has committed himself to their protection in return for their allegiance.
  4. Deuteronomy 32:4 tn Or “just” (KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT) or “righteous” (NASB).
  5. Deuteronomy 32:5 tc The third person masculine singular שָׁחַת (shakhat) is rendered as third person masculine plural by Smr, a reading supported by the plural suffix on מוּם (mum, “defect”) as well as the plural of בֵּן (ben, “sons”).tn Heb “have acted corruptly” (so NASB, NIV, NLT); NRSV “have dealt falsely.”
  6. Deuteronomy 32:5 tn Heb “(they are) not his sons.”
  7. Deuteronomy 32:5 tn Heb “defect” (so NASB). This highly elliptical line suggests that Israel’s major fault was its failure to act like God’s people; in fact, they acted quite the contrary.
  8. Deuteronomy 32:5 tn Heb “twisted,” “crooked.” See Ps 18:26.
  9. Deuteronomy 32:6 tn Or “treat” (TEV).
  10. Deuteronomy 32:7 tc The Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read second person masculine singular whereas the MT has second person masculine plural. The former is preferred, the latter perhaps being a misreading (בִּינוּ [binu] for בִּינָה [binah]). Both the preceding (“remember”) and following (“ask”) imperatives are singular forms in the Hebrew text.
  11. Deuteronomy 32:7 tn Heb “generation and generation.” The repetition of the singular noun here singles out each of the successive past generations. See IBHS 116 §7.2.3b.
  12. Deuteronomy 32:8 tn The Hebrew term עֶלְיוֹן (ʿelyon) is an abbreviated form of the divine name El Elyon, frequently translated “God Most High” (so here NCV, CEV) or something similar. This full name (or epithet) occurs only in Gen 14, though the two elements are parallel in Pss 73:11; 107:11; etc. Here it is clear that Elyon has to do with the nations in general whereas in v. 9, by contrast, Yahweh relates specifically to Israel. See T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:400-401. The title depicts God as the sovereign ruler of the world, who is enthroned high above his dominion.
  13. Deuteronomy 32:8 tn Heb “the sons of man” (so NASB); or “the sons of Adam” (so KJV).
  14. Deuteronomy 32:8 tc Heb “the sons of Israel.” The idea, perhaps, is that Israel was central to Yahweh’s purposes and all other nations were arranged and distributed according to how they related to Israel. See S. R. Driver, Deuteronomy (ICC), 355-56. For the MT יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי (bene yisraʾel, “sons of Israel”) a Qumran fragment has “sons of God,” while the LXX reads ἀγγέλων θεοῦ (angelōn theou, “angels of God”), presupposing בְּנֵי אֵל (bene ʾel) or בְּנֵי אֵלִים (bene ʾelim). “Sons of God” is undoubtedly the original reading; the MT and LXX have each interpreted it differently. MT assumes that the expression “sons of God” refers to Israel (cf. Hos. 1:10), while LXX has assumed that the phrase refers to the angelic heavenly assembly (Pss 29:1; 89:6; cf. as well Ps 82). The phrase is also attested in Ugaritic, where it refers to the high god El’s divine assembly. According to the latter view, which is reflected in the translation, the Lord delegated jurisdiction over the nations to his angelic host (cf. Dan. 10:13-21), while reserving for himself Israel, over whom he rules directly. For a defense of the view taken here, see M. S. Heiser, “Deuteronomy 32:8 and the Sons of God,” BSac 158 (2001): 52-74.
  15. Deuteronomy 32:9 tc Heb “the portion of his inheritance.” The LXX and Smr add “Israel” and BHS suggests the reconstruction: “The Lord’s allotment is Jacob, the portion of his inheritance is Israel” (cf. NAB). While providing good parallelism, it destroys a fine chiastic structure: “allotment” (a), “his people” (b), “Jacob (b’), and “inheritance” (a’).
  16. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “he.” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  17. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn The reference is to “his people/Jacob” (cf. v. 9), that is, Israel (using a collective singular). The singular pronouns are replaced by plural ones throughout vv. 10-14 by some English versions as an aid to the modern reader (cf. NAB, NCV, TEV, NLT).
  18. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “a land of wilderness.” A מִדְבָּר (midbar, “wilderness”) refers to a dry region which is characterized as receiving less than twelve inches of rain per year. It therefore cannot support trees and may or may not have sparse vegetation (if receiving less than six inches of rain). The point of the poetic image is that it is desolate.
  19. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “in an empty, howling wasteland.” The word “howling” is derived from a verbal root that typically refers to the wailing of mourners. Here it likely refers to the howling of desert animals, or perhaps to the howling wind, in which case one may translate, “in an empty, windy wasteland.”
  20. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “was surrounding him.” The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing care during the period in view. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
  21. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “he gave him understanding.” The form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is a preterite, not an imperfect. As such it simply states the action factually. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
  22. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing protection during the period in view. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
  23. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “the little man.” The term אִישׁוֹן (ʾishon) means literally “little man,” perhaps because when one looks into another’s eyes he sees himself reflected there in miniature. See A. Harman, NIDOTTE 1:391.
  24. Deuteronomy 32:11 tn The prefixed verbal form is an imperfect, indicating habitual or typical behavior. The parallel verb (cf. “hovers” in the next line) is used in the same manner.
  25. Deuteronomy 32:11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  26. Deuteronomy 32:11 tn The form of the suffix on this and the following verb forms (cf. “lifted him up”) indicates that the verbs are preterites, not imperfects. As such they simply state the action factually. The use of the preterite here suggests that the preceding verb (cf. “spread out”) is preterite as well.
  27. Deuteronomy 32:12 tn The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing guidance during the period in view.
  28. Deuteronomy 32:13 tn The form of the suffix on this verbal form indicates that the verb is a preterite, not an imperfect. As such it simply states the action factually. Note as well the preterites with vav (ו) consecutive that follow in the verse.
  29. Deuteronomy 32:13 tn Heb “he made him suck honey from the rock.”
  30. Deuteronomy 32:13 tn Heb “oil,” but this probably refers to olive oil; see note on the word “rock” at the end of this verse.
  31. Deuteronomy 32:13 tn Heb “flinty.”
  32. Deuteronomy 32:13 sn Olive oil from rock probably suggests olive trees growing on rocky ledges and yet doing so productively. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 415; cf. TEV “their olive trees flourished in stony ground.”
  33. Deuteronomy 32:14 tn Heb “blood,” a figurative image based on the color of the juice.
  34. Deuteronomy 32:15 tn To make the continuity of the referent clear, some English versions substitute “Jacob” here (NAB, NRSV) while others replace “Jeshurun” with “Israel” (NCV, CEV, NLT) or “the Lord’s people” (TEV).sn Jeshurun is a term of affection derived from the Hebrew verb יָשַׁר (yashar, “be upright”). Here it speaks of Israel “in an ideal situation, with its ‘uprightness’ due more to God’s help than his own efforts” (M. Mulder, TDOT 6:475).
  35. Deuteronomy 32:15 tc The LXX reads the third person masculine singular (“he”) for the MT second person masculine singular (“you”), but such alterations are unnecessary in Hebrew poetic texts where subjects fluctuate frequently and without warning.
  36. Deuteronomy 32:16 tc Heb “with strange (things).” The Vulgate actually supplies diis (“gods”).
  37. Deuteronomy 32:16 tn Heb “abhorrent (things)” (cf. NRSV). A number of English versions understand this as referring to “idols” (NAB, NIV, NCV, CEV), while NLT supplies “acts.”
  38. Deuteronomy 32:17 tn Heb “your fathers.”
  39. Deuteronomy 32:18 tc The Hebrew text is uncertain here; the translation follows the suggestion offered in HALOT 1477 s.v. שׁיה. Cf. NASB, NLT “You neglected”; NIV “You deserted”; NRSV “You were unmindful of.”
  40. Deuteronomy 32:20 tn Heb “I will hide my face from them.”
  41. Deuteronomy 32:20 tn Heb “sons” (so NAB, NASB); TEV “unfaithful people.”
  42. Deuteronomy 32:21 sn They have made me jealous. The “jealousy” of God is not a spirit of pettiness prompted by his insecurity, but righteous indignation caused by the disloyalty of his people to his covenant grace (see note on the word “God” in Deut 4:24). The jealousy of Israel, however (see next line), will be envy because of God’s lavish attention to another nation. This is an ironic wordplay. See H. Peels, NIDOTTE 3:938-39.
  43. Deuteronomy 32:21 tn Heb “what is not a god,” or a “nondeity.”
  44. Deuteronomy 32:21 tn Heb “their empty (things).” The Hebrew term used here to refer pejoratively to the false gods is הֶבֶל (hevel, “futile” or “futility”), used frequently in Ecclesiastes (e.g., Eccl 1:1, “Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher, “Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”).
  45. Deuteronomy 32:21 tn Heb “what is not a people,” or a “nonpeople.” The “nonpeople” (לֹא־עָם, loʾ ʿam) referred to here are Gentiles who someday would become God’s people in the fullest sense (cf. Hos 1:9; 2:23).
  46. Deuteronomy 32:21 tn Heb “a foolish nation” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV); NIV “a nation that has no understanding”; NLT “I will provoke their fury by blessing the foolish Gentiles.”
  47. Deuteronomy 32:22 tn Or “to the lowest depths of the earth”; cf. NAB “to the depths of the nether world”; NIV “to the realm of death below”; NLT “to the depths of the grave.”sn Sheol refers here not to hell and hell-fire—a much later concept—but to the innermost parts of the earth, as low down as one could get. The parallel with “the foundations of the mountains” makes this clear (cf. Pss 9:17; 16:10; 139:8; Isa 14:9, 15; Amos 9:2).
  48. Deuteronomy 32:23 tn Heb “upon them.”
  49. Deuteronomy 32:24 tn The Hebrew term קֶטֶב (qetev) is probably metaphorical here for the sting of a disease (HALOT 1091-92 s.v.).
  50. Deuteronomy 32:25 tn A verb is omitted here in the Hebrew text; for purposes of English style one suitable to the context is supplied.
  51. Deuteronomy 32:26 tc The LXX reads “I said I would scatter them.” This reading is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV, NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT, CEV).
  52. Deuteronomy 32:27 tn Heb “anger.”
  53. Deuteronomy 32:27 tn Heb “lest.”
  54. Deuteronomy 32:27 tn Heb “Our hand is high.” Cf. NAB “Our own hand won the victory.”
  55. Deuteronomy 32:30 tn The words “man” and “of them” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  56. Deuteronomy 32:30 tn Heb “sold them” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  57. Deuteronomy 32:31 tn Heb “their,” but the referent (enemies) is specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.
  58. Deuteronomy 32:32 tn Heb “vine.”
  59. Deuteronomy 32:32 sn Sodom…Gomorrah. The term “vine” is a reference to the pagan deities which, the passage says, find their ultimate source in Sodom and Gomorrah, that is, in the soil of perversion exemplified by these places (cf. Gen 18:20; 19:4-28; Isa 1:10; 3:9; Jer 23:14; Lam 4:6; Ezek 16:44-52; Matt 10:15; 11:23-24).
  60. Deuteronomy 32:34 tn Verses 34-35 appear to be a quotation of the Lord and so the introductory phrase “says the Lord” is supplied in the translation.
  61. Deuteronomy 32:35 tn Heb “prepared things,” “impending things.” See BDB 800 s.v. עָתִיד.
  62. Deuteronomy 32:36 tn The translation understands the verb in the sense of “be grieved, relent” (cf. HALOT 689 s.v. נחם hitp 2); cf. KJV, ASV “repent himself”; NLT “will change his mind.” Another option is to translate “will show compassion to” (see BDB 637 s.v. נחם); cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV.
  63. Deuteronomy 32:39 tn Verses 39-42 appear to be a quotation of the Lord and so the introductory phrase “says the Lord” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  64. Deuteronomy 32:39 tn Heb “deliver from” (so NRSV, NLT).
  65. Deuteronomy 32:41 tn Heb “judgment.” This is a metonymy, a figure of speech in which the effect (judgment) is employed as an instrument (sword, spear, or the like), the means, by which it is brought about.
  66. Deuteronomy 32:41 tn The Hebrew term שָׂנֵא (saneʾ, “hate”) in this covenant context speaks of those who reject Yahweh’s covenant overtures, that is, who disobey its stipulations (see note on the word “rejecting” in Deut 5:9; also see Deut 7:10; 2 Chr 19:2; Pss 81:15; 139:20-21).
  67. Deuteronomy 32:42 tn Or “head” (the same Hebrew word can mean “head” in the sense of “leader, chieftain” or “head” in the sense of body part).
  68. Deuteronomy 32:44 tn Heb “Hoshea” (so KJV, ASV), another name for the same individual (cf. Num 13:8, 16).
  69. Deuteronomy 32:49 sn Abarim. This refers to the high plateau region of the Transjordan, the highest elevation of which is Mount Pisgah (or Nebo; cf. Deut 34:1). See also the note on the name “Pisgah” in Deut 3:17.
  70. Deuteronomy 32:50 tn In the Hebrew text the forms translated “you will die…and join” are imperatives, but the actions in view cannot really be commanded. The imperative is used here in a rhetorical, emphatic manner to indicate the certainty of Moses’ death on the mountain. On the rhetorical use of the imperative see IBHS 572 §34.4c.
  71. Deuteronomy 32:50 tn Heb “be gathered to your people.” The same phrase occurs again later in this verse.
  72. Deuteronomy 32:50 sn Mount Hor. See note on the name “Moserah” in Deut 10:6.
  73. Deuteronomy 32:51 tn The use of the plural (“you”) in the Hebrew text suggests that Moses and Aaron are both in view here, since both had rebelled at some time or other, if not at Meribah Kadesh then elsewhere (cf. Num 20:24; 27:14).
  74. Deuteronomy 32:51 tn Heb “did not esteem me holy.” Cf. NIV “did not uphold my holiness”; NLT “failed to demonstrate my holiness.”

摩西之歌

32 “诸天啊,请留心听;
大地啊,请听我说。
愿我的教导如雨降下,
愿我的话语如露滴落,
像水滴滋润嫩草,
像甘霖浇灌草木。
我要宣扬耶和华的名,
你们要颂赞我们上帝的伟大。

“祂是磐石,
祂的作为完美,
祂按公义行事,
祂信实可靠,公平正直。
狡诈、堕落的一代啊,
你们却对祂不忠,行事败坏,
不配做祂的儿女。
愚昧无知的人啊,
你们就这样报答耶和华吗?
祂是你们的父,你们的创造主,
祂创造了你们,塑造了你们。

“要回顾往昔,追溯历史;
问你们的父亲,
他们必回答你们;
问你们的长者,
他们必告诉你们。
当初,至高者赐万国产业,
把人类分开,
祂依照天使[a]的数目,
为万族定疆界。
但以色列人属于耶和华,
雅各是祂的产业。

10 “在荒凉的旷野,
在野兽吼叫的荒野,
耶和华找到他们,
庇护他们,看顾他们,
保护他们如同保护眼中的瞳仁,
11 又如老鹰搅动窝巢,
盘旋在雏鹰之上,展开双翼,
背着雏鹰飞翔。
12 耶和华独自带领他们,
身边没有外族神明。
13 耶和华使他们驰骋在大地的高处,
吃田间的五谷,
磐石中的蜂蜜,
石头地产的油;
14 吃牛酪和羊奶,
肥美的羔羊,
巴珊的绵羊和山羊,
上好的麦子;
喝葡萄汁酿的酒。

15 “但耶书仑[b]吃饱喝足,
养肥长壮后,就得意忘形,
背弃造他们的上帝,
藐视救他们的磐石。
16 他们拜外族的神明,令祂愤恨;
行可憎之事,惹祂发怒。
17 他们祭拜的不是真神,
而是鬼魔,
是他们素不认识的新神明,
是他们祖先所不敬畏的。
18 他们轻视生他们的磐石,
忘记养他们的上帝。

19 “耶和华看见祂儿女的恶行,
就愤然厌弃他们,
20 说,‘这堕落的子民,
不忠的儿女!
我要掩面不理他们,
看他们的结局如何。
21 他们拜假神,让我愤恨;
供虚无之物,惹我发怒。
我要借无名之民挑起他们的嫉妒,
用愚昧的国民激起他们的怒气。
22 我的怒火已经点燃,
要烧到阴间的尽头,
吞灭大地及其出产,
甚至烧毁山的根基。

23 “‘我要使灾祸连连临到他们,
我的箭都射向他们。
24 他们必饱受饥荒之苦,
被瘟疫和灾祸吞噬,
被猛兽和毒蛇袭击。
25 外有刀剑杀戮,
内有恐惧笼罩,
少男、少女、婴儿、
老人无一幸免。
26 我本要消灭他们,
使世人忘记他们;
27 但我不愿让敌人夸口,
宣称这是他们的胜利,
而非我的作为。’

28 “以色列人愚昧无知,毫无见识。
29 如果他们有智慧,
就能明白这一切、
知道自己的结局。
30 若不是他们的磐石卖掉他们,
若不是耶和华抛弃他们,
一人怎能赶散他们千人?
二人怎能击溃他们万人?
31 我们的敌人也承认他们的磐石不如我们的磐石。
32 他们犹如来自所多玛、
长在蛾摩拉的葡萄树,
结的葡萄粒粒有毒,串串苦涩;
33 酿的酒如蛇的毒液,
如眼镜蛇的毒液。

34 “祂说,‘我把这一切积存起来,
封在我的仓库里。
35 申冤在我,我必报应,
到时候他们必站不住脚,
他们遭祸的日子近了,
他们的末日来了。’

36 “耶和华见自己的子民力量衰竭,
奴隶和自由人所剩无几,
必为他们主持公道,
怜悯祂的仆人。
37 祂必说,‘你们的神明在哪里?
庇护你们的磐石在哪里?
38 它们吃你们祭牲的脂肪,
喝你们的奠酒。
让它们起来帮助你们,
庇护你们吧!

39 “‘你们要知道,
唯有我是上帝;
除我之外,别无他神。
我掌管生死,我打伤、我医治;
无人能逃出我的掌心。
40 我向天伸手,
凭我的永恒起誓,
41 我要磨快闪亮的剑,
主持公道,报应仇敌,
惩罚恨我的人。
42 我要使我的箭饱饮鲜血,
被杀被掳之人的血;
我的剑要吞噬人肉,
敌人将领的肉。’

43 “列邦啊,
你们当与祂的子民一同欢乐!
因为祂要为自己的仆人报血仇,
报应祂的仇敌,
洁净祂的土地和子民。”

44 摩西和嫩的儿子约书亚把这首诗歌读给会众听。

摩西的遗嘱

45 读完后,摩西又对以色列人说: 46 “要谨记我今天警告你们的话,要吩咐你们的子孙谨遵这律法上的话。 47 这律法不是空话,而是你们的生命。你们若遵守这律法,就必长住在约旦河对岸你们将要占领的土地上。”

预言摩西的死

48 当天,耶和华对摩西说: 49 “你去耶利哥对面的摩押,登上亚巴琳山区的尼波山,观看我要赐给以色列人作产业的迦南。 50 之后,你会死在山上,归到你祖先那里,如亚伦在何珥山离世归祖一样。 51 因为在荀旷野,在加低斯的米利巴泉旁,你和亚伦对我不忠,没有在以色列人中尊我为圣。 52 所以,你只能远远地观看我要赐给以色列人的土地,却不能进去。”

Footnotes

  1. 32:8 天使”希伯来文是“以色列的儿子”。
  2. 32:15 耶书仑”是以色列的昵称。

32 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.

He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.

Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?

Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.

When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.

For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:

12 So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.

13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;

14 Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.

15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.

17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.

18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.

19 And when the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.

20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them.

24 They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.

25 The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.

26 I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men:

27 Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the Lord hath not done all this.

28 For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.

29 O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!

30 How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up?

31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.

32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:

33 Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.

34 Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures?

35 To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

36 For the Lord shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.

37 And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted,

38 Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection.

39 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.

41 If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.

42 I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.

43 Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.

44 And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun.

45 And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel:

46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.

47 For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

48 And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,

49 Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession:

50 And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:

51 Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of MeribahKadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.

52 Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.

32 Listen,(A) you heavens,(B) and I will speak;
    hear, you earth, the words of my mouth.(C)
Let my teaching fall like rain(D)
    and my words descend like dew,(E)
like showers(F) on new grass,
    like abundant rain on tender plants.

I will proclaim(G) the name of the Lord.(H)
    Oh, praise the greatness(I) of our God!
He is the Rock,(J) his works are perfect,(K)
    and all his ways are just.
A faithful God(L) who does no wrong,
    upright(M) and just is he.(N)

They are corrupt and not his children;
    to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation.(O)
Is this the way you repay(P) the Lord,
    you foolish(Q) and unwise people?(R)
Is he not your Father,(S) your Creator,[a]
    who made you and formed you?(T)

Remember the days of old;(U)
    consider the generations long past.(V)
Ask your father and he will tell you,
    your elders, and they will explain to you.(W)
When the Most High(X) gave the nations their inheritance,
    when he divided all mankind,(Y)
he set up boundaries(Z) for the peoples
    according to the number of the sons of Israel.[b](AA)
For the Lord’s portion(AB) is his people,
    Jacob his allotted inheritance.(AC)

10 In a desert(AD) land he found him,
    in a barren and howling waste.(AE)
He shielded(AF) him and cared for him;
    he guarded him as the apple of his eye,(AG)
11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest
    and hovers over its young,(AH)
that spreads its wings to catch them
    and carries them aloft.(AI)
12 The Lord alone led(AJ) him;(AK)
    no foreign god was with him.(AL)

13 He made him ride on the heights(AM) of the land
    and fed him with the fruit of the fields.
He nourished him with honey from the rock,(AN)
    and with oil(AO) from the flinty crag,
14 with curds and milk from herd and flock
    and with fattened lambs and goats,
with choice rams of Bashan(AP)
    and the finest kernels of wheat.(AQ)
You drank the foaming blood of the grape.(AR)

15 Jeshurun[c](AS) grew fat(AT) and kicked;
    filled with food, they became heavy and sleek.
They abandoned(AU) the God who made them
    and rejected the Rock(AV) their Savior.
16 They made him jealous(AW) with their foreign gods
    and angered(AX) him with their detestable idols.
17 They sacrificed(AY) to false gods,(AZ) which are not God—
    gods they had not known,(BA)
    gods that recently appeared,(BB)
    gods your ancestors did not fear.
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
    you forgot(BC) the God who gave you birth.

19 The Lord saw this and rejected them(BD)
    because he was angered by his sons and daughters.(BE)
20 “I will hide my face(BF) from them,” he said,
    “and see what their end will be;
for they are a perverse generation,(BG)
    children who are unfaithful.(BH)
21 They made me jealous(BI) by what is no god
    and angered me with their worthless idols.(BJ)
I will make them envious by those who are not a people;
    I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.(BK)
22 For a fire will be kindled by my wrath,(BL)
    one that burns down to the realm of the dead below.(BM)
It will devour(BN) the earth and its harvests(BO)
    and set afire the foundations of the mountains.(BP)

23 “I will heap calamities(BQ) on them
    and spend my arrows(BR) against them.
24 I will send wasting famine(BS) against them,
    consuming pestilence(BT) and deadly plague;(BU)
I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts,(BV)
    the venom of vipers(BW) that glide in the dust.(BX)
25 In the street the sword will make them childless;
    in their homes terror(BY) will reign.(BZ)
The young men and young women will perish,
    the infants and those with gray hair.(CA)
26 I said I would scatter(CB) them
    and erase their name from human memory,(CC)
27 but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy,
    lest the adversary misunderstand(CD)
and say, ‘Our hand has triumphed;
    the Lord has not done all this.’”(CE)

28 They are a nation without sense,
    there is no discernment(CF) in them.
29 If only they were wise and would understand this(CG)
    and discern what their end will be!(CH)
30 How could one man chase a thousand,
    or two put ten thousand to flight,(CI)
unless their Rock had sold them,(CJ)
    unless the Lord had given them up?(CK)
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,(CL)
    as even our enemies concede.(CM)
32 Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom(CN)
    and from the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are filled with poison,(CO)
    and their clusters with bitterness.(CP)
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
    the deadly poison of cobras.(CQ)

34 “Have I not kept this in reserve
    and sealed it in my vaults?(CR)
35 It is mine to avenge;(CS) I will repay.(CT)
    In due time their foot will slip;(CU)
their day of disaster is near
    and their doom rushes upon them.(CV)

36 The Lord will vindicate his people(CW)
    and relent(CX) concerning his servants(CY)
when he sees their strength is gone
    and no one is left, slave(CZ) or free.[d]
37 He will say: “Now where are their gods,
    the rock they took refuge in,(DA)
38 the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices
    and drank the wine of their drink offerings?(DB)
Let them rise up to help you!
    Let them give you shelter!

39 “See now that I myself am he!(DC)
    There is no god besides me.(DD)
I put to death(DE) and I bring to life,(DF)
    I have wounded and I will heal,(DG)
    and no one can deliver out of my hand.(DH)
40 I lift my hand(DI) to heaven and solemnly swear:
    As surely as I live forever,(DJ)
41 when I sharpen my flashing sword(DK)
    and my hand grasps it in judgment,
I will take vengeance(DL) on my adversaries
    and repay those who hate me.(DM)
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,(DN)
    while my sword devours flesh:(DO)
the blood of the slain and the captives,
    the heads of the enemy leaders.”

43 Rejoice,(DP) you nations, with his people,[e][f]
    for he will avenge the blood of his servants;(DQ)
he will take vengeance on his enemies(DR)
    and make atonement for his land and people.(DS)

44 Moses came with Joshua[g](DT) son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day,(DU) so that you may command(DV) your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.(DW) By them you will live long(DX) in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Moses to Die on Mount Nebo

48 On that same day the Lord told Moses,(DY) 49 “Go up into the Abarim(DZ) Range to Mount Nebo(EA) in Moab, across from Jericho,(EB) and view Canaan,(EC) the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. 50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die(ED) and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died(EE) on Mount Hor(EF) and was gathered to his people. 51 This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh(EG) in the Desert of Zin(EH) and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.(EI) 52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance;(EJ) you will not enter(EK) the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 32:6 Or Father, who bought you
  2. Deuteronomy 32:8 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint) sons of God
  3. Deuteronomy 32:15 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel.
  4. Deuteronomy 32:36 Or and they are without a ruler or leader
  5. Deuteronomy 32:43 Or Make his people rejoice, you nations
  6. Deuteronomy 32:43 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint) people, / and let all the angels worship him, /
  7. Deuteronomy 32:44 Hebrew Hoshea, a variant of Joshua