| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. | 1Pay attention, heavens, and I will speak; listen, earth, to the words of my mouth. |
| 2Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As raindrops on the tender herb, And as showers on the grass. | 2Let my teaching fall like rain and my word settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass and showers on tender plants. |
| 3For I proclaim the name of the LORD: Ascribe greatness to our God. | 3For I will proclaim Yahweh's name. Declare the greatness of our God! |
| 4He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. | 4The Rock--His work is perfect; all His ways are entirely just. A faithful God, without prejudice, He is righteous and true. |
| 5“They have corrupted themselves; They are not His children, Because of their blemish: A perverse and crooked generation. | 5His people have acted corruptly toward Him; this is their defect--they are not His children but a devious and crooked generation. |
| 6Do you thus deal with the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father, who bought you? Has He not made you and established you? | 6Is this how you repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Isn't He your Father and Creator? Didn't He make you and sustain you? |
| 7“Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; Your elders, and they will tell you: | 7Remember the days of old; consider the years long past. Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will teach you. |
| 8When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, When He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel. | 8When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance and divided the human race, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the people of Israel. |
| 9For the LORD’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. | 9But the LORD's portion is His people, Jacob, His own inheritance. |
| 10“He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. | 10He found him in a desolate land, in a barren, howling wilderness; He surrounded him, cared for him, and protected him as the pupil of His eye. |
| 11As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, | 11He watches over His nest like an eagle and hovers over His young; He spreads His wings, catches him, and lifts him up on His pinions. |
| 12So the LORD alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him. | 12The LORD alone led him, with no help from a foreign god. |
| 13“He made him ride in the heights of the earth, That he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him draw honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock; | 13He made him ride on the heights of the land and eat the produce of the field. He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from flint-like rock, |
| 14Curds from the cattle, and milk of the flock, With fat of lambs; And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, With the choicest wheat; And you drank wine, the blood of the grapes. | 14cream from the herd and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs, rams from Bashan, and goats, with the choicest grains of wheat; you drank wine from the finest grapes. |
| 15“But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation. | 15Then Jeshurun became fat and rebelled-- you became fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation. |
| 16They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger. | 16They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods; they enraged Him with detestable practices. |
| 17They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, To new gods, new arrivals That your fathers did not fear. | 17They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods they had not known, new gods that had just arrived, which your fathers did not fear. |
| 18Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, And have forgotten the God who fathered you. | 18You ignored the Rock who gave you birth; you forgot the God who gave birth to you. |
| 19“And when the LORD saw it, He spurned them, Because of the provocation of His sons and His daughters. | 19When the LORD saw this, He despised them, provoked to anger by His sons and daughters. |
| 20And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end will be, For they are a perverse generation, Children in whom is no faith. | 20He said: "I will hide My face from them; I will see what will become of them, for they are a perverse generation-- unfaithful children. |
| 21They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God; They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation. | 21They have provoked My jealousy with their so-called gods; they have enraged Me with their worthless idols. So I will provoke their jealousy with an inferior people; I will enrage them with a foolish nation. |
| 22For a fire is kindled in My anger, And shall burn to the lowest hell; It shall consume the earth with her increase, And set on fire the foundations of the mountains. | 22For fire has been kindled because of My anger and burns to the depths of Sheol; it devours the land and its produce, and scorches the foundations of the mountains." |
| 23‘I will heap disasters on them; I will spend My arrows on them. | 23I will pile disasters on them; I will use up My arrows against them. |
| 24They shall be wasted with hunger, Devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction; I will also send against them the teeth of beasts, With the poison of serpents of the dust. | 24They will be weak from hunger, ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague; I will unleash on them wild beasts with fangs, as well as venomous snakes that slither in the dust. |
| 25The sword shall destroy outside; There shall be terror within For the young man and virgin, The nursing child with the man of gray hairs. | 25Outside, the sword will take their children, and inside, there will be terror; the young man and the young woman will be killed, the infant and the gray-haired man." |
| 26I would have said, “I will dash them in pieces, I will make the memory of them to cease from among men,” | 26I would have said: I will cut them to pieces and blot out the memory of them from mankind, |
| 27Had I not feared the wrath of the enemy, Lest their adversaries should misunderstand, Lest they should say, “Our hand is high; And it is not the LORD who has done all this.” ’ | 27if I had not feared insult from the enemy, or feared that these foes might misunderstand and say: 'Our own hand has prevailed; it wasn't the LORD who did all this.'" |
| 28“For they are a nation void of counsel, Nor is there any understanding in them. | 28Israel is a nation lacking sense with no understanding at all. |
| 29Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would consider their latter end! | 29If only they were wise, they would figure it out; they would understand their fate. |
| 30How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the LORD had surrendered them? | 30How could one man pursue a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up? |
| 31For their rock is not like our Rock, Even our enemies themselves being judges. | 31But their "rock" is not like our Rock; even our enemies concede. |
| 32For their vine is of the vine of Sodom And of the fields of Gomorrah; Their grapes are grapes of gall, Their clusters are bitter. | 32For their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; their clusters are bitter. |
| 33Their wine is the poison of serpents, And the cruel venom of cobras. | 33Their wine is serpents' venom, the deadly poison of cobras." |
| 34‘Is this not laid up in store with Me, Sealed up among My treasures? | 34Is it not stored up with Me, sealed up in My vaults? |
| 35Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.’ | 35Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay. In time their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly." |
| 36“For the LORD will judge His people And have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their power is gone, And there is no one remaining, bond or free. | 36The LORD will indeed vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one is left--slave or free. |
| 37He will say: ‘Where are their gods, The rock in which they sought refuge? | 37He will say: "Where are their gods, the 'rock they found refuge in? |
| 38Who ate the fat of their sacrifices, And drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise and help you, And be your refuge. | 38Who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you; let it be a shelter for you. |
| 39‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand. | 39See now that I alone am He; there is no God but Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal. No one can rescue anyone from My hand. |
| 40For I raise My hand to heaven, And say, “As I live forever, | 40I raise My hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever, |
| 41If I whet My glittering sword, And My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My enemies, And repay those who hate Me. | 41when I sharpen My flashing sword, and My hand takes hold of judgment, I will take vengeance on My adversaries and repay those who hate Me. |
| 42I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword shall devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the heads of the leaders of the enemy.” ’ | 42I will make My arrows drunk with blood while My sword devours flesh-- the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders." |
| 43“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people.” | 43Rejoice, you nations, concerning His people, for He will avenge the blood of His servants. He will take vengeance on His adversaries; He will purify His land and His people. |
| 44So Moses came with Joshua the son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. | 44Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and recited all the words of this song in the presence of the people. |
| 45Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel, | 45After Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, |
| 46and he said to them: “Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe—all the words of this law. | 46he said to them, "Take to heart all these words I am giving as a warning to you today, so that you may command your children to carefully follow all the words of this law. |
| 47For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess.” | 47For they are not meaningless words to you but they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." |
| 48Then the LORD spoke to Moses that very same day, saying: | 48On that same day the LORD spoke to Moses," |
| 49“Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, across from Jericho; view the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel as a possession; | 49Go up Mount Nebo in the Abarim range in the land of Moab, across from Jericho, and view the land of Canaan I am giving the Israelites as a possession. |
| 50and die on the mountain which you ascend, and be gathered to your people, just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people; | 50Then you will die on the mountain that you go up, and you will be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. |
| 51because you trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin, because you did not hallow Me in the midst of the children of Israel. | 51For both of you broke faith with Me among the Israelites at the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin by failing to treat Me as holy in their presence. |
| 52Yet you shall see the land before you, though you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving to the children of Israel.” | 52Although from a distance you will view the land that I am giving the Israelites, you will not go there." |
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