23 “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. 24 He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. 25 Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. 26 The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’

27 “But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?(A) 28 Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’[a] 29 When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.(B)

30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say:(C) 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers,(D) the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’[b] Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.(E)

33 “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.(F) 34 I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’[c](G)

35 “This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’(H) He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 He led them out of Egypt(I) and performed wonders and signs(J) in Egypt, at the Red Sea(K) and for forty years in the wilderness.(L)

37 “This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’[d](M) 38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel(N) who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors;(O) and he received living words(P) to pass on to us.(Q)

39 “But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.(R) 40 They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’[e](S) 41 That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made.(T) 42 But God turned away from them(U) and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars.(V) This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets:

“‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
    forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?
43 You have taken up the tabernacle of Molek
    and the star of your god Rephan,
    the idols you made to worship.
Therefore I will send you into exile’[f](W) beyond Babylon.

44 “Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law(X) with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen.(Y) 45 After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them.(Z) It remained in the land until the time of David,(AA) 46 who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.[g](AB) 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him.(AC)

48 “However, the Most High(AD) does not live in houses made by human hands.(AE) As the prophet says:

49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool.(AF)
What kind of house will you build for me?
says the Lord.
    Or where will my resting place be?
50 Has not my hand made all these things?’[h](AG)

51 “You stiff-necked people!(AH) Your hearts(AI) and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?(AJ) They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him(AK) 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels(AL) but have not obeyed it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious(AM) and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit,(AN) looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.(AO) 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open(AP) and the Son of Man(AQ) standing at the right hand of God.”

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city(AR) and began to stone him.(AS) Meanwhile, the witnesses(AT) laid their coats(AU) at the feet of a young man named Saul.(AV)

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”(AW) 60 Then he fell on his knees(AX) and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”(AY) When he had said this, he fell asleep.(AZ)

And Saul(BA) approved of their killing him.

The Church Persecuted and Scattered

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered(BB) throughout Judea and Samaria.(BC)

Footnotes

  1. Acts 7:28 Exodus 2:14
  2. Acts 7:32 Exodus 3:6
  3. Acts 7:34 Exodus 3:5,7,8,10
  4. Acts 7:37 Deut. 18:15
  5. Acts 7:40 Exodus 32:1
  6. Acts 7:43 Amos 5:25-27 (see Septuagint)
  7. Acts 7:46 Some early manuscripts the house of Jacob
  8. Acts 7:50 Isaiah 66:1,2

23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.

24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:

25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

26 And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?

27 But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?

29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.

30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.

31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,

32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.

33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.

34 I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.

35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.

36 He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

37 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.

38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

39 To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,

40 Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

42 Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

43 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.

45 Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;

46 Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

47 But Solomon built him an house.

48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

50 Hath not my hand made all these things?

51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

23 (A)“Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. 25 For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?’ 27 But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, (B)‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 (C)Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he (D)had two sons.

30 (E)“And when forty years had passed, an Angel [a]of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. 31 When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, 32 saying, (F)‘I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and dared not look. 33 (G)‘Then the Lord said to him, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. 34 I have surely (H)seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will (I)send you to Egypt.” ’

35 “This Moses whom they rejected, saying, (J)‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer (K)by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 (L)He brought them out, after he had (M)shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, (N)and in the Red Sea, (O)and in the wilderness forty years.

Israel Rebels Against God

37 “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, (P)‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. (Q)Him[b] you shall hear.’

38 (R)“This is he who was in the [c]congregation in the wilderness with (S)the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, (T)the one who received the living (U)oracles[d] to give to us, 39 whom our fathers (V)would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, 40 (W)saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 41 (X)And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and (Y)rejoiced in the works of their own hands. 42 Then (Z)God turned and gave them up to worship (AA)the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets:

(AB)‘Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness,
O house of Israel?
43 You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch,
And the star of your god Remphan,
Images which you made to worship;
And (AC)I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’

God’s True Tabernacle

44 “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses (AD)to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, 45 (AE)which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, (AF)whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the (AG)days of David, 46 (AH)who found favor before God and (AI)asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. 47 (AJ)But Solomon built Him a house.

48 “However, (AK)the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:

49 ‘Heaven(AL) is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
What house will you build for Me? says the Lord,
Or what is the place of My rest?
50 Has My hand not (AM)made all these things?’

Israel Resists the Holy Spirit

51 You (AN)stiff-necked[e] and (AO)uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 (AP)Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of (AQ)the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 (AR)who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.

Stephen the Martyr

54 (AS)When they heard these things they were [f]cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, (AT)being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the (AU)glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! (AV)I see the heavens opened and the (AW)Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And (AX)the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, (AY)receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, (AZ)“Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Saul Persecutes the Church

Now Saul was consenting to his death.

At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and (BA)they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 7:30 NU omits of the Lord
  2. Acts 7:37 NU, M omit Him you shall hear
  3. Acts 7:38 Gr. ekklesia, assembly or church
  4. Acts 7:38 sayings
  5. Acts 7:51 stubborn
  6. Acts 7:54 furious

Joshua to Succeed Moses

31 Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: “I am now a hundred and twenty years old(A) and I am no longer able to lead you.(B) The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’(C) The Lord your God himself will cross(D) over ahead of you.(E) He will destroy these nations(F) before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross(G) over ahead of you, as the Lord said. And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og,(H) the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. The Lord will deliver(I) them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous.(J) Do not be afraid or terrified(K) because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you;(L) he will never leave you(M) nor forsake(N) you.”

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said(O) to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them,(P) and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you;(Q) he will never leave you nor forsake you.(R) Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Public Reading of the Law

So Moses wrote(S) down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried(T) the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts,(U) during the Festival of Tabernacles,(V) 11 when all Israel comes to appear(W) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose,(X) you shall read this law(Y) before them in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn(Z) to fear(AA) the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children,(AB) who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Israel’s Rebellion Predicted

14 The Lord said to Moses, “Now the day of your death(AC) is near. Call Joshua(AD) and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.(AE)” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the tent of meeting.(AF)

15 Then the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.(AG) 16 And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors,(AH) and these people will soon prostitute(AI) themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake(AJ) me and break the covenant I made with them. 17 And in that day I will become angry(AK) with them and forsake(AL) them; I will hide(AM) my face(AN) from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters(AO) and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’(AP) 18 And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.

19 “Now write(AQ) down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness(AR) for me against them. 20 When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors,(AS) and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods(AT) and worship them,(AU) rejecting me and breaking my covenant.(AV) 21 And when many disasters and calamities come on them,(AW) this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do,(AX) even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” 22 So Moses wrote(AY) down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.

23 The Lord gave this command(AZ) to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous,(BA) for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.”

24 After Moses finished writing(BB) in a book the words of this law(BC) from beginning to end, 25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried(BD) the ark of the covenant of the Lord: 26 “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. There it will remain as a witness against you.(BE) 27 For I know how rebellious(BF) and stiff-necked(BG) you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die! 28 Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to testify against them.(BH) 29 For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt(BI) and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster(BJ) will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and arouse his anger by what your hands have made.”

The Song of Moses

30 And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:

32 Listen,(BK) you heavens,(BL) and I will speak;
    hear, you earth, the words of my mouth.(BM)
Let my teaching fall like rain(BN)
    and my words descend like dew,(BO)
like showers(BP) on new grass,
    like abundant rain on tender plants.

I will proclaim(BQ) the name of the Lord.(BR)
    Oh, praise the greatness(BS) of our God!
He is the Rock,(BT) his works are perfect,(BU)
    and all his ways are just.
A faithful God(BV) who does no wrong,
    upright(BW) and just is he.(BX)

They are corrupt and not his children;
    to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation.(BY)
Is this the way you repay(BZ) the Lord,
    you foolish(CA) and unwise people?(CB)
Is he not your Father,(CC) your Creator,[a]
    who made you and formed you?(CD)

Remember the days of old;(CE)
    consider the generations long past.(CF)
Ask your father and he will tell you,
    your elders, and they will explain to you.(CG)
When the Most High(CH) gave the nations their inheritance,
    when he divided all mankind,(CI)
he set up boundaries(CJ) for the peoples
    according to the number of the sons of Israel.[b](CK)
For the Lord’s portion(CL) is his people,
    Jacob his allotted inheritance.(CM)

10 In a desert(CN) land he found him,
    in a barren and howling waste.(CO)
He shielded(CP) him and cared for him;
    he guarded him as the apple of his eye,(CQ)
11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest
    and hovers over its young,(CR)
that spreads its wings to catch them
    and carries them aloft.(CS)
12 The Lord alone led(CT) him;(CU)
    no foreign god was with him.(CV)

13 He made him ride on the heights(CW) of the land
    and fed him with the fruit of the fields.
He nourished him with honey from the rock,(CX)
    and with oil(CY) from the flinty crag,
14 with curds and milk from herd and flock
    and with fattened lambs and goats,
with choice rams of Bashan(CZ)
    and the finest kernels of wheat.(DA)
You drank the foaming blood of the grape.(DB)

15 Jeshurun[c](DC) grew fat(DD) and kicked;
    filled with food, they became heavy and sleek.
They abandoned(DE) the God who made them
    and rejected the Rock(DF) their Savior.
16 They made him jealous(DG) with their foreign gods
    and angered(DH) him with their detestable idols.
17 They sacrificed(DI) to false gods,(DJ) which are not God—
    gods they had not known,(DK)
    gods that recently appeared,(DL)
    gods your ancestors did not fear.
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
    you forgot(DM) the God who gave you birth.

19 The Lord saw this and rejected them(DN)
    because he was angered by his sons and daughters.(DO)
20 “I will hide my face(DP) from them,” he said,
    “and see what their end will be;
for they are a perverse generation,(DQ)
    children who are unfaithful.(DR)
21 They made me jealous(DS) by what is no god
    and angered me with their worthless idols.(DT)
I will make them envious by those who are not a people;
    I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.(DU)
22 For a fire will be kindled by my wrath,(DV)
    one that burns down to the realm of the dead below.(DW)
It will devour(DX) the earth and its harvests(DY)
    and set afire the foundations of the mountains.(DZ)

23 “I will heap calamities(EA) on them
    and spend my arrows(EB) against them.
24 I will send wasting famine(EC) against them,
    consuming pestilence(ED) and deadly plague;(EE)
I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts,(EF)
    the venom of vipers(EG) that glide in the dust.(EH)
25 In the street the sword will make them childless;
    in their homes terror(EI) will reign.(EJ)
The young men and young women will perish,
    the infants and those with gray hair.(EK)
26 I said I would scatter(EL) them
    and erase their name from human memory,(EM)
27 but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy,
    lest the adversary misunderstand(EN)
and say, ‘Our hand has triumphed;
    the Lord has not done all this.’”(EO)

28 They are a nation without sense,
    there is no discernment(EP) in them.
29 If only they were wise and would understand this(EQ)
    and discern what their end will be!(ER)
30 How could one man chase a thousand,
    or two put ten thousand to flight,(ES)
unless their Rock had sold them,(ET)
    unless the Lord had given them up?(EU)
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,(EV)
    as even our enemies concede.(EW)
32 Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom(EX)
    and from the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are filled with poison,(EY)
    and their clusters with bitterness.(EZ)
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
    the deadly poison of cobras.(FA)

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

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

39 “See now that I myself am he!(FM)
    There is no god besides me.(FN)
I put to death(FO) and I bring to life,(FP)
    I have wounded and I will heal,(FQ)
    and no one can deliver out of my hand.(FR)
40 I lift my hand(FS) to heaven and solemnly swear:
    As surely as I live forever,(FT)
41 when I sharpen my flashing sword(FU)
    and my hand grasps it in judgment,
I will take vengeance(FV) on my adversaries
    and repay those who hate me.(FW)
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,(FX)
    while my sword devours flesh:(FY)
the blood of the slain and the captives,
    the heads of the enemy leaders.”

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

44 Moses came with Joshua[g](GD) 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,(GE) so that you may command(GF) your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.(GG) By them you will live long(GH) 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,(GI) 49 “Go up into the Abarim(GJ) Range to Mount Nebo(GK) in Moab, across from Jericho,(GL) and view Canaan,(GM) the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. 50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die(GN) and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died(GO) on Mount Hor(GP) 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(GQ) in the Desert of Zin(GR) and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.(GS) 52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance;(GT) you will not enter(GU) 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

31 And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.

And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the Lord hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said.

And the Lord shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.

And the Lord shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and unto all the elders of Israel.

10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,

11 When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

12 Gather the people together, men and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:

13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.

15 And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.

16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?

18 And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.

19 Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.

21 And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.

22 Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.

23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.

24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,

25 That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying,

26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the Lord; and how much more after my death?

28 Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.

29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.

30 And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.

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.

Joshua the New Leader of Israel(A)

31 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them: “I (B)am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer (C)go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, (D)‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’ The Lord your God (E)Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. (F)Joshua himself crosses over before you, just (G)as the Lord has said. (H)And the Lord will do to them (I)as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. (J)The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. (K)Be strong and of good courage, (L)do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, (M)He is the One who goes with you. (N)He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, (O)“Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, (P)He is the One who goes before you. (Q)He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

The Law to Be Read Every Seven Years

So Moses wrote this law (R)and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, (S)who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the (T)year of release, (U)at the Feast of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to (V)appear before the Lord your God in the (W)place which He chooses, (X)you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 (Y)Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, (Z)who have not known it, (AA)may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.”

Prediction of Israel’s Rebellion

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, (AB)“Behold, the days approach when you must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of meeting, that (AC)I may [a]inaugurate him.”

So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tabernacle of meeting. 15 Now (AD)the Lord appeared at the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood above the door of the tabernacle.

16 And the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, you will [b]rest with your fathers; and this people will (AE)rise and (AF)play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will (AG)forsake Me and (AH)break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My anger shall be (AI)aroused against them in that day, and (AJ)I will forsake them, and I will (AK)hide My face from them, and they shall be [c]devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, (AL)‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is (AM)not among us?’ 18 And (AN)I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.

19 “Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be (AO)a witness for Me against the children of Israel. 20 When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves (AP)and grown fat, (AQ)then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant. 21 Then it shall be, (AR)when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for (AS)I know the inclination (AT)of their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the land of which I swore to give them.

22 Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel. 23 (AU)Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, (AV)“Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”

24 So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: 26 “Take this Book of the Law, (AW)and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there (AX)as a witness against you; 27 (AY)for I know your rebellion and your (AZ)stiff neck. If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord, then how much more after my death? 28 Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing (BA)and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will (BB)become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And (BC)evil will befall you (BD)in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”

The Song of Moses

30 Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song until they were ended:

The Song of Moses

32 “Give (BE)ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
And hear, O (BF)earth, the words of my mouth.
Let (BG)my [d]teaching drop as the rain,
My speech distill as the dew,
(BH)As raindrops on the tender herb,
And as showers on the grass.
For I proclaim the (BI)name of the Lord:
(BJ)Ascribe greatness to our God.
He is (BK)the Rock, (BL)His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
(BM)A God of truth and (BN)without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.

“They(BO) have corrupted themselves;
They are not His children,
Because of their blemish:
A (BP)perverse and crooked generation.
Do you thus (BQ)deal[e] with the Lord,
O foolish and unwise people?
Is He not (BR)your Father, who (BS)bought you?
Has He not (BT)made you and established you?

“Remember(BU) the days of old,
Consider the years of many generations.
(BV)Ask your father, and he will show you;
Your elders, and they will tell you:
When the Most High (BW)divided their inheritance to the nations,
When He (BX)separated the sons of Adam,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the [f]children of Israel.
For (BY)the Lord’s portion is His people;
Jacob is the place of His inheritance.

10 “He found him (BZ)in a desert land
And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
He encircled him, He instructed him,
He (CA)kept him as the [g]apple of His eye.
11 (CB)As an eagle stirs up its nest,
Hovers over its young,
Spreading out its wings, taking them up,
Carrying them on its wings,
12 So the Lord alone led him,
And there was no foreign god with him.

13 “He(CC) 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;
14 Curds from the cattle, and milk of the flock,
(CD)With fat of lambs;
And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats,
With the choicest wheat;
And you drank wine, the (CE)blood of the grapes.

15 “But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked;
(CF)You grew fat, you grew thick,
You are obese!
Then he (CG)forsook God who (CH)made him,
And scornfully esteemed the (CI)Rock of his salvation.
16 (CJ)They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods;
With [h]abominations they provoked Him to anger.
17 (CK)They sacrificed to demons, not to God,
To gods they did not know,
To new gods, new arrivals
That your fathers did not fear.
18 (CL)Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful,
And have (CM)forgotten the God who fathered you.

19 “And(CN) when the Lord saw it, He spurned them,
Because of the provocation of His sons and His daughters.
20 And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them,
I will see what their end will be,
For they are a perverse generation,
(CO)Children in whom is no faith.
21 (CP)They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God;
They have moved Me to anger (CQ)by their [i]foolish idols.
But (CR)I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation;
I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.
22 For (CS)a fire is kindled in My anger,
And shall burn to the [j]lowest [k]hell;
It shall consume the earth with her increase,
And set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 ‘I will (CT)heap disasters on them;
(CU)I will spend My arrows on them.
24 They shall be wasted with hunger,
Devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction;
I will also send against them the (CV)teeth of beasts,
With the poison of serpents of the dust.
25 The sword shall destroy outside;
There shall be terror within
For the young man and virgin,
The nursing child with the man of gray hairs.
26 (CW)I would have said, “I will dash them in pieces,
I will make the memory of them to cease from among men,”
27 Had I not feared the wrath of the enemy,
Lest their adversaries should misunderstand,
Lest they should say, (CX)“Our hand is high;
And it is not the Lord who has done all this.” ’

28 “For they are a nation void of counsel,
Nor is there any understanding in them.
29 (CY)Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this,
That they would consider their (CZ)latter end!
30 How could one chase a thousand,
And two put ten thousand to flight,
Unless their Rock (DA)had sold them,
And the Lord had surrendered them?
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,
(DB)Even our enemies themselves being judges.
32 For (DC)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 (DD)the poison of serpents,
And the cruel (DE)venom of cobras.

34 Is this not (DF)laid up in store with Me,
Sealed up among My treasures?
35 (DG)Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
Their foot shall slip in due time;
(DH)For the day of their calamity is at hand,
And the things to come hasten upon them.’

36 “For(DI) the Lord will judge His people
(DJ)And have compassion on His servants,
When He sees that their power is gone,
And (DK)there is no one remaining, bond or free.
37 He will say: (DL)‘Where are their gods,
The rock in which they sought refuge?
38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices,
And drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise and help you,
And be your refuge.

39 ‘Now see that (DM)I, even I, am He,
And (DN)there is no God besides Me;
(DO)I kill and I make alive;
I wound and I heal;
Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.
40 For I raise My hand to heaven,
And say, “As I live forever,
41 (DP)If I [l]whet My glittering sword,
And My hand takes hold on judgment,
I will render vengeance to My enemies,
And repay those who hate Me.
42 I 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.” ’

43 “Rejoice,(DQ) O Gentiles, with His [m]people;
For He will (DR)avenge the blood of His servants,
And render vengeance to His adversaries;
He (DS)will provide atonement for His land and His people.”

44 So Moses came with [n]Joshua the son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. 45 Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 and he said to them: (DT)“Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your (DU)children to be careful to observe—all the words of this law. 47 For it is not a [o]futile thing for you, because it is your (DV)life, and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess.”

Moses to Die on Mount Nebo

48 Then the Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying: 49 (DW)“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; 50 and die on the mountain which you ascend, and be [p]gathered to your people, just as (DX)Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people; 51 because (DY)you trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of [q]Meribah Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin, because you (DZ)did not hallow Me in the midst of the children of Israel. 52 (EA)Yet 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.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 31:14 commission
  2. Deuteronomy 31:16 Die and join your ancestors
  3. Deuteronomy 31:17 consumed
  4. Deuteronomy 32:2 doctrine
  5. Deuteronomy 32:6 repay the
  6. Deuteronomy 32:8 LXX, DSS angels of God; Symmachus, Lat. sons of God
  7. Deuteronomy 32:10 pupil
  8. Deuteronomy 32:16 detestable acts
  9. Deuteronomy 32:21 foolishness, lit. vanities
  10. Deuteronomy 32:22 lowest part of
  11. Deuteronomy 32:22 Or Sheol
  12. Deuteronomy 32:41 sharpen
  13. Deuteronomy 32:43 DSS fragment adds And let all the gods (angels) worship Him; cf. LXX and Heb. 1:6
  14. Deuteronomy 32:44 Heb. Hoshea, Num. 13:8, 16
  15. Deuteronomy 32:47 vain
  16. Deuteronomy 32:50 Join your ancestors
  17. Deuteronomy 32:51 Lit. Contention at Kadesh

Job

19 Then Job replied:

“How long will you torment(A) me
    and crush(B) me with words?
Ten times(C) now you have reproached(D) me;
    shamelessly you attack me.
If it is true that I have gone astray,
    my error(E) remains my concern alone.
If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me(F)
    and use my humiliation against me,
then know that God has wronged me(G)
    and drawn his net(H) around me.(I)

“Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response;(J)
    though I call for help,(K) there is no justice.(L)
He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;(M)
    he has shrouded my paths in darkness.(N)
He has stripped(O) me of my honor(P)
    and removed the crown from my head.(Q)
10 He tears me down(R) on every side till I am gone;
    he uproots my hope(S) like a tree.(T)
11 His anger(U) burns against me;
    he counts me among his enemies.(V)
12 His troops advance in force;(W)
    they build a siege ramp(X) against me
    and encamp around my tent.(Y)

13 “He has alienated my family(Z) from me;
    my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.(AA)
14 My relatives have gone away;
    my closest friends(AB) have forgotten me.
15 My guests(AC) and my female servants(AD) count me a foreigner;
    they look on me as on a stranger.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
    though I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife;
    I am loathsome(AE) to my own family.
18 Even the little boys(AF) scorn me;
    when I appear, they ridicule me.(AG)
19 All my intimate friends(AH) detest me;(AI)
    those I love have turned against me.(AJ)
20 I am nothing but skin and bones;(AK)
    I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.[a]

21 “Have pity on me, my friends,(AL) have pity,
    for the hand of God has struck(AM) me.
22 Why do you pursue(AN) me as God does?(AO)
    Will you never get enough of my flesh?(AP)

23 “Oh, that my words were recorded,
    that they were written on a scroll,(AQ)
24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool(AR) on[b] lead,
    or engraved in rock forever!(AS)
25 I know that my redeemer[c](AT) lives,(AU)
    and that in the end he will stand on the earth.[d]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
    yet[e] in[f] my flesh I will see God;(AV)
27 I myself will see him
    with my own eyes(AW)—I, and not another.
    How my heart yearns(AX) within me!

28 “If you say, ‘How we will hound(AY) him,
    since the root of the trouble lies in him,[g]
29 you should fear the sword yourselves;
    for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,(AZ)
    and then you will know that there is judgment.[h](BA)

Footnotes

  1. Job 19:20 Or only by my gums
  2. Job 19:24 Or and
  3. Job 19:25 Or vindicator
  4. Job 19:25 Or on my grave
  5. Job 19:26 Or And after I awake, / though this body has been destroyed, / then
  6. Job 19:26 Or destroyed, / apart from
  7. Job 19:28 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts me
  8. Job 19:29 Or sword, / that you may come to know the Almighty

19 Then Job answered and said,

How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?

These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.

And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself.

If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach:

Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net.

Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.

He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.

He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.

10 He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree.

11 He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.

12 His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle.

13 He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me.

14 My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.

15 They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.

16 I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth.

17 My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children's sake of mine own body.

18 Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me.

19 All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.

20 My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

21 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.

22 Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?

23 Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!

24 That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!

25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

28 But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?

29 Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.

Job Trusts in His Redeemer

19 Then Job answered and said:

“How long will you torment my soul,
And break me in pieces with words?
These ten times you have [a]reproached me;
You are not ashamed that you [b]have wronged me.
And if indeed I have erred,
My error remains with me.
If indeed you (A)exalt yourselves against me,
And plead my disgrace against me,
Know then that (B)God has wronged me,
And has surrounded me with His net.

“If I cry out concerning [c]wrong, I am not heard.
If I cry aloud, there is no justice.
(C)He has [d]fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass;
And He has set darkness in my paths.
(D)He has stripped me of my glory,
And taken the crown from my head.
10 He breaks me down on every side,
And I am gone;
My (E)hope He has uprooted like a tree.
11 He has also kindled His wrath against me,
And (F)He counts me as one of His enemies.
12 His troops come together
And build up their road against me;
They encamp all around my tent.

13 “He(G) has removed my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
14 My relatives have failed,
And my close friends have forgotten me.
15 Those who dwell in my house, and my maidservants,
Count me as a stranger;
I am an alien in their sight.
16 I call my servant, but he gives no answer;
I beg him with my mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am [e]repulsive to the children of my own body.
18 Even (H)young children despise me;
I arise, and they speak against me.
19 (I)All my close friends abhor me,
And those whom I love have turned against me.
20 (J)My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh,
And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

21 “Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends,
For the hand of God has struck me!
22 Why do you (K)persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?

23 “Oh, that my words were written!
Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!
24 That they were engraved on a rock
With an iron pen and lead, forever!
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
26 And after my skin is [f]destroyed, this I know,
That (L)in my flesh I shall see God,
27 Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my [g]heart yearns within me!
28 If you should say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’—
Since the root of the matter is found in me,
29 Be afraid of the sword for yourselves;
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
That you may know there is a judgment.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 19:3 shamed or disgraced
  2. Job 19:3 A Jewish tradition make yourselves strange to me
  3. Job 19:7 violence
  4. Job 19:8 walled off my way
  5. Job 19:17 Lit. strange
  6. Job 19:26 Lit. struck off
  7. Job 19:27 Lit. kidneys