Deuteronomy 27:1-28:19

New International Version

The Altar on Mount Ebal

27 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all these commands^(A) that I give you today. ²When you have crossed the Jordan^(B) into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones^(C) and coat them with plaster.^(D) ³Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey,^(E) just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. ⁴And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal,^(F) as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. ⁵Build there an altar^(G) to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool^(H) on them. ⁶Build the altar of the Lord your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. ⁷Sacrifice fellowship offerings^(I) there, eating them and rejoicing^(J) in the presence of the Lord your God.^(K) ⁸And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones^(L) you have set up.”^(M)

Curses From Mount Ebal

⁹Then Moses and the Levitical^(N) priests said to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God.^(O) ¹⁰Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.”

¹¹On the same day Moses commanded the people:

¹²When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim^(P) to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar,^(Q) Joseph and Benjamin.^(R) ¹³And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal^(S) to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.

¹⁴The Levites shall recite to all the people of Israel in a loud voice:

¹⁵“Cursed is anyone who makes an idol^(T)—a thing detestable^(U) to the Lord, the work of skilled hands—and sets it up in secret.”

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”^(V)

¹⁶“Cursed is anyone who dishonors their father or mother.”^(W)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

¹⁷“Cursed is anyone who moves their neighbor’s boundary stone.”^(X)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

¹⁸“Cursed is anyone who leads the blind astray on the road.”^(Y)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

¹⁹“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner,^(Z) the fatherless or the widow.”^(AA)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²⁰“Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his father’s wife, for he dishonors his father’s bed.”^(AB)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²¹“Cursed is anyone who has sexual relations with any animal.”^(AC)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²²“Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.”^(AD)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²³“Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his mother-in-law.”^(AE)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²⁴“Cursed is anyone who kills^(AF) their neighbor secretly.”^(AG)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²⁵“Cursed is anyone who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.”^(AH)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²⁶“Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.”^(AI)

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”^(AJ)

Blessings for Obedience

28 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow^(AK) all his commands^(AL) I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.^(AM) ²All these blessings will come on you^(AN) and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:

³You will be blessed^(AO) in the city and blessed in the country.^(AP)

⁴The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.^(AQ)

⁵Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

⁶You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.^(AR)

⁷The Lord will grant that the enemies^(AS) who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.^(AT)

⁸The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless^(AU) you in the land he is giving you.

⁹The Lord will establish you as his holy people,^(AV) as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands^(AW) of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. ¹⁰Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name^(AX) of the Lord, and they will fear you. ¹¹The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock^(AY) and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.^(AZ)

¹²The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse^(BA) of his bounty,^(BB) to send rain^(BC) on your land in season and to bless^(BD) all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.^(BE) ¹³The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow^(BF) them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.^(BG) ¹⁴Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left,^(BH) following other gods and serving them.

Curses for Disobedience

¹⁵However, if you do not obey^(BI) the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today,^(BJ) all these curses will come on you and overtake you:^(BK)

¹⁶You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.^(BL)

¹⁷Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.^(BM)

¹⁸The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.^(BN)

¹⁹You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.^(BO)

Deuteronomy 27:1-28:19

King James Version

27 And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day.

²And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister:

³And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee.

⁴Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaister them with plaister.

⁵And there shalt thou build an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them.

⁶Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord thy God:

⁷And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the Lord thy God.

⁸And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.

⁹And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God.

¹⁰Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day.

¹¹And Moses charged the people the same day, saying,

¹²These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin:

¹³And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

¹⁴And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice,

¹⁵Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

¹⁶Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

¹⁷Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.

¹⁸Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.

¹⁹Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²⁰Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife; because he uncovereth his father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²¹Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²²Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²³Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²⁴Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²⁵Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²⁶Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

28 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

²And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

³Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

⁴Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

⁵Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

⁶Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

⁷The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

⁸The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

⁹The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.

¹⁰And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.

¹¹And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

¹²The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

¹³And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

¹⁴And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

¹⁵But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

¹⁶Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

¹⁷Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.

¹⁸Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

¹⁹Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

Deuteronomy 27:1-28:19

New King James Version

The Law Inscribed on Stones

27 Now Moses, with the elders of Israel, commanded the people, saying: “Keep all the commandments which I command you today. ²And it shall be, on the day ^(A)when you cross over the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, that ^(B)you shall set up for yourselves large stones, and whitewash them with lime. ³You shall write on them all the words of this law, when you have crossed over, that you may enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, ^(C)‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ just as the Lord God of your fathers promised you. ⁴Therefore it shall be, when you have crossed over the Jordan, that ^(D)on Mount Ebal you shall set up these stones, which I command you today, and you shall whitewash them with lime. ⁵And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones; ^(E)you shall not use an iron tool on them. ⁶You shall build with ^[a]whole stones the altar of the Lord your God, and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. ⁷You shall offer peace offerings, and shall eat there, and ^(F)rejoice before the Lord your God. ⁸And you shall ^(G)write very plainly on the stones all the words of this law.”

⁹Then Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, “Take heed and listen, O Israel: ^(H)This day you have become the people of the Lord your God. ¹⁰Therefore you shall obey the voice of the Lord your God, and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today.”

Curses Pronounced from Mount Ebal

¹¹And Moses commanded the people on the same day, saying, ¹²“These shall stand ^(I)on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, when you have crossed over the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin; ¹³and ^(J)these shall stand on Mount Ebal to curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

¹⁴“And ^(K)the Levites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Israel: ¹⁵^(L)‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molded image, ^[b]an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’

^(M)“And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen!’

¹⁶^(N)‘Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt.’