Deuteronomy

Moses gives speeches about laws and the importance of following God before the Israelites enter the Promised Land.

Chapter 32

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

*Listen, heaven, and I will talk; and pay attention, earth, to what I say.

2 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:

*My teaching will come like rain, my words will be like gentle dew, like light rain on a young plant, and like showers on the grass.

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

*Since I'll share God's name, give him great praise.

4 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.

*He is the Rock; his actions are flawless. All his ways show fairness. He is a truthful God with no wrongdoing. He is completely fair and just.

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

*They messed up; their place isn't like God's kids. They're twisted and bent people.

6 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?

*Are you treating the Lord like this, foolish people? He is your Father who bought you. Did he not create you and make you strong?

7 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.

*Remember long ago, think about past times from many years ago: ask your dad, and he'll show you; talk to the older people, and they'll tell you.

8 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.

*When God gave each nation its land, and separated people into groups, he set the boundaries based on the number of Jewish descendants.

9 For the LORD’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

*The LORD values his people; Jacob is his chosen 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.

*He discovered him in a dry, empty place and in a wild, loud wilderness. He guided him, taught him, and carefully watched over him, treating him like a precious treasure.

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

*Like an eagle, a mother bird protects and carries her babies with her strong wings.

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

*So, the LORD only guided him, and he had no other unknown gods 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;

*He took him to the top of the earth so he could enjoy the food from the fields. He also let him get honey from the rock and oil from the rock that's like stone.

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.

*Cow butter and sheep milk, along with lamb fat and strong rams, plus goats and wheat kidney fat; you also drank pure grape juice.

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.

*But Jeshurun became too comfortable and rebelled: you have become too comfortable, you have gotten too big, you are covered in excess; then he left the God who created him and treated the Rock of his safety as unimportant.

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

*They made him angry by worshiping other gods and doing disgusting things.

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.

*They worshipped demons, not God; they obeyed unknown gods, and new gods that recently appeared, which your ancestors never feared.

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

*You have forgotten the Rock who gave you birth, and also the God who created you.

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

*And when God saw it, he strongly disliked them due to the annoying behavior of his children, both boys and girls.

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.

*He said, "I'll hide my presence from them to see how it ends. They're a rebellious generation with no trust in children."

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.

*They made me envious with something that isn't really God; they made me angry with their prideful things. So, I will make them envious with people who aren't a real group, and make them angry with a silly 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.

*My anger starts a big fire, which goes to the deepest hell, burning the Earth and its growth, and lighting up the mountain foundations on fire.

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

*I will cause trouble for them; I will use my weapons against 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.

*They will suffer from extreme hunger and intense heat, and face bitter destruction. I will also send beast teeth and snake venom from the ground upon them.

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.

*Outside is a dangerous sword and inside is scary fear. They will destroy young people and old people too, including babies and grandpas.

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

*I said, I will spread them far away, and their memory will no longer be remembered by people.

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.

*If I didn't worry about the enemy's anger, I might be worried that their opponents would act weird, and they might say, "We did this on our own; the Lord didn't do it all."

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

*They have no advice and do not understand anything.

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

*Oh, if only they were smart enough to understand this, and think about what will happen in the future.

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?

*How can a small group scare away a thousand people, and make ten thousand run away, unless their own rock betrayed them, and the Lord trapped them?

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

*For their rock isn't the same as our Rock, even our enemies will be the ones judging.

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:

*Their grapevine comes from Sodom's plants and Gomorrah's fields. Their grapes are sour and their clusters taste bitter.

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

*Their wine acts like dragon poison, and has the harsh venom of snakes.

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

*Isn't this stored and sealed away as one of 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.

*I will take revenge and repay them; soon their foot will slip. Their terrible day is coming soon, and fast-approaching events will bring them harm.

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.

*The LORD will judge his people and feel sorry for his servants when he sees they have lost their strength and no one is left in captivity.

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

*He will ask, "Where are their gods that they relied on?"

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.

*Which ate the rich food from their sacrifices and drank the alcohol from their special drinks? Let them come and assist you, and provide safety for you.

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.

*"Understand that it's only me, and there is no other god with me. I have the power to take life and create life, cause harm and heal. No one can save from my control."

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

*I raise my hand to the sky and say, "I will always live."

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.

*If I sharpen my shiny sword and grasp justice, I will punish my foes and reward those who dislike 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.

*I will soak my arrows in blood and my sword will eat up flesh. This will happen using the blood of those defeated and captured, starting with avenging enemies from the very start.

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.

*Celebrate, all countries and his people! He will punish those who hurt his followers and take revenge on those who oppose him. He will show kindness to his land and 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.

*Moses and Hoshea, son of Nun, spoke all the words of this song to the people.

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

*Moses finished talking about everything to everyone in 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.

*He told them, "Focus on everything I'm telling you today and make sure you teach these things to your kids. They should follow all the rules in 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.

*This isn't just something useless for you; it's actually your life! By doing this, you'll live longer in the land you're going to cross the Jordan River to take control of.

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

*And God spoke to Moses on that very 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:

*Go to Mount Abarim's peak, called Mount Nebo, located in Moab land, opposite Jericho. There, you will see the Canaan land given to the Israelites as their property.

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:

*"And pass away at the mountain you're going to climb, and join your loved ones there; just like how Aaron, your sibling, died on Mount Hor and was reunited with 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.

*Because you disobeyed me with the people of Israel at the water place called Meribah Kadesh, in the desert of Zin; because you didn't make me holy among the people 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.

*You will see the land ahead, but you cannot enter the land I am giving to the children of Israel.

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