Deuteronomy Chapter 28
Showing all 68 verses for Deuteronomy Chapter 28.
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"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: "
"If you listen carefully to the LORD your God's voice and keep every command I'm giving you today, then the LORD your God will set you above every other nation on earth."
Jesus reminds us that a life tuned to listening for God's voice - to love, not fear - naturally rises above pettiness and strife. Obedience here isn't about earning favour but about walking so closely with the Father that goodness simply follows, the way fruit follows a well-tended tree.
"And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. "
"All these blessings will come to you and catch up with you, if you listen to the LORD your God's voice."
These blessings aren't prizes to chase but the natural overflow of a life surrendered to love. When we stop striving to control every outcome and simply walk close to God, goodness has a way of catching up with us rather than the other way around.
"Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. "
"You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the countryside."
God's care isn't confined to the sanctuary or the harvest alone. Wherever we labour, whether in the noise of the city or the quiet of the land, his blessing can meet us there if our hearts stay turned towards him.
"Blessed 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. "
"The children you have, the crops your ground produces, and the offspring of your livestock - your cattle and your flocks - will all be blessed."
God delights in the fruitfulness of ordinary life - family, work, the land we tend. He isn't distant from our daily productivity but woven right through it, blessing what we nurture with patience.
"Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. "
"Your basket and your kneading bowl will be blessed."
Even the small, unglamorous parts of life - the pantry, the savings, the daily provision - matter to God. He cares about the practical details of how we're fed and sustained, not only the dramatic moments.
"Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. "
"You will be blessed when you come in, and blessed when you go out."
Whatever we're beginning or leaving behind - a journey, a job, a season of life - God's blessing can walk with us through both the arrival and the departure, not just the destination.
"The 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. "
"The LORD will cause enemies who attack you to be defeated in front of you: they'll come at you from one direction and run from you in seven."
Jesus doesn't ask us to relish an enemy's downfall, but this promise shows that when we stand rooted in God, opposition built on fear and hatred cannot hold together for long. What looks like a threat scatters before a life anchored in love rather than retaliation.
"The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou setiest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. "
"The LORD will guarantee blessing on your storehouses and on everything you put your hand to, and will bless you in the land the LORD your God is giving you."
God's blessing isn't limited to what we've already stored away; it also reaches into the work of our hands right now, meeting us in the middle of effort, not only at the harvest.
"The 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. "
"The LORD will establish you as a people set apart for himself, just as he swore to you, if you keep the LORD your God's commandments and walk in his ways."
Being set apart was never about superiority over others but about becoming a people so shaped by love and faithfulness that the world could see something different in them. Holiness here is relational closeness with God, walked out in ordinary steps.
"And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. "
"All the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the LORD's name, and they will be in awe of you."
Jesus wants his followers known not for causing fear but for carrying such evident love and integrity that even outsiders sense something holy is present. That quiet reverence is a world away from intimidation.
"And 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. "
"The LORD will make you overflow with good things - children, livestock, and crops - in the land the LORD swore to your ancestors to give you."
Abundance in family, land and flock is pictured here as gift, not entitlement. Jesus wants us to receive provision with gratitude, remembering it flows from a promise kept generations before we ever arrived.
"The 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. "
"The LORD will open his rich storehouse - the sky - to give your land rain at the right time, and to bless everything you do; you will lend to many nations and never need to borrow."
Being in a position to lend rather than borrow was never about financial pride but about having enough to be generous towards others. God's blessing was always meant to flow onward, freeing us to give rather than clutch tightly to what we hold.
"And 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: "
"The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will always be on top and never underneath - if you listen to the LORD your God's commandments, which I am giving you today, and keep and do them."
Being 'the head' was never licence to lord it over others - the leadership Jesus models is servanthood. The honour promised here finds its truest shape in a life that leads by serving, not by dominating.
"And 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. "
"Do not turn aside from any of the words I am commanding you today, to the right or to the left, to go and serve other gods."
Staying true to God's way isn't rigid conformity but simple faithfulness - keeping our hearts from drifting towards whatever else competes for the devotion that belongs to him alone.
"But 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: "
"But if you do not listen to the LORD your God's voice, to keep and do all his commandments and rules that I'm giving you today, then all these curses will come and catch up with you."
This isn't God waiting to punish but a sober description of what happens when we cut ourselves off from the source of love and life. Jesus later bore this very curse himself, so that turning back would always remain possible.
"Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. "
"You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the countryside."
The reversal here isn't cruelty but honesty - a life cut off from love struggles wherever it goes, in crowd or field alike. The aim was never fear but a warning gentle enough to be heeded before it must be lived.
"Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. "
"Your basket and your kneading bowl will be cursed."
Even our stores and pantries reflect a deeper poverty when we've drifted from love and trust. The emptiness isn't punishment for its own sake but the natural hollowness of a life disconnected from its source.
"Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. "
"The children you have and the crops of your land will be cursed, along with the offspring of your cattle and flocks."
The very things meant to flourish - family, land, flock - wither when love for God is abandoned. This isn't malice from heaven but the sad unravelling of a life no longer rooted in the one who gives growth.
"Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. "
"You will be cursed when you come in, and cursed when you go out."
No threshold we cross - starting out or coming home - is untouched by the state of our relationship with God. Jesus longs for every transition in our lives to be one we cross with him, not without him.
"The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou setiest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. "
"The LORD will send curses, confusion, and rebuke on everything you attempt, until you are destroyed and quickly perish - because of the evil you've done in abandoning me."
The pain described here flows from forsaking God, not from any eagerness on his part to punish. Jesus' whole mission was to close that very gap, so that no one need be abandoned to the consequences of wandering, however far they've gone.
"The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. "
"The LORD will make disease stick to you until it has wiped you off the land you're entering to possess."
This grim warning shows how thoroughly disconnection from God's care can unravel a community's health and safety. Even here, God's desire was always restoration, not the affliction itself.
"The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. "
"The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, fever, inflammation, scorching heat, war, crop blight, and mildew - and they will hunt you down until you perish."
This grim catalogue pictures what a world estranged from God's care can become. Jesus, who healed every disease he met, shows us the opposite direction - towards wholeness, not away from it.
"And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. "
"The sky above you will be bronze, and the ground beneath you will be iron."
An unresponsive sky and unyielding ground picture a heart so hardened that even nature seems to close in around it. Jesus offers the opposite - an open heaven and a soft heart, ready to receive grace.
"The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. "
"The LORD will turn the rain on your land into powder and dust; it will fall on you from the sky until you are destroyed."
When we cut ourselves off from the source of life, even the good gifts of creation can feel like they're working against us. Jesus invites us back into relationship, where the same skies pour out blessing rather than dust.
"The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. "
"The LORD will cause you to be defeated in front of your enemies: you'll go out against them one way and flee from them in seven, and you will be scattered among all the kingdoms of the earth."
Being scattered before opposition mirrors the scattering of a people who lost their centre. Jesus gathers what sin scatters, calling the exiled and defeated back into belonging.
"And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away. "
"Your dead body will become food for every bird in the sky and every animal on the land, with no one to scare them off."
This stark image warns of the ultimate exposure a life estranged from God can bring. Even so, Jesus later assured us that not even a sparrow falls unnoticed - no one is ever truly abandoned to meaninglessness in God's eyes.
"The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. "
"The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumours, scabs, and itching, which cannot be cured."
These diseases recall Egypt's plagues, warning that turning from God can return a people to the very bondage they were rescued from. Jesus' healing touch is the reminder that freedom, not affliction, is always his direction of travel.
"The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: "
"The LORD will strike you with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind."
Spiritual confusion is described here almost as the natural consequence of refusing to see clearly. Jesus repeatedly opened blind eyes, physical and spiritual, showing that sight is always available to those who turn to him.
"And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee. "
"You will grope around at midday like a blind person gropes in the dark, and nothing you do will succeed; you will be constantly cheated and robbed, with no one to save you."
Groping in broad daylight pictures a soul that has lost its bearings entirely. Jesus calls himself the light of the world precisely so no one need stumble like this, whatever the hour.
"Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. "
"You will be engaged to a woman, and another man will sleep with her; you will build a house and not live in it; you will plant a vineyard and never eat its grapes."
This heartbreaking list of stolen joys - home, harvest, marriage - names real griefs that come with a broken world. Jesus enters into exactly such losses, promising a kingdom where what we build and plant is never finally taken from us.
"Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them. "
"Your ox will be slaughtered right in front of you, and you won't get to eat any of it; your donkey will be violently taken from you and never given back; your sheep will be handed to your enemies, with no one to rescue them for you."
Watching what we've worked for taken away without recourse is one of life's bitterest griefs. Jesus doesn't promise we'll never suffer loss, but he does promise he grieves with us and that no loss is the final word.
"Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand: "
"Your sons and daughters will be given to another people, and your eyes will watch and grow weary longing for them all day long, and you'll have no strength to do anything about it."
The ache of watching children carried away, powerless to help, is almost unbearable. Jesus, who wept over Jerusalem and welcomed every child brought to him, shows us a God who feels this longing alongside us, not from a distance.
"The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: "
"A nation you don't even know will eat the produce of your land and all your hard work, and you will be constantly oppressed and crushed."
Losing the fruit of our labour to forces beyond our control is a bitter and disorienting experience. Jesus meets the oppressed and crushed not with blame but with an invitation to rest and be carried.
"So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. "
"You will go out of your mind because of what you see with your own eyes."
Witnessing devastation firsthand can genuinely unravel a person's mind. Jesus never dismisses such trauma as weakness - he ministers directly to the broken-hearted, offering healing to minds as much as bodies.
"The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head. "
"The LORD will strike you with painful boils on your knees and legs, from the sole of your foot to the top of your head, that cannot be cured."
Physical affliction here again pictures the toll of a broken covenant. Every ailment listed finds its answer in Jesus, who touched lepers, healed the lame, and refused to let disease define anyone's worth.
"The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. "
"The LORD will bring you and the king you set over you to a nation neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will serve other gods, made of wood and stone."
Exile and the loss of self-governing identity were real historical consequences of turning from God, yet even there the story doesn't end. God kept promises to a scattered, captive people, just as Jesus later reaches even those who feel furthest from home.
"And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee. "
"You will become a horror, a proverb, and a joke among all the nations the LORD scatters you to."
Becoming a cautionary tale isn't God's desire for anyone. Jesus consistently sought out those whom others mocked or wrote off, restoring dignity rather than reinforcing shame.
"Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. "
"You will carry a lot of seed out to the field but bring in very little, because locusts will eat it."
Effort without harvest is one of life's quiet heartbreaks. Jesus tells us not to build our security on what can be eaten away overnight but on treasure no circumstance can touch.
"Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. "
"You will plant vineyards and tend them, but you won't drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them."
Labouring for something we never get to enjoy is genuinely painful. Jesus promises a kingdom banquet - new wine shared together - where the joy of the harvest is never stolen away.
"Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit. "
"You will have olive trees everywhere in your territory, but you won't get to use the oil, because your olives will drop off before they ripen."
Even the oil meant for anointing and joy can be lost when a life turns from God. Jesus is himself the anointed one who restores what was cast off, however small or bruised.
"Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. "
"You will have sons and daughters, but you won't get to keep them, because they will go into captivity."
Watching children carried into circumstances beyond a parent's control is among the deepest fears any parent carries. Jesus welcomes children personally and promises that none are outside his reach, however far captivity takes them.
"All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. "
"Locusts will consume all your trees and the produce of your land."
Total loss of what sustains a household is pictured starkly here. Jesus, who multiplied loaves until baskets overflowed, is the answer to every empty field and stripped tree - abundance is still his character.
"The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. "
"The foreign resident living among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink lower and lower."
Losing status and standing to those we once welcomed is a hard reversal, yet Jesus consistently overturned status altogether. He taught that the last shall be first and welcomed the stranger as himself.
"He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. "
"He will lend to you, and you won't be able to lend to him; he will be the head, and you will be the tail."
Being on the losing end of every transaction reverses the earlier blessing, but our worth was never actually measured by economic standing. In Jesus' kingdom the humble and dependent are especially near to his heart.
"Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: "
"All these curses will come on you, chase you, and catch up with you until you are destroyed, because you did not listen to the LORD your God's voice, to keep the commandments and rules he gave you."
The pattern throughout this chapter is consistent: consequence follows disconnection from God's voice, not arbitrary anger. The invitation to listen again, though, never closes while there is breath to hear it.
"And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. "
"They will be a sign and a warning on you and your descendants forever."
Even hardship can become a testimony, a marker later generations learn from. Jesus redeems even our worst chapters, turning what could be dismissed as ruin into a story of God's faithfulness that outlasts it.
"Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; "
"All this will happen because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, even though you had so much."
The real failure named here isn't disobedience alone but joyless obedience - going through the motions while the heart stays distant. Jesus longs for hearts that serve out of delight and gratitude, not grim duty, especially when we have so much to be thankful for.
"Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. "
"So you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you - hungry, thirsty, naked, and lacking everything - and he will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you."
The bondage described here contrasts sharply with the 'easy yoke' Jesus offers. Where sin's service is heavy and depleting, Christ's yoke restores rather than drains.
"The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; "
"The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, swooping like an eagle - a nation whose language you won't understand."
Facing something utterly foreign and incomprehensible is deeply unsettling. Even amid such upheaval, Jesus' peace is offered as something the world cannot give or take away, regardless of what language surrounds us.
"A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: "
"A fierce-looking nation that shows no respect to the old and no favour to the young."
Cruelty that disregards both the elderly and the young marks the depth of a broken world. Jesus modelled the opposite - honouring elders, blessing children, showing favour precisely to those most easily overlooked.
"And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. "
"It will eat the produce of your livestock and land until you are destroyed, leaving you no grain, wine, oil, cattle, or sheep, until it has wiped you out."
Total loss of resources under siege pictures the exhaustion of relying solely on what can be taken from us. Jesus points to a security rooted in him that no siege can starve out.
"And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. "
"It will besiege you in all your towns, until your high, fortified walls - the ones you trusted in - come down, everywhere in your land; it will besiege you in every town throughout the land the LORD your God has given you."
Trusting in walls - our own defences and achievements - eventually fails. Jesus invites us to build our security on something no siege can breach, a foundation of relationship with him rather than fortification.
"And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: "
"You will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters, whom the LORD your God gave you, in the desperate conditions of the siege your enemies inflict on you."
This is one of the most harrowing pictures in Scripture, describing the depths of desperation a besieged people could be driven to. Jesus, who wept over cities destined for such suffering, never uses this horror to shame anyone - it stands as the clearest warning of how far brokenness can spiral when love and provision run dry.
"So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: "
"The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, his own beloved wife, and his surviving children."
Extreme famine can turn even gentle people against those they love most. This isn't a verdict on human nature but a warning of what desperation without hope can do, and it's precisely into such despair that Jesus brings hope that outlasts scarcity.
"So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. "
"He won't share with any of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating, because he has nothing left in the desperate conditions of the siege your enemies inflict on you in all your towns."
This scene is almost too painful to read, yet it belongs to Scripture precisely to show unflinchingly the cost of a world without God's provision. Jesus entered this same suffering world to make sure such desperation would never have the final word.
"The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, "
"The most refined and delicate woman among you, so pampered she wouldn't even set her bare foot on the ground, will begrudge her beloved husband, her son, and her daughter."
Even those most sheltered from hardship are not exempt from suffering when a whole community collapses. Jesus' compassion reaches everyone caught in such crises, not only those who might seem strong enough to endure it.
"And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates. "
"She will begrudge her newborn baby and the children she bears, because she will secretly eat them for lack of anything else, in the desperate conditions of the siege your enemy inflicts on you in your towns."
The chapter spares no detail in showing how utterly siege and famine can strip away even a mother's natural tenderness. It is a hard mirror held up so that later readers might choose differently, and Jesus still calls all who suffer this way 'blessed' among the mourning.
"If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; "
"If you do not carefully keep all the words of this law written in this book, so that you fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD,"
The fear commended here is reverence, not terror - the same awe Isaiah felt before God's throne. Jesus reframes fear of God as the beginning of wisdom that leads to intimacy, not dread that leads to hiding.
"Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. "
"then the LORD will make your plagues extraordinary, and the plagues on your descendants - severe and lasting plagues, and grievous and lasting sicknesses."
The severity described here reflects how seriously God takes covenant faithfulness, not any delight in suffering. Jesus, the healer of every sickness he encountered, remains the counter-testimony that God's ultimate desire is always restoration.
"Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. "
"He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling to you."
Returning to what one feared most is a stark warning about how far from freedom disobedience can lead. Jesus' whole ministry moves in exactly the opposite direction, setting captives free rather than returning them to old bondage.
"Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. "
"The LORD will also bring on you every illness and disaster not written in this book of the law, until you are destroyed."
This verse acknowledges that suffering can extend even beyond what's named or expected. Even there, nothing falls outside God's awareness or, ultimately, his willingness to heal in Christ.
"And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God. "
"You will be left few in number, even though you were as numerous as the stars in the sky, because you did not obey the LORD your God's voice."
This is a sobering reversal of God's promise to Abraham. Yet even after devastating loss, God's covenant promises were never finally revoked, and in Christ they extend to all who believe, regardless of number.
"And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. "
"Just as the LORD was glad to do you good and multiply you, so the LORD will be just as willing to destroy you and wipe you out; you will be torn away from the land you are entering to possess."
This hard verse describes covenant consequence in the strongest terms available to an ancient audience. The New Testament reveals a God whose settled disposition is always towards mercy - Jesus wept over Jerusalem's coming judgement rather than delighting in it, showing us God's grief, not glee, over necessary consequence.
"And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. "
"The LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will serve other gods, made of wood and stone, that neither you nor your ancestors have known."
Exile and idolatry among foreign nations were a real historical outcome, yet even in scattering, God's reach was not diminished. Jesus later commissioned his followers to go into all the very nations this verse names, carrying good news rather than judgement.
"And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: "
"Among those nations you will find no peace, and there will be no rest for the sole of your foot; instead the LORD will give you there a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despairing mind."
Restlessness and anxiety are pictured here as the natural fruit of a life cut off from God's peace. Jesus offers rest for exactly this kind of weary, trembling heart, inviting the anxious to lay their burden down.
"And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: "
"Your life will hang in constant uncertainty before you; you will be afraid night and day, with no assurance that you'll survive."
Living under constant dread, uncertain even of survival, is one of the bleakest human experiences. Jesus meets exactly this fear, reminding us that our lives are held securely by a Father who numbers even our days.
"In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. "
"In the morning you will say, 'I wish it were evening!' and in the evening you will say, 'I wish it were morning!' - because of the dread in your heart and the things your eyes will see."
This restless wishing for any time but now captures the exhaustion of unrelenting dread. Jesus invites us instead into a peace that can be present in any hour, morning or evening, because it rests in him rather than in circumstance.
"And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you. "
"The LORD will bring you back to Egypt by ships, by the road I told you that you would never see again, and there you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as slaves, and no one will buy you."
The chapter closes on the bleakest possible reversal - a return to slavery so complete that not even a buyer would want them. Yet the gospel's whole message is that Christ came to purchase and redeem exactly such a people, valuing what the world had discarded.