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Deuteronomy 28:15-48
New King James Version
Deuteronomy 28:15-48
New King James Version
Curses on Disobedience(A)
15 “But it shall come to pass, (B)if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
16 “Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.
17 “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
18 “Cursed shall be the [a]fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
19 “Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
20 “The Lord will send on you (C)cursing, (D)confusion, and (E)rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me. 21 The Lord will make the [b]plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess. 22 (F)The Lord will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with (G)scorching,[c] and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish. 23 And (H)your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. 24 The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
25 (I)“The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become [d]troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 (J)Your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and no one shall frighten them away. 27 The Lord will strike you with (K)the boils of Egypt, with (L)tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed. 28 The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and (M)confusion of heart. 29 And you shall (N)grope at noonday, as a blind man gropes in darkness; you shall not prosper in your ways; you shall be only oppressed and plundered continually, and no one shall save you.
30 (O)“You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her; (P)you shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; (Q)you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes. 31 Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat of it; your donkey shall be violently taken away from before you, and shall not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have no one to rescue them. 32 Your sons and your daughters shall be given to (R)another people, and your eyes shall look and (S)fail with longing for them all day long; and there shall be [e]no strength in your (T)hand. 33 A nation whom you have not known shall eat (U)the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually. 34 So you shall be driven mad because of the sight which your eyes see. 35 The Lord will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.
36 “The Lord will (V)bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and (W)there you shall serve other gods—wood and stone. 37 And you shall become (X)an[f] astonishment, a proverb, (Y)and a byword among all nations where the Lord will drive you.
38 (Z)“You shall carry much seed out to the field but gather little in, for (AA)the locust shall [g]consume it. 39 You shall plant vineyards and tend them, but you shall neither drink of the (AB)wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. 40 You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olives shall drop off. 41 You shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; for (AC)they shall go into captivity. 42 Locusts shall [h]consume all your trees and the produce of your land.
43 “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. 44 He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.
45 “Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you [i]did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. 46 And they shall be upon (AD)you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever.
47 (AE)“Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, (AF)for the abundance of everything, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in (AG)hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He (AH)will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Deuteronomy 28:18 offspring
- Deuteronomy 28:21 pestilence
- Deuteronomy 28:22 blight
- Deuteronomy 28:25 a terror
- Deuteronomy 28:32 nothing you can do
- Deuteronomy 28:37 a thing of horror
- Deuteronomy 28:38 devour
- Deuteronomy 28:42 possess
- Deuteronomy 28:45 did not listen to
Deuteronomy 28:15-48
New American Standard Bible
Deuteronomy 28:15-48
New American Standard Bible
Consequences of Disobedience
15 “(A)But it shall come about, if you do not [a]obey the Lord your God, to be careful to [b]follow all His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
16 “(B)Cursed will you be in the city, and cursed will you be in the [c]country.
17 “(C)Cursed will be your basket and your kneading bowl.
18 “(D)Cursed will be the [d]children of your womb, the [e]produce of your ground, the newborn of your herd, and the offspring of your flock.
19 “(E)Cursed will you be when you come in, and cursed will you be when you go out.
20 “(F)The Lord will send against you curses, panic, and (G)rebuke, in [f]everything you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until (H)you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have abandoned Me. 21 (I)The Lord will make the plague cling to you until He has eliminated you from the land where you are entering to take possession of it. 22 (J)The Lord will strike you with consumption, inflammation, fever, feverish heat, and with [g]the sword, (K)with blight, and with mildew, and they will pursue you until (L)you perish. 23 [h]The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron. 24 (M)The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
25 “(N)The Lord will cause you to be defeated by your enemies; you will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways from their presence, and you will (O)be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 (P)Your dead bodies will [i]serve as food for all birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.
27 “(Q)The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt and with (R)tumors, the festering rash, and with scabies, from which you cannot be healed. 28 The Lord will strike you with insanity, blindness, and with confusion of [j]mind; 29 and you will be (S)groping about at noon, just as a person who is blind gropes in the darkness, and you will not be successful in your ways; but you will only be [k]oppressed and robbed all the time, with no one to save you. 30 (T)You will [l]betroth a woman, but another man will [m]violate her; (U)you will build a house, but you will not live in it; you will plant a vineyard, but you will not make use of its fruit. 31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat of it; your donkey will be snatched away from you, and will not [n]be restored to you; your [o]sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to save you. 32 (V)Your sons and your daughters will be given to another people, while your eyes look on and long for them constantly; but there will be nothing [p]you can do. 33 (W)A people whom you do not know will eat the produce of your ground and every product of your labor, and you will never be anything but oppressed and mistreated continually. 34 You will also be driven insane by the sight of [q]what you see. 35 (X)The Lord will strike you on the knees and thighs with severe boils from which you cannot be healed, and strike you from the sole of your foot to the top of your head. 36 (Y)The Lord will bring you and your king, whom you appoint over you, to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods, made of (Z)wood and stone. 37 And (AA)you will become an object of horror, a song of mockery, and an object of taunting among all the peoples where the Lord drives you.
38 “(AB)You will bring out a great amount of seed to the field, but you will gather in little, because (AC)the locust will devour it. 39 (AD)You will plant and cultivate vineyards, but you will neither drink of the wine nor bring in the harvest, because the worm will eat it. 40 (AE)You will have olive trees throughout your territory but you will not anoint yourself with the oil, because your olives will drop off prematurely. 41 (AF)You will father sons and daughters but they will not remain yours, because they will go into captivity. 42 (AG)The cricket will take possession of all your trees and the produce of your ground. 43 (AH)The stranger who is among you will rise above you higher and higher, and you will go down lower and lower. 44 (AI)He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him; (AJ)he will be the head, and you will be the tail.
45 “So all these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you (AK)until you are destroyed, because you would not [r]obey the Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. 46 And they will become (AL)a sign and a wonder [s]against you and your [t]descendants forever.
47 “(AM)Since you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a cheerful heart, in gratitude for the abundance of all things, 48 you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, (AN)in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and devoid of all things; and He (AO)will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Deuteronomy 28:15 Lit listen to the voice of
- Deuteronomy 28:15 Lit perform
- Deuteronomy 28:16 Lit field
- Deuteronomy 28:18 Lit fruit
- Deuteronomy 28:18 Lit fruit
- Deuteronomy 28:20 Lit every putting forth of your hand which you do
- Deuteronomy 28:22 Another reading is drought
- Deuteronomy 28:23 Lit Your
- Deuteronomy 28:26 Lit be for
- Deuteronomy 28:28 Lit heart
- Deuteronomy 28:29 Or exploited
- Deuteronomy 28:30 A betrothed couple was considered legally married, but did not yet live together
- Deuteronomy 28:30 Or be intimate with
- Deuteronomy 28:31 Lit return to
- Deuteronomy 28:31 Or flock
- Deuteronomy 28:32 Lit to the power of your hand
- Deuteronomy 28:34 Lit your eyes which you
- Deuteronomy 28:45 Lit listen to the voice of
- Deuteronomy 28:46 Or on
- Deuteronomy 28:46 Lit seed
Deuteronomy 28:15-48
Amplified Bible
Deuteronomy 28:15-48
Amplified Bible
Consequences of Disobedience
15 “But it shall come about, if you do not listen to and obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today, then all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
16 “You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the field.
17 “Your basket and your kneading bowl will be cursed.
18 “The offspring of your body and the produce of your land, the offspring of your herd and the young of your flock will be cursed.
19 “You will be cursed when you come in and you will be cursed when you go out.
20 “The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke in everything that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed, perishing quickly because of the evil of your deeds, because you have [a]turned away from Me. 21 The Lord will make the pestilence and plague cling to you until He has consumed and eliminated you from the land which you are entering to possess. 22 The Lord will strike you with consumption [causing you to waste away] and with fever and with inflammation and with fiery heat and with the sword and with blight and with mildew [on your crops]; and they will pursue you until you perish. 23 The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze [giving no rain and blocking all prayers], and the earth which is under you, iron [hard to plow and yielding no produce]. 24 The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it will come down on you until you are destroyed.
25 “The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you will go out against them one way, but flee before them seven ways, and you will be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth [when they see your destruction].(A) 26 Your carcasses will be food for all the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.
27 “The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors and with the scab and the itch that you cannot heal. 28 The Lord will strike you with madness and with blindness and with bewilderment of heart and mind; 29 and you will be groping at noon [in broad daylight], just as the blind grope in the darkness, and nothing you do will prosper; but you will only be oppressed and exploited and robbed continually, with no one to save you. 30 You will be pledged to marry a wife, but another man will be intimate with her [before you]; you will build a house, but you will not live in it; you will plant a vineyard, but you will not use its fruit. 31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it; your donkey will be torn away from you, and it will not be returned to you; your sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to save you. 32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another people, while your eyes look on and long for them continually; but there will be nothing you can do.(B) 33 A people whom you do not know will eat the produce of your land and all the products of your labors, and you will never be anything but oppressed and exploited and crushed continually.(C) 34 You shall be driven mad by the sight of [b]the things you see. 35 The Lord will strike you on the knees and on the legs with sore boils that you cannot heal, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head. 36 The Lord will bring you and your king, whom you appoint over you, to a nation which you and your fathers have never known; there you will [be forced to] serve other gods, [lifeless gods of] wood and stone.(D) 37 And you will become a horror, a proverb [a mere object lesson], and a taunt [a derisive joke] among all the people to which the Lord drives you.
38 “You will bring out a great quantity of seed to the field, but you will gather in little, because the locusts will consume it.(E) 39 You will plant vineyards and cultivate them, but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because the worm will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees throughout your territory but you will not [c]anoint yourselves with the oil, because your olives will drop off. 41 You will have sons and daughters, but they will not be yours [for long], because they will go into captivity.(F) 42 The cricket will take possession of all your trees and the produce of your ground.(G) 43 The stranger who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, and you will go down lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you [out of his affluence], but you will not lend to him [because of your poverty]; he will be the head, and you the tail.
45 “So all these curses will come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He has commanded you. 46 They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever.
47 “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with a heart full of joy and gladness for the abundance of all things [with which He blessed you], 48 you will therefore serve your enemies whom the Lord sends against you, in hunger and in thirst, in nakedness and in lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke [of slavery] on your neck until He has destroyed you.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Deuteronomy 28:20 Lit forsaken.
- Deuteronomy 28:34 Lit your eyes which you.
- Deuteronomy 28:40 Olive oil was commonly used like a cosmetic to soften the skin, and as a hair dressing.
Deuteronomy 28:15-48
New International Version
Deuteronomy 28:15-48
New International Version
Curses for Disobedience
15 However, if you do not obey(A) the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today,(B) all these curses will come on you and overtake you:(C)
16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.(D)
17 Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.(E)
18 The 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.(F)
19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.(G)
20 The Lord will send on you curses,(H) confusion and rebuke(I) in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin(J) because of the evil(K) you have done in forsaking him.[a] 21 The Lord will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess.(L) 22 The Lord will strike you with wasting disease,(M) with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought,(N) with blight(O) and mildew, which will plague(P) you until you perish.(Q) 23 The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron.(R) 24 The Lord will turn the rain(S) of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.
25 The Lord will cause you to be defeated(T) before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven,(U) and you will become a thing of horror(V) to all the kingdoms on earth.(W) 26 Your carcasses will be food for all the birds(X) and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.(Y) 27 The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt(Z) and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. 28 The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. 29 At midday you will grope(AA) about like a blind person in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue(AB) you.
30 You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will take her and rape her.(AC) You will build a house, but you will not live in it.(AD) You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit.(AE) 31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue them. 32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation,(AF) and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand. 33 A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression(AG) all your days.(AH) 34 The sights you see will drive you mad.(AI) 35 The Lord will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils(AJ) that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.(AK)
36 The Lord will drive you and the king(AL) you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your ancestors.(AM) There you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone.(AN) 37 You will become a thing of horror,(AO) a byword(AP) and an object of ridicule(AQ) among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.(AR)
38 You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little,(AS) because locusts(AT) will devour(AU) it. 39 You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine(AV) or gather the grapes, because worms will eat(AW) them.(AX) 40 You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off.(AY) 41 You will have sons and daughters but you will not keep them, because they will go into captivity.(AZ) 42 Swarms of locusts(BA) will take over all your trees and the crops of your land.
43 The foreigners who reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower.(BB) 44 They will lend to you, but you will not lend to them.(BC) They will be the head, but you will be the tail.(BD)
45 All these curses will come on you. They will pursue you and overtake you(BE) until you are destroyed,(BF) because you did not obey the Lord your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you. 46 They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever.(BG) 47 Because you did not serve(BH) the Lord your God joyfully and gladly(BI) in the time of prosperity, 48 therefore in hunger and thirst,(BJ) in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. He will put an iron yoke(BK) on your neck(BL) until he has destroyed you.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 28:20 Hebrew me
Deuteronomy 28:15-48
King James Version
Deuteronomy 28:15-48
King James Version
15 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:
16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
17 Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
18 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.
19 Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
20 The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest 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.
21 The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
22 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.
23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
24 The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
25 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.
26 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.
27 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.
28 The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
29 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.
30 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.
31 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.
32 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.
33 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:
34 So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
35 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.
36 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.
37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.
38 Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
40 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.
41 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
42 All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
43 The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
44 He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
45 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:
46 And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
47 Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
48 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.
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New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
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Amplified Bible (AMP)
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New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.