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32 <1> "Skies, listen and I will speak.
Earth, hear the words of my mouth.
<2> My teachings will come like the rain,
like a mist falling to the ground,
like a gentle rain on the soft grass,
like rain on the green plants.
<3> Praise God[165] as I speak the Lord's name!
<4> "The Lord is the Rock,[166]
and his work is perfect!
Yes, all his ways are right!
God is true and faithful.
He is good and honest.
<5> And you are not really his children.
Your sins would make him dirty.
You are crooked liars.
<6> Is this the way you should pay back the Lord for all that he did for you?
You are stupid, foolish people.
He is your Father.
He made you.
He is your Creator.
He supports you.
<7> "Remember what happened long ago.
Think about what happened many years ago.
Ask your father; he will tell you.
Ask your leaders; they will tell you.
<8> God Most-High separated the people on earth
and gave each nation its land.
God set up borders for those people.
He made as many nations as there are angels.[167]
<9> The Lord's share is his people;
Jacob belongs to him.
<10> "The Lord found Jacob in
a desert land, an empty, windy land.
The Lord surrounded Jacob to watch over him.
He protected him, like the pupil of his eye.
<11> The Lord was like an eagle to him.
An eagle pushes her babies from the nest to teach them to fly.
She flies with her babies to protect them.
She spreads her wings to catch them when they fall.
And she carries them on her wings to a safe place.
<12> "The Lord alone led Jacob.
No foreign god helped him.
<13> He led Jacob to take control of the hill country.
Jacob took the harvest in the fields.
He gave Jacob honey from the rock;
he made olive oil flow from the hard rock.
<14> The Lord gave Israel
butter from the herd and milk from the flock.
He gave Israel fat lambs and goats,
the best rams from Bashan,
and the finest wheat.
You Israelites drank wine from the red juice of the grape.
<15> "But Jeshurun[168] became fat and kicked like a bull.
(Yes, you people were fed well.
You became full and fat.)
Then he left the God who made him!
He ran away from the Rock[169] who saved him.
<16> The Lord's people made him jealous-
They worshiped other gods!
They worshiped those horrible idols.
And that made him angry.
<17> They offered sacrifices to demons
that were not real gods.
These were new gods
that they did not know.
These were new gods
that your ancestors[170] did not know.
<18> You left the Rock[171] who made you;
you forgot the God who gave you life.
<19> "The Lord saw this and became upset.
His sons and daughters made him angry!
<20> So he said,
'I will turn away from them,
then let's see what happens!
They are a rebellious people.
They are like children who will not learn their lessons.
<21> They made me jealous with demons that aren't gods.
They made me angry with these worthless idols.
So I will make them jealous with people
who are not a real nation.
I will make them angry with people
who are a foolish[172] nation.
<22> My anger will burn like a fire,
burning down to the deepest grave,[173]
burning the earth and all it produces,
burning deep down below the mountains.
<23> "'I will bring troubles to the Israelites.
I will shoot all my arrows at them.
<24> They will become thin from hunger.
Terrible diseases will destroy them.
I will send wild animals against them.
Poisonous snakes and lizards will bite them.
<25> In the streets, soldiers will kill them.
In their houses, terrible things will happen.
Soldiers will kill young men and women.
They will kill babies and old people.
<26> "'I thought about destroying the Israelites
so that people would forget them completely!
<27> But I know what their enemies would say.
The enemy would not understand.
They would brag and say,
'The Lord did not destroy Israel.
We won by our own power!'"
<28> "They are foolish.
They don't understand.
<29> If they were wise,
they would understand,
they would know what would happen to them.
<30> Can one person chase away 1000 men?
Can two men cause 10,000 men to run away?
That will happen only if the Lord
gives them to their enemy.
That will happen only
if their Rock sells them like slaves.
<31> The 'rock' of our enemies is not strong
like our Rock.
Even our enemies know that.
<32> Their vines and fields will be destroyed,
like Sodom[174] and Gomorrah.[175]
Their grapes are like bitter poison.
<33> Their wine is like snake venom.
<34> "The Lord says,
'I am saving that punishment.
I have it locked up in my storehouse!
<35> I will punish them for the bad things they did.
But I am saving that punishment for when they slip and do bad things.
Their time of trouble is near.
Their punishment will come quickly.'
<36> "The Lord will judge his people.
They are his servants, and he will show them mercy.
He will see that their power is gone.
He will see that they are all helpless-
the slaves and free people too.
<37> Then the Lord will say,
'Where are the false gods?
Where is the "rock" that you ran to for protection?
<38> Those false gods ate the fat of your sacrifices.
And they drank the wine of your offerings.
So let them get up and help you!
Let them protect you!
<39> "'Now, see that I and only I am God!
There is no other God!
I put people to death
and I let people live.
I can hurt people,
and I can make them well.
No one can save another person from my power!
<40> I raise my hand toward heaven and make this promise.
As surely as I live forever,
these things will happen!
<41> I swear,
I will sharpen my flashing sword.
I will use it to punish my enemies.
I will give them the punishment they deserve.
<42> My enemies will be killed and taken as prisoners.
My arrows will be covered with their blood.
My sword will cut off the heads of their soldiers.'
<43> "The whole world should be happy for God's people!
God punishes people who kill his servants.
He gives his enemies the punishment they deserve.
And he makes his land and people pure.[176]"
<44> Moses and Joshua son of Nun came and sang all the words of this song for the Israelites to hear. <45> When Moses finished giving these teachings to the people, <46> he said to them, "You must be sure to pay attention to all the commands I tell you today. And you must tell your children to obey completely the commands in this Law. <47> Don't think these teachings are not important. They are your life! Through these teachings you will live a long time in the land across the Jordan River that you are ready to take."
<48> The Lord spoke to Moses that same day. He said, <49> "Go to the Abarim Mountains. Go up on Mount Nebo in the land of Moab across from the city of Jericho. Then you can look at the land of Canaan that I am giving to the Israelites to live in. <50> You will die on that mountain. You will go to be with your people, the same as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor. <51> This is because you both sinned against me. You were at the waters of Meribah near Kadesh, in the desert of Zin. There, in front of the Israelites, you did not honor me and show that I am holy.[177] <52> So now you may see the land that I am giving to the Israelites. But you cannot go into that land."
© Copyright 2004 World Bible Translation Center.