The Tanakh · JPS 1917 Translation

Deuteronomy 28

Jewish Publication Society 1917 · Torah

Deuteronomy chapter 28 — part of the Torah in the Jewish Bible. In the classic JPS 1917 translation it opens: “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of HaShem thy G-d, to observe to do all His commandments which…” — the complete text of all 69 verses is below, free to read online.

1And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of HaShem thy G-d, to observe to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that HaShem thy G-d will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth.

2And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of HaShem thy G-d.

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 land, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the young of thy flock.

5Blessed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough.

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

7HaShem will cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee; they shall come out against thee one way, and shall flee before thee seven ways.

8HaShem will command the blessing with thee in thy barns, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto; and He will bless thee in the land which HaShem thy G-d giveth thee.

9HaShem will establish thee for a holy people unto Himself, as He hath sworn unto thee; if thou shalt keep the commandments of HaShem thy G-d, and walk in His ways.

10And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of HaShem is called upon thee; and they shall be afraid of thee.

11And HaShem will make thee over-abundant for good, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, in the land which HaShem swore unto thy fathers to give thee.

12HaShem will open unto thee His good treasure the heaven to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand; and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow.

13And HaShem will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of HaShem thy G-d, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them;

14and shalt not turn aside from any of the words which I command you 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 HaShem thy G-d, 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 kneading-trough.

18Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the young of thy flock.

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

20HaShem will send upon thee cursing, discomfiture, and rebuke, in all that thou puttest thy hand unto to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the evil of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken Me.

21HaShem will make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until He have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest in to possess it.

22HaShem will smite thee with consumption, and with fever, and with inflammation, and with fiery heat, and with drought, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

23And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

24HaShem will make the rain of thy land powder and dust; from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

25HaShem will cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies; thou shalt go out one way against them, and shalt flee seven ways before them; and thou shalt be a horror unto all the kingdoms of the earth.

26And thy carcasses shall be food unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and there shall be none to frighten them away.

27HaShem will smite thee with the boil of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.

28HaShem will smite thee with madness, and with blindness, and with astonishment of heart.

29And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not make thy ways prosperous; and thou shalt be only oppressed and robbed alway, and there shall be none to save thee.

30Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her; thou shalt build a house, and thou shalt not dwell therein; thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not use the fruit thereof.

31Thine 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 save thee.

32Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day; and there shall be nought in the power of thy hand.

33The 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 away:

34so that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

35HaShem will smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore boil, whereof thou canst not be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the crown of thy head.

36HaShem will bring thee, and thy king whom thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation that thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.

37And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all the peoples whither HaShem shall lead thee away.

38Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather little in; for the locust shall consume it.

39Thou shalt plant vineyards and dress them, but thou shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worm shall eat them.

40Thou shalt have olive-trees throughout all thy borders, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olives shall drop off.

41Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be thine; for they shall go into captivity.

42All thy trees and the fruit of thy land shall the locust possess.

43The stranger that is in the midst of thee shall mount up above thee higher and higher; and thou shalt come down lower and lower.

44He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him; he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.

45And all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou didst not hearken unto the voice of HaShem thy G-d, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded thee.

46And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever;

47because thou didst not serve HaShem thy G-d with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things;

48therefore shalt thou serve thine enemy whom HaShem 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.

49HaShem will bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as the vulture swoopeth down; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

50a nation of fierce countenance, that shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young.

51And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy ground, until thou be destroyed; that also shall not leave thee corn, wine, or oil, the increase of thy kine, or the young of thy flock, until he have caused thee to perish.

52And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fortified walls come down, wherein thou didst trust, throughout all thy land; and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which HaShem thy G-d hath given thee.

53And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters whom HaShem thy G-d hath given thee; in the siege and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall straiten thee.

54The man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil against his brother, and against the wife of his bosom, and against the remnant of his children whom he hath remaining;

55so 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 enemy shall straiten thee in all thy gates.

56The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil against the husband of her bosom, and against her son, and against her daughter;

57and against her afterbirth that cometh out from between her feet, and against her children whom she shall bear; for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly; in the siege and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall straiten thee in thy gates.

58If 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 awful Name, HaShem thy G-d;

59then HaShem 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.

60And He will bring back upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast in dread of; and they shall cleave unto thee.

61Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will HaShem bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

62And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou didst not hearken unto the voice of HaShem thy G-d.

63And it shall come to pass, that as HaShem rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so HaShem will rejoice over you to cause you to perish, and to destroy you; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest in to possess it.

64And HaShem shall scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers, even wood and stone.

65And among these nations shalt thou have no repose, and there shall be no rest for the sole of thy foot; but HaShem shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and languishing of soul.

66And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear night and day, and shalt have no assurance of thy life.

67In the morning thou shalt say: 'Would it were even!' and at even thou shalt say: 'Would it were morning!' for the fear of thy heart which thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

68And HaShem shall bring thee back into Egypt in ships, by the way whereof I said unto thee: 'Thou shalt see it no more again'; and there ye shall sell yourselves unto your enemies for bondmen and for bondwoman, and no man shall buy you.

69These are the words of the covenant which HaShem commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which He made with them in Horeb.

69 verses · JPS 1917 (public domain)

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