Deuteronomy 29
Moses reminded the Israelites of the covenant they made with God at Horeb and the miracles they witnessed in Egypt, but noted that God had not given them understanding hearts or seeing eyes. He recounted how God led them through the desert for 40 years, providing for them, and how they defeated Sihon and Og, taking their land. Moses then called the entire nation to stand before God and enter into a new covenant, warning them against idolatry and the consequences of breaking the covenant, which would include God's fury and the destruction of the land.
These are the words of the covenant which the Lord instructed Moses to form with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, beside that covenant which he struck with them at HorebAnd Moses called all of Israel, and he said to them: "You have seen all the things that the Lord has done in your sight in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to his entire landthe great trials, which your eyes have seen, those immense signs and wondersBut the Lord has not given you an understanding heart, and seeing eyes, and ears that are able to hear, even to this present dayHe led you for forty years through the desert. Your garments have not been worn out, nor have the shoes on your feet been consumed by ageYou did not eat bread, nor did you drink wine or liquor, so that you would know that I am the Lord your GodAnd you arrived at this place. And Sihon, the king of Heshbon, and Og, the king of Bashan, went out to meet us in battle. And we struck them downAnd we took their land and delivered it as a possession to Ruben and to Gad, and to half of the tribe of ManassehTherefore, keep the words of this covenant, and fulfill them, so that you may understand all that you are doingToday, you all stand in the sight of the Lord your God: your leaders, and tribes, and those greater by birth, and teachers, all the people of Israelyour children and wives, and the new arrival who dwells with you in the camp, aside from those who cut wood, and those who bring waterso that you may cross into the covenant of the Lord your God, and into the oath which the Lord your God strikes with you todaySo shall he raise you up as a people to himself, and so shall he be your God, just as he has spoken to you, and just as he swore to your fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and JacobAnd I am not forming this covenant and confirm these oaths with you alonebut with all those who are present as well as those who are absentFor you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we passed through the midst of nations. And when passing through themyou saw their abominations and filth, that is, their idols of wood and of stone, of silver and of gold, which they worshippedso that there would not be among you man or woman, family or tribe, whose heart has been turned away this day from the Lord our God, so as to go and serve the gods of those nations. For then there would be among you a root springing forth gall and bitternessAnd if he were to hear the words of this oath, he would bless himself in his own heart saying: ‘There will be peace for me, and I will walk in the depravity of my heart.’ And so, the one who is inebriated would consume the one who is thirstyBut the Lord would not ignore him. Instead, at that time, his fury and zealousness would be very greatly enflamed against that man, and all the curses which have been written in this volume would settle upon him. And the Lord would abolish his name from under heavenand consume him unto perdition out of all the tribes of Israel, according to the curses which are contained in the book of this law and in the covenantAnd the subsequent generation would speak out, along with the sons who will be born afterward. And the sojourners, who will arrive from far away, will see the plagues of that land and the infirmities with which the Lord will have afflicted ithaving burned it with sulphur and molten salt, so that it can no longer be sown. And certainly no greenery would spring up, as in the example of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overturned with his wrath and furyAnd so, all the nations would say: ‘Why has the Lord acted this way toward this land? What is this immense wrath of his fury?And they will respond: ‘Because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, which he formed with their fathers, when he led them away from the land of EgyptAnd they have served foreign gods, and adored them, though they did not know them, and though they had not been allotted to themFor this reason, the fury of the Lord was enraged against this land, so as to lead over it all the curses which have been written in this volumeAnd he has cast them out of their own land, with anger and fury, and with a very great indignation, and he has thrown them into a strange land, just as has been proven this day.These hidden things of the Lord our God have been revealed to us and to our sons in perpetuity, so that we may accomplish all the words of this law.
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