Deuteronomy

Ceremonies

27 
Then Moses and the elders of Israel charged the people, saying,[a] “Keep all of the commandment that I am commanding you today.[b] And then on the day that you cross the Jordan to the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you, then you shall set up for yourselves[c] large stones, and you shall paint[d] them with lime, and you shall write on them all the words of this law at your crossing, so that you may come into the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,[e] promised[f] to you. And when you cross the Jordan,[g] you shall set up these stones that I am commanding you about today[h] on Mount Ebal, and you shall paint[i] them with lime. And you shall build an altar there for Yahweh your God, an altar of stone, but[j] you shall not use an iron tool to shape the stones.[k] You must build the altar of your God with unhewn stones, and you shall sacrifice on it burnt offerings to Yahweh your God. And you shall sacrifice fellowship offerings, and you shall eat them there, and you shall rejoice before[l] Yahweh your God. You shall write on the stone all of the words of this law very clearly.”

Then Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying,[m] “Be silent and hear, Israel, for this day you have become a people[n] for Yahweh your God. 10 And listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, and observe his commandments and his rules that I am commanding you today.”[o]

Blessings and Curses

11 And Moses charged the people on that day, saying,[p] 12 “These tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people when you cross[q] the Jordan: Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Joseph and Benjamin. 13 And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for delivering the curse: Reuben, Gad and Asher and Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali. 14 And the Levites shall declare,[r] and they shall say to each man of Israel with a loud voice, 15 ‘Cursed be the man that makes a divine image or a cast image, which is a detestable thing for Yahweh, the work of the hand of a skilled craftsman, and then sets it in a hiding place.’[s] And all the people shall respond,[t] ‘Amen.’

16 ‘Cursed be the one who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all of the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

17 ‘Cursed be the one who moves the boundary marker of his neighbor.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

18 ‘Cursed be the one who misleads a blind person on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

19 ‘Cursed be the one who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

20 ‘Cursed be the one who lies with the wife of his father, because he has dishonored his father’s bed.’[u] And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

21 ‘Cursed be the one who lies with any kind of animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

22 ‘Cursed be the one who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

23 ‘Cursed be the one who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

24 ‘Cursed be the one who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

25 ‘Cursed be the one who takes a bribe to murder an innocent person.’[v] And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

26 ‘Cursed be the one who does not keep[w] the words of this law, to observe them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 27:1 Literally “to say”
  2. Deuteronomy 27:1 Literally “the day”
  3. Deuteronomy 27:2 Literally “for you”
  4. Deuteronomy 27:2 Or “coat/cover them”
  5. Deuteronomy 27:3 Or “fathers”
  6. Deuteronomy 27:3 Literally “spoke”
  7. Deuteronomy 27:4 Literally “at/in your crossing the Jordan”
  8. Deuteronomy 27:4 Literally “the day”
  9. Deuteronomy 27:4 Or “coat/cover”
  10. Deuteronomy 27:5 Or “and”
  11. Deuteronomy 27:5 Literally “and you shall not wave to and fro over them an iron tool”
  12. Deuteronomy 27:7 Literally “to the face of”
  13. Deuteronomy 27:9 Literally “to say”
  14. Deuteronomy 27:9 Literally “for a people”
  15. Deuteronomy 27:10 Literally “the day”
  16. Deuteronomy 27:11 Literally “to say”
  17. Deuteronomy 27:12 Literally “at/in crossing your”
  18. Deuteronomy 27:14 Literally “they shall answer the Levites”
  19. Deuteronomy 27:15 Or “a secret place”
  20. Deuteronomy 27:15 Literally “and they shall answer all of the people”
  21. Deuteronomy 27:20 Literally “because he uncovered the hem of his father”
  22. Deuteronomy 27:25 Literally “to strike down an individual person in blood”
  23. Deuteronomy 27:26 Literally “who not keeps”