Online Bible

The Song of Moses

“^aListen, you heavens, and I will speak;And let the earth hear the words of my mouth!2 “^aMay my teaching drip as the rain,My speech trickle as the dew,^bAs droplets on the fresh grass,And as the showers on the vegetation.3 “^aFor I proclaim the name of the LORD;^bAscribe greatness to our God!4 “^aThe Rock! His work is perfect,^bFor all His ways are ¹just;^cA God of faithfulness and without injustice,Righteous and just is He.5 “¹^aThey have acted corruptly against Him,They are not His children, because of their defect;^bBut are a perverse and crooked generation.6 “Is this what you ^ado to the LORD,^bYou foolish and unwise people?^cIs He not your Father who has purchased you?^dHe has made you and established you.7 “Remember the days of old,Consider the years of all generations.^aAsk your father and he will inform you,Your elders, and they will tell you.8 “^aWhen the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,When He separated the sons of ¹mankind,He set the boundaries of the peoples^bAccording to the number of the ²sons of Israel.9 “^aFor the LORD’S portion is His people;Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.10 “^aHe found him in a desert land,And in the howling wasteland of a wilderness;He encircled him, He cared for him,He guarded him as ^bthe ¹apple of His eye.11 “^aAs an eagle stirs up its nest,And hovers over its young,^bHe spread His wings, He caught them,He carried them on His pinions.12 “^aThe LORD alone guided him,^bAnd there was no foreign god with him.13 “^aHe had him ride on the high places of the earth,And he ate the produce of the field;^bAnd He had him suck honey from the rock,And ¹^coil from the flinty rock,14 Curds of the herd, and milk of the flock,With fat of lambsAnd rams, the breed of Bashan, and of goats,^aWith the best of the wheat;And you drank wine of the ^bblood of grapes.

15 “^aBut ¹Jeshurun became fat and kicked—You have become fat, thick, and obstinate—^bThen he abandoned God ^cwho made him,And ²rejected ^dthe Rock of his salvation.16 “^aThey made Him jealous with strange gods;^bWith abominations they provoked Him to anger.17 “^aThey sacrificed to demons, who were not God,^bTo gods whom they have not known,^cNew gods who came lately,Whom your fathers did not know.18 “You forgot ^athe Rock who fathered you,^bAnd forgot the God who gave you birth.

19 “^aThe LORD saw this, and spurned them^bBecause of the provocation by His sons and daughters.20 “Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them,^aI will see what their end will be;^bFor they are a perverse generation,^cSons in whom there is no faithfulness.21 ‘^aThey have made Me jealous with what is not God;They have provoked Me to anger with their ¹^bidols.^cSo I will make them jealous with those who are not a people;I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation,22 ^aFor a fire has flared in My anger,And it burns to the lowest part of ¹Sheol,^bAnd devours the earth with its yield,And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 ‘^aI will add misfortunes to them;^bI will use up My arrows on them.24 ‘^aThey will be wasted by famine, and emaciated by ¹plague^bAnd a bitter epidemic;^cAnd the teeth of beasts I will send against them,^dWith the venom of crawling things of the dust.25 ‘^aOutside the sword will make them childless,And inside, terror—^bBoth young man and virgin,The nursing child with the man of gray hair.26 ‘I would have said, “^aI will wipe them out,^bI will remove the mention of ¹their name from humanity,”27 Had I not feared the provocation by the enemy,That their adversaries would misjudge,That they would say, “^aOur hand is ¹triumphant,And the LORD has not performed all this.”’

28 “^aFor they are a nation ¹destitute of counsel,And there is no understanding in them.29 “^aIf only they were wise and they understood this;^bIf only they would discern their ¹future!30 “^aHow could one chase a thousand,And two put ten thousand to flight,Unless their ^bRock had sold them,And the LORD had given them up?31 “Indeed, their rock is not like our Rock;^aEven our enemies ¹themselves judge this.32 “For their vine is from the vine of Sodom,And from the fields of Gomorrah;Their grapes are grapes of ^apoison,Their clusters, bitter.33 “Their wine is the venom of ¹serpents,And the ²deadly poison of vipers.

34 ‘^aIs it not stored up with Me,Sealed up in My treasuries?35 ‘^aVengeance is Mine, and retribution;^bIn due time their foot will slip.^cFor the day of their disaster is near,And the impending things are hurrying to them.’36 “^aFor the LORD will vindicate His people,^bAnd will have compassion on His servants,When He sees that their ¹strength is gone,And there is none remaining, bond or free.37 “And He will say, ‘^aWhere are their gods,The rock in which they took refuge?38 ‘^aThose who ate the fat of their sacrifices,And drank the wine of their drink offering?^bLet them rise up and help you,Let them be your protection!39 ‘^aSee now that I, I am He,^bAnd there is no god besides Me;^cIt is I who put to death and give life.^dI have wounded and it is I who heal,^eAnd there is no one who can save anyone from My hand.40 ‘Indeed, ^aI raise My hand to heaven,And say, as I live forever,41 ^aIf I have sharpened ¹My flashing sword,And My hand has taken hold of justice,^bI will return vengeance on My adversaries,And I will repay those who hate Me.42 ‘^aI will make My arrows drunk with blood,^bAnd My sword will devour flesh,With the blood of the slain and the captives,From the long-haired ¹leaders of the enemy.’43 “^aRejoice, you nations, with His people;^bFor He will avenge the blood of His servants,^cAnd will return vengeance on His adversaries,^dAnd will atone for His land and His people.”

44 Then Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he, with ¹^aJoshua the son of Nun. 45 When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “^aTake to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you will command ^byour sons to ¹follow carefully, all the words of this Law. 47 For it is not a ¹trivial matter for you; indeed ^ait is your life. And ^bby this word you will prolong your days in the land, ²which you are about to cross the Jordan to ³possess.”

48 Now ^athe LORD spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, 49 “^aGo up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab ¹opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel as a possession. 50 Then you are to die on the mountain where you ascend, and be ^agathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51 ^abecause you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the ^bwilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. 52 ^aFor you will see the land at a distance but ^byou will not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.”

“^aGive ear, O heavens, and let me speak;And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.2 “^aLet what I have learned drop as the rain,My speech distill as the dew,^bAs the droplets on the fresh grassAnd as the showers on the herb.3 “^aFor I proclaim the name of Yahweh;^bAscribe greatness to our God!4 “^aThe Rock! His work is ¹perfect,^bFor all His ways are ²just;^cA God of faithfulness and without injustice,Righteous and upright is He.5 “¹^aThey have acted corruptly toward Him,They are not His children because of their defect;^bBut are a perverse and crooked generation.6 “Do you thus ^arepay Yahweh,^bO people who are wickedly foolish and without wisdom?^cIs not He your Father who has bought you?^dHe has made you and established you.7 “Remember the ancient days,Consider the years from generation to generation.^aAsk your father, and he will declare to you,Your elders, and they will speak to you.8 “^aWhen the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,When He separated the sons of ¹man,He set the boundaries of the peoples^bAccording to the number of the ²sons of Israel.9 “^aFor Yahweh’s portion is His people;Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.10 “^aHe found him in a desert land,And in the howling waste of a wilderness;He encircled him; He cared for him;He guarded him as ^bthe pupil of His eye.11 “^aLike an eagle that stirs up its nest,That hovers over its young,^bHe spread His wings and caught them;He carried them on His pinions.12 “^aYahweh alone guided him,^bAnd there was no foreign god with him.13 “^aHe made him ride on the high places of the earth,And he ate the produce of the field;^bAnd He made him suck honey from the rock,And ^coil from the flinty rock,14 Curds of cows, and milk of the flock,With fat of lambs,And rams, the breed of Bashan, and goats,^aWith the finest of the wheat—And of the ^bblood of grapes you drank wine.

15 “^aBut ¹Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—You grew fat, thick, and sleek—^bThen he abandoned God ^cwho made him,And treated ^dthe Rock of his salvation with wicked foolishness.16 “^aThey made Him jealous with strange gods;^bWith abominations they provoked Him to anger.17 “^aThey sacrificed to demons who were not God,^bTo gods whom they have not known,^cNew gods who came lately,Whom your fathers did not dread.18 “You neglected ^athe Rock who begot you,^bAnd forgot the God who brought you forth.

19 “^aAnd Yahweh saw this and spurned them^bBecause of the provocation of His sons and daughters.20 “Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them;^aI will see what their end shall be;^bFor they are a perverse generation,^cSons in whom is no faithfulness.21 ‘^aThey have made Me jealous with what is not God;They have provoked Me to anger with their ¹^bidols.^cSo I will make them jealous with those who are not a people;I will provoke them to anger with a wickedly foolish nation,22 ^aFor a fire is kindled in My anger,And it burns to the lowest part of Sheol,^bAnd it consumes the earth with its produce,And it sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 ‘^aI will heap calamities on them;^bI will exhaust My arrows on them.24 ‘^aThey will be wasted by famine, and consumed by ¹plague^bAnd bitter destruction;^cAnd the teeth of beasts I will send upon them,^dWith the venom of crawling things of the dust.25 ‘^aOutside the sword will bereave,And inside terror—^bBoth choice man and virgin,The nursing baby with the man of gray hair.26 ‘I would have said, “^aI will cut them to pieces;^bI will cause the memory of them to cease from men,”27 Had I not feared the provocation by the enemy,Lest their adversaries misjudge,Lest they say, “^aOur hand is ¹triumphant,And Yahweh has not done all this.”’

28 “^aFor they are a nation where counsel perishes,And there is no discernment in them.29 “^aWould that they were wise, that they had insight into this,^bThat they would understand their ¹future!30 “^aHow could one pursue one thousand,And two put ten thousand to flight,Unless their ^bRock had sold them,And Yahweh had handed them over?31 “Indeed their rock is not like our Rock,^aEven our enemies ¹themselves judge this.32 “For their vine is from the vine of Sodom,And from the fields of Gomorrah;Their grapes are grapes of ^apoison,Their clusters, bitter.33 “Their wine is the venom of ¹serpents,And the ²deadly poison of cobras.

34 ‘^aIs it not laid up in store with Me,Sealed up in My treasuries?35 ‘^aVengeance is Mine, and retribution,^bIn due time their foot will stumble;^cFor the day of their disaster is near,And the impending things are hastening upon them.’36 “^aFor Yahweh will render justice to His people,^bAnd will have compassion on His slaves,When He sees that their ¹strength is gone,And there is none remaining, bond or free.37 “And He will say, ‘^aWhere are their gods,The rock in which they sought refuge?38 ‘^aWho ate the fat of their sacrifices,And drank the wine of their drink offering?^bLet them rise up and help you,Let them be your hiding place!39 ‘^aSee now that I, I am He,^bAnd there is no god besides Me;^cIt is I who put to death and give life.^dI have wounded, and it is I who heal,^eAnd there is no one who can deliver from My hand.40 ‘Indeed, ^aI lift up My hand to heaven,And say, as I live forever,41 ^aIf I sharpen My ¹flashing sword,And My hand takes hold on judgment,^bI will render vengeance on My adversaries,And I will repay those who hate Me.42 ‘^aI will make My arrows drunk with blood,^bAnd My sword will devour flesh,With the blood of the slain and the captives,From the long-haired ¹leaders of the enemy.’43 “^aO nations, cause His people to shout for joy;^bFor He will avenge the blood of His slaves,^cAnd He will render vengeance on His adversaries,^dAnd He will atone for His land and His people.”

44 Then Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and ¹^aJoshua the son of Nun. 45 Then Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 and he said to them, “^aPlace in your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command ^byour sons to be careful to do, even all the words of this law. 47 For it is not an idle word for you; indeed ^ait is your life. And ^bby this word you will prolong your days in the land, ¹which you are about to cross the Jordan to ²possess.”

Moses to Go Up Mount Nebo

48 ^aAnd Yahweh spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, 49 “^aGo up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab ¹opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. 50 Then die on the mountain where you ascend, and be ^agathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51 ^abecause you both acted unfaithfully with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the ^bwilderness of Zin, because you both did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. 52 ^aFor you shall see the land at a distance, but ^byou shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.”

The Song of Moses

“^aGive ear, O heavens, and let me speak;And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.2 “^aLet my teaching drop as the rain,My speech distill as the dew,^bAs the droplets on the fresh grassAnd as the showers on the herb.3 “^aFor I proclaim the name of the LORD;^bAscribe greatness to our God!4 “^aThe Rock! His work is perfect,^bFor all His ways are ¹just;^cA God of faithfulness and without injustice,Righteous and upright is He.5 “¹^aThey have acted corruptly toward Him,They are not His children, because of their defect;^bBut are a perverse and crooked generation.6 “Do you thus ^arepay the LORD,^bO foolish and unwise people?^cIs not He your Father who has bought you?^dHe has made you and established you.7 “Remember the days of old,Consider the years of all generations.^aAsk your father, and he will inform you,Your elders, and they will tell you.8 “^aWhen the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,When He separated the sons of ¹man,He set the boundaries of the peoples^bAccording to the number of the sons of Israel.9 “^aFor the LORD’S portion is His people;Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.10 “^aHe found him in a desert land,And in the howling waste of a wilderness;He encircled him, He cared for him,He guarded him as ^bthe pupil of His eye.11 “^aLike an eagle that stirs up its nest,That hovers over its young,^bHe spread His wings and caught them,He carried them on His pinions.12 “^aThe LORD alone guided him,^bAnd there was no foreign god with him.13 “^aHe made him ride on the high places of the earth,And he ate the produce of the field;^bAnd He made him suck honey from the rock,And ^coil from the flinty rock,14 Curds of cows, and milk of the flock,With fat of lambs,And rams, the breed of Bashan, and goats,^aWith the finest of the wheat—And of the ^bblood of grapes you drank wine.

15 “^aBut ¹Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—You are grown fat, thick, and sleek—^bThen he forsook God ^cwho made him,And scorned ^dthe Rock of his salvation.16 “^aThey made Him jealous with strange gods;^bWith abominations they provoked Him to anger.17 “^aThey sacrificed to demons who were not God,^bTo gods whom they have not known,^cNew gods who came lately,Whom your fathers did not dread.18 “You neglected ^athe Rock who begot you,^bAnd forgot the God who gave you birth.

19 “^aThe LORD saw this, and spurned them^bBecause of the provocation of His sons and daughters.20 “Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them,^aI will see what their end shall be;^bFor they are a perverse generation,^cSons in whom is no faithfulness.21 ‘^aThey have made Me jealous with what is not God;They have provoked Me to anger with their ¹^bidols.^cSo I will make them jealous with those who are not a people;I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation,22 ^aFor a fire is kindled in My anger,And burns to the lowest part of ¹Sheol,^bAnd consumes the earth with its yield,And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 ‘^aI will heap misfortunes on them;^bI will use My arrows on them.24 ‘^aThey will be wasted by famine, and consumed by ¹plague^bAnd bitter destruction;^cAnd the teeth of beasts I will send upon them,^dWith the venom of crawling things of the dust.25 ‘^aOutside the sword will bereave,And inside terror—^bBoth young man and virgin,The nursling with the man of gray hair.26 ‘I would have said, “^aI will cut them to pieces,^bI will remove the memory of them from men,”27 Had I not feared the provocation by the enemy,That their adversaries would misjudge,That they would say, “^aOur hand is ¹triumphant,And the LORD has not done all this.”’

28 “^aFor they are a nation ¹lacking in counsel,And there is no understanding in them.29 “^aWould that they were wise, that they understood this,^bThat they would discern their ¹future!30 “^aHow could one chase a thousand,And two put ten thousand to flight,Unless their ^bRock had sold them,And the LORD had given them up?31 “Indeed their rock is not like our Rock,^aEven our enemies ¹themselves judge this.32 “For their vine is from the vine of Sodom,And from the fields of Gomorrah;Their grapes are grapes of ^apoison,Their clusters, bitter.33 “Their wine is the venom of ¹serpents,And the ²deadly poison of cobras.

34 ‘^aIs it not laid up in store with Me,Sealed up in My treasuries?35 ‘^aVengeance is Mine, and retribution,^bIn due time their foot will slip;^cFor the day of their calamity is near,And the impending things are hastening upon them.’36 “^aFor the LORD will vindicate His people,^bAnd will have compassion on His servants,When He sees that their ¹strength is gone,And there is none remaining, bond or free.37 “And He will say, ‘^aWhere are their gods,The rock in which they sought refuge?38 ‘^aWho ate the fat of their sacrifices,And drank the wine of their drink offering?^bLet them rise up and help you,Let them be your hiding place!39 ‘^aSee now that I, I am He,^bAnd there is no god besides Me;^cIt is I who put to death and give life.^dI have wounded and it is I who heal,^eAnd there is no one who can deliver from My hand.40 ‘Indeed, ^aI lift up My hand to heaven,And say, as I live forever,41 ^aIf I sharpen My ¹flashing sword,And My hand takes hold on justice,^bI will render vengeance on My adversaries,And I will repay those who hate Me.42 ‘^aI will make My arrows drunk with blood,^bAnd My sword will devour flesh,With the blood of the slain and the captives,From the long-haired ¹leaders of the enemy.’43 “^aRejoice, O nations, with His people;^bFor He will avenge the blood of His servants,^cAnd will render vengeance on His adversaries,^dAnd will atone for His land and His people.”

44 Then Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he, with ¹^aJoshua the son of Nun. 45 When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “^aTake to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command ^byour sons to observe ¹carefully, even all the words of this law. 47 For it is not an idle word for you; indeed ^ait is your life. And ^bby this word you will prolong your days in the land, ¹which you are about to cross the Jordan to ²possess.”

48 ^aThe LORD spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, 49 “^aGo up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab ¹opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. 50 Then die on the mountain where you ascend, and be ^agathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51 ^abecause you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the ^bwilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. 52 ^aFor you shall see the land at a distance, but ^byou shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.”