1A tenei ake, ki te ata whakarongo koe ki te reo o Ihowa, o tou Atua, ki te mau ki te mahi i ana whakahau katoa e whakahau atu nei ahau i tenei ra ki a koe, na ka whakanui a Ihowa, tou Atua, i a koe ki runga ake i nga iwi katoa o te whenua: 2A ka tae mai enei manaaki katoa ki a koe, ka hopu i a koe, ki te whakarongo koe ki te reo o Ihowa, o tou Atua. 3Ka manaakitia koe i roto i te pa, ka manaakitia hoki koe i te mara. 4Ka manaakitia nga hua o tou kopu, me nga hua o tou oneone, me nga hua o au kararehe, nga uri o au kau, me nga kuao o au hipi. 5Ka manaakitia tau kete me tau pokepokenga paraoa. 6Ka manaakitia koe ina haere mai, ka manaakitia hoki ina haere atu. 7Ka meinga e Ihowa ou hoariri e whakatika ana ki a koe kia tukitukia i tou aroaro: kotahi ano te ara e puta mai ai ratou ki a koe, a e whitu nga ara e rere atu ai ratou i tou aroaro. 8Ka whakahau a Ihowa i te manaaki mou, mo ou whare taonga, mo nga mea katoa hoki e toro atu ai tou ringa; a ka manaaki ia i a koe ki te whenua ka homai nei e Ihowa, e tou Atua, ki a koe. 9Ka whakatuturutia koe e Ihowa hei iwi tapu mana, ka peratia me tana i oati ai ki a koe; ki te mau koe ki nga whakahau a Ihowa, a tou Atua, ki te haere i ana huarahi. 10A ka kite nga iwi katoa o te whenua kua huaina iho te ingoa o Ihowa ki a koe; a ka wehi i a koe. 11A ka whakanui rawa a Ihowa i te pai mou, ka whai hua hoki tou kopu, ka whai hua au kararehe, ka whai hua tou oneone, i te whenua i oati ai a Ihowa ki ou matua kia hoatu ki a koe. 12Ka whakatuwheratia e Ihowa ki a koe tana taonga pai, te rangi hei homai i te ua ki tou whenua i tona po ano, hei manaaki hoki i nga mahi katoa a tou ringa: a ka tuku moni atu koe ki nga iwi maha, e kore ano koe e tango i te moni tarewa. 13A ka meinga koe e Ihowa hei upoko, e kore hoki e waiho hei hiku; ki runga anake koe, a kahore ki raro; ki te whakarongo koe ki nga whakahau a Ihowa, a tou Atua, e whakahau atu nei ahau i tenei ra ki a koe, a ka puritia e koe, ka mahia; 14Ki te kore e peka atu i tetahi o nga kupu e whakahau nei ahau i tenei ra ki a koe, ki matau ranei, ki maui ranei, whai ai ki nga atua ke, mahi ai ki a ratou. 15Engari ki te kore koe e whakarongo ki te reo o Ihowa, o tou Atua, e mau hoki ki te mahi i ana whakahau katoa, i ana tikanga, e whakahau atu nei ahau i tenei ra ki a koe; na ka tae mai ki a koe, ka hopu i a koe, enei kanga katoa. 16Ka kanga koe i te pa, ka kanga koe i te mara. 17Ka kanga tau kete me tau pokepokenga paraoa. 18Ka kanga te hua o tou kopu, me te hua o tou oneone, te uri o au kau, me nga kuao o au hipi. 19Ka kanga koe i tou haerenga mai, ka kanga hoki koe i tou haerenga atu. 20Ka tukua e Ihowa ki a koe te kanga, te tuatea me te whakatupehupehu, ki nga mea katoa e toro atu ai tou ringa ki te mahi, kia ngaro ra ano koe, kia hohoro ra ano te mate atu; mo te kino o au mahi, i whakarere nei koe i ahau. 21Ka meinga e Ihowa te mate uruta kia piri tonu ki a koe, kia whakapotoa atu ra ano koe e ia i runga i te whenua e haere atu na koe ki reira ki te tango. 22Ka whiua koe e Ihowa ki te kohi, ki te kirika, ki te mumura, ki te toronga nui, ki te hoari, ki te tauraki, te hopurupuru; a ka whai ena i a koe a ngaro noa koe. 23A ka whakaparahi tou rangi i runga i tou mahunga, ka whakarino hoki te whenua i raro i a koe. 24Ka homai e Ihowa hei ua mo tou whenua te puehu me te nehu: ka rere iho taua mea i te rangi ki runga ki a koe, kia ngaro ra ano koe. 25Ka mea a Ihowa kia patua koe ki te aroaro o ou hoariri: kotahi ano te ara e haere atu ai koe ki a ia, a e whitu nga ara e rere ai koe i tona aroaro: a ka makamakaia haeretia koe i waenganui o nga rangatiratanga katoa o te whenua. 26A ka ai tou tinana mate hei kai ma nga manu katoa o te rangi, ma nga karaehe hoki o te whenua, a kahore he tangata hei whakawehi atu i a ratou. 27Ka patu a Ihowa i a koe ki te tuwhenua o Ihipa, ki nga pukupuku, ki te papaka, ki te waihakihaki hoki, e kore nei koe e taea te rongoa. 28Ka patu a Ihowa i a koe ki te porangi, ki te matapo, ki te ngakau pohehe: 29A ka whawha koe i te tino awatea, ka pera me te tangata matapo e whawha nei i roto i te pouri, a e kore e whiwhi i ou huarahi: a ka waiho koe hei tukinotanga kautanga, hei murunga i nga ra katoa, a kahore he kaiwhakaora mou. 30Ka taumau koe i te wahine, a he tangata ke mana ia e moe: ka mahi koe i te whare, a e kore koe e noho ki roto: ka whakato koe i te mara waina, a e kore koe e kai i ona hua. 31Ka patua tau kau i mua i ou kanohi, a e kore koe e kai i tetahi wahi ona: ko tau kaihe ka pahuatia atu i tou aroaro, e kore e whakahokia ki a koe: ko au hipi ka hoatu ma ou hoariri, a kahore ou tangata hei whakaora i a koe. 32Ko au tama me au tamahine ka hoatu ki te iwi ke, a ka matawaia ou kanohi i te tirohanga ki a ratou, a pau noa te ra: kahore hoki he kaha i tou ringa. 33Ko nga hua o tou oneone me tou uauatanga katoa, ka kainga e tetahi iwi kihai nei i mohiotia e koe; a hei tukinotanga kautanga koe, hei kurunga i nga ra katoa: 34A ka haurangi koe i te kitenga a ou kanohi e kite ai koe. 35Ka patu a Ihowa i a koe, i nga turi, i nga waewae, ki te tuwhenua kino e kore e taea te rongoa, i te kapu o tou waewae, a tae noa ki tou tumuaki. 36Ka whakaheke atu a Ihowa i a koe, i tou kingi hoki e meatia e koe hei kingi mou, ki te iwi kihai nei koe i mohio, koutou ko ou matua; a ka mahi koe i reira ki nga atua ke, ki te rakau, ki te kohatu. 37A ka waiho koe hei miharotanga, hei whakatauki, hei taunu i roto i nga iwi katoa e kawea atu ai koe e Ihowa ki reira. 38He nui te purapura e kawea atu e koe ki te mara, a he iti tau e kohikohi mai ai; ka pau hoki i te mawhitiwhiti. 39Ka whakatokia e koe, ka mahia nga mara waina, ko te waina ia e kore e inumia e koe, e kore ano e whakiia nga hua; ka kainga hoki e te huhu. 40Ka whai oriwa koe puta noa i ou rohe katoa, ko te hinu ia e kore e whakawahia e koe; no te mea ka horo nga hua o au oriwa. 41Ka whanau he tama mau, he tamahine, otiia e kore e waiho mau; ka riro hoki ratou ki te herehere. 42Ko au rakau katoa me nga hua o tou oneone ka pau i te mawhitiwhiti. 43Ko te manene i roto i a koe ka kaka ake ki runga i a koe, ki runga noa atu; ko koe ia ka heke iho ki raro, a ki raro noa iho. 44Ko ia hei homai i te moni tarewa ki a koe, ko koe ia e kore e hoatu i te mea tarewa ki a ia: ko ia hei pane, ko koe hei hiku. 45A ka tae enei kanga ki a koe, ka whai i a koe, ka hopu ano i a koe, kia huna ra ano koe; mou kihai i whakarongo ki te reo o Ihowa, o tou Atua, kihai i mau ki ana whakahau, ki ana tikanga i whakahaua e ia ki a koe; 46A ka piri ena ki a koe hei tohu, hei miharotanga, ki ou uri ano hoki a ake ake: 47Mou kihai i mahi ki a Ihowa, ki tou Atua, i runga i te koa, me te ngakau hari mo te huanga o nga mea katoa: 48Koia ka mahi koe ki ou hoariri, e tukua mai e Ihowa ki a koe, i runga i te matekai, i te matewai me te kakahukore, me te kore hoki o nga mea katoa: a ka hoatu e ia he ioka rino ki tou kaki a ngaro noa koe i a ia. 49Ka hapainga mai e Ihowa ki a koe he iwi no tawhiti, no te pito o te whenua, ano he ekara e rere ana; he iwi e kore e mohiotia e koe tona reo; 50He iwi mata hinana, e kore e whakapai ki te kanohi o te koroheke, e kore hoki e tohu i te taitamariki: 51A ka kainga e ia nga hua o au kararehe, te hua hoki o tou oneone, a huna noatia koe: a e kore e toe i a ia he witi mau, he waina, he hinu ranei, nga uri ranei o au kau, me nga kuao o au hipi, a meinga ra ano koe e ia kia ngaro. 52A ka whakapaea koe e ia i roto i ou kuwaha katoa, e whenuku noa ou taiepa teitei, kaha hoki, i whakamanamana ai koe, a puta noa i tou whenua: a ka whakapae ia i a koe i roto i ou kuwaha katoa, puta noa i tou whenua, i homai nei e Ihowa, e tou At ua, ki a koe. 53A ka kai koe i te hua o tou kopu, i te kikokiko o au tama, o au tamahine, e homai e Ihowa, e tou Atua, ki a koe; i te whakapaenga, i te kopaninga hoki, e kopania ai koe e ou hoariri: 54Ko te tangata whakatarapi i roto i a koutou, whakaahu noa iho, ka he tona kanohi ki tona teina, ki te wahine hoki o tona uma, a ki te morehu o ana tamariki e toe ana ki a ia: 55E kore ai e hoatu e ia ki tetahi o ratou tetahi wahi o te kikokiko o ana tamariki, e kainga e ia, no te mea kahore he mea e toe ana ki a ia; i te whakapaenga, i te kopaninga, e kopania ai koe e ou hoariri i roto i ou kuwaha katoa. 56Ko te wahine whakatarapi i roto i a koutou, whakaahu noa iho, e kore nei e whakamatau atu ki te whakatu i te kapu o tona waewae ki te whenua, i te whakatarapi hoki, i te whakaahu, ka kino tona kanohi ki te tane o tona uma, ki tana tama, ki tana tamahine hoki; 57Ki tana potiki hoki e puta mai i waenganui o ona waewae, ki ana tamariki hoki e whanau i roto i a ia; ka kainga pukutia hoki e ia i te kore o nga mea katoa: i te whakapaenga, i te kopaninga, e kopania ai koe e ou hoariri i roto i ou kuwaha. 58Ki te kahore koe e mahara kia mahia nga kupu katoa o tenei ture e tuhituhia nei ki tenei pukapuka, kia wehi koe i tenei ingoa whai kororia, ingoa whakamataku, i a IHOWA, I TOU ATUA; 59Na ka meinga e Ihowa ou whiunga kia miharotia, me nga whiunga o ou uri, he whiunga nunui, kawenga roa hoki, me nga mate ngau kino, kawenga roa hoki. 60A ka whakapangia ano e ia ki a koe nga mate katoa o Ihipa, i wehi ra koe; a ka piri ki a koe. 61Me nga mate katoa me nga whiu katoa, kahore nei i tuhituhia ki te pukapuka o tenei ture, ka whakapangia e Ihowa ki a koe, a huna noatia koe. 62A ka mahue iho koutou he hunga torutoru, koutou i rite nei ki nga whetu o te rangi te tini; no te mea kihai koe i whakarongo ki te reo o Ihowa, o tou Atua. 63Na ka rite ki te koa o Ihowa i tana whakawhiwhinga i a koutou ki te pai, i tana whakanuinga hoki i a koutou; ka pena ano hoki te koa o Ihowa ki te mea i a koutou kia ngaro, ki te huna rawa atu i a koutou; a ka hutia atu koutou i te whenua e haer e atu nei koutou ki reira ki te tango. 64A ka whakamararatia koe e Ihowa ki waenga i nga iwi katoa, i tetahi pito o te whenua tae noa atu ki tetahi pito o te whenua; a ka mahi koe i reira ki nga atua ke, kahore nei koe i mohio, koutou tahi ko ou matua, ki te rakau, ki te kohatu. 65A e kore e ta tou manawa i roto i ena iwi, kahore hoki he okiokinga mo te kapu o tou waewae; engari ka homai e Ihowa ki a koe i reira he manawa hehe, he kanohi haumaruru, me te ngakau tuatea: 66A ka tarewa noa tou ora i tou aroaro; ka wehi koe i te po, i te ao, a kahore he tuturutanga mo tou ora; 67I te ata ka mea koe, Aue, te ahiahi noa! a i te ahiahi ka mea koe, Aue, te awatea noa! i te pawera hoki o tou ngakau e pawera ai koe, i te kitenga hoki a ou kanohi e kite ai koe. 68A ka whakahoki a Ihowa i a koe ki Ihipa i runga kaipuke, na te huarahi i korero ra ahau ki a koe, E kore koe e kite i reira a muri ake nei: a ka hoko koutou i a koutou i reira ki o koutou hoariri hei pononga tane, hei pononga wahine, a kahore he tangata hei hoko.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE BLESSINGS FOR OBEDIENCE. (Deu. 28:1-68)
if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God--In this chapter the blessings and curses are enumerated at length, and in various minute details, so that on the first entrance of the Israelites into the land of promise, their whole destiny was laid before them, as it was to result from their obedience or the contrary.
2 all these blessings shall come on thee--Their national obedience was to be rewarded by extraordinary and universal prosperity.
7 flee before thee seven ways--that is, in various directions, as always happens in a rout.
10 called by the name of the Lord--That they are really and actually His people (
Deut 14:1;
Deut 26:18).
11 the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods--Beside the natural capabilities of Canaan, its extraordinary fruitfulness was traceable to the special blessing of Heaven.
12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure--The seasonable supply of the early and latter rain was one of the principal means by which their land was so uncommonly fruitful.
thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow--that is, thou shalt be in such affluent circumstances, as to be capable, out of thy superfluous wealth, to give aid to thy poorer neighbors.
13 the head, and not the tail--an Oriental form of expression, indicating the possession of independent power and great dignity and acknowledged excellence (
Isa 9:14;
Isa 19:15).
15 But . . . if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord--Curses that were to follow them in the event of disobedience are now enumerated, and they are almost exact counterparts of the blessings which were described in the preceding context as the reward of a faithful adherence to the covenant.
21 pestilence--some fatal epidemic. There is no reason, however, to think that the plague, which is the great modern scourge of the East, is referred to.
22 a consumption--a wasting disorder; but the modern tuberculosis is almost unknown in Asia.
fever . . . inflammation . . . extreme burning--Fever is rendered "burning ague" (
Lev 26:16), and the others mentioned along with it evidently point to those febrile affections which are of malignant character and great frequency in the East.
the sword--rather, "dryness"--the effect on the human body of such violent disorders.
blasting, and with mildew--two atmospheric influences fatal to grain.
23 heaven . . . brass . . . earth . . . iron--strong Oriental figures used to describe the effects of long-continued drought. This want of regular and seasonable rain is allowed by the most intelligent observers to be one great cause of the present sterility of Palestine.
24 the rain of thy land powder and dust--an allusion probably to the dreadful effects of tornadoes in the East, which, raising the sands in immense twisted pillars, drive them along with the fury of a tempest. These shifting sands are most destructive to cultivated lands; and in consequence of their encroachments, many once fertile regions of the East are now barren deserts.
27 the botch of Egypt--a troublesome eruption, marked by red pimples, to which, at the rising of the Nile, the Egyptians are subject.
emerods--fistulć or piles.
scab--scurvy.
itch--the disease commonly known by that name; but it is far more malignant in the East than is ever witnessed in our part of the world.
28 madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart--They would be bewildered and paralyzed with terror at the extent of their calamities.
29 thou shalt grope at noonday--a general description of the painful uncertainty in which they would live. During the Middle Ages the Jews were driven from society into hiding-places which they were afraid to leave, not knowing from what quarter they might be assailed and their children dragged into captivity, from which no friend could rescue, and no money ransom them.
35 the Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs--This is an exact description of elephantiasis, a horrible disease, something like leprosy, which attacks particularly the lower extremities.
36 The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king, &c.--This shows how widespread would be the national calamity; and at the same time how hopeless, when he who should have been their defender shared the captive fate of his subjects.
there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone--The Hebrew exiles, with some honorable exceptions, were seduced or compelled into idolatry in the Assyrian and Babylonish captivities (
Jer 44:17-
Jer 44:19). Thus, the sin to which they had too often betrayed a perverse fondness, a deep-rooted propensity, became their punishment and their misery.
37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee, &c.--The annals of almost every nation, for eighteen hundred years, afford abundant proofs that this has been, as it still is, the case--the very name of Jew being a universally recognized term for extreme degradation and wretchedness.
49 The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far--the invasion of the Romans--"they came from far." The soldiers of the invading army were taken from France, Spain, and Britain--then considered "the end of the earth." Julius Severus, the commander, afterwards Vespasian and Hadrian, left Britain for the scene of contest. Moreover, the ensign on the standards of the Roman army was "an eagle"; and the dialects spoken by the soldiers of the different nations that composed that army were altogether unintelligible to the Jews.
50 A nation of fierce countenance--a just description of the Romans, who were not only bold and unyielding, but ruthless and implacable.
51 he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, &c.--According to the Jewish historian, every district of the country through which they passed was strewn with the wrecks of their devastation.
52 he shall besiege thee . . . until thy high and fenced walls come down--All the fortified places to which the people betook themselves for safety were burnt or demolished, and the walls of Jerusalem itself razed to the ground.
53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body--(See
2Kgs 6:29;
Lam 4:10). Such were the dreadful extremities to which the inhabitants during the siege were reduced that many women sustained a wretched existence by eating the flesh of their own children. Parental affection was extinguished, and the nearest relatives were jealously, avoided, lest they should discover and demand a share of the revolting viands.
62 ye shall be left few in number--There has been, ever since the destruction of Jerusalem, only an inconsiderable remnant of Jews existing in that land--aliens in the land of their fathers; and of all classes of the inhabitants they are the most degraded and miserable beings, dependent for their support on contributions from other lands.
63 ye shall be plucked from off the land--Hadrian issued a proclamation, forbidding any Jews to reside in Judea, or even to approach its confines.
64 the Lord shall scatter thee among all people--There is, perhaps, not a country in the world where Jews are not to be found. Who that looks on this condition of the Hebrews is not filled with awe, when he considers the fulfilment of this prophecy?
68 The Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships--The accomplishment of this prediction took place under Titus, when, according to JOSEPHUS, multitudes of Jews were transported in ships to the land of the Nile, and sold as slaves. "Here, then, are instances of prophecies delivered above three thousand years ago; and yet, as we see, being fulfilled in the world at this very time; and what stronger proofs can we desire of the divine legation of Moses? How these instances may affect others I know not; but for myself, I must acknowledge, they not only convince but amaze and astonish me beyond expression; they are truly, as Moses foretold (
Deut 28:45-
Deut 28:46) they would be, 'a sign and a wonder for ever'" [BISHOP NEWTON].