And when they forsake me, and break my covenant which 17 I have made with them, I shall be provoked to wrath against them that day, and I will leave them, and turn away my face from them, and they shall be devoured. And when many evils and afflictions shall befal them, then will one say in that day, Because the Lord my God is not with me, these evils 18 have befallen me. But I will turn away my face from them, on that day, because of all their wickedness which they have 19 committed, because they have turned to strange gods. Now therefore write the words of this Ode and teach it to the children of Israel, and put it into their mouth, that this Ode may 20 be an open witness for me among the children of Israel. For when I bring them into that good land, which I solemnly promised their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat, and be satiated, and they will turn to strange gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my 21 covenant; but this Ode will rise up, and witness against them; for it shall never be forgotten out of their mouth, nor out of the mouth of their seed: for I know their wickedness, what they do even now before I have brought them into that good land which I solemnly promised their fathers. 22 So Moses wrote the Ode that day and taught it to the chil23 dren of Israel. And the Lord gave a charge to Joshua, and said, Be courageous, and strong, for thou shalt conduct the children of Israel into the land which the Lord solemnly promised them, and he will be with thee. 24 Now when Moses had made an end of writing all the words 25 of this law in a book, even to the close, he gave a charge to the Levites, who carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, say26 ing, Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God; and it shall be 27 there for a witness against thee: for I know thy contentious disposition, and thy stiff neck. For even now while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against God; how then can 28 it be otherwise after my death? Assemble before me the heads of your tribes, and your elders, and your judges, and your under officers, that I may speak in their hearing all these words, 29 and call heaven and earth to witness against them. For I know that after my death you will commit iniquity, and turn aside 30 out of the way which I commanded you, and evils will befal you in the latter days, because you will do evil before the Lord, to provoke him to wrath by the works of your hands. Then for a conclusion Moses spoke in the hearing of all the congregation the words of this Ode. XXXII. Listen, O heaven, and I will speak, 2 3 4 5 6 7 And let the earth hear the words of my mouth. And my words distil as the dew; Like gentle rain on the tender herb, Since I have proclaimed the name of the Lord, He is God, his works are perfect; All his ways are acts of judgment— They have sinned! blemished children are not his. 8 When the Most High divided nations When he dispersed the children of Adam, 9 10 11 He settled the boundaries of nations, According to the number of God's messengers; He sustained them in the wilderness, In the drought of heat, in a land without water. As an eagle would defend his nest, 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Would spread out his wings, and receive them, The Lord alone conducted them, And there was not a strange god with them. He brought them up to the strength of this land, And oil out of a flinty rock; With butter of kine, and with milk of sheep; With the fattest of lambs and rams, young bulls and goats, And they drank wine, the pure juice of the grape. Then he who was beloved began to kick ; He grew fat, waxed thick, and became corpulent, They exasperated me with strange gods, The God who begot thee, thou hast forsaken, And shew what shall befal them in the latter days. Children, who have no faith in them— They have provoked me by what is not God— I therefore will provoke them by what is not a nation, Since a fire is kindled because of my wrath, It shall burn down to the lowest Hades; It shall consume the land, and the products thereof; 24 25 26 27 28 And hurl my bolts at them. While they are wasting by famine, and voracious birds; I will send against them the teeth of wild beasts, I had determined to disperse them, And cause the remembrance of them to cease among men; That the adversaries might not out live them-- Lest they should say, Our own high hand, It is a nation devoid of counsel; There is no knowledge among them. 29 They have not bent their minds to understand; Let them lay up these things for time to come. 30 31 32 33 34 35 How could one man chase a thousand, And two put myriads to flight, Had not God cast them off-. Had not the Lord delivered them up? Their cluster of grapes will be a cluster of gall— Their wine shall be the venom of dragons— The incurable venom of asps. Behold! are not these things stored up with me? And sealed up among my treasures? In the day of vengeance I will requite, When their foot shall be supplanted. Because the day of destruction is nigh for them, 36 37 Because the Lord will judge his people- The gods in which they placed their confidence? 38 The fat of whose sacrifices you ate 44 And drank the wine of their libations? And let them be your protectors. I kill, and I can cause to live, I can smite and I can heal, And none can rescue out of my hand- And swear by my right hand, and say, as I live forever, And my hand will support judgment; And I will execute vengeance on mine enemies, I will make my arrows drunk with blood, And my sword shall devour flesh With the blood of slain and captives. From the head of enemy chiefs. Rejoice, O heavens, with him, And let all the angels of God worship him: And let all the children of God rely on him: For he avengeth the blood of his children, And will judge, and execute vengeance on his enemies, And the Lord will purify the land of his people. Now on that day when Moses had written this Ode and taught 45 it to the children of Israel; and he, and Joshua the son of Nave, had come, and spoken all the words of this law in the hearing of the people, Moses concluded his speech to all Israel with this 46 address to them, Attend with your heart to all these words which I this day testify to you, and which you are to give in |