Deuteronomy 30

And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,

1Moses said: All these things will happen to you, the good gifts and the hard punishments I told you about. You will think about them while you live in far-off lands, where God sent you.

2And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;

2Then you and your children will come back to the LORD your God. You will listen to him and do everything I am telling you today, with your whole heart.

3That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.

3Then the LORD your God will bring you back home. He will feel sorry for you. He will gather you from all the lands where he scattered you.

4If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:

4Even if you were pushed away to the farthest place on earth, God will find you. He will bring you back from there.

5And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.

5The LORD your God will bring you into the land your grandfathers once owned. It will be yours again. He will be good to you. Your family will grow bigger than theirs was.

6And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

6The LORD your God will change your heart, and your children's hearts too. Then you will love him with your whole heart, and you will live.

NoteThe King James Bible says God will "circumcise" the heart. That is a word picture. It means God will cut away what is wrong inside a person, so the heart can love him.

7And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.

7The LORD your God will put all these punishments on your enemies instead. They are the ones who hated you and hurt you.

8And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.

8You will come back and listen to the LORD again. You will do all the rules I am giving you today.

9And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:

9Then the LORD your God will give you plenty in all your work. You will have many children, many animals, and lots of food from your fields. God will be happy about you again, just as he was happy about your grandfathers.

10If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

10This will happen if you listen to the LORD your God. Keep the rules written in this book of laws. Turn back to him with your whole heart.

11For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.

11The command I am giving you today is not too hard for you. It is not far away.

12It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?

12It is not up in the sky. You do not have to say, "Who will go up and bring it down, so we can hear it and do it?"

13Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?

13It is not across the sea either. You do not have to say, "Who will sail over and bring it back, so we can hear it and do it?"

14But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

14The word is very close to you. It is in your mouth and in your heart. You can do it.

15See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

15Look. Today I have put two paths in front of you. One is life and good things. The other is death and bad things.

16In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

16Today I am telling you to love the LORD your God. Walk in his ways. Keep his rules and his laws. Then you will live, and your family will grow. And the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are going to take.

17But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;

17But your heart might turn away. You might stop listening. You might be pulled away to bow down to other gods and serve them.

18I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

18So I am telling you plainly today: if you do that, you will die. You will not live long in the land across the Jordan River that you are going to take.

NoteThe King James Bible says "I denounce unto you." In 1611 that meant "I announce to you" or "I tell you clearly." It did not mean scolding.

19I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

19Today I call the sky and the earth to watch and remember what I say. I have put life and death in front of you, good gifts and punishments. So choose life! Then you and your children will live.

20That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

20Love the LORD your God. Listen to him. Hold on to him tightly. He is your life, and he gives you long days. Then you will live in the land God promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.