¹“Give ear, kO heavens, and I will speak,

and let lthe earth hear the words of my mouth.

²May mmy teaching drop as the rain,

my speech distill as the dew,

like gentle rain upon the tender grass,

and nlike showers upon the herb.

³For I will proclaim the name of the Lord;

ascribe ogreatness to our God!

⁴p“The Rock, qhis work is perfect,

for rall his ways are justice.

A God of faithfulness and swithout iniquity,

just and upright is he.

⁵They have dealt corruptly with him;

they are no longer his children tbecause they are blemished;

they are ua crooked and twisted generation.

⁶Do you thus repay the Lord,

you foolish and senseless people?

Is not he vyour father, who wcreated you,

who xmade you and established you?

⁷yRemember the days of old;

consider the years of many generations;

zask your father, and he will show you,

your elders, and they will tell you.

⁸When the Most High agave to the nations their inheritance,

when he bdivided mankind,

he fixed the borders1 of the peoples

according to the number of the sons of God.2

⁹But the Lord's portion is his people,

Jacob his allotted heritage.

¹⁰“He found him cin a desert land,

and in the howling waste of the wilderness;

he dencircled him, he cared for him,

he ekept him as the apple of his eye.

¹¹fLike an eagle that stirs up its nest,

that flutters over its young,

spreading out its wings, catching them,

bearing them on its pinions,

¹²gthe Lord alone guided him,

hno foreign god was with him.

¹³iHe made him ride on the high places of the land,

and he ate the produce of the field,

and he suckled him with jhoney out of the rock,

and koil out of lthe flinty rock.

¹⁴Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,

with fat3 of lambs,

rams of Bashan and goats,

with the very finest4 of the wheat—

and you drank foaming wine made from mthe blood of the grape.

¹⁵“But nJeshurun grew fat, and okicked;

pyou grew fat, stout, and sleek;

qthen he forsook God rwho made him

and scoffed at sthe Rock of his salvation.

¹⁶tThey stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;

with abominations they provoked him to anger.

¹⁷uThey sacrificed to demons that were no gods,

to gods they had never known,

to vnew gods that had come recently,

whom your fathers had never dreaded.

¹⁸You were unmindful of wthe Rock that bore5 you,

and you xforgot the God who gave you birth.

¹⁹y“The Lord saw it and spurned them,

because of the provocation of zhis sons and his daughters.

²⁰And he said, a‘I will hide my face from them;

I will see what their end will be,

for they are a perverse generation,

children in whom is no faithfulness.

²¹bThey have made me jealous with what is no god;

they have provoked me to anger cwith their idols.

So dI will make them jealous with those who are no people;

I will provoke them to anger with ea foolish nation.

²²For fa fire is kindled by my anger,

and it burns to gthe depths of Sheol,

devours the earth and its increase,

and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

²³“‘And I will heap disasters upon them;

hI will spend my arrows on them;

²⁴they shall be wasted with hunger,

and devoured by plague

and poisonous pestilence;

I will send ithe teeth of beasts against them,

with the venom of jthings that crawl in the dust.

²⁵kOutdoors the sword shall bereave,

and indoors terror,

for young man and woman alike,

the nursing child with the man of gray hairs.

²⁶lI would have said, “I will cut them to pieces;

mI will wipe them from human memory,”

²⁷had I not feared provocation by the enemy,

lest their adversaries should misunderstand,

lest they should say, n“Our hand is triumphant,

it was not the Lord who did all this.”’

²⁸“For they are a nation void of counsel,

and there is ono understanding in them.

²⁹pIf they were wise, they would understand this;

they would qdiscern their latter end!

³⁰How could rone have chased a thousand,

and two have put ten thousand to flight,

unless their Rock shad sold them,

and the Lord had given them up?

³¹For ttheir rock is not as our Rock;

uour enemies are by themselves.

³²For their vine vcomes from the vine of Sodom

and from the fields of Gomorrah;

their grapes are grapes of wpoison;

their clusters are bitter;

³³their wine is the poison of xserpents

and the cruel venom of asps.

³⁴“‘Is not this laid up in store with me,

ysealed up in my treasuries?

³⁵zVengeance is mine, and recompense,6

afor the time when their foot shall slip;

for bthe day of their calamity is at hand,

and their doom comes swiftly.’

³⁶For cthe Lord will vindicate7 his people

dand have compassion on his servants,

when he sees that their power is gone

and there is none remaining, ebond or free.

³⁷Then he will say, f‘Where are their gods,

gthe rock in which they took refuge,

³⁸who ate the fat of their sacrifices

and drank the wine of their drink offering?

Let them rise up and help you;

let them be your protection!

³⁹“‘See now that hI, even I, am he,

and there is no god beside me;

iI kill and I make alive;

jI wound and I heal;

and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

⁴⁰For kI lift up my hand to heaven

and swear, As I live forever,

⁴¹if I lsharpen my flashing sword8

and my hand takes hold on judgment,

I will take vengeance on my adversaries

and will repay those who hate me.

⁴²I will make my arrows drunk with blood,

and mmy sword shall devour flesh—

with the blood of the slain and the captives,

from the nlong-haired heads of the enemy.’

⁴³o“Rejoice with him, O heavens;9

bow down to him, all gods,10

for he pavenges the blood of his children11

and takes vengeance on his adversaries.

He repays those who hate him12

and cleanses13 his people's land.”14

⁴⁴Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and qJoshua15 the son of Nun. ⁴⁵And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, ⁴⁶he said to them, r“Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, sthat you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. ⁴⁷For it is no empty word for you, tbut your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

Moses' Death Foretold

⁴⁸That very day the Lord spoke to Moses, ⁴⁹“Go up uthis mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. ⁵⁰And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as vAaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, ⁵¹wbecause you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. ⁵²For xyou shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.”

Ayin

¹²¹I have done what is just and right;

do not leave me to my oppressors.

¹²²Give your servant la pledge of good;

let not mthe insolent oppress me.

¹²³My neyes long for your salvation

and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.

¹²⁴Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love,

and oteach me your statutes.

¹²⁵I am your pservant; qgive me understanding,

that I may know your testimonies!

¹²⁶It is time for the Lord to act,

for your law has been broken.

¹²⁷Therefore I rlove your commandments

above gold, above fine gold.

¹²⁸Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right;

I hate every sfalse way.

Pe

¹²⁹Your testimonies are twonderful;

therefore my soul ukeeps them.

¹³⁰The unfolding of your words gives light;

it imparts vunderstanding to the simple.

¹³¹I wopen my mouth and xpant,

because I ylong for your commandments.

¹³²zTurn to me and be gracious to me,

as is your way with those who love your name.

¹³³aKeep steady my steps according to your promise,

and let no iniquity bget dominion over me.

¹³⁴cRedeem me from man's oppression,

that I may keep your precepts.

¹³⁵dMake your face shine upon your servant,

and eteach me your statutes.

¹³⁶My eyes fshed streams of tears,

because people gdo not keep your law.

Tsadhe

¹³⁷hRighteous are you, O Lord,

and right are your rules.

¹³⁸You have appointed your testimonies in irighteousness

and in all jfaithfulness.

¹³⁹My kzeal consumes me,

because my foes forget your words.

¹⁴⁰Your promise is well ltried,

and your servant mloves it.

¹⁴¹I am small and despised,

yet I do not nforget your precepts.

¹⁴²Your righteousness is righteous forever,

and your law is otrue.

¹⁴³Trouble and anguish have found me out,

but your commandments are my pdelight.

¹⁴⁴Your testimonies are righteous forever;

qgive me understanding that I may rlive.

Evil and Oppression

¹Behold, bthe Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,

or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;

²cbut your iniquities have made a separation

between you and your God,

and your sins have hidden his face from you

so that he does not hear.

³dFor your hands are defiled with blood

and your fingers with iniquity;

your lips have spoken lies;

your tongue mutters wickedness.

⁴eNo one enters suit justly;

no one goes to law honestly;

they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies,

fthey conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.

⁵They hatch adders' eggs;

they weave the spider's web;

he who eats their eggs dies,

and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched.

⁶gTheir webs will not serve as clothing;

men will not cover themselves with what they make.

Their works are works of iniquity,

and deeds of violence are in their hands.

⁷hTheir feet run to evil,

and they are swift to shed innocent blood;

their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;

desolation and destruction are in their highways.

⁸The way of peace they do not know,

and there is no justice in their paths;

they have made their roads crooked;

ino one who treads on them knows peace.

⁹Therefore justice is far from us,

and righteousness does not overtake us;

jwe hope for light, and behold, darkness,

and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.

¹⁰kWe grope for the wall like the blind;

we grope like those who have no eyes;

we stumble at noon as in the twilight,

lamong those in full vigor we are like dead men.

¹¹We all growl like bears;

mwe moan and moan like doves;

nwe hope for justice, but there is none;

for salvation, but it is far from us.

¹²For our transgressions are multiplied before you,

and our sins testify against us;

for our transgressions are with us,

and we know our iniquities:

¹³transgressing, and denying the Lord,

and turning back from following our God,

ospeaking oppression and revolt,

conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.

Judgment and Redemption

¹⁴pJustice is turned back,

and righteousness stands far away;

for truth has stumbled in the public squares,

and uprightness cannot enter.

¹⁵Truth is lacking,

and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him1

that there was no justice.

¹⁶qHe saw that there was no man,

and wondered that there was no one to intercede;

then his own arm brought him salvation,

and his righteousness upheld him.

¹⁷rHe put on righteousness as a breastplate,

and a helmet of salvation on his head;

he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,

and wrapped himself in szeal as a cloak.

¹⁸tAccording to their deeds, so will he repay,

wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies;

uto the coastlands he will render repayment.

¹⁹vSo they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west,

and his glory from the rising of the sun;

wfor he will come like a rushing stream,2

which the wind of the Lord drives.

²⁰x“And ya Redeemer will come to Zion,

to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord.

²¹“And as for me, zthis is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, aand my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children's offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.”

Judging Others

¹r“Judge not, that you be not judged. ²sFor with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and twith the measure you use it will be measured to you. ³Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but udo not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

⁶v“Do not give wdogs what is holy, and do not throw your xpearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Ask, and It Will Be Given

⁷y“Ask, zand it will be given to you; aseek, and you will find; bknock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ⁹Or which one of you, if his son asks him for cbread, will give him ca stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? ¹¹If you then, dwho are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will zyour Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

The Golden Rule

¹²“So ewhatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is fthe Law and the Prophets.

¹³g“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy1 that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴For the gate is narrow and hthe way is hard that leads to life, and ithose who find it are few.

A Tree and Its Fruit

¹⁵j“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are kravenous wolves. ¹⁶You will recognize them lby their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷So, mevery healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹nEvery tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰Thus you will recognize them lby their fruits.

I Never Knew You

²¹o“Not everyone who psays to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will qenter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who rdoes the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²sOn that day tmany will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not uprophesy in your name, and cast out demons vin your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³tAnd then will I declare to them, ‘I wnever knew you; xdepart from me, yyou workers of lawlessness.’

Build Your House on the Rock

²⁴z“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like aa wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like aa foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The Authority of Jesus

²⁸And when Jesus finished these sayings, bthe crowds were astonished at his teaching, ²⁹cfor he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.