Deuteronomy 32:23-28

32:23 I will increase their ¹  disasters,

I will use up my arrows on them.

32:24 They will be starved by famine,

eaten by plague, and bitterly stung; ² 

I will send the teeth of wild animals against them,

along with the poison of creatures that crawl in the dust.

32:25 The sword will make people childless outside,

and terror will do so inside;

they will destroy ³  both the young man and the virgin,

the infant and the gray-haired man.

The Weakness of Other Gods

32:26 “I said, ‘I want to cut them in pieces. ⁴ 

I want to make people forget they ever existed.

32:27 But I fear the reaction ⁵  of their enemies,

for ⁶  their adversaries would misunderstand

and say, “Our power is great, ⁷ 

and the Lord has not done all this!”’

32:28 They are a nation devoid of wisdom,

and there is no understanding among them.

[32:23]  ¹ tn Heb “upon them.”

[32:24]  ² tn The Hebrew term קֶטֶב (qetev) is probably metaphorical here for the sting of a disease (HALOT 1091-92 s.v.).

[32:25]  ³ tn A verb is omitted here in the Hebrew text; for purposes of English style one suitable to the context is supplied.

[32:26]  ⁴ tc The LXX reads “I said I would scatter them.” This reading is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV, NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT, CEV).

[32:27]  ⁵ tn Heb “anger.”

[32:27]  ⁶ tn Heb “lest.”

[32:27]  ⁷ tn Heb “Our hand is high.” Cf. NAB “Our own hand won the victory.”