Leviticus 26:21-26

26:21 “‘If you walk in hostility against me ¹  and are not willing to obey me, I will increase your affliction ²  seven times according to your sins. 26:22 I will send the wild animals ³  against you and they will bereave you of your children, ⁴  annihilate your cattle, and diminish your population ⁵  so that your roads will become deserted.

26:23 “‘If in spite of these things ⁶  you do not allow yourselves to be disciplined and you walk in hostility against me, ⁷  26:24 I myself will also walk in hostility against you and strike you ⁸  seven times on account of your sins. 26:25 I will bring on you an avenging sword, a covenant vengeance. ⁹  Although ¹⁰  you will gather together into your cities, I will send pestilence among you and you will be given into enemy hands. ¹¹  26:26 When I break off your supply of bread, ¹²  ten women will bake your bread in one oven; they will ration your bread by weight, ¹³  and you will eat and not be satisfied.

[26:21]  ¹ tn Heb “hostile with me,” but see the added preposition בְּ (bet) on the phrase “in hostility” in v. 24 and 27.

[26:21]  ² tn Heb “your blow, stroke”; cf. TEV “punishment”; NLT “I will inflict you with seven more disasters.”

[26:22]  ³ tn Heb “the animal of the field.” This collective singular has been translated as a plural. The expression “animal of the field” refers to a wild (i.e., nondomesticated) animal.

[26:22]  ⁴ tn The words “of your children” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[26:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “and diminish you.”

[26:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “And if in these.”

[26:23]  ⁷ tn Heb “with me,” but see the added preposition בְּ (bet) on the phrase “in hostility” in vv. 24 and 27.

[26:24]  ⁸ tn Heb “and I myself will also strike you.”

[26:25]  ⁹ tn Heb “vengeance of covenant”; cf. NAB “the avenger of my covenant.”

[26:25]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) has a concessive force in this context.

[26:25]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in hand of enemy,” but Tg. Ps.-J. and Tg. Neof. have “in the hands of your enemies” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 454).

[26:26]  ¹² tn Heb “When I break to you staff of bread” (KJV, ASV, and NASB all similar).

[26:26]  ¹³ tn Heb “they will return your bread in weight.”