You must obey him and keep his commandments and statutes that I am giving you today.”

‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or metal image – something abhorrent to the Lord, the work of the craftsman – and sets it up in a secret place.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

‘Cursed is the one who refuses to keep the words of this law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

The Lord will decree blessing for you with respect to your barns and in everything you do – yes, he will bless you in the land he is giving you.

The Lord will greatly multiply your children, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil in the land which he promised your ancestors he would give you.

But you must not turn away from all the commandments I am giving you today, to either the right or left, nor pursue other gods and worship them.

The Lord will plague you with deadly diseases until he has completely removed you from the land you are about to possess.

As for the produce of your land and all your labor, a people you do not know will consume it, and you will be nothing but oppressed and crushed for the rest of your lives.

The Lord will afflict you in your knees and on your legs with painful, incurable boils – from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.

The Lord will raise up a distant nation against you, one from the other side of the earth as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand,

The man among you who is by nature tender and sensitive will turn against his brother, his beloved wife, and his remaining children.

Moreover, the Lord will bring upon you every kind of sickness and plague not mentioned in this scroll of commandments, until you have perished.

There will be very few of you left, though at one time you were as numerous as the stars in the sky, because you will have disobeyed the Lord your God.

“Therefore, keep the terms of this covenant and obey them so that you may be successful in everything you do.

They went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods they did not know and that he did not permit them to worship.

Then if you and your descendants turn to the Lord your God and obey him with your whole mind and being just as I am commanding you today,

the Lord your God will reverse your captivity and have pity on you. He will turn and gather you from all the peoples among whom he has scattered you.

Then the Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies, on those who hate you and persecute you.

You will return and obey the Lord, keeping all his commandments I am giving you today.

“This commandment I am giving you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it too remote.