28“For they are a nation lacking in counsel,

And there is no understanding in them.

29Would that they were wise, that they understood this,

That they would discern their future!

30How could one chase a thousand,

And two put ten thousand to flight,

Unless their Rock had sold them,

And the Lord had given them up?

31Indeed their rock is not like our Rock,

Even our enemies themselves judge this.

32For their vine is from the vine of Sodom,

And from the fields of Gomorrah;

Their grapes are grapes of poison,

Their clusters, bitter.

33Their wine is the venom of serpents,

And the deadly poison of cobras.

34‘Is it not laid up in store with Me,

Sealed up in My treasuries?

35Vengeance is Mine, and retribution,

In due time their foot will slip;

For the day of their calamity is near,

And the impending things are hastening upon them.’

36For the Lord will vindicate His people,

And will have compassion on His servants,

When He sees that their strength is gone,

And there is none remaining, bond or free.

37And He will say, ‘Where are their gods,

The rock in which they sought 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 hiding place!

39See now that I, I am He,

And there is no god besides Me;

It is I who put to death and give life.

I have wounded and it is I who heal,

And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.

40Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven,

And say, as I live forever,

41If I sharpen My flashing sword,

And My hand takes hold on justice,

I will render vengeance on My adversaries,

And I will repay those who hate Me.

42I will make My arrows drunk with blood,

And My sword will devour flesh,

With the blood of the slain and the captives,

From the long-haired leaders of the enemy.’

43Rejoice, O nations, with His people;

For He will avenge the blood of His servants,

And will render vengeance on His adversaries,

And will atone for His land and His people.”

44Then Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he, with Joshua the son of Nun. 45When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46he said to them, “Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. 47For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.”

48The Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, 49“Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. 50Then die on the mountain where you ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. 52For you shall see the land at a distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.”

Be in Readiness

35“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

39“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

41Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” 42And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 44Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; 46the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, 48but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

Christ Divides Men

49“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! 50But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 51Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

54And He was also saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. 55And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. 56You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?

57“And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? 58For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent.”

56Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God

And did not keep His testimonies,

57But turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers;

They turned aside like a treacherous bow.

58For they provoked Him with their high places

And aroused His jealousy with their graven images.

59When God heard, He was filled with wrath

And greatly abhorred Israel;

60So that He abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh,

The tent which He had pitched among men,

61And gave up His strength to captivity

And His glory into the hand of the adversary.

62He also delivered His people to the sword,

And was filled with wrath at His inheritance.

63Fire devoured His young men,

And His virgins had no wedding songs.

64His priests fell by the sword,

And His widows could not weep.

24The hand of the diligent will rule,

But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.