The Wilderness Years

For I know how rebellious and stiffnecked you are! Here, even while I am still alive with you today, you have rebelled against ADONAI; so how much more will you do so after my death?

Assemble for me all the leaders of your tribes and your officials, so that I can say these things in their hearing, calling heaven and earth to witness against them -

because I know that after my death you will become very corrupt and turn aside from the way that I have ordered you, and that disaster will come upon you in the acharit-hayamim, because you will do what ADONAI sees as evil and provoke him by your deeds."

Then Moshe spoke in the hearing of the whole assembly of Isra'el the words of this song, from beginning to end:

"Hear, oh heavens, as I speak! Listen, earth, to the words from my mouth!

May my teaching fall like rain. May my speech condense like dew, like light rain on blades of grass, or showers on growing plants.

"For I will proclaim the name of ADONAI. Come, declare the greatness of our God!

The Rock! His work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A trustworthy God who does no wrong, he is righteous and straight.

"He is not corrupt; the defect is in his children, a crooked and perverted generation.

You foolish people, so lacking in wisdom, is this how you repay ADONAI? He is your father, who made you his! It was he who formed and prepared you!

"Remember how the old days were; think of the years through all the ages. Ask your father -he will tell you; your leaders too -they will inform you.

"When 'Elyon gave each nation its heritage, when he divided the human race, he assigned the boundaries of peoples according to Isra'el's population;

but ADONAI's share was his own people, Ya'akov his allotted heritage.

"He found his people in desert country, in a howling, wasted wilderness. He protected him and cared for him, guarded him like the pupil of his eye,

like an eagle that stirs up her nest, hovers over her young, spreads out her wings, takes them and carries them as she flies.

"ADONAI alone led his people; no alien god was with him.

He made them ride on the heights of the earth. They ate the produce of the fields. He had them suck honey from the rocks and olive oil from the crags,

curds from the cows and milk from the sheep, with lamb fat, rams from Bashan and goats, with the finest wheat flour; and you drank sparkling wine from the blood of grapes.

"But Yeshurun grew fat and kicked (you grew fat, thick, gross!). He abandoned God his Maker; he scorned the Rock, his salvation.

They roused him to jealousy with alien gods, provoked him with abominations.

They sacrificed to demons, non-gods, gods that they had never known, new gods that had come up lately, which your ancestors had not feared.

You ignored the Rock who fathered you, you forgot God, who gave you birth.

"ADONAI saw and was filled with scorn at his sons' and daughters' provocation.

He said, 'I will hide my face from them and see what will become of them; for they are a perverse generation, untrustworthy children.

They aroused my jealousy with a non-god and provoked me with their vanities; I will arouse their jealousy with a non-people and provoke them with a vile nation.