The Wilderness Years

"'For my anger has been fired up. It burns to the depths of Sh'ol, devouring the earth and its crops, kindling the very roots of the hills.

I will heap disasters on them and use up all my arrows against them.

"'Fatigued by hunger, they will be consumed by fever and bitter defeat; I will send them the fangs of wild beasts, and the poison of reptiles crawling in the dust.

Outside, the sword makes parents childless; inside, there is panic, as young men and girls alike are slain, sucklings and graybeards together.

"'I considered putting an end to them, erasing their memory from the human race;

but I feared the insolence of their enemy, feared that their foes would mistakenly think, "We ourselves accomplished this; ADONAI had nothing to do with it."

"'They are a nation without common sense, utterly lacking in discernment.

If they were wise they could figure it out and understand their destiny.

After all, how can one chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to rout, unless their Rock sells them to their enemies, unless ADONAI hands them over?

For our enemies have no rock like our Rock -even they can see that!

"'Rather, their vine is from the vine of S'dom, from the fields of 'Amora -their grapes are poisonous, their clusters are bitter;

their wine is snake poison, the cruel venom of vipers.

"'Isn't this hidden with me, sealed in my storehouses?

Vengeance and payback are mine for the time when their foot slips; for the day of their calamity is coming soon, their doom is rushing upon them.'

"Yes, ADONAI will judge his people, taking pity on his servants, when he sees that their strength is gone, that no one is left, slave or free.

Then he will ask, 'Where are their gods, the rock in whom they trusted?

Who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let him get up and help you, let him protect you!

See now that I, yes, I, am he; and there is no god beside me. I put to death, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; no one saves anyone from my hand!

"'For I lift up my hand to heaven and swear, "As surely as I am alive forever,

if I sharpen my flashing sword and set my hand to judgment, I will render vengeance to my foes, repay those who hate me.

I will make my arrows drunk with blood, my sword will devour flesh the blood of the slain and the captives, flesh from the wild-haired heads of the enemy."'

"Sing out, you nations, about his people! For he will avenge the blood of his servants. He will render vengeance to his adversaries and make atonement for the land of his people."

Moshe came and proclaimed all the words of this song in the hearing of the people and of Hoshea the son of Nun.

When he had finished speaking all these words to all Isra'el,

he said to them, "Take to heart all the words of my testimony against you today, so that you can use them in charging your children to be careful to obey all the words of this Torah.