Deuteronomy 27
The full text of Deuteronomy 27 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: "Keep all these commands that I give you today.
2 When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the LORD your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster.
3 Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
4 And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster.
5 Build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool on them.
6 Build the altar of the LORD your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God.
7 Sacrifice fellowship offerings there, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the LORD your God.
8 And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones you have set up.
9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, "Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the LORD your God.
10 Obey the LORD your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today."
11 On the same day Moses commanded the people:
12 When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin.
13 And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.
14 The Levites shall recite to all the people of Israel in a loud voice:
15 "Cursed is anyone who makes an idol—a thing detestable to the LORD, the work of skilled hands—and sets it up in secret." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
16 "Cursed is anyone who dishonors their father or mother." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
17 "Cursed is anyone who moves their neighbor's boundary stone." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
18 "Cursed is anyone who leads the blind astray on the road." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
19 "Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
20 "Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his father's wife, for he dishonors his father's bed." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
21 "Cursed is anyone who has sexual relations with any animal." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
22 "Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
23 "Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his mother-in-law." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
24 "Cursed is anyone who kills their neighbor secretly." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
25 "Cursed is anyone who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
26 "Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
Translation notes (6)
- Deuteronomy 27:4a The standard Hebrew text (followed here) reads "Mount Ebal," while the Samaritan Pentateuch and a Dead Sea fragment read "Mount Gerizim." This choice has long been disputed because Ebal is the mountain of the curses (verse 13) and Gerizim is the mountain of the blessings. This difference is significant and is not decided here.
- Deuteronomy 27:5a The altar was to be made of uncut, untooled stones (compare Exodus 20:25). An iron tool would make it unholy, because the altar is the LORD's making, not a monument to human craftsmanship.
- Deuteronomy 27:9a The Hebrew word hasket, translated "Be silent," calls for solemn, attentive stillness before a word that defines the covenant. The phrase "you have now become the people of the LORD" marks this day as the formal establishment of Israel as God's covenant nation.
- Deuteronomy 27:15a The twelve curses (verses 15-26) are recited antiphonally, meaning they are spoken or sung by two groups in response to each other. The people's "Amen" (meaning "so be it") confirms each curse. The first curse targets secret idolatry, which is the foundational breaking of the covenant.
- Deuteronomy 27:20a The phrase "Dishonors his father's bed" is literally "uncovers his father's skirt" (gillah kenaf 'aviv in Hebrew). This is the same idiom for incest found in Deuteronomy 22:30; compare Leviticus 18:8.
- Deuteronomy 27:26a This summary curse, pronounced on anyone who fails to keep "all the words of this law," is quoted by Paul in Galatians 3:10 in his argument about law and faith. The relationship between this curse and Paul's use is theologically significant and is not decided here.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own translation of Scripture, made directly from the original Hebrew rather than revised from an older English Bible. Completed in 2026, it is the most modern English Bible translation available, and it is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Reading the TBV here on the web is free — the full study edition, with original-language tools and notes on every verse, lives in the Trinity Bible app.
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