כִּֽי־אַתֶּ֣ם יְדַעְתֶּ֔ם אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־יָשַׁ֖בְנוּ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וְאֵ֧ת אֲשֶׁר־עָבַ֛רְנוּ בְּקֶ֥רֶב הַגּוֹיִ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עֲבַרְתֶּֽם׃

For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we passed in the midst of the nations that you passed.

וַתִּרְאוּ֙ אֶת־שִׁקּ֣וּצֵיהֶ֔ם וְאֵ֖ת גִּלֻּלֵיהֶ֑ם עֵ֣ץ וָאֶ֔בֶן כֶּ֥סֶף וְזָהָ֖ב אֲשֶׁ֥ר עִמָּהֶֽם׃

In all the places where you passed, you observed their behavior. You saw their detestable things, their gods, and their idols of wood and stone, silver and gold, that were with them.

פֶּן־יֵ֣שׁ בָּ֠כֶם אִ֣ישׁ אוֹ־אִשָּׁ֞ה א֧וֹ מִשְׁפָּחָ֣ה אוֹ־שֵׁ֗בֶט אֲשֶׁר֩ לְבָב֨וֹ פֹנֶ֤ה הַיּוֹם֙ מֵעִם֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ לָלֶ֣כֶת לַעֲבֹ֔ד אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֖י הַגּוֹיִ֣ם הָהֵ֑ם פֶּן־יֵ֣שׁ בָּכֶ֗ם שֹׁ֛רֶשׁ פֹּרֶ֥ה רֹ֖אשׁ וְלַעֲנָֽה׃

Lest there is among you a man, or a woman, or a family, or a tribe, who was impressed by the idols of the nations and whose heart turns today from the Lord our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations, I am therefore issuing this warning to them. At that time idolatry was not openly practiced among the Jewish people, but it is nevertheless possible that some people might have been influenced by the idolatrous nations. Although they would not yet publicly admit their beliefs, they are liable to do so at a later stage. Moses expresses this concern by means of a metaphor: Lest there is among you a root producing gall and wormwood, bitter and possibly poisonous plants that are hard to discern when they are intermingled with a large quantity of produce;

וְהָיָ֡ה בְּשָׁמְעוֹ֩ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֨י הָֽאָלָ֜ה הַזֹּ֗את וְהִתְבָּרֵ֨ךְ בִּלְבָב֤וֹ לֵאמֹר֙ שָׁל֣וֹם יִֽהְיֶה־לִּ֔י כִּ֛י בִּשְׁרִר֥וּת לִבִּ֖י אֵלֵ֑ךְ לְמַ֛עַן סְפ֥וֹת הָרָוָ֖ה אֶת־הַצְּמֵאָֽה׃

and it will be that upon his hearing the words of this curse that I am about to utter, he, who entertains idolatrous thoughts, will bless himself in his heart, saying: Peace will be with me. The curse will not affect me, but rather I will live happily and peacefully, as I will follow the desire of my heart, doing as I please, so that the watered will be added to the dry. Since the members of far-off nations did not witness God’s greatness, their souls are called dry. They lack the divine experience that is the foundation of faith. By contrast, the souls of the Jewish people, whom God has accompanied and guided for many years, are considered properly watered. Therefore, the Israelites should not have learned from the way of life of those whose souls are dry merely because they passed through those heathen nations. If they do so, it is as though the watered has been added and adjoined to the dry.

לֹא־יֹאבֶ֣ה יְהוָה֮ סְלֹ֣חַֽ לוֹ֒ כִּ֣י אָ֠ז יֶעְשַׁ֨ן אַף־יְהוָ֤ה וְקִנְאָתוֹ֙ בָּאִ֣ישׁ הַה֔וּא וְרָ֤בְצָה בּוֹ֙ כָּל־הָ֣אָלָ֔ה הַכְּתוּבָ֖ה בַּסֵּ֣פֶר הַזֶּ֑ה וּמָחָ֤ה יְהוָה֙ אֶת־שְׁמ֔וֹ מִתַּ֖חַת הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃

The Lord will be unwilling to forgive him, as then the wrath of the Lord and His zealotry will smoke against that man. God will be especially angry because that individual was present when the assembly accepted His oath, and yet he attempted to deceive Him, as it were. And the entire curse that is written in this book shall rest upon him, and the Lord will expunge his name from under the heavens until no memory of him remains.

וְהִבְדִּיל֤וֹ יְהוָה֙ לְרָעָ֔ה מִכֹּ֖ל שִׁבְטֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כְּכֹל֙ אָל֣וֹת הַבְּרִ֔ית הַכְּתוּבָ֕ה בְּסֵ֥פֶר הַתּוֹרָ֖ה הַזֶּֽה׃

If those with idolatrous thoughts are not merely individuals, but an entire family or an even larger group, they will be punished accordingly. The Lord will separate him, the family or group, for evil, from all the tribes of Israel, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the Torah.

וְאָמַ֞ר הַדּ֣וֹר הָֽאַחֲר֗וֹן בְּנֵיכֶם֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר יָק֙וּמוּ֙ מֵאַ֣חֲרֵיכֶ֔ם וְהַ֨נָּכְרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָבֹ֖א מֵאֶ֣רֶץ רְחוֹקָ֑ה וְ֠רָאוּ אֶת־מַכּ֞וֹת הָאָ֤רֶץ הַהִוא֙ וְאֶת־תַּ֣חֲלֻאֶ֔יהָ אֲשֶׁר־חִלָּ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה בָּֽהּ׃

Since you accept the covenant upon yourselves, if you break it and are punished, then the latter generation, your children who will arise after you, and the foreigner who will come to Israel from a distant land, they will see the afflictions of that land, and the illnesses with which the Lord has blighted it, and they will say:

גָּפְרִ֣ית וָמֶלַח֮ שְׂרֵפָ֣ה כָל־אַרְצָהּ֒ לֹ֤א תִזָּרַע֙ וְלֹ֣א תַצְמִ֔חַ וְלֹֽא־יַעֲלֶ֥ה בָ֖הּ כָּל־עֵ֑שֶׂב כְּֽמַהְפֵּכַ֞ת סְדֹ֤ם וַעֲמֹרָה֙ אַדְמָ֣ה וצביים [וּצְבוֹיִ֔ם] אֲשֶׁר֙ הָפַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה בְּאַפּ֖וֹ וּבַחֲמָתֽוֹ׃

The earth will be covered with sulfur and salt, its entire land a fire. It will not be sown and will not produce, and no vegetation will grow in it, as the soil will be blighted and acrid. It will look like the aftermath of the upheaval of Sodom and Gomorrah, Adma and Tzevoyim, the cities of the plain of the Jordan, which the Lord overturned because of their wickedness, in His wrath and in His fury .

וְאָֽמְרוּ֙ כָּל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם עַל־מֶ֨ה עָשָׂ֧ה יְהוָ֛ה כָּ֖כָה לָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֑את מֶ֥ה חֳרִ֛י הָאַ֥ף הַגָּד֖וֹל הַזֶּֽה׃

All the surrounding nations will say: For what reason did the Lord do so to this land? What is the cause of this great enflamed wrath?

וְאָ֣מְר֔וּ עַ֚ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָֽזְב֔וּ אֶת־בְּרִ֥ית יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֲבֹתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁר֙ כָּרַ֣ת עִמָּ֔ם בְּהוֹצִיא֥וֹ אֹתָ֖ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

They will say to themselves in response, or others will answer them: It, this occurrence, is because they forsook the covenant of the Lord, God of their fathers, which He made with them when He took them out of the land of Egypt.

וַיֵּלְכ֗וּ וַיַּֽעַבְדוּ֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוּ֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם אֱלֹהִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־יְדָע֔וּם וְלֹ֥א חָלַ֖ק לָהֶֽם׃

They went and served other gods and prostrated themselves before them, gods that they did not know them, as the Canaanite gods were new to the Israelites. And these were gods that He did not allot to them. It might be the lot of gentile nations to engage in idolatry, but it is not the lot of the children of Israel.

וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֥ף יְהוָ֖ה בָּאָ֣רֶץ הַהִ֑וא לְהָבִ֤יא עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ אֶת־כָּל־הַקְּלָלָ֔ה הַכְּתוּבָ֖ה בַּסֵּ֥פֶר הַזֶּֽה׃

The wrath of the Lord was enflamed against that land, to bring upon it the entire curse that is written in this book.

וַיִּתְּשֵׁ֤ם יְהוָה֙ מֵעַ֣ל אַדְמָתָ֔ם בְּאַ֥ף וּבְחֵמָ֖ה וּבְקֶ֣צֶף גָּד֑וֹל וַיַּשְׁלִכֵ֛ם אֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ אַחֶ֖רֶת כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃

The Lord uprooted them, exiled them, from upon their land with wrath, and with fury, and with great rage, and He cast them to another land, as they are this day.

הַ֨נִּסְתָּרֹ֔ת לַיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְהַנִּגְלֹ֞ת לָ֤ׄנׄוּׄ וּׄלְׄבָׄנֵׄ֙יׄנׄוּׄ֙ עַד־עוֹלָ֔ם לַעֲשׂ֕וֹת אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֖י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת׃ (ס)

Moses concludes this section of his speech with a comment on the mutual responsibility of the people to uphold the covenant. The concealed deeds that you might commit are known only for the Lord our God. God punishes those who engage in idol worship in secret, as He alone is aware of their behavior, and therefore the communal covenant does not apply to those transgressions. But the revealed sins, those performed openly, are a responsibility assigned for us and for our children forever. It is our duty to eliminate them, as we have all undertaken to perform all the matters of this Torah.