(19) Therefore, write down this poem and teach it to the people of Israel; put it in their mouths, in order that this poem may be My witness against the people of Israel. (20) When I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey that I promised on oath to their fathers, and they eat their fill and grow fat and turn to other gods and serve them, spurning Me and breaking My covenant, (21) and the many evils and troubles befall them—then this poem shall confront them as a witness, since it will never be lost from the mouth of their offspring. For I know what plans they are devising even now, before I bring them into the land that I promised on oath.

(1)Give ear, O heavens, let me speak;Let the earth hear the words I utter!(2)May my discourse come down as the rain,My speech distill as the dew,Like showers on young growth,Like droplets on the grass. (3)For the name of the ETERNAL I proclaim;Give glory to our God!(4)The Rock!—whose deeds are perfect,Yea, all of whose ways are just;A faithful God, never false,True and upright indeed.(5) Unworthy children—That crooked, perverse generation—Their baseness has played God false.(6)Do you thus requite GOD,O dull and witless people?Is not this the Father who created you—Fashioned you and made you endure!(7)Remember the days of old,Consider the years of ages past;Ask your parent, who will inform you,Your elders, who will tell you:(8)when the Most-High gave nations [their] inheritances,

at his dividing the human-race,

he stationed boundaries for peoples

by the number of the gods. *gods: Ancient versions read “children of the gods.” The Hebrew text reads, uncomfortably, “by the number of the Children of Israel.”

. (9)For the ETERNAL’s portion is this people; Jacob, God’s own allotment.(10)[God] found them in a desert region, In an empty howling waste—Then engirded them, watched over them, Guarded them as the pupil of one’s eye.(11)Like an eagle who rouses its nestlings, Gliding down to its young,So did [God] spread wings and take them,Bear them along on pinions;

(15)So Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—You grew fat and gross and coarse—They forsook the God who made them And spurned the Rock of their support.(16)They kindled wrath with alien things, Provoked anger with abominations.(17)They sacrificed to demons, no-gods, Gods they had never known, New ones, who came but lately, Who stirred not your forebears’ fears. (18)You neglected the Rock who begot you, Forgot the God who labored to bring you forth.(19) GOD saw and was vexed And spurned these sons and daughters.(20)[God] said: I will hide My countenance from them, And see how they fare in the end. For they are a treacherous breed, Children with no loyalty in them.(21)They incensed Me with no-gods, Vexed Me with their futilities; I’ll incense them with a no-folk ,Vex them with a nation of fools.(22)For a fire has flared in My wrath And burned to the bottom of Sheol, Has consumed the earth and its increase, Eaten down to the base of the hills.(23)I will sweep misfortunes on them, Use up My arrows on them:

(39)See, then, that I, I am the One;There is no god beside Me.I deal death and give life;I wounded and I will heal:None can deliver from My hand.(40)Lo, I raise My hand to heavenAnd say: As I live forever,(41)When I whet My flashing bladeAnd My hand lays hold on judgment,Vengeance will I wreak on My foes,Will I deal to those who reject Me.(42)I will make My arrows drunk with blood—As My sword devours flesh—Blood of the slain and the captiveFrom the long-haired enemy chiefs.(43) O nations, acclaim this people! For [God] will avenge the blood of these servants, Wreak vengeance on opponents, And cleanse this people’s land.

Let the nations extol His people for He shall avenge the blood [calamities] of His [just] servants and wreak vengeance [calamity] on His enemies and reconcile His land and His people.

עשב HERB — a single stalk is called עשב and similarly each species of herbs by itself is called עשב (whilst דשא denotes vegetation in general). (Cf. Rashi on Genesis 1:11 and Note thereon).

HOVERETH. When they journey. Yerachef (hovereth) is related to the word merachefet (hovered) (Gen. 1:2). The cloud acted similarly when Israel journeyed.

(15) The ETERNAL God settled the Human in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it.

(23) But the land must not be sold beyond reclaim, for the land is Mine; you are but strangers resident with Me.

(2) Speak to the Israelite people and say to them:
When you enter the land that I assign to you, the land shall observe a sabbath of GOD.

(33) And you I will scatter among the nations, and I will unsheath the sword against you. Your land shall become a desolation and your cities a ruin. (34)Then shall the land make up for its sabbath years throughout the time that it is desolate and you are in the land of your enemies; then shall the land rest and make up for its sabbath years.

(43) For the land shall be forsaken of them, making up for its sabbath years by being desolate of them, while they atone for their iniquity; for the abundant reason that they rejected My rules and spurned My laws.

(25) Thus the land became defiled; and I called it to account for its iniquity, and the land spewed out its inhabitants. (26) But you must keep My laws and My rules, and you must not do any of those abhorrent things, neither the citizen nor the stranger who resides among you; (27) for all those abhorrent things were done by the people who were in the land before you, and the land became defiled. (28) So let not the land spew you out for defiling it, as it spewed out the nation that came before you.

(33) You shall not pollute the land in which you live; for blood pollutes the land, and the land can have no expiation for blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. (34) You shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I Myself abide, for I GOD abide among the Israelite people.

(4)The earth is withered, sear; The world languishes, it is sear; The most exalted people of the earth languish. (5)For the earth was defiled Under its inhabitants; Because they transgressed teachings, Violated laws, Broke the ancient covenant.

(3)For that, the earth is withered: Everything that dwells on it languishes—Beasts of the field and birds of the sky—Even the fish of the sea perish.

(1)“See the work of God, for who can mend what He has warped?” (Ecclesiastes 7:13)
“See the work of God, for who can mend what He has warped?” When the Holy One blessed be He created Adam the first man, He took him and showed him all the trees in the Garden of Eden, and He said to him: ‘See My creations, how beautiful and exemplary they are. Everything I created, I created for you. Make certain that you do not ruin and destroy My world, as if you destroy it, there will be no one to mend it after you. ...