King James Version

Deuteronomy 30:19

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

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Hebrew

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הַעִידֹ֨תִיhaidotiprotestעוּדverb, hiphil, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “protest”, a completed actionH5749to duplicate or repeat; by implication, to protest, testify (as by reiteration); intensively, to encompass, restore (as a sort of reduplication)admonish, charge, earnestly, lift up, protest, call (take) to record, relieve, rob, solemnly, stand upright, testify, give warning, (bear, call to, give, take to) witness.בָכֶ֣םvakheminבָכֶ֣םpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “in”inהַיּוֹם֮hayomthe as long asיוֹםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the as long as”, the ordinary formH3117a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) lon…אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).הַשָּׁמַ֣יִםhashamayimthe heavenשָׁמַיִםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “the heaven”, the ordinary formH8064the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve)air, [idiom] astrologer, heaven(-s).וְאֶתveetand object markerאֵתconjunction, particle, direct object marker — “and object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).הָאָרֶץ֒haaretsthe earthאֶרֶץdefinite article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “the earth”, the ordinary formH776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.הַחַיִּ֤יםhachayimthe lifeחַיdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “the life”, the ordinary formH2416alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively[phrase] age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, [phrase] merry, multitude, [phrase] (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.וְהַמָּ֨וֶת֙vehamavetand the deadמָוֶתconjunction, definite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “and the dead”, the ordinary formH4194death (natural or violent); concretely, the dead, their place or state (hades); figuratively, pestilence, ruin(be) dead(-ly), death, die(-d).נָתַ֣תִּיnatatigiveנָתַןverb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “give”, a completed actionH5414to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, [idiom] avenge, [idiom] be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, [phrase] cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, [idiom] doubtless, [idiom] wi…לְפָנֶ֔יךָlefaneykhato a- foreפָּנִיםpreposition, noun, common, both genders, plural, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “to a- fore”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6440the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)[phrase] accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, [idiom] as (long as), at, [phrase] battle, [phrase] because (of), [phrase] beseech, countenance, edge, [phrase] employ, endure, [phrase] enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-…הַבְּרָכָ֖הhabrakhahthe blessingבְּרָכָהdefinite article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “the blessing”, the ordinary formH1293benediction; by implication prosperityblessing, liberal, pool, present.וְהַקְּלָלָ֑הvehaqlalahand the curseקְלָלָהconjunction, definite article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “and the curse”, the ordinary formH7045vilification(ac-) curse(-d, -ing).וּבָֽחַרְתָּ֙uvachartaand acceptableבָּחַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “and acceptable”, a completed action in a sequenceH977properly, to try, i.e. (by implication) selectacceptable, appoint, choose (choice), excellent, join, be rather, require.בַּֽחַיִּ֔יםbachayimin lifeחַיpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “in life”, the ordinary formH2416alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively[phrase] age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, [phrase] merry, multitude, [phrase] (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.לְמַ֥עַןlemaanthatמַעַןpreposition — “that”H4616properly, heed, i.e. purpose; used only adverbially, on account of (as a motive or an aim), teleologically, in order thatbecause of, to the end (intent) that, for (to,... 's sake), [phrase] lest, that, to.תִּחְיֶ֖הtichyehliveחָיָהverb, qal, imperfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “live”, an unfinished actionH2421to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revivekeep (leave, make) alive, [idiom] certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, ([idiom] God) save (alive, life, lives), [idiom] surely, be whole.אַתָּ֥הatahtheeאַתָּהpronoun, personal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “thee”H859thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youthee, thou, ye, you.וְזַרְעֶֽךָvezarekhaand seedזֶרַעconjunction, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “and seed”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2233seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity[idiom] carnally, child, fruitful, seed(-time), sowing-time.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed;

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed;

Young’s Literal Translation

'I have caused to testify against you to-day the heavens and the earth; life and death I have set before thee, the blessing and the reviling; and thou hast fixed on life, so that thou dost live, thou and thy seed,

World English Bible

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants,

Darby Translation

I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you: life and death have I set before you, blessing and cursing: choose then life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed,

Douay-Rheims

I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed;

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

I call both heaven and earth to witness this day against you, I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse: choose thou life, that thou and thy seed may live;

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Διαμαρτύρομαι ὑμῖν σήμερον τόν τε οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὸν θάνατον δέδωκα πρὸ προσώπου ὑμῶν, τὴν εὐλογίαν καὶ τὴν κατάραν· ἔκλεξαι τὴν ζωὴν σὺ, ἵνα ζήσῃς σὺ καὶ τὸ σπέρμα σου,