« | Deuteronomy 29 | » |
1 These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.
2 And Moses called to all Israel, and said to them, You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land;
3 The great temptations which your eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:
4 Yet the LORD has not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, to this day.
5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old on you, and your shoe is not waxen old on your foot.
6 You have not eaten bread, neither have you drunk wine or strong drink: that you might know that I am the LORD your God.
7 And when you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us to battle, and we smote them:
8 And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh.
9 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.
10 You stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,
11 Your little ones, your wives, and your stranger that is in your camp, from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water:
12 That you should enter into covenant with the LORD your God, and into his oath, which the LORD your God makes with you this day:
13 That he may establish you to day for a people to himself, and that he may be to you a God, as he has said to you, and as he has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;
15 But with him that stands here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:
16 (For you know how we have dwelled in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which you passed by;
17 And you have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)
18 Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turns away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that bears gall and wormwood;
19 And it come to pass, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
20 The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie on him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.
21 And the LORD shall separate him to evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:
22 So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD has laid on it;
23 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor bears, nor any grass grows therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:
24 Even all nations shall say, Why has the LORD done thus to this land? what means the heat of this great anger?
25 Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:
26 For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given to them:
27 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring on it all the curses that are written in this book:
28 And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.
29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
The American King James Version (AKJV)
The American King James Version (AKJV) is a modernized adaptation of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, which seeks to retain the majesty and accuracy of the original text while updating some of the archaic language to make it more accessible to contemporary readers. The AKJV was created by Michael Peter (Stone) Engelbrite in the late 20th century, aiming to preserve the classic beauty and literary excellence of the KJV while ensuring that the scripture remains comprehensible to modern audiences. Michael Peter (Stone) Engelbrite of True Grace Ministries, claims his version is a simple word for word update from the King James English.
This translation adheres closely to the text and structure of the KJV, making only minimal changes where necessary to update outdated terms and phrases. One of the significant features of the AKJV is its commitment to maintaining the same verse structure and traditional phrasing that has made the KJV so enduringly popular. By making modest updates to the language, such as replacing thee and thou with you and your, the AKJV provides a version of the Bible that feels familiar to those who have long cherished the KJV, while being more approachable for new readers. This careful balance allows the AKJV to honor the historical and literary legacy of the KJV while meeting the linguistic needs of readers of today.
The AKJV also seeks to remain faithful to the doctrinal and theological foundations of the KJV. By preserving the original text's meaning and intent, the AKJV provides a reliable translation for study, worship, and personal devotion. Its adherence to the Textus Receptus for the New Testament and the Masoretic Text for the Old Testament ensures that the translation remains consistent with the sources that have historically underpinned the KJV. This fidelity to the original manuscripts and theological perspectives of the KJV helps maintain the trust and respect that many readers have for this venerable translation.
Despite its strengths, the AKJV has not been without its criticisms. Some scholars and readers argue that the translation does not go far enough in updating the language, leaving certain passages still challenging for modern audiences. Others feel that any alteration to the KJV diminishes its historical and literary significance. Nonetheless, the AKJV remains a valuable resource for those who seek a Bible translation that bridges the gap between the time-honored KJV and the needs of contemporary readers, offering a version that is both reverent and readable.