Lest refers back to “Take heed lest…” at the beginning of verse 11, and also connects with the beginning of verse 14 “… then your hearts be lifted up.” This calls for restructuring, and translations such as Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje can serve as good models. Good News Translation, for example, doesn’t use the archaic lest but begins verse 14 with “be sure,” echoing “Make certain” at the beginning of verse 11. See the alternative model at the end of verse 14.

When you have eaten points forward to the clause “then your heart be lifted up” (beginning of verse 14). For eaten and are full Good News Translation has “You have all you want to eat,” and Contemporary English Version has “have plenty to eat.”

Goodly houses: “fine houses” (New Revised Standard Version) is today’s English; “beautiful” or “magnificent” are other possibilities.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know: see verse 8.

He might humble you and test you: see verse 2.

To do you good in the end: the testing was followed by blessings. At the end of it all God rewarded them with good things. Good News Translation has “so that in the end he could bless you with good things”; we may also say “so that in the end he could give you all kinds of good things.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Beware lest you say in your heart: that is, “Be careful not to say to yourself [or, yourselves],” or even “Be careful that you never think.”

My power and the might of my hand: the Israelites might be tempted to think that they had prospered because of their own efforts, their own skill and strength. Many languages require direct speech here, although Good News Translation has indirect speech. A model using direct speech is “Don’t think, ‘My own skill and hard work have made me rich.’ ” Contemporary English Version has “don’t say, ‘I’m rich, I have earned it all myself.’ ” In some languages wealth is defined by possessions (cattle and so on) rather than silver and gold. So we may translate “that gives you the strength to get many possessions.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

You shall remember the LORD your God … it is he who gives you power to get wealth: it is God who makes them wealthy. We may say “gives you the power to become rich” (Good News Translation) or “gives you the strength to get many possessions.”

That he may confirm his covenant: God does this because he is faithful to the covenant (4.13) that he had made with them, and keeps his promises. We may also express this as “In this way he keeps [or, is faithful to] the covenant he made with….” The phrase as at this day goes with confirm his covenant: “as he is doing today.”

He swore to your fathers: see 1.8.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Obey the voice means “obey the commands.”

It is possible to restructure and combine verses 19 and 20 as follows:

• I am warning you today that, if you forget the LORD your God and worship other gods, the LORD will destroy you, just as he will destroy all the other nations you will fight against.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Verses 1-2 are one sentence in Hebrew, which in translation should be broken up into several sentences (see Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). In verses 1-3 several matters are dealt with that have appeared before: for verse 1, see 1.28; 2.18; 4.38; 5.1; 6.4; 7.1; for verse 2, see 1.28; 7.15; for verse 3, see 4.24; 7.21-24.

Hear, O Israel: see 6.4.

You are to pass over the Jordan this day: the perspective given by Revised Standard Version is that of Moses addressing the people on the day they are to begin crossing the Jordan River into the land of Canaan; note also Good News Translation, “Today you are about to cross….” But some other versions do not take this day so literally; see, for example, New International Version “You are now about to cross,” and Contemporary English Version “You will soon cross.” It has now been forty years since they departed from Egypt. For Jordan see 1.1; 4.21.

Dispossess: this means to drive away or dislodge. The object is nations (not “land”), and so something like “drive out” is best. See also 2.21.

Nations greater and mightier than yourselves: see 7.1.

Cities great and fortified up to heaven: these are large towns surrounded by high, strong walls. The expression fortified up to heaven is a colorful exaggeration that no reader would understand literally; even Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version “reach to the sky” should not be read as a factual truth. A translator is encouraged to use similar exaggeration if it is understood as such, or we may use a simile or other expression; for example, “and the walls around their towns seem to reach to the sky.” For cities see 1.1, 22.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

A people great and tall: the Anakim had the reputation of being giants (Good News Translation, see also 2.1-11), descendants of the legendary giant Anak. They also were said to be undefeatable, as Moses quotes what people in general say about them, “Who can stand up to the Anakim?” The sense is “Who can defeat them in battle?” or “Who can fight them and defeat them?” or even “No one can defeat them in battle” (Contemporary English Version).

Whom you know: this does not mean personal acquaintance of them, but hearsay: of whom you have heard, “you have heard it said” (Good News Translation), or “People have told you.”

Sons of Anak: it is better to say “the descendants of the giant Anak” (BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum), or “the Anakim.” Anak is their ancestor, whose name they use as their group name. For a further discussion on sons of Anak, see 1.28.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Know therefore …: now comes the assurance. Yahweh will enable the Israelites to defeat and drive out these giants.

For God as a devouring fire, see 4.24. For the LORD your God see 1.6.

He will destroy them: see 2.12. There is a series of four verbs, the first two about God: destroy them and subdue them, that is, “conquer them,” “defeat them.” It may be more natural to reverse the two verbs: “will defeat and destroy them” (see Revised English Bible); Good News Translation combines the two verbs into one, but it is better to use two, if it is not unnatural style in the language.

Before you: this is better translated by Good News Translation “as you advance.”

You shall drive them out: this translates the same Hebrew verb used in verse 1, “dispossess.” We may also translate as “cause them to leave [the land].”

Make them perish quickly: see the verb in 8.19.

As the LORD has promised you: it is better to shift this nearer to the beginning of the sentence: “… as the LORD has promised you, he will go ahead of you like a raging fire burning everything in its path. He will defeat and destroy them….”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .