In this statement there is the same passive construction used in the previous verse: shall be given.

Your sons and daughters shall be given to another people: that is, they will be taken as prisoners of war to some foreign country. Good News Translation adds “as slaves,” which is permissible; they certainly wouldn’t be taken to foreign countries to become citizens! In languages that do not use the passive, we may say, for example, “I will give your sons and daughters to foreigners while you watch.”

Your eyes look on: “in your presence,” or “as you watch.”

Fail with longing for them all the day: an expressive figure of speech (see Lam 4.17). They will look and look, in vain, for the return of their children. New International Version has “you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day”; a better way of rendering this may be “… as you watch, day after day, for them to return home.”

It shall not be in the power of your hand to prevent it: that is, you won’t be able to prevent them from being taken into exile to a foreign country. Or, as Bible en français courant translates, “you won’t be able to effect their return,” or Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje “you won’t be able to do anything to bring them back.” This seems to be the better choice.

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 nation which you have not known: as in Jer 22.15-17, this means a foreign people the Israelites have never had any dealings with (Good News Translation “a foreign nation”).

Eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labors: that is, they will either take possession of or destroy all the crops that the Israelites had worked so hard to grow. “Take possession of,” or even “eaten,” is the preferred meaning. Good News Translation has “will take all the crops that you have worked so hard to grow,” and Contemporary English Version “everything you harvest will be eaten by foreigners.”

You shall be only oppressed and crushed continually: the word only modifies the whole curse; the sense is “all you will get is ceaseless oppression”; New International Version “cruel oppression” expresses the sense well. In a number of languages the active voice will be the preferred style; for example, “they will constantly oppress you and treat you harshly.”

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 .

So that you shall be driven mad by the sight which your eyes shall see: the cruel actions of their enemies will make them go crazy. New Jerusalem Bible has “you will be driven mad by the sights you see,” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “when you see these things you will go crazy”; or we may say “when you [plural] see all these terrible things, you will go insane [or, lose your minds].”

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 .

The LORD will smite you: see verse 27.

Grievous boils: see verse 27.

From the sole of your foot to the crown of your head: that is, “all over you.” The boils will spread from knees and legs to the whole body, “from head to foot” (Good News Translation; similarly Contemporary English Version).

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 horror, a proverb, and a byword: again, three terms that mean almost the same thing are used for emphasis (see verse 25). Horror here, as in verse 25, is something that horrifies others (New Revised Standard Version “object of horror”). So Good News Translation has “the people will be shocked at what has happened to you,” and Contemporary English Version “people … will shudder when they see.” A proverb means that the Israelites will become examples of victims of cruel treatment by enemies. The tragic fate of the Israelites will be remembered, and people will refer to it when the subject of national defeat arises. Byword means almost the same as proverb; the Hebrew word appears here, in 1 Kgs 9.7; 2 Chr 7.20; Jer 24.9, and nowhere else in the Old Testament. It has the basic meaning of “taunt,” that is, to ridicule, to make fun of someone. New Jerusalem Bible “laughingstock” is a good idiom in English. Revised English Bible has “a horror, a byword, and an object-lesson.” Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje translates “They will be horrified at what happened to you; they will malign you and make fun of you.”

Where the LORD will lead you away: defeat in war and the exile are the doings of Yahweh. As Yahweh had led them out of slavery in Egypt, he will lead them back into slavery. This final sentence may be placed at the beginning of the verse as follows:

• The people of countries to which Yahweh scatters you will be shocked at what has happened to you.

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 .

Plant vineyards and dress them: the verb dress here means to do all that is needed to make sure that the vines will grow strong and healthy; this includes cutting them back at the right time. Revised English Bible “cultivate” is better English for nonspecialists. For vineyards see the comment at 6.11.

Neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes: curiously enough, this is in reverse order to what actually takes place, and the translator must decide whether this will cause difficulty for the reader. Good News Translation reverses the order with “you will not gather their grapes or drink wine from them” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

The worm: an appropriate word must be found in the language, to speak of crop-eating worms or grubs (“the grub,” New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible). Them in many languages will be expressed as “the grape vines.”

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 have olive trees throughout all your territory: or “Olive trees will grow everywhere in your land” (Good News Translation).

You shall not anoint yourself with the oil: this is the use of olive oil in normal daily body care (see Ruth 3.3; 2 Sam 12.20; 14.2); it does not refer to its use in the ordination of kings or priests. Another way to express this is “You shall not have any of the oil to put on your bodies.”

Your olives shall drop off: because the olive trees are not healthy, and the olives drop off before they mature.

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 .

They shall not be yours … they shall go into captivity: the meaning is clear; while still young and living at home, their sons and daughters will be snatched from them by the enemy and taken away as prisoners of war.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• You will have sons and daughters, but your enemies will take them away as prisoners.

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 .