Deuteronomy 28:13 kjva — And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; i…

King James Version with Apocrypha

"And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:"

— Deuteronomy 28:13, King James Version with Apocrypha

Read in Another Translation

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Deuteronomy 28:13 in Other Translations

6 versions All translations
  • KJV

    “And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:”

  • ASV

    “And Jehovah will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them, ”

  • WEB

    “Yahweh will make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if you shall listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God, which I command you this day, to observe and to do [them],”

  • NET

    “The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always end up at the top and not at the bottom, if you obey his commandments which I am urging you today to be careful to do.”

  • DRB

    “And the Lord shall make thee the head and not the tail: and thou shalt be always above, and not beneath: yet so if thou wilt hear the commandments of the Lord thy God which I command thee this day, and keep and do them,”

  • BBE

    “The Lord will make you the head and not the tail; and you will ever have the highest place, if you give ear to the orders of the Lord your God which I give you today, to keep and to do them;”

Deuteronomy 28 — Context

10

And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.

11

And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

12

The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

13

And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

14

And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

15

But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

16

Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

Deuteronomy 28:13 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does Deuteronomy 28:13 say?
Deuteronomy 28:13 in the King James Version with Apocrypha reads: “And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:”
Where is Deuteronomy 28:13 in the Bible?
Deuteronomy 28:13 is found in the Old Testament, in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28, verse 13.
Who wrote Deuteronomy?
Deuteronomy is traditionally attributed to Moses (traditional). Largely framed as Moses' farewell speeches; the closing chapter narrating his death was likely added by Joshua or a later editor. It was written c. 1406 BC.
What is the book of Deuteronomy about?
Deuteronomy is Moses' final sermons to Israel before they enter the Promised Land — a renewed call to love and obey the LORD. It re-states the Law, rehearses Israel's history, and lays before the people blessing for obedience and curse for rebellion.
What are the major themes of Deuteronomy?
Deuteronomy explores themes including Covenant, Love, Obedience, Remembrance, Blessing & Curse. These themes shape the meaning and context of Deuteronomy 28:13.
What translation should I read Deuteronomy 28:13 in?
Deuteronomy 28:13 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.
How can I memorize Deuteronomy 28:13?
Deuteronomy 28:13 reads (KJVA): “And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.
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