18 The Lord will curse you,
and you will not have many children.
He will curse your land
and you will not have good crops.
He will curse your animals
and they will not have many babies.
He will curse all your calves and lambs.
Look at me, Lord!\par See who it is\par that you have treated this way!\par Let me ask this question:\par Should women eat the children\par they have given birth to?\par Should women eat the children\par that they have cared for?\par Should priest and prophet\par be killed in the temple of the Lord?\par
I will give you a share of the grain {left in that city}. {But there will be very little food to eat.} Ten women will be able to cook all their bread in one oven. They will measure each piece of bread. You will eat, but you will still be hungry!
Figs might not grow on the fig trees.\par Grapes might not grow on the vines.\par Olives might not grow on the olive trees.\par Food might not grow in the fields.\par There might not be any sheep in the pens.\par There might not be any cattle in the barns.\par
“Look, I will punish your descendants. During the holidays, you priests offer sacrifices to me. You take the dung and inside parts from the dead animals, and throw those parts away. But I will smear that dung on your faces, and you will be thrown away with it!
The Lord will bless you
and give you many children.
He will bless your land
and give you good crops.
He will bless your animals
and let them have many babies.
He will bless all your calves and lambs.
Don’t worship or serve idols of any kind. Why? Because I am the Lord your God. I hate for my people to worship other gods. [26] People who sin against me become my enemies. And I will punish those people. And I will punish their children, their grandchildren, and even their great-grandchildren.