Leviticus 26:14 introduces a list of curses that Israel will incur if they are disobedient to the Lord and break their covenant with him. When compared to the blessings of covenant faithfulness, the list presented here is much longer. The Lord spells out in great detail the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness. In fact, one may see these curses as a reversal of the blessings found in Leviticus 26:3–13. The curses in Leviticus 26:1–46 have five stages. Each stage increases in intensity as a result of a persistent refusal to repent: general curses (Leviticus 26:14–17), defeat in battle, drought and famine (Leviticus 26:18–20), wild beasts (Leviticus 26:21–22), war and siege (Leviticus 26:23–26), and destruction, cannibalism, and exile (Leviticus 26:27–39).
14 “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments,