Verses 39-42 are a single unit of poetry in which God vows to punish the enemies of the Israelites; they are his enemies, too.

See now that I, even I, am he: see 4.35, 39. The Hebrew text says “I, I [am] he,” which the Septuagint translates by “I am.” This is a reference to the name of God, emphasizing the fact that only Yahweh is God. So Bible en français courant translates “Recognize, therefore, I alone am able to save. There is no other god but me.” BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum has “Pay attention! I am the only God, and there is no other God like me”; and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has “I am the only God; there are no other gods besides me.” Contemporary English Version has “Don’t you understand? I am the only God; there are no others.”

I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal: his power for hurting and for helping is absolute, and none can stop him when he decides to act.

There is none that can deliver out of my hand: God says that there is no one who can save someone he has decided to punish. The absolute none would include not only human beings but angelic and divine beings as well; so Good News Translation has “no one can oppose what I do,” and Contemporary English Version “and nothing can stop me.”

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 .