The Command to Leave Horeb
1These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordana—that is, in the Arabahb—opposite Suph, between Paranc and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. 2(It takes eleven days to go from Horebd to Kadesh Barneae by the Mount Seirf road.)g
3In the fortieth year,h on the first day of the eleventh month,i Moses proclaimedj to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them. 4This was after he had defeated Sihonk king of the Amorites,l who reigned in Heshbon,m and at Edrei had defeated Ogn king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.o
5East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab,p Moses began to expound this law, saying:
6The LORD our God said to usq at Horeb,r “You have stayed long enoughs at this mountain. 7Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites;t go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah,u in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negevv and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanitesw and to Lebanon,x as far as the great river, the Euphrates.y 8See, I have given you this landz.a Go in and take possession of the land the LORD sworeb he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”
The Appointment of Leaders
9At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burdenc for me to carry alone.d 10The LORD your God has increasede your numbersf so that today you are as numerousg as the stars in the sky.h 11May the LORD, the God of your ancestors, increasei you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!j 12But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself?k 13Choose some wise, understanding and respected menl from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”
14You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.”
15So I tookm the leading men of your tribes,n wise and respected men,o and appointed them to have authority over you—as commandersp of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials.q 16And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judger fairly,s whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you.t 17Do not show partialityu in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone,v for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.”w 18And at that time I told you everything you were to do.x
Spies Sent Out
19Then, as the LORD our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amoritesy through all that vast and dreadful wildernessz that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea.a 20Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. 21See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possessionb of it as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid;c do not be discouraged.”d Map: The Five Major Longitudinal Zones of Israel
22Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spye out the landf for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”
23The idea seemed good to me; so I selectedg twelve of you, one man from each tribe. 24They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkolh and explored it. 25Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported,i “It is a good landj that the LORD our God is giving us.”k
Rebellion Against the LORD
26But you were unwilling to go up;l you rebelledm against the command of the LORD your God. 27You grumbledn in your tents and said, “The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 28Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and tallero than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakitesp there.’ ”
29Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraidq of them.r 30The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fights for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31and in the wilderness. There you saw how the LORD your God carriedt you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”u
32In spite of this,v you did not trustw in the LORD your God, 33who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day,x to searchy out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.
34When the LORD heardz what you said, he was angrya and solemnly swore:b 35“No one from this evil generation shall see the good landc I swore to give your ancestors, 36except Calebd son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.e”
37Because of you the LORD became angryf with me also and said, “You shall not enterg it, either. 38But your assistant, Joshuah son of Nun, will enter it. Encouragei him, because he will leadj Israel to inheritk it. 39And the little ones that you said would be taken captive,l your children who do not yet knowm good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. 40But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.1,n”
41Then you replied, “We have sinned against the LORD. We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
42But the LORD said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’ ”o
43So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the LORD’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. 44The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of beesp and beat you down from Seirq all the way to Hormah.r 45You came back and wept before the LORD,s but he paid no attentiont to your weeping and turned a deaf earu to you. 46And so you stayed in Kadeshv many days—all the time you spent there.
Wanderings in the Wilderness
1Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea,1,a as the LORD had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.b
2Then the LORD said to me, 3“You have made your way around this hill country long enough;c now turn north. 4Give the people these orders:d ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau,e who live in Seir.f They will be afraidg of you, but be very careful. 5Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own.h 6You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’ ”
7The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watchedi over your journey through this vast wilderness.j These forty yearsk the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.l
8So we went on past our relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned fromm the Arabahn road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber,o and traveled along the desert road of Moab.p
9Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Arq to the descendants of Lotr as a possession.”
10(The Emitess used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites.t 11Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites,u but the Moabites called them Emites. 12Horitesv used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel didw in the land the LORD gave them as their possession.)
13And the LORD said, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.x” So we crossed the valley.
14Thirty-eight yearsy passed from the time we left Kadesh Barneaz until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generationa of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.b 15The LORD’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminatedc them from the camp.
16Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, 17the LORD said to me, 18“Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar.d 19When you come to the Ammonites,e do not harass them or provoke them to war,f for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.g”
20(That too was considered a land of the Rephaites,h who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. 21They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites.i The LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place. 22The LORD had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir,j when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. 23And as for the Avvitesk who lived in villages as far as Gaza,l the Caphtoritesm coming out from Caphtor2,n destroyed them and settled in their place.)
Defeat of Sihon King of Heshbon
24“Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge.o See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite,p king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engageq him in battle. 25This very day I will begin to put the terrorr and fears of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremblet and be in anguish because of you.”
26From the Desert of Kedemothu I sent messengers to Sihonv king of Heshbon offering peacew and saying, 27“Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left.x 28Sell us food to eaty and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on footz— 29as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us—until we cross the Jordan into the land the LORD our God is giving us.” 30But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the LORDa your God had made his spirit stubbornb and his heart obstinatec in order to give him into your hands,d as he has now done.
31The LORD said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”e
32When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battlef at Jahaz, 33the LORD our God deliveredg him over to us and we struck him down,h together with his sons and his whole army. 34At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed3,i them—men, women and children. We left no survivors. 35But the livestockj and the plunderk from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. 36From Aroerl on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead,m not one town was too strong for us. The LORD our God gaven us all of them. 37But in accordance with the command of the LORD our God,o you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites,p neither the land along the course of the Jabbokq nor that around the towns in the hills.
Defeat of Og King of Bashan
1Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashana with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei.b 2The LORD said to me, “Do not be afraidc of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.”
3So the LORD our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his army. We struck them down,d leaving no survivors.e 4At that time we took all his cities.f There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them—the whole region of Argob, Og’s kingdomg in Bashan.h 5All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and there were also a great many unwalled villages. 6We completely destroyed1 them, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying2,i every city—men, women and children. 7But all the livestockj and the plunder from their cities we carried off for ourselves.
8So at that time we took from these two kings of the Amoritesk the territory east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge as far as Mount Hermon.l 9(Hermon is called Sirionm by the Sidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.)n 10We took all the towns on the plateau, and all Gilead, and all Bashan as far as Salekaho and Edrei, towns of Og’s kingdom in Bashan. 11(Og king of Bashan was the last of the Rephaites.p His bed was decorated with iron and was more than nine cubits long and four cubits wide.3 It is still in Rabbahq of the Ammonites.)
Division of the Land
12Of the land that we took over at that time, I gave the Reubenites and the Gadites the territory north of Aroerr by the Arnon Gorge, including half the hill country of Gilead, together with its towns. 13The rest of Gilead and also all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh.s (The whole region of Argob in Bashan used to be known as a land of the Rephaites.t 14Jair,u a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maakathites;v it was namedw after him, so that to this day Bashan is called Havvoth Jair.4) 15And I gave Gilead to Makir.x 16But to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge (the middle of the gorge being the border) and out to the Jabbok River,y which is the border of the Ammonites. 17Its western border was the Jordan in the Arabah,z from Kinneretha to the Sea of the Arabahb (that is, the Dead Seac), below the slopes of Pisgah.
18I commanded you at that time: “The LORD your God has givend you this land to take possession of it. But all your able-bodied men, armed for battle, must cross over ahead of the other Israelites.e 19However, your wives,f your children and your livestockg (I know you have much livestock) may stay in the towns I have given you, 20until the LORD gives rest to your fellow Israelites as he has to you, and they too have taken over the land that the LORD your God is giving them across the Jordan. After that, each of you may go back to the possession I have given you.”
Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan
21At that time I commanded Joshua: “You have seen with your own eyes all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings. The LORD will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. 22Do not be afraidh of them;i the LORD your God himself will fightj for you.”
23At that time I pleadedk with the LORD: 24“Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatnessl and your strong hand. For what godm is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty worksn you do?o 25Let me go over and see the good landp beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.q”
26But because of you the LORD was angryr with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the LORD said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. 27Go up to the top of Pisgahs and look west and north and south and east.t Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to crossu this Jordan.v 28But commissionw Joshua, and encouragex and strengthen him, for he will lead this people acrossy and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.” 29So we stayed in the valley near Beth Peor.z
Obedience Commanded
1Now, Israel, hear the decreesa and laws I am about to teachb you. Follow them so that you may livec and may go in and take possession of the land the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2Do not addd to what I command you and do not subtracte from it, but keepf the commandsg of the LORD your God that I give you.
3You saw with your own eyes what the LORD did at Baal Peor.h The LORD your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4but all of you who held fast to the LORD your God are still alive today.
5See, I have taughti you decrees and lawsj as the LORD my God commandedk me, so that you may follow them in the land you are enteringl to take possession of it. 6Observem them carefully, for this will show your wisdomn and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”o 7What other nation is so greatp as to have their gods nearq them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and lawsr as this body of laws I am setting before you today?
9Only be careful,s and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teacht them to your childrenu and to their children after them. 10Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb,v when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learnw to reverex me as long as they live in the landy and may teachz them to their children.” 11You came near and stood at the foot of the mountaina while it blazed with fireb to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.c 12Then the LORD spoked to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form;e there was only a voice.f 13He declared to you his covenant,g the Ten Commandments,h which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 14And the LORD directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and lawsi you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
Idolatry Forbidden
15You saw no formj of any kind the day the LORD spoke to you at Horebk out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully,l 16so that you do not become corruptm and make for yourselves an idol,n an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, 17or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air,o 18or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. 19And when you look up to the sky and see the sun,p the moon and the starsq—all the heavenly arrayr—do not be enticeds into bowing down to them and worshipingt things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. 20But as for you, the LORD took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace,u out of Egypt,v to be the people of his inheritance,w as you now are.
21The LORD was angry with mex because of you, and he solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the LORD your God is giving you as your inheritance. 22I will die in this land;y I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land.z 23Be careful not to forget the covenanta of the LORD your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idolb in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden. 24For the LORD your God is a consuming fire,c a jealous God.d
25After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupte and make any kind of idol,f doing evilg in the eyes of the LORD your God and arousing his anger, 26I call the heavens and the earth as witnessesh against youi this day that you will quickly perishj from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. 27The LORD will scatterk you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survivel among the nations to which the LORD will drive you. 28There you will worship man-made godsm of wood and stone,n which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.o 29But if from there you seekp the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heartq and with all your soul.r 30When you are in distresss and all these things have happened to you, then in later dayst you will returnu to the LORD your God and obey him. 31For the LORD your God is a mercifulv God; he will not abandonw or destroyx you or forgety the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.
The LORD Is God
32Askz now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth;a ask from one end of the heavens to the other.b Has anything so greatc as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33Has any other people heard the voice of God1 speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived?d 34Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation,e by testings,f by signsg and wonders,h by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,i or by great and awesome deeds,j like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
35You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other.k 36From heaven he made you hear his voicel to disciplinem you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. 37Because he lovedn your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength,o 38to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance,p as it is today.
39Acknowledgeq and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.r 40Keeps his decrees and commands,t which I am giving you today, so that it may go wellu with you and your children after you and that you may live longv in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.
Cities of Refuge
4:41-43Ref — Nu 35:6-34; Dt 19:1-14; Jos 20:1-9
41Then Moses set aside three cities east of the Jordan, 42to which anyone who had killed a person could flee if they had unintentionallyw killed a neighbor without malice aforethought. They could flee into one of these cities and save their life. 43The cities were these: Bezer in the wilderness plateau, for the Reubenites; Ramothx in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.
Introduction to the Law
44This is the law Moses set before the Israelites. 45These are the stipulations, decrees and laws Moses gave them when they came out of Egypt 46and were in the valley near Beth Peor east of the Jordan, in the land of Sihony king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon and was defeated by Moses and the Israelites as they came out of Egypt. 47They took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan. 48This land extended from Aroerz on the rim of the Arnon Gorge to Mount Sirion2,a (that is, Hermonb), 49and included all the Arabah east of the Jordan, as far as the Dead Sea,3 below the slopes of Pisgah.
The Ten Commandments
5:6-21pp — Ex 20:1-17
1Moses summoned all Israel and said:
Hear, Israel, the decrees and lawsa I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. 2The LORD our God made a covenantb with us at Horeb.c 3It was not with our ancestors1 that the LORD made this covenant, but with us,d with all of us who are alive here today.e 4The LORD spokef to you face to faceg out of the fireh on the mountain. 5(At that time I stood betweeni the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraidj of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:
6“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt,k out of the land of slavery.l Photo
7“You shall have no other gods before2 me.
8“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.m 9You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parentsn to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,o 10but showing love to a thousandp generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.q
11“You shall not misuse the namer of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.s
12“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,t as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14but the seventh dayu is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant,v nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.w 15Remember that you were slavesx in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty handy and an outstretched arm.z Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
16“Honor your fathera and your mother,b as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live longc and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
17“You shall not murder.d
18“You shall not commit adultery.e
19“You shall not steal.f
20“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.g
21“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”h
22These are the commandments the LORD proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness;i and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tabletsj and gave them to me.
23When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your eldersk came to me. 24And you said, “The LORD our God has shown usl his glory and his majesty,m and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them.n 25But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.o 26For what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived?p 27Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says.q Then tell us whatever the LORD our God tells you. We will listen and obey.”r
28The LORD heard you when you spoke to me, and the LORD said to me, “I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good.s 29Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear met and keep all my commandsu always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!v
30“Go, tell them to return to their tents. 31But you stay herew with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess.”
32So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you;x do not turn aside to the right or to the left.y 33Walk in obedience to all that the LORD your God has commanded you,z so that you may live and prosper and prolong your daysa in the land that you will possess.
Love the LORD Your God
1These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2so that you, your children and their children after them may feara the LORD your God as long as you liveb by keeping all his decrees and commandsc that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.d 3Hear, Israel, and be careful to obeye so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatlyf in a land flowing with milk and honey,g just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promisedh you.
4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.1,i 5Lovej the LORD your God with all your heartk and with all your soul and with all your strength.l 6These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.m 7Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.n 8Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.o 9Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.p Article: The LORD Is One
10When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build,q 11houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig,r and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied,s 12be careful that you do not forgett the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
13Fear the LORDu your God, serve him onlyv and take your oathsw in his name.x 14Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15for the LORD your Gody, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16Do not put the LORD your God to the testz as you did at Massah. 17Be sure to keepa the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you.b 18Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight,c so that it may go welld with you and you may go in and take over the good land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors, 19thrusting out all your enemiese before you, as the LORD said.
20In the future, when your son asks you,f “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?” 21tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.g 22Before our eyes the LORD sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. 24The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God,h so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.i 25And if we are careful to obey all this lawj before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.k”
Driving Out the Nations
1When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possessa and drives out before you many nationsb—the Hittites,c Girgashites,d Amorites,e Canaanites, Perizzites,f Hivitesg and Jebusites,h seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2and when the LORD your God has deliveredi them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroyj them totally.1,k Make no treatyl with them, and show them no mercy.m 3Do not intermarry with them.n Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods,o and the LORD’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroyp you. 5This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles2,q and burn their idols in the fire.r 6For you are a people holys to the LORD your God.t The LORD your God has chosenu you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.v
7The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerousw than other peoples, for you were the fewestx of all peoples.y 8But it was because the LORD lovedz you and kept the oath he sworea to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty handb and redeemedc you from the land of slavery,d from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9Know therefore that the LORD your God is God;e he is the faithful God,f keeping his covenant of loveg to a thousand generationsh of those who love him and keep his commandments.i 10But
those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction;
he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.j
11Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.
12If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors.k 13He will love you and bless youl and increase your numbers.m He will bless the fruit of your womb,n the crops of your land—your grain, new wineo and olive oilp—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.q 14You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young.r 15The LORD will keep you free from every disease.s He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt,t but he will inflict them on all who hate you.u 16You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God gives over to you.v Do not look on them with pityw and do not serve their gods,x for that will be a snarey to you.
17You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?z” 18But do not be afraida of them; remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.b 19You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty handc and outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.d 20Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornete among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. 21Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you,f is a great and awesome God.g 22The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little.h You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. 23But the LORD your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed.i 24He will give their kingsj into your hand,k and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you;l you will destroy them.m 25The images of their gods you are to burnn in the fire. Do not coveto the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnaredp by it, for it is detestableq to the LORD your God. 26Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction.r Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.
Do Not Forget the LORD
1Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may livea and increase and may enter and possess the land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors.b 2Remember how the LORD your God ledc you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and testd you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3He humblede you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna,f which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teachg you that man does not live on breadh alone but on every word that comes from the mouthi of the LORD.j 4Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.k 5Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.l Map: Agriculture in the Holy Land
6Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in obedience to himm and revering him.n 7For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good lando—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills;p 8a land with wheat and barley,q vinesr and fig trees,s pomegranates, olive oil and honey;t 9a land where breadu will not be scarce and you will lack nothing;v a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.w
10When you have eaten and are satisfied,x praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11Be careful that you do not forgety the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down,z 13and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14then your heart will become proud and you will forgeta the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness,b that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakesc and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.d 16He gave you mannae to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known,f to humble and testg you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17You may say to yourself,h “My power and the strength of my handsi have produced this wealth for me.” 18But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,j and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
19If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other godsk and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.l 20Like the nationsm the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God.n
Not Because of Israel’s Righteousness
1Hear, Israel: You are now about to cross the Jordana to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you,b with large citiesc that have walls up to the sky.d 2The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?”e 3But be assured today that the LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of youf like a devouring fire.g He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly,h as the LORD has promised you.
4After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself,i “The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickednessj of these nationsk that the LORD is going to drive them out before you. 5It is not because of your righteousness or your integrityl that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickednessm of these nations,n the LORD your God will drive them outo before you, to accomplish what he sworep to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.q 6Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.r
The Golden Calf
7Remember this and never forget how you aroused the angers of the LORD your God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellioust against the LORD.u 8At Horeb you aroused the LORD’s wrathv so that he was angry enough to destroy you.w 9When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenantx that the LORD had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty daysy and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water.z 10The LORD gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.a On them were all the commandments the LORD proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.b
11At the end of the forty days and forty nights,c the LORD gave me the two stone tablets,d the tablets of the covenant. 12Then the LORD told me, “Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt.e They have turned away quicklyf from what I commanded them and have made an idol for themselves.”
13And the LORD said to me, “I have seen this peopleg, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed! 14Let me alone,h so that I may destroy them and blot outi their name from under heaven.j And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.” Photo
15So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was ablaze with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands.k 16When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the LORD your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf.l You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you. 17So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes.
18Then once again I fellm prostrate before the LORD for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water,n because of all the sin you had committed,o doing what was evil in the LORD’s sight and so arousing his anger. 19I feared the anger and wrath of the LORD, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you.p But again the LORD listened to me.q 20And the LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too. 21Also I took that sinful thing of yours, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dustr and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain.s
22You also made the LORD angryt at Taberah,u at Massahv and at Kibroth Hattaavah.w
23And when the LORD sent you out from Kadesh Barnea,x he said, “Go up and take possessiony of the land I have given you.” But you rebelledz against the command of the LORD your God. You did not trusta him or obey him. 24You have been rebellious against the LORD ever since I have known you.b
25I lay prostrate before the LORD those forty days and forty nightsc because the LORD had said he would destroy you.d 26I prayed to the LORD and said, “Sovereign LORD, do not destroy your people,e your own inheritancef that you redeemedg by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.h 27Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornnessi of this people, their wickedness and their sin. 28Otherwise, the countryj from which you brought us will say, ‘Because the LORD was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them,k he brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.’l 29But they are your people,m your inheritancen that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.o”
Tablets Like the First Ones
1At that time the LORD said to me, “Chisel out two stone tabletsa like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden ark.1 2I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the ark.”b
3So I made the ark out of acacia woodc and chiseledd out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4The LORD wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandmentse he had proclaimedf to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.g And the LORD gave them to me. 5Then I came back down the mountainh and put the tablets in the arki I had made,j as the LORD commanded me, and they are there now.k
6(The Israelites traveled from the wells of Bene Jaakan to Moserah.l There Aaron diedm and was buried, and Eleazarn his son succeeded him as priest.o 7From there they traveled to Gudgodah and on to Jotbathah, a land with streams of water.p 8At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Leviq to carry the ark of the covenantr of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to ministers and to pronounce blessingst in his name, as they still do today.u 9That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the LORD is their inheritance,v as the LORD your God told them.)
10Now I had stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights, as I did the first time, and the LORD listened to me at this time also. It was not his will to destroy you.w 11“Go,” the LORD said to me, “and lead the people on their way, so that they may enter and possess the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”
Fear the LORD
12And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of youx but to feary the LORD your God, to walkz in obedience to him, to love him,a to serve the LORDb your God with all your heartc and with all your soul,d 13and to observe the LORD’s commandse and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?f
14To the LORD your God belong the heavens,g even the highest heavens,h the earth and everything in it.i 15Yet the LORD set his affection on your ancestors and lovedj them, and he chose you,k their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today.l 16Circumcisem your hearts,n therefore, and do not be stiff-neckedo any longer. 17For the LORD your God is God of godsp and Lord of lords,q the great God, mighty and awesome,r who shows no partialitys and accepts no bribes.t 18He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow,u and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.v 19And you are to lovew those who are foreigners,x for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.y 20Fear the LORD your God and serve him.z Hold fasta to him and take your oaths in his name.b 21He is the one you praise;c he is your God, who performed for you those greatd and awesome wonderse you saw with your own eyes. 22Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all,f and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.g
Love and Obey the LORD
1Lovea the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.b 2Remember today that your childrenc were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God:d his majesty,e his mighty hand, his outstretched arm;f 3the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country;g 4what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots,h how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea1,i as they were pursuing you, and how the LORD brought lasting ruin on them. 5It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the wilderness until you arrived at this place, 6and what he didj to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth openedk its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them. 7But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the LORD has done.l
8Observe therefore all the commandsm I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess,n 9and so that you may live longo in the land the LORD sworep to your ancestors to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.q 10The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt,r from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. 11But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleyss that drinks rain from heaven.t 12It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyesu of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
13So if you faithfully obeyv the commands I am giving you today—to lovew the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soulx— 14then I will send rainy on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains,z so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. 15I will provide grassa in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.b
16Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.c 17Then the LORD’s angerd will burn against you, and he will shut upe the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce,f and you will soon perishg from the good land the LORD is giving you. 18Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.h 19Teach them to your children,i talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.j 20Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,k 21so that your days and the days of your children may be manyl in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.m
22If you carefully observen all these commands I am giving you to follow—to loveo the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fastp to him— 23then the LORD will drive outq all these nationsr before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.s 24Every place where you set your foot will be yours:t Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates Riveru to the Mediterranean Sea. 25No one will be able to stand against you. The LORD your God, as he promised you, will put the terrorv and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.w
26See, I am setting before you today a blessingx and a cursey— 27the blessingz if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; 28the curse if you disobeya the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods,b which you have not known. 29When the LORD your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizimc the blessings, and on Mount Ebald the curses.e 30As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, westward, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh,f in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal.g 31You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possessionh of the land the LORD your God is givingi you. When you have taken it over and are living there, 32be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.
The One Place of Worship
1These are the decreesa and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you to possess—as long as you live in the land.b 2Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains,c on the hills and under every spreading tree,d where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. 3Break down their altars, smashe their sacred stones and burnf their Asherahg poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their namesh from those places.
4You must not worship the LORD your God in their way.i 5But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Namej there for his dwelling.k To that place you must go; 6there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithesl and special gifts, what you have vowedm to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.n 7There, in the presenceo of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoicep in everything you have put your hand to, because the LORD your God has blessed you. Article: The Name of God
8You are not to do as we do here today, everyone doing as they see fit,q 9since you have not yet reached the resting placer and the inheritances the LORD your God is giving you. 10But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the LORD your God is givingt you as an inheritance, and he will give you restu from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety. 11Then to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Namev—there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the LORD.w 12And there rejoicex before the LORD your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levitesy from your towns who have no allotment or inheritancez of their own. 13Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please.a 14Offer them only at the place the LORD will chooseb in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you.
15Nevertheless, you may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were gazelle or deer,c according to the blessing the LORD your God gives you. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it. 16But you must not eat the blood;d poure it out on the ground like water.f 17You must not eat in your own towns the titheg of your grain and new wine and olive oil,h or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give,i or your freewill offerings or special gifts.j 18Instead, you are to eatk them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choosel—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your towns—and you are to rejoicem before the LORD your God in everything you put your hand to. 19Be careful not to neglect the Levitesn as long as you live in your land.o
20When the LORD your God has enlarged your territoryp as he promisedq you, and you crave meatr and say, “I would like some meat,” then you may eat as much of it as you want. 21If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put his Names is too far away from you, you may slaughter animals from the herds and flocks the LORD has given you, as I have commanded you, and in your own towns you may eat as much of them as you want.t 22Eat them as you would gazelle or deer.u Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. 23But be sure you do not eat the blood,v because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.w 24You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.x 25Do not eat it, so that it may go welly with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is rightz in the eyes of the LORD.
26But take your consecrated things and whatever you have vowed to give,a and go to the place the LORD will choose. 27Present your burnt offeringsb on the altar of the LORD your God, both the meat and the blood. The blood of your sacrifices must be poured beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eatc the meat. 28Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go welld with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.
29The LORD your God will cut offe before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land,f 30and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnaredg by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.”h 31You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates.i They even burn their sonsj and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.k
32See that you do all I command you; do not addl to it or take away from it.1
Worshiping Other Gods
1If a prophet,a or one who foretells by dreams,b appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, 2and if the signc or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods”d (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” 3you must not listen to the words of that prophete or dreamer.f The LORD your God is testingg you to find out whether you loveh him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4It is the LORD your God you must follow,i and him you must revere.j Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fastk to him. 5That prophet or dreamer must be put to deathl for inciting rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turnm you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the eviln from among you.
6If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly enticeso you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods”p (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, 7gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), 8do not yieldq to them or listen to them. Show them no pity.r Do not spare them or shield them. 9You must certainly put them to death.s Your handt must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. 10Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you awayu from the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 11Then all Israel will hear and be afraid,v and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.
12If you hear it said about one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you to live in 13that troublemakersw have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods you have not known), 14then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly.x And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you,y 15you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely,2,z both its people and its livestock.a 16You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the townb and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God.c That town is to remain a ruind forever, never to be rebuilt, 17and none of the condemned things3 are to be found in your hands. Then the LORD will turn from his fierce anger,e will show you mercy,f and will have compassiong on you. He will increase your numbers,h as he promisedi on oath to your ancestors— 18because you obey the LORD your God by keeping all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is rightj in his eyes.
Clean and Unclean Food
14:3-20pp — Lev 11:1-23
1You are the childrena of the LORD your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead, 2for you are a people holyb to the LORD your God.c Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.d
3Do not eat any detestable thing.e 4These are the animals you may eat:f the ox, the sheep, the goat,g 5the deer,h the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat,i the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.1 6You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. 7However, of those that chew the cud or that have a divided hoof you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the hyrax. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. 8The pig is also unclean; although it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.j Photo
9Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. 10But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean.
11You may eat any clean bird. 12But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 13the red kite, the black kite, any kindk of falcon,l 14any kind of raven,m 15the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 16the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, 17the desert owl,n the osprey, the cormorant, 18the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
19All flying insects are unclean to you; do not eat them. 20But any winged creature that is clean you may eat.o
21Do not eat anything you find already dead.p You may give it to the foreigner residing in any of your towns, and they may eat it, or you may sell it to any other foreigner. But you are a people holy to the LORD your God.q
Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.r
Tithes
22Be sure to set aside a tenths of all that your fields produce each year. 23Eatt the tithe of your grain, new wineu and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name,v so that you may learnw to reverex the LORD your God always. 24But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), 25then exchangey your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 26Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink,z or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice.a 27And do not neglect the Levitesb living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.c
28At the end of every three years, bring all the tithesd of that year’s produce and store it in your towns,e 29so that the Levites (who have no allotmentf or inheritanceg of their own) and the foreigners,h the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied,i and so that the LORD your God may blessj you in all the work of your hands.
The Year for Canceling Debts
15:1-11Ref — Lev 25:8-38
1At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.a 2This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the LORD’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 3You may require payment from a foreigner,b but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. 4However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly blessc you, 5if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to followd all these commands I am giving you today. 6For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.e
7If anyone is poorf among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfistedg toward them. 8Rather, be openhandedh and freely lend them whatever they need. 9Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts,i is near,” so that you do not show ill willj toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.k 10Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart;l then because of this the LORD your God will blessm you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11There will always be poor peoplen in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.o
Freeing Servants
15:12-18pp — Ex 21:2-6
15:12-18Ref — Lev 25:38-55
12If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free.p 13And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floorq and your winepress. Give to them as the LORD your God has blessed you. 15Remember that you were slavesr in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you.s That is why I give you this command today.
16But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, 17then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.
18Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.
The Firstborn Animals
19Set apart for the LORDt your God every firstborn maleu of your herds and flocks.v Do not put the firstborn of your cows to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.w 20Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose.x 21If an animal has a defect,y is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.z 22You are to eat it in your own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were gazelle or deer.a 23But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.b
The Passover
16:1-8pp — Ex 12:14-20; Lev 23:4-8; Nu 28:16-25
1Observe the month of Aviva and celebrate the Passoverb of the LORD your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. 2Sacrifice as the Passover to the LORD your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for his Name.c 3Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction,d because you left Egypt in hastee—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.f 4Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the eveningg of the first day remain until morning.h
5You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the LORD your God gives you 6except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary1,i of your departure from Egypt. 7Roastj it and eat it at the place the LORD your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. 8For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assemblyk to the LORD your God and do no work.l
The Festival of Weeks
16:9-12pp — Lev 23:15-22; Nu 28:26-31
9Count off seven weeksm from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.n 10Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the LORD your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given you. 11And rejoiceo before the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Namep—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levitesq in your towns, and the foreigners,r the fatherless and the widows living among you.s 12Remember that you were slaves in Egypt,t and follow carefully these decrees.
The Festival of Tabernacles
16:13-17pp — Lev 23:33-43; Nu 29:12-39
13Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing flooru and your winepress.v 14Be joyfulw at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. 15For seven days celebrate the festival to the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joyx will be complete.
16Three times a year all your men must appeary before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread,z the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles.a No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed:b 17Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.
Judges
18Appoint judgesc and officials for each of your tribes in every town the LORD your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.d 19Do not pervert justicee or show partiality.f Do not accept a bribe,g for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. 20Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Worshiping Other Gods
21Do not set up any wooden Asherah poleh beside the altar you build to the LORD your God,i 22and do not erect a sacred stone,j for these the LORD your God hates.
1Do not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep that has any defecta or flaw in it, for that would be detestableb to him.c
2If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the LORD gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God in violation of his covenant,d 3and contrary to my commande has worshiped other gods,f bowing down to them or to the sung or the moon or the stars in the sky,h 4and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is truei and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,j 5take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death.k 6On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.l 7The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death,m and then the hands of all the people.n You must purge the evilo from among you.
Law Courts
8If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judgep—whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaultsq—take them to the place the LORD your God will choose.r 9Go to the Leviticals priests and to the judget who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict.u 10You must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the LORD will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you to do. 11Act according to whatever they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left.v 12Anyone who shows contemptw for the judge or for the priest who stands ministeringx there to the LORD your God is to be put to death.y You must purge the evil from Israel.z 13All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again.a
The King
14When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possessionb of it and settled in it,c and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,”d 15be sure to appointe over you a king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites.f Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horsesg for himselfh or make the people return to Egypti to get more of them,j for the LORD has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”k 17He must not take many wives,l or his heart will be led astray.m He must not accumulaten large amounts of silver and gold.o
18When he takes the thronep of his kingdom, he is to writeq for himself on a scroll a copyr of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his lifes so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decreest 20and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the lawu to the right or to the left.v Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.w
Offerings for Priests and Levites
1The Leviticala priests—indeed, the whole tribe of Levi—are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the food offeringsb presented to the LORD, for that is their inheritance.c 2They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the LORD is their inheritance,d as he promised them.e
3This is the share due the priestsf from the people who sacrifice a bullg or a sheep: the shoulder, the internal organs and the meat from the head.h 4You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep,i 5for the LORD your God has chosen themj and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and ministerk in the LORD’s name always.l
6If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the LORD will choose,m 7he may minister in the namen of the LORD his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the LORD. 8He is to share equally in their benefits, even though he has received money from the sale of family possessions.o
Occult Practices
9When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitatep the detestable waysq of the nations there. 10Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire,r who practices divinations or sorcery,t interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,u 11or casts spells,v or who is a medium or spiritistw or who consults the dead. 12Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.x 13You must be blamelessy before the LORD your God.z
The Prophet
14The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination.a But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. 15The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites.b You must listen to him. 16For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”c
17The LORD said to me: “What they say is good. 18I will raise up for them a prophetd like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my wordse in his mouth.f He will tell them everything I command him.g 19I myself will call to accounth anyone who does not listeni to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.j 20But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods,k is to be put to death.”l
21You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” 22If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true,m that is a message the LORD has not spoken.n That prophet has spoken presumptuously,o so do not be alarmed.
Cities of Refuge
19:1-14Ref — Nu 35:6-34; Dt 4:41-43; Jos 20:1-9
1When the LORD your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses,a 2then set aside for yourselves three cities in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess. 3Determine the distances involved and divide into three parts the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that a person who kills someone may flee for refuge to one of these cities.
4This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. 5For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. 6Otherwise, the avenger of bloodb might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. 7This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.
8If the LORD your God enlarges your territory,c as he promisedd on oath to your ancestors, and gives you the whole land he promised them, 9because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the LORD your God and to walk always in obedience to hime—then you are to set aside three more cities. 10Do this so that innocent bloodf will not be shed in your land, which the LORD your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.g
11But if out of hate someone lies in wait, assaults and kills a neighbor,h and then flees to one of these cities, 12the killer shall be sent for by the town elders, be brought back from the city, and be handed over to the avenger of blood to die. 13Show no pity.i You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood,j so that it may go well with you.
14Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.k
Witnesses
15One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.l
16If a malicious witnessm takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, 17the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judgesn who are in office at the time. 18The judges must make a thorough investigation,o and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, 19then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party.p You must purge the evil from among you. 20The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid,q and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. 21Show no pity:r life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.s
Going to War
1When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours,a do not be afraidb of them,c because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be withd you. 2When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be faintheartede or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. 4For the LORD your God is the one who goes with youf to fightg for you against your enemies to give you victory.h”
5The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live ini it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. 6Has anyone plantedj a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it?k Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. 7Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.l” 8Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.”m 9When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.
10When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace.n 11If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subjecto to forced laborp and shall work for you. 12If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. 13When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.q 14As for the women, the children, the livestockr and everything else in the city,s you may take these as plundert for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies. 15This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distanceu from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.
16However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.v 17Completely destroy1 them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you. 18Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods,w and you will sinx against the LORD your God.
19When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees people, that you should besiege them?2 20However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit treesy and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.
Atonement for an Unsolved Murder
1If someone is found slain, lying in a field in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who the killer was,a 2your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns. 3Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yokeb 4and lead it down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer’s neck. 5The Levitical priests shall step forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessingsc in the name of the LORD and to decide all cases of dispute and assault.d 6Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their handse over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, 7and they shall declare: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. 8Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, LORD, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent person.” Then the bloodshed will be atoned for,f 9and you will have purgedg from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the LORD. Chart: Major Social Concerns in the Covenant
Marrying a Captive Woman
10When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your handsh and you take captives,i 11if you notice among the captives a beautifulj woman and are attracted to her,k you may take her as your wife. 12Bring her into your home and have her shave her head,l trim her nails 13and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month,m then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife. 14If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever she wishes. You must not sell her or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.n
The Right of the Firstborn
15If a man has two wives,o and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love,p 16when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love.q 17He must acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a doubler share of all he has. That son is the first sign of his father’s strength.s The right of the firstborn belongs to him.t
A Rebellious Son
18If someone has a stubborn and rebelliousu sonv who does not obey his father and motherw and will not listen to them when they discipline him, 19his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. 20They shall say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.” 21Then all the men of his town are to stone him to death.x You must purge the evily from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid.z
Various Laws
22If someone guilty of a capital offensea is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, 23you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight.b Be sure to buryc it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse.d You must not desecratee the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
1If you see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to its owner.a 2If they do not live near you or if you do not know who owns it, take it home with you and keep it until they come looking for it. Then give it back. 3Do the same if you find their donkey or cloak or anything else they have lost. Do not ignore it.
4If you see your fellow Israelite’s donkeyb or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help the owner get it to its feet.c
5A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this.
6If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young.d 7You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go,e so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.f
8When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof.g
9Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard;h if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.1
10Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.i
11Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.j
12Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.k
Marriage Violations
13If a man takes a wife and, after sleeping with herl, dislikes her 14and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, “I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity,” 15then the young woman’s father and mother shall bring to the town elders at the gatem proof that she was a virgin. 16Her father will say to the elders, “I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her. 17Now he has slandered her and said, ‘I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.’ But here is the proof of my daughter’s virginity.” Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town, 18and the eldersn shall take the man and punish him. 19They shall fine him a hundred shekels2 of silver and give them to the young woman’s father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives.
20If, however, the charge is trueo and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, 21she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thingp in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.
22If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who sleptq with her and the woman must die.r You must purge the evil from Israel.
23If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, 24you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you.s
25But if out in the country a man happens to meet a young woman pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. 26Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is like that of someone who attacks and murders a neighbor, 27for the man found the young woman out in the country, and though the betrothed woman screamed,t there was no one to rescue her.
28If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered,u 29he shall pay her father fifty shekels3 of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.
30A man is not to marry his father’s wife; he must not dishonor his father’s bed.4,v
Exclusion From the Assembly
1No one who has been emasculateda by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the LORD.
2No one born of a forbidden marriage2 nor any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, not even in the tenth generation.
3No Ammoniteb or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, not even in the tenth generation.c 4For they did not come to meet you with bread and waterd on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaame son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim3,f to pronounce a curse on you.g 5However, the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curseh into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God lovesi you. 6Do not seek a treatyj of friendship with them as long as you live.k
7Do not despise an Edomite,l for the Edomites are related to you.m Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country.n 8The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.
Uncleanness in the Camp
9When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure.o 10If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there.p 11But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunsetq he may return to the camp.r
12Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. 13As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. 14For the LORD your God movess about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy,t so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.
Miscellaneous Laws
15If a slave has taken refugeu with you, do not hand them over to their master.v 16Let them live among you wherever they like and in whatever town they choose. Do not oppressw them.
17No Israelite manx or woman is to become a shrine prostitute.y 18You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute4 into the house of the LORD your God to pay any vow, because the LORD your God detests them both.z
19Do not charge a fellow Israelite interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest.a 20You may charge a foreignerb interest, but not a fellow Israelite, so that the LORD your God may blessc you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.
21If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it,d for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin.e 22But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty.f 23Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth.
24If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. 25If you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to their standing grain.g
1If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to hima because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce,b gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, 4then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the LORD. Do not bring sin upon the land the LORDc your God is giving you as an inheritance.
5If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.d
6Do not take a pair of millstones—not even the upper one—as security for a debt, because that would be taking a person’s livelihood as security.e
7If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die.f You must purge the evil from among you.g
8In cases of defiling skin diseases,1 be very careful to do exactly as the Leviticalh priests instruct you. You must follow carefully what I have commanded them.i 9Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam along the way after you came out of Egypt.j
10When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge.k 11Stay outside and let the neighbor to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. 12If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledgel in your possession. 13Return their cloak by sunsetm so that your neighbor may sleep in it.n Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the LORD your God.o
14Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.p 15Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poorq and are counting on it.r Otherwise they may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.s
16Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.t
17Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherlessu of justice,v or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18Remember that you were slaves in Egyptw and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.
19When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it.x Leave it for the foreigner,y the fatherless and the widow,z so that the LORD your God may blessa you in all the work of your hands. 20When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time.b Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 21When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 22Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.c
1When people have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judgesa will decide the case,b acquittingc the innocent and condemning the guilty.d 2If the guilty person deserves to be beaten,e the judge shall make them lie down and have them flogged in his presence with the number of lashes the crime deserves, 3but the judge must not impose more than forty lashes.f If the guilty party is flogged more than that, your fellow Israelite will be degraded in your eyes.g
4Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.h
5If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.i 6The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.j
7However, if a man does not want to marry his brother’s wife,k she shall go to the elders at the town gatel and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.”m 8Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, “I do not want to marry her,” 9his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals,n spit in his faceo and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.” 10That man’s line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.
11If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, 12you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.p
13Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light.q 14Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. 15You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live longr in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 16For the LORD your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly.s
17Remember what the Amalekitest did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. 18When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.u 19When the LORD your God gives you restv from all the enemiesw around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalekx from under heaven. Do not forget!