Marriage and Divorce Laws

24 “If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds something improper about her, he may write her a divorce certificate, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.(A) If after leaving his house she goes and becomes another man’s wife, and the second man hates her, writes her a divorce certificate, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house or if he[a] dies, the first husband who sent her away may not marry her again after she has been defiled, because that would be detestable to the Lord. You must not bring guilt on the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.(B)

“When a man takes a bride, he must not go out with the army or be liable for any duty. He is free to stay at home for one year, so that he can bring joy to the wife he has married.

Safeguarding Life

“Do not take a pair of millstones or an upper millstone as security for a debt, because that is like taking a life as security.

“If a man is discovered kidnapping(C) one of his Israelite brothers, whether he treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from you.

“Be careful in a case of infectious skin disease, following carefully everything the Levitical priests instruct you to do. Be careful to do as I have commanded them. Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the journey after you left Egypt.(D)

Consideration for People in Need

10 “When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not enter his house to collect what he offers as security. 11 You must stand outside while the man you are making the loan to brings the security out to you. 12 If he is a poor man, you must not sleep in the garment he has given as security. 13 Be sure to return it[b] to him at sunset. Then he will sleep in it and bless you, and this will be counted as righteousness to you before the Lord your God.(E)

14 “Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether one of your brothers or one of the foreigners residing within a town[c] in your land. 15 You are to pay him his wages each day before the sun sets, because he is poor and depends on them.(F) Otherwise he will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be held guilty.

16 “Fathers are not to be put to death for their children or children for their fathers; each person will be put to death for his own sin.(G) 17 Do not deny justice to a foreigner or fatherless child, and do not take a widow’s garment as security. 18 Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed(H) you from there. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.(I)

19 “When you reap the harvest in your field, and you forget a sheaf in the field, do not go back to get it. It is to be left for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.(J) 20 When you knock down the fruit from your olive tree, you must not go over the branches again. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not glean what is left. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. 22 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.(K)

Fairness and Mercy

25 “If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court, and the judges will hear their case. They will clear the innocent and condemn the guilty. If the guilty party deserves to be flogged, the judge will make him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes appropriate for his crime. He may be flogged with 40 lashes, but no more. Otherwise, if he is flogged with more lashes than these, your brother will be degraded in your sight.

“Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain.(L)

Preserving the Family Line

“When brothers live on the same property[d] and one of them dies without a son, the wife of the dead man may not marry a stranger outside the family. Her brother-in-law is to take her as his wife, have sexual relations with her, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law for her. The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so his name will not be blotted out from Israel.(M) But if the man doesn’t want to marry his sister-in-law, she must go to the elders at the city gate(N) and say, ‘My brother-in-law refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He isn’t willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.’ The elders of his city will summon him and speak with him. If he persists and says, ‘I don’t want to marry her,’ then his sister-in-law will go up to him in the sight of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face. Then she will declare, ‘This is what is done to a man who will not build up his brother’s house.’ 10 And his family name in Israel will be called ‘The house of the man whose sandal was removed.’(O)

11 “If two men are fighting with each other, and the wife of one steps in to rescue her husband from the one striking him, and she puts out her hand and grabs his genitals, 12 you are to cut off her hand. You must not show pity.

Honest Weights and Measures

13 “You must not have two different weights[e] in your bag, one heavy and one light.(P) 14 You must not have two differing dry measures in your house, a larger and a smaller. 15 You must have a full and honest weight, a full and honest dry measure, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 16 For everyone who does such things and acts unfairly is detestable to the Lord your God.(Q)

Revenge on the Amalekites

17 “Remember what the Amalekites did to you on the journey after you left Egypt.(R) 18 They met you along the way and attacked all your stragglers from behind when you were tired and weary. They did not fear God. 19 When the Lord your God gives you rest(S) from all the enemies around you in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance,(T) blot out the memory of Amalek under heaven. Do not forget.(U)

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 24:3 Lit if the second man who has taken her as his wife
  2. Deuteronomy 24:13 Lit return what he has given as security
  3. Deuteronomy 24:14 Lit within the gates
  4. Deuteronomy 25:5 Lit live together
  5. Deuteronomy 25:13 Lit have a stone and a stone

11 Dishonest scales are detestable to the Lord,(A)
but an accurate weight is His delight.(B)

When pride comes, disgrace follows,
but with humility comes wisdom.(C)

The integrity of the upright guides them,(D)
but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them.(E)

Wealth is not profitable on a day of wrath,
but righteousness rescues from death.(F)

The righteousness of the blameless clears his path,
but the wicked person will fall because of his wickedness.

The righteousness of the upright rescues them,
but the treacherous are trapped by their own desires.(G)

When the wicked man dies,
his expectation comes to nothing,
and hope placed in wealth[a][b] vanishes.(H)

The righteous one is rescued from trouble;
in his place, the wicked one goes in.(I)

With his mouth the ungodly destroys his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.

10 When the righteous thrive, a city rejoices,(J)
and when the wicked die, there is joyful shouting.

11 A city is built up by the blessing of the upright,(K)
but it is torn down by the mouth of the wicked.(L)

12 Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks sense,
but a man with understanding keeps silent.(M)

13 A gossip goes around revealing a secret,
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.(N)

14 Without guidance, people fall,
but with many counselors there is deliverance.(O)

15 If someone puts up security for a stranger,
he will suffer for it,(P)
but the one who hates such agreements is protected.

16 A gracious woman gains honor,
but violent[c] men gain only riches.

17 A kind man benefits himself,(Q)
but a cruel man brings disaster on himself.(R)

18 The wicked man earns an empty wage,
but the one who sows righteousness, a true reward.(S)

19 Genuine righteousness leads to life,(T)
but pursuing evil leads to death.(U)

20 Those with twisted minds are detestable to the Lord,
but those with blameless conduct are His delight.(V)

21 Be assured[d] that the wicked
will not go unpunished,(W)
but the offspring of the righteous will escape.

22 A beautiful woman who rejects good sense
is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.(X)

23 The desire of the righteous turns out well,(Y)
but the hope of the wicked leads to wrath.(Z)

24 One person gives freely,
yet gains more;(AA)
another withholds what is right,
only to become poor.(AB)

25 A generous person will be enriched,(AC)
and the one who gives a drink of water
will receive water.(AD)

26 People will curse(AE) anyone who hoards grain,
but a blessing will come to the one who sells it.(AF)

27 The one who searches for what is good(AG) finds favor,
but if someone looks for trouble, it will come to him.(AH)

28 Anyone trusting in his riches will fall,(AI)
but the righteous will flourish like foliage.(AJ)

29 The one who brings ruin on his household(AK)
will inherit the wind,(AL)
and a fool will be a slave
to someone whose heart is wise.

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,(AM)
but violence[e] takes lives.

31 If the righteous will be repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and sinful.(AN)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 11:7 LXX reads hope of the ungodly
  2. Proverbs 11:7 Or strength
  3. Proverbs 11:16 Or ruthless
  4. Proverbs 11:21 Lit Hand to hand
  5. Proverbs 11:30 LXX, Syr; MT reads but a wise one

Psalm 49

Misplaced Trust in Wealth

For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all who inhabit the world,(A)
both low and high,[a]
rich and poor together.(B)
My mouth speaks wisdom;
my heart’s meditation brings understanding.(C)
I turn my ear to a proverb;
I explain my riddle with a lyre.(D)

Why should I fear in times of trouble?
The iniquity of my foes surrounds me.(E)
They trust in their wealth
and boast of their abundant riches.(F)
Yet these cannot redeem a person[b]
or pay his ransom to God(G)
since the price of redeeming him is too costly,
one should forever stop trying[c](H)
so that he may live forever
and not see the Pit.(I)

10 For one can see that wise men die;
foolish and stupid men also pass away.(J)
Then they leave their wealth to others.(K)
11 Their graves are their eternal homes,[d]
their homes from generation to generation,
though they have named estates after themselves.(L)
12 But despite his assets,[e] man will not last;
he is like the animals that perish.(M)

13 This is the way of those who are arrogant,
and of their followers,
who approve of their words.[f](N)Selah
14 Like sheep they are headed for Sheol;
Death will shepherd them.
The upright will rule over them in the morning,(O)
and their form will waste away in Sheol,[g]
far from their lofty abode.(P)
15 But God will redeem my life
from the power of Sheol,
for He will take me.(Q)Selah

16 Do not be afraid when a man gets rich,
when the wealth[h] of his house increases.(R)
17 For when he dies, he will take nothing at all;
his wealth[i] will not follow him down.(S)
18 Though he praises himself during his lifetime—
and people praise you when you do well for yourself(T)
19 he will go to the generation of his fathers;
they will never see the light.(U)
20 A man with valuable possessions[j]
but without understanding
is like the animals that perish.(V)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 49:2 Lit both sons of Adam and sons of man
  2. Psalm 49:7 Or Certainly he cannot redeem himself, or Yet he cannot redeem a brother
  3. Psalm 49:8 Or costly, it will cease forever
  4. Psalm 49:11 LXX, Syr, Tg; MT reads Their inner thought is that their houses are eternal
  5. Psalm 49:12 Or honor
  6. Psalm 49:13 Lit and after them with their mouth they were pleased
  7. Psalm 49:14 Hb obscure
  8. Psalm 49:16 Or glory
  9. Psalm 49:17 Or glory
  10. Psalm 49:20 Or with honor

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