Deuteronomy 10-20

New International Version

Tablets Like the First Ones

10 At that time the Lord said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets^(A) like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden ark.^{[a] 2} I 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)

³ So I made the ark out of acacia wood^(C) and chiseled^(D) out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. ⁴ The Lord wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments^(E) he had proclaimed^(F) to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.^(G) And the Lord gave them to me. ⁵ Then I came back down the mountain^(H) and put the tablets in the ark^(I) 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 died^(M) and was buried, and Eleazar^(N) his son succeeded him as priest.^{(O) 7} From there they traveled to Gudgodah and on to Jotbathah, a land with streams of water.^{(P) 8} At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi^(Q) to carry the ark of the covenant^(R) of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister^(S) and to pronounce blessings^(T) in his name, as they still do today.^{(U) 9} That 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.)

¹⁰ Now 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

¹² And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you^(X) but to fear^(Y) the Lord your God, to walk^(Z) in obedience to him, to love him,^(AA) to serve the Lord^(AB) your God with all your heart^(AC) and with all your soul,^{(AD) 13} and to observe the Lord’s commands^(AE) and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?^(AF)

¹⁴ To the Lord your God belong the heavens,^(AG) even the highest heavens,^(AH) the earth and everything in it.^{(AI) 15} Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved^(AJ) them, and he chose you,^(AK) their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today.^{(AL) 16} Circumcise^(AM) your hearts,^(AN) therefore, and do not be stiff-necked^(AO) any longer. ¹⁷ For the Lord your God is God of gods^(AP) and Lord of lords,^(AQ) the great God, mighty and awesome,^(AR) who shows no partiality^(AS) and accepts no bribes.^{(AT) 18} He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow,^(AU) and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.^{(AV) 19} And you are to love^(AW) those who are foreigners,^(AX) for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.^{(AY) 20} Fear the Lord your God and serve him.^(AZ) Hold fast^(BA) to him and take your oaths in his name.^{(BB) 21} He is the one you praise;^(BC) he is your God, who performed for you those great^(BD) and awesome wonders^(BE) you saw with your own eyes. ²² Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all,^(BF) and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.^(BG)

Love and Obey the Lord

11 Love^(BH) the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.^{(BI) 2} Remember today that your children^(BJ) were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God:^(BK) his majesty,^(BL) his mighty hand, his outstretched arm;^{(BM) 3} the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country;^{(BN) 4} what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots,^(BO) how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea^[b](BP) as they were pursuing you, and how the Lord brought lasting ruin on them. ⁵ It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the wilderness until you arrived at this place, ⁶ and what he did^(BQ) to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened^(BR) 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. ⁷ But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done.^(BS)

⁸ Observe therefore all the commands^(BT) 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,^{(BU) 9} and so that you may live long^(BV) in the land the Lord swore^(BW) to your ancestors to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.^{(BX) 10} The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt,^(BY) from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. ¹¹ But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys^(BZ) that drinks rain from heaven.^{(CA) 12} It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes^(CB) of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.

¹³ So if you faithfully obey^(CC) the commands I am giving you today—to love^(CD) the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul^(CE)— ¹⁴ then I will send rain^(CF) on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains,^(CG) so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. ¹⁵ I will provide grass^(CH) in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.^(CI)

¹⁶ Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.^{(CJ) 17} Then the Lord’s anger^(CK) will burn against you, and he will shut up^(CL) the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce,^(CM) and you will soon perish^(CN) from the good land the Lord is giving you. ¹⁸ Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.^{(CO) 19} Teach them to your children,^(CP) talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.^{(CQ) 20} Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,^{(CR) 21} so that your days and the days of your children may be many^(CS) in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.^(CT)

²² If you carefully observe^(CU) all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love^(CV) the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast^(CW) to him— ²³ then the Lord will drive out^(CX) all these nations^(CY) before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.^{(CZ) 24} Every place where you set your foot will be yours:^(DA) Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River^(DB) to the Mediterranean Sea. ²⁵ No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he promised you, will put the terror^(DC) and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.^(DD)

²⁶ See, I am setting before you today a blessing^(DE) and a curse^(DF)— ²⁷ the blessing^(DG) if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; ²⁸ the curse if you disobey^(DH) the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods,^(DI) which you have not known. ²⁹ When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim^(DJ) the blessings, and on Mount Ebal^(DK) the curses.^{(DL) 30} As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, westward, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh,^(DM) in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal.^{(DN) 31} You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession^(DO) of the land the Lord your God is giving^(DP) you. When you have taken it over and are living there, ³² be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.

The One Place of Worship

12 These are the decrees^(DQ) 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.^{(DR) 2} Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains,^(DS) on the hills and under every spreading tree,^(DT) where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. ³ Break down their altars, smash^(DU) their sacred stones and burn^(DV) their Asherah^(DW) poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names^(DX) from those places.

⁴ You must not worship the Lord your God in their way.^{(DY) 5} But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name^(DZ) there for his dwelling.^(EA) To that place you must go; ⁶ there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes^(EB) and special gifts, what you have vowed^(EC) to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.^{(ED) 7} There, in the presence^(EE) of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice^(EF) in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.

⁸ You are not to do as we do here today, everyone doing as they see fit,^{(EG) 9} since you have not yet reached the resting place^(EH) and the inheritance^(EI) the Lord your God is giving you. ¹⁰ But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving^(EJ) you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest^(EK) from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety. ¹¹ Then to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name^(EL)—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.^{(EM) 12} And there rejoice^(EN) before the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites^(EO) from your towns who have no allotment or inheritance^(EP) of their own. ¹³ Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please.^{(EQ) 14} Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose^(ER) in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you.

¹⁵ Nevertheless, 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,^(ES) according to the blessing the Lord your God gives you. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it. ¹⁶ But you must not eat the blood;^(ET) pour^(EU) it out on the ground like water.^{(EV) 17} You must not eat in your own towns the tithe^(EW) of your grain and new wine and olive oil,^(EX) or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give,^(EY) or your freewill offerings or special gifts.^{(EZ) 18} Instead, you are to eat^(FA) them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God will choose^(FB)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your towns—and you are to rejoice^(FC) before the Lord your God in everything you put your hand to. ¹⁹ Be careful not to neglect the Levites^(FD) as long as you live in your land.^(FE)

²⁰ When the Lord your God has enlarged your territory^(FF) as he promised^(FG) you, and you crave meat^(FH) and say, “I would like some meat,” then you may eat as much of it as you want. ²¹ If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his Name^(FI) 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.^{(FJ) 22} Eat them as you would gazelle or deer.^(FK) Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. ²³ But be sure you do not eat the blood,^(FL) because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.^{(FM) 24} You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.^{(FN) 25} Do not eat it, so that it may go well^(FO) with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right^(FP) in the eyes of the Lord.

²⁶ But take your consecrated things and whatever you have vowed to give,^(FQ) and go to the place the Lord will choose. ²⁷ Present your burnt offerings^(FR) 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 eat^(FS) the meat. ²⁸ Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well^(FT) 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.

²⁹ The Lord your God will cut off^(FU) before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land,^{(FV) 30} and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared^(FW) by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.”^{(FX) 31} You 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.^(FY) They even burn their sons^(FZ) and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.^(GA)

³² See that you do all I command you; do not add^(GB) to it or take away from it.^[c]

Worshiping Other Gods

13 ^[d]If a prophet,^(GC) or one who foretells by dreams,^(GD) appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, ² and if the sign^(GE) or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods”^(GF) (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” ³ you must not listen to the words of that prophet^(GG) or dreamer.^(GH) The Lord your God is testing^(GI) you to find out whether you love^(GJ) him with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴ It is the Lord your God you must follow,^(GK) and him you must revere.^(GL) Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast^(GM) to him. ⁵ That prophet or dreamer must be put to death^(GN) 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 turn^(GO) you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil^(GP) from among you.

⁶ If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices^(GQ) you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods”^(GR) (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, ⁷ gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), ⁸ do not yield^(GS) to them or listen to them. Show them no pity.^(GT) Do not spare them or shield them. ⁹ You must certainly put them to death.^(GU) Your hand^(GV) must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. ¹⁰ Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away^(GW) from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ¹¹ Then all Israel will hear and be afraid,^(GX) and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.

¹² If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving you to live in ¹³ that troublemakers^(GY) 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), ¹⁴ then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly.^(GZ) And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you,^{(HA) 15} you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely,^[e](HB) both its people and its livestock.^{(HC) 16} You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town^(HD) and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God.^(HE) That town is to remain a ruin^(HF) forever, never to be rebuilt, ¹⁷ and none of the condemned things^[f] are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger,^(HG) will show you mercy,^(HH) and will have compassion^(HI) on you. He will increase your numbers,^(HJ) as he promised^(HK) on oath to your ancestors— ¹⁸ because you obey the Lord your God by keeping all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right^(HL) in his eyes.

Clean and Unclean Food^(HM)

14 You are the children^(HN) of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead, ² for you are a people holy^(HO) to the Lord your God.^(HP) Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.^(HQ)

³ Do not eat any detestable thing.^{(HR) 4} These are the animals you may eat:^(HS) the ox, the sheep, the goat,^{(HT) 5} the deer,^(HU) the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat,^(HV) the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.^{[g] 6} You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. ⁷ However, 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. ⁸ The 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.^(HW)

⁹ Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. ¹⁰ But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean.

¹¹ You may eat any clean bird. ¹² But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, ¹³ the red kite, the black kite, any kind^(HX) of falcon,^{(HY) 14} any kind of raven,^{(HZ) 15} the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, ¹⁶ the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, ¹⁷ the desert owl,^(IA) the osprey, the cormorant, ¹⁸ the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.

¹⁹ All flying insects are unclean to you; do not eat them. ²⁰ But any winged creature that is clean you may eat.^(IB)

²¹ Do not eat anything you find already dead.^(IC) 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.^(ID)

Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.^(IE)

Tithes

²² Be sure to set aside a tenth^(IF) of all that your fields produce each year. ²³ Eat^(IG) the tithe of your grain, new wine^(IH) 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,^(II) so that you may learn^(IJ) to revere^(IK) the Lord your God always. ²⁴ But 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), ²⁵ then exchange^(IL) your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. ²⁶ Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink,^(IM) or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.^{(IN) 27} And do not neglect the Levites^(IO) living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.^(IP)

²⁸ At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes^(IQ) of that year’s produce and store it in your towns,^{(IR) 29} so that the Levites (who have no allotment^(IS) or inheritance^(IT) of their own) and the foreigners,^(IU) the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied,^(IV) and so that the Lord your God may bless^(IW) you in all the work of your hands.

The Year for Canceling Debts^(IX)

15 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.^{(IY) 2} This 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. ³ You may require payment from a foreigner,^(IZ) but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. ⁴ However, 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 bless^(JA) you, ⁵ if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow^(JB) all these commands I am giving you today. ⁶ For 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.^(JC)

⁷ If anyone is poor^(JD) among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted^(JE) toward them. ⁸ Rather, be openhanded^(JF) and freely lend them whatever they need. ⁹ Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts,^(JG) is near,” so that you do not show ill will^(JH) 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.^{(JI) 10} Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart;^(JJ) then because of this the Lord your God will bless^(JK) you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. ¹¹ There will always be poor people^(JL) in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.^(JM)

Freeing Servants^(JN)(JO)

¹² If 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.^{(JP) 13} And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. ¹⁴ Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor^(JQ) and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. ¹⁵ Remember that you were slaves^(JR) in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you.^(JS) That is why I give you this command today.

¹⁶ But 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, ¹⁷ then 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.

¹⁸ Do 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

¹⁹ Set apart for the Lord^(JT) your God every firstborn male^(JU) of your herds and flocks.^(JV) Do not put the firstborn of your cows to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.^{(JW) 20} Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose.^{(JX) 21} If an animal has a defect,^(JY) is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.^{(JZ) 22} You 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.^{(KA) 23} But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.^(KB)

The Passover^(KC)

16 Observe the month of Aviv^(KD) and celebrate the Passover^(KE) of the Lord your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. ² Sacrifice 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.^{(KF) 3} Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction,^(KG) because you left Egypt in haste^(KH)—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.^{(KI) 4} Let 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 evening^(KJ) of the first day remain until morning.^(KK)

⁵ You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you ⁶ except 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 anniversary^[h](KL) of your departure from Egypt. ⁷ Roast^(KM) it and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. ⁸ For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly^(KN) to the Lord your God and do no work.^(KO)

The Festival of Weeks^(KP)

⁹ Count off seven weeks^(KQ) from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.^{(KR) 10} Then 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. ¹¹ And rejoice^(KS) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name^(KT)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites^(KU) in your towns, and the foreigners,^(KV) the fatherless and the widows living among you.^{(KW) 12} Remember that you were slaves in Egypt,^(KX) and follow carefully these decrees.

The Festival of Tabernacles^(KY)

¹³ Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor^(KZ) and your winepress.^{(LA) 14} Be joyful^(LB) 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. ¹⁵ For 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 joy^(LC) will be complete.

¹⁶ Three times a year all your men must appear^(LD) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread,^(LE) the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles.^(LF) No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed:^{(LG) 17} Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.

Judges

¹⁸ Appoint judges^(LH) and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.^{(LI) 19} Do not pervert justice^(LJ) or show partiality.^(LK) Do not accept a bribe,^(LL) for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. ²⁰ Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.

Worshiping Other Gods

²¹ Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole^(LM) beside the altar you build to the Lord your God,^{(LN) 22} and do not erect a sacred stone,^(LO) for these the Lord your God hates.

17 Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect^(LP) or flaw in it, for that would be detestable^(LQ) to him.^(LR)

² If 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,^{(LS) 3} and contrary to my command^(LT) has worshiped other gods,^(LU) bowing down to them or to the sun^(LV) or the moon or the stars in the sky,^{(LW) 4} and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true^(LX) and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,^{(LY) 5} take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death.^{(LZ) 6} On 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.^{(MA) 7} The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death,^(MB) and then the hands of all the people.^(MC) You must purge the evil^(MD) from among you.

Law Courts

⁸ If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge^(ME)—whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults^(MF)—take them to the place the Lord your God will choose.^{(MG) 9} Go to the Levitical^(MH) priests and to the judge^(MI) who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict.^{(MJ) 10} You 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. ¹¹ Act 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.^{(MK) 12} Anyone who shows contempt^(ML) for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering^(MM) there to the Lord your God is to be put to death.^(MN) You must purge the evil from Israel.^{(MO) 13} All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again.^(MP)

The King

¹⁴ When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession^(MQ) of it and settled in it,^(MR) and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,”^{(MS) 15} be sure to appoint^(MT) over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites.^(MU) Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. ¹⁶ The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses^(MV) for himself^(MW) or make the people return to Egypt^(MX) to get more of them,^(MY) for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”^{(MZ) 17} He must not take many wives,^(NA) or his heart will be led astray.^(NB) He must not accumulate^(NC) large amounts of silver and gold.^(ND)

¹⁸ When he takes the throne^(NE) of his kingdom, he is to write^(NF) for himself on a scroll a copy^(NG) of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. ¹⁹ It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life^(NH) so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees^{(NI) 20} and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law^(NJ) to the right or to the left.^(NK) Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.^(NL)

Offerings for Priests and Levites

18 The Levitical^(NM) priests—indeed, the whole tribe of Levi—are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the food offerings^(NN) presented to the Lord, for that is their inheritance.^{(NO) 2} They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance,^(NP) as he promised them.^(NQ)

³ This is the share due the priests^(NR) from the people who sacrifice a bull^(NS) or a sheep: the shoulder, the internal organs and the meat from the head.^{(NT) 4} You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep,^{(NU) 5} for the Lord your God has chosen them^(NV) and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister^(NW) in the Lord’s name always.^(NX)

⁶ If 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,^{(NY) 7} he may minister in the name^(NZ) of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the Lord. ⁸ He is to share equally in their benefits, even though he has received money from the sale of family possessions.^(OA)

Occult Practices

⁹ When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate^(OB) the detestable ways^(OC) of the nations there. ¹⁰ Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire,^(OD) who practices divination^(OE) or sorcery,^(OF) interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,^{(OG) 11} or casts spells,^(OH) or who is a medium or spiritist^(OI) or who consults the dead. ¹² Anyone 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.^{(OJ) 13} You must be blameless^(OK) before the Lord your God.^(OL)

The Prophet

¹⁴ The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination.^(OM) But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. ¹⁵ The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites.^(ON) You must listen to him. ¹⁶ For 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.”^(OO)

¹⁷ The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet^(OP) like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words^(OQ) in his mouth.^(OR) He will tell them everything I command him.^{(OS) 19} I myself will call to account^(OT) anyone who does not listen^(OU) to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.^{(OV) 20} But 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,^(OW) is to be put to death.”^(OX)

²¹ You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” ²² If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true,^(OY) that is a message the Lord has not spoken.^(OZ) That prophet has spoken presumptuously,^(PA) so do not be alarmed.

Cities of Refuge^(PB)

19 When 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,^{(PC) 2} then set aside for yourselves three cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. ³ Determine 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.

⁴ This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. ⁵ For 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. ⁶ Otherwise, the avenger of blood^(PD) 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. ⁷ This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.

⁸ If the Lord your God enlarges your territory,^(PE) as he promised^(PF) on oath to your ancestors, and gives you the whole land he promised them, ⁹ because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the Lord your God and to walk always in obedience to him^(PG)—then you are to set aside three more cities. ¹⁰ Do this so that innocent blood^(PH) 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.^(PI)

¹¹ But if out of hate someone lies in wait, assaults and kills a neighbor,^(PJ) and then flees to one of these cities, ¹² the 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. ¹³ Show no pity.^(PK) You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood,^(PL) so that it may go well with you.

¹⁴ Do 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.^(PM)

Witnesses

¹⁵ One 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.^(PN)

¹⁶ If a malicious witness^(PO) takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, ¹⁷ the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges^(PP) who are in office at the time. ¹⁸ The judges must make a thorough investigation,^(PQ) and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, ¹⁹ then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party.^(PR) You must purge the evil from among you. ²⁰ The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid,^(PS) and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. ²¹ Show no pity:^(PT) life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.^(PU)

Going to War

20 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours,^(PV) do not be afraid^(PW) of them,^(PX) because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with^(PY) you. ² When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. ³ He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted^(PZ) or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. ⁴ For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you^(QA) to fight^(QB) for you against your enemies to give you victory.^(QC)”

⁵ The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in^(QD) it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. ⁶ Has anyone planted^(QE) a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it?^(QF) Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. ⁷ Has 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.^(QG)” ⁸ Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.”^{(QH) 9} When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.