Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Print Page Options Listen to Deuteronomy 13-15
Close NIV

Deuteronomy 13-15
New International Version

Worshiping Other Gods

13 [a]If a prophet,(A) or one who foretells by dreams,(B) appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign(C) 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,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet(E) or dreamer.(F) The Lord your God is testing(G) you to find out whether you love(H) him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 It 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 fast(K) to him. 5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death(L) 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(M) you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil(N) 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(O) you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods”(P) (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(Q) to them or listen to them. Show them no pity.(R) Do not spare them or shield them. 9 You must certainly put them to death.(S) Your hand(T) 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(U) 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,(V) 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(W) 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.(X) And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you,(Y) 15 you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely,[b](Z) both its people and its livestock.(AA) 16 You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town(AB) and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God.(AC) That town is to remain a ruin(AD) forever, never to be rebuilt, 17 and none of the condemned things[c] are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger,(AE) will show you mercy,(AF) and will have compassion(AG) on you. He will increase your numbers,(AH) as he promised(AI) 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(AJ) in his eyes.

Clean and Unclean Food(AK)

14 You are the children(AL) 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(AM) to the Lord your God.(AN) Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.(AO)

3 Do not eat any detestable thing.(AP) 4 These are the animals you may eat:(AQ) the ox, the sheep, the goat,(AR) 5 the deer,(AS) the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat,(AT) the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.[d] 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.(AU)

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(AV) of falcon,(AW) 14 any kind of raven,(AX) 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,(AY) 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.(AZ)

21 Do not eat anything you find already dead.(BA) 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.(BB)

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

Tithes

22 Be sure to set aside a tenth(BD) of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Eat(BE) the tithe of your grain, new wine(BF) 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,(BG) so that you may learn(BH) to revere(BI) 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(BJ) 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,(BK) or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.(BL) 27 And do not neglect the Levites(BM) living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.(BN)

28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes(BO) of that year’s produce and store it in your towns,(BP) 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment(BQ) or inheritance(BR) of their own) and the foreigners,(BS) the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied,(BT) and so that the Lord your God may bless(BU) you in all the work of your hands.

The Year for Canceling Debts(BV)

15 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.(BW) 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,(BX) 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(BY) you, 5 if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow(BZ) 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.(CA)

7 If anyone is poor(CB) 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(CC) toward them. 8 Rather, be openhanded(CD) and freely lend them whatever they need. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts,(CE) is near,” so that you do not show ill will(CF) 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.(CG) 10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart;(CH) then because of this the Lord your God will bless(CI) you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people(CJ) in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.(CK)

Freeing Servants(CL)(CM)

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.(CN) 13 And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14 Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor(CO) and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves(CP) in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you.(CQ) 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(CR) your God every firstborn male(CS) of your herds and flocks.(CT) Do not put the firstborn of your cows to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.(CU) 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.(CV) 21 If an animal has a defect,(CW) is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.(CX) 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.(CY) 23 But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.(CZ)

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 13:1 In Hebrew texts 13:1-18 is numbered 13:2-19.
  2. Deuteronomy 13:15 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  3. Deuteronomy 13:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  4. Deuteronomy 14:5 The precise identification of some of the birds and animals in this chapter is uncertain.
Listen to Deuteronomy 13-15
Close NKJV

Deuteronomy 13-15
New King James Version

Punishment of Apostates

13 “If there arises among you a prophet or a (A)dreamer of dreams, (B)and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and (C)the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God (D)is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall (E)walk[a] after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and (F)hold fast to Him. 5 But (G)that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. (H)So you shall [b]put away the evil from your midst.

6 (I)“If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, (J)the wife [c]of your bosom, or your friend (K)who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, 7 of the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth, 8 you shall (L)not [d]consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him; 9 but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to (M)death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 And you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 11 So all Israel shall hear and (N)fear, and not again do such wickedness as this among you.

12 (O)“If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell in, saying, 13 [e]‘Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” ’—which you have not known— 14 then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an [f]abomination was committed among you, 15 you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock—with the edge of the sword. 16 And you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of the street, and [g]completely (P)burn with fire the city and all its plunder, for the Lord your God. It shall be (Q)a [h]heap forever; it shall not be built again. 17 (R)So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the Lord may (S)turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and [i]multiply you, just as He swore to your fathers, 18 because you have listened to the voice of the Lord your God, (T)to keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

Improper Mourning

14 “You are (U)the children of the Lord your God; (V)you shall not cut yourselves nor [j]shave the front of your head for the dead. 2 (W)For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Clean and Unclean Meat(X)

3 (Y)“You shall not eat any [k]detestable thing. 4 (Z)These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the [l]mountain goat, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. 6 And you may eat every animal with cloven hooves, having the hoof split into two parts, and that chews the cud, among the animals. 7 Nevertheless, of those that chew the cud or have cloven hooves, you shall not eat, such as these: the camel, the hare, and the rock hyrax; for they chew the cud but do not have cloven hooves; they are unclean for you. 8 Also the swine is unclean for you, because it has cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud; you shall not eat their flesh (AA)or touch their dead carcasses.

9 (AB)“These you may eat of all that are in the waters: you may eat all that have fins and scales. 10 And whatever does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.

11 “All clean birds you may eat. 12 (AC)But these you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard, 13 the red kite, the falcon, and the kite after their kinds; 14 every raven after its kind; 15 the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after their kinds; 16 the little owl, the screech owl, the white owl, 17 the jackdaw, the carrion vulture, the fisher owl, 18 the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe and the bat.

19 “Also (AD)every [m]creeping thing that flies is unclean for you; (AE)they shall not be eaten.

20 “You may eat all clean birds.

21 (AF)“You shall not eat anything that dies of itself; you may give it to the alien who is within your gates, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner; (AG)for you are a holy people to the Lord your God.

“(AH)You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Tithing Principles

22 (AI)“You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. 23 (AJ)And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of (AK)the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. 24 But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or (AL)if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you, 25 then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 26 And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall (AM)rejoice, you and your household. 27 You shall not [n]forsake the (AN)Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.

28 (AO)“At the end of every third year you shall bring out the (AP)tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. 29 And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

Debts Canceled Every Seven Years(AQ)

15 “At the end of (AR)every seven years you shall grant a [o]release of debts. 2 And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall [p]release it; he shall not [q]require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the Lord’s release. 3 Of a foreigner you may require it; but you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother, 4 except when there may be no poor among you; for the Lord will greatly (AS)bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance— 5 only if you carefully obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you; (AT)you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.

Generosity to the Poor

7 “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the [r]gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, (AU)you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, 8 but (AV)you shall [s]open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. 9 Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your (AW)eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and (AX)he cry out to the Lord against you, and (AY)it become sin among you. 10 You shall surely give to him, and (AZ)your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because (BA)for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. 11 For (BB)the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall [t]open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’

The Law Concerning Bondservants

12 (BC)“If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is (BD)sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you [u]send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; 14 you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the Lord your God has (BE)blessed you with, you shall give to him. 15 (BF)You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today. 16 And (BG)if it happens that he says to you, ‘I will not go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, since he prospers with you, 17 then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise. 18 It shall not seem hard to you when you send him away free from you; for he has been worth (BH)a double hired servant in serving you six years. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.

The Law Concerning Firstborn Animals

19 (BI)“All the firstborn males that come from your herd and your flock you shall [v]sanctify to the Lord your God; you shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 (BJ)You and your household shall eat it before the Lord your God year by year in the place which the Lord chooses. 21 (BK)But if there is a defect in it, if it is lame or blind or has any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 You may eat it within your gates; (BL)the unclean and the clean person alike may eat it, as if it were a gazelle or a deer. 23 Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground like water.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 13:4 follow the Lord
  2. Deuteronomy 13:5 exterminate
  3. Deuteronomy 13:6 Whom you cherish
  4. Deuteronomy 13:8 yield
  5. Deuteronomy 13:13 Lit. Sons of Belial
  6. Deuteronomy 13:14 detestable action
  7. Deuteronomy 13:16 Or as a whole-offering
  8. Deuteronomy 13:16 Lit. mound or ruin
  9. Deuteronomy 13:17 increase
  10. Deuteronomy 14:1 make any baldness between your eyes
  11. Deuteronomy 14:3 abominable
  12. Deuteronomy 14:5 Or addax
  13. Deuteronomy 14:19 swarming
  14. Deuteronomy 14:27 neglect
  15. Deuteronomy 15:1 remission
  16. Deuteronomy 15:2 cancel the debt
  17. Deuteronomy 15:2 exact it
  18. Deuteronomy 15:7 towns
  19. Deuteronomy 15:8 freely open
  20. Deuteronomy 15:11 freely open
  21. Deuteronomy 15:13 set him free
  22. Deuteronomy 15:19 set apart or consecrate
Listen to Deuteronomy 13-15
Close NASB

Deuteronomy 13-15
New American Standard Bible

Reject Idolatry

13 “[a](A)If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘(B)Let’s follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let’s serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is (C)testing you to find out whether (D)you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 (E)You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and (F)cling to Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be (G)put to death, because he has spoken falsely against the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of [b]slavery, (H)to drive you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. (I)So you shall eliminate the evil from among you.

6 “(J)If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife [c]you cherish, or your friend who is like your own soul, entices you secretly, saying, ‘(K)Let’s go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you, or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), 8 (L)you shall not consent to him or listen to him; (M)and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. 9 (N)Instead, you shall most certainly kill him; (O)your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 So you shall stone him [d]to death, because he has attempted (P)to drive you away from the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [e]slavery. 11 Then (Q)all Israel will hear about it and be afraid, and will not do such a wicked thing among you again.

12 “If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that 13 some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘(R)Let’s go and serve other gods’ (whom you have not known), 14 then you shall investigate, search out, and inquire thoroughly. And if it is true and the matter is certain that this abomination has been committed among you, 15 (S)you shall most certainly strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword. [f]Utterly destroy it and all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. 16 (T)Then you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of its public square, and burn the city and all its plunder with fire as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God; and it shall be a [g](U)ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt. 17 Nothing at all from what is designated for destruction is to cling to your hand, in order that the Lord may turn from (V)His burning anger and (W)show mercy to you, and have compassion on you and (X)make you increase, just (Y)as He has sworn to your fathers, 18 [h]if you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, [i]keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, [j]and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.

Clean and Unclean Animals

14 “You are (Z)sons of the Lord your God; (AA)you shall not cut yourselves nor [k]shave a bald spot [l]above your forehead for the dead. 2 For you are (AB)a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a (AC)people for His personal possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

3 “(AD)You shall not eat any detestable thing. 4 (AE)These are the animals that you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 [m]the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. 6 And any animal that has a divided hoof and has its hoofs split in two, and [n]chews the cud, among the animals, [o]that animal you may eat. 7 However, you are not to eat these among the ones that [p]chew the cud, or among those that have the hoof divided in [q]two: the camel, the [r]rabbit, and the rock hyrax, for though they [s]chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are unclean to you. 8 And the pig, because it has a divided hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. You shall not eat any of their flesh, nor touch their carcasses.

9 “These you may eat of everything that is in the water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat, 10 but anything that does not have fins and scales, you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.

11 “You may eat any clean bird. 12 But (AF)these are the ones that you shall not eat: the [t]eagle and the vulture and the [u]buzzard, 13 and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, 14 and every raven in its kind, 15 and the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, and the hawk in their kinds, 16 the little owl, the [v]great owl, the white owl, 17 the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, 18 the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. 19 And all the swarming insects with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten. 20 You may eat any clean bird.

21 “(AG)You shall not eat anything which dies of itself. You may give it to the stranger who is in your [w]town, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a stranger; for you are (AH)a holy people to the Lord your God. (AI)You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

22 “You (AJ)shall certainly tithe all the produce from [x]what you sow, which comes from the field every year. 23 You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God, (AK)at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may (AL)learn to fear the Lord your God always. 24 But if the [y]distance is so great for you that you are not able to [z]bring the tithe, since the place where the Lord your God chooses (AM)to set His name is too far away from you when the Lord your God blesses you, 25 then you shall [aa]exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 26 And you may spend the money on whatever your [ab]heart desires: on oxen, sheep, wine, other strong drink, or whatever your [ac]heart [ad]desires; and (AN)there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. 27 Also you shall not neglect (AO)the Levite who is in your [ae]town, (AP)for he has no portion or inheritance among you.

28 “(AQ)At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and you shall deposit it in your [af]town. 29 And the Levite, (AR)because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and (AS)the stranger, the [ag]orphan, and the widow who are in your [ah]town, shall come and (AT)eat and be satisfied, in order that (AU)the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

The Sabbatical Year

15 “(AV)At the end of every seven years you shall [ai]grant a release of debts. 2 And this is the regulation for the release of debts: every creditor is to forgive what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not require it of his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord’s release has been proclaimed. 3 (AW)From a foreigner you may require it, but your hand shall [aj]forgive whatever of yours is with your brother. 4 However, there will be no poor among you, since (AX)the Lord will certainly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, 5 if only you listen obediently to the voice of the Lord your God, to [ak]follow carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today. 6 (AY)For the Lord your God will have blessed you just as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

7 “If there is (AZ)a poor person among you, one of your brothers, in any of your [al]towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, (BA)you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; 8 but (BB)you shall fully open your hand to him, and generously lend him enough for his need in whatever he lacks. 9 Be careful that there is no mean-spirited [am]thought in your heart, [an]such as, ‘(BC)The seventh year, the year of release of debts, is near,’ and (BD)your eye is malicious toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he (BE)may cry out to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin in you. 10 You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be [ao]grudging when you give to him, because (BF)for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work, and in all [ap]your undertakings. 11 (BG)For the poor will not cease [aq]to exist in the land; therefore I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall fully open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’

12 “(BH)If your fellow countryman, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, then he shall serve you for six years, but in the seventh year you shall set him [ar]free. 13 And when you set him [as]free, you shall not send him away empty-handed. 14 You shall give generously to him from your flock, your threshing floor, and from your wine vat; you shall give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 And you are to remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I am commanding [at]this of you today. 16 But it shall come about, (BI)if he says to you, ‘I will not leave you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is doing well with you, 17 then you shall take an [au]awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant permanently. You shall also do the same to your female slave.

18 “It shall not seem difficult for you when you set him [av]free, because he has given you six years with double the [aw]service of a hired worker; so the Lord your God will bless you in whatever you do.

19 “(BJ)You shall consecrate to the Lord your God all the firstborn males that are born in your herd and in your flock; you shall not work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 (BK)You and your household shall eat it every year before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses. 21 (BL)But if it has any impairment, such as a limp, or blindness, or any serious impairment, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 You shall eat it within your gates; (BM)the unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as (BN)a gazelle or a deer. 23 Only (BO)you shall not eat its blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 13:1 Ch 13:2 in Heb
  2. Deuteronomy 13:5 Lit slaves
  3. Deuteronomy 13:6 Lit of your breast
  4. Deuteronomy 13:10 Lit with stones so that he dies
  5. Deuteronomy 13:10 Lit slaves
  6. Deuteronomy 13:15 Or Put it under the ban
  7. Deuteronomy 13:16 Lit rubbish heap
  8. Deuteronomy 13:18 Or for
  9. Deuteronomy 13:18 Lit to keep
  10. Deuteronomy 13:18 Lit to do
  11. Deuteronomy 14:1 Lit make
  12. Deuteronomy 14:1 Lit between your eyes
  13. Deuteronomy 14:5 Exact identification of these animals is uncertain
  14. Deuteronomy 14:6 Lit brings up
  15. Deuteronomy 14:6 Lit it
  16. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit bring up
  17. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit a cleaving
  18. Deuteronomy 14:7 Or hare
  19. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit bring up
  20. Deuteronomy 14:12 Or vulture
  21. Deuteronomy 14:12 Or black vulture
  22. Deuteronomy 14:16 Or great horned owl
  23. Deuteronomy 14:21 Lit gates
  24. Deuteronomy 14:22 Lit your seed
  25. Deuteronomy 14:24 Lit way
  26. Deuteronomy 14:24 Lit carry it
  27. Deuteronomy 14:25 Lit give in money
  28. Deuteronomy 14:26 Lit soul
  29. Deuteronomy 14:26 Lit soul
  30. Deuteronomy 14:26 Lit asks of you
  31. Deuteronomy 14:27 Lit gates
  32. Deuteronomy 14:28 Lit gates
  33. Deuteronomy 14:29 Or fatherless
  34. Deuteronomy 14:29 Lit gates
  35. Deuteronomy 15:1 Lit make
  36. Deuteronomy 15:3 Lit release
  37. Deuteronomy 15:5 Lit perform
  38. Deuteronomy 15:7 Lit gates
  39. Deuteronomy 15:9 Lit word
  40. Deuteronomy 15:9 Lit saying
  41. Deuteronomy 15:10 Lit evil
  42. Deuteronomy 15:10 Lit the putting forth of your hand
  43. Deuteronomy 15:11 Lit from the midst of
  44. Deuteronomy 15:12 Lit free from you
  45. Deuteronomy 15:13 Lit free from you
  46. Deuteronomy 15:15 Lit this thing
  47. Deuteronomy 15:17 I.e., a pointed tool
  48. Deuteronomy 15:18 Lit free from you
  49. Deuteronomy 15:18 Lit wages
Close NLT

Deuteronomy 13-15
New Living Translation

A Warning against Idolatry

13 [a]“Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, 2 and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, ‘Come, let us worship other gods’—gods you have not known before— 3 do not listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul. 4 Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. 5 The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the Lord your God, who redeemed you from slavery and brought you out of the land of Egypt. Since they try to lead you astray from the way the Lord your God commanded you to live, you must put them to death. In this way you will purge the evil from among you.

6 “Suppose someone secretly entices you—even your brother, your son or daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend—and says, ‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known. 7 They might suggest that you worship the gods of peoples who live nearby or who come from the ends of the earth. 8 But do not give in or listen. Have no pity, and do not spare or protect them. 9 You must put them to death! Strike the first blow yourself, and then all the people must join in. 10 Stone the guilty ones to death because they have tried to draw you away from the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear about it and be afraid, and no one will act so wickedly again.

12 “When you begin living in the towns the Lord your God is giving you, you may hear 13 that scoundrels among you are leading their fellow citizens astray by saying, ‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods you have not known before. 14 In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully. If you find that the report is true and such a detestable act has been committed among you, 15 you must attack that town and completely destroy[b] all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock. 16 Then you must pile all the plunder in the middle of the open square and burn it. Burn the entire town as a burnt offering to the Lord your God. That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt. 17 Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you. He will have compassion on you and make you a large nation, just as he swore to your ancestors.

18 “The Lord your God will be merciful only if you listen to his voice and keep all his commands that I am giving you today, doing what pleases him.

Ceremonially Clean and Unclean Animals

14 “Since you are the people of the Lord your God, never cut yourselves or shave the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the dead. 2 You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.

3 “You must not eat any detestable animals that are ceremonially unclean. 4 These are the animals[c] you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the addax, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.

6 “You may eat any animal that has completely split hooves and chews the cud, 7 but if the animal doesn’t have both, it may not be eaten. So you may not eat the camel, the hare, or the hyrax.[d] They chew the cud but do not have split hooves, so they are ceremonially unclean for you. 8 And you may not eat the pig. It has split hooves but does not chew the cud, so it is ceremonially unclean for you. You may not eat the meat of these animals or even touch their carcasses.

9 “Of all the marine animals, you may eat whatever has both fins and scales. 10 You may not, however, eat marine animals that do not have both fins and scales. They are ceremonially unclean for you.

11 “You may eat any bird that is ceremonially clean. 12 These are the birds you may not eat: the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, 13 the kite, the falcon, buzzards of all kinds, 14 ravens of all kinds, 15 the eagle owl, the short-eared owl, the seagull, hawks of all kinds, 16 the little owl, the great owl, the barn owl, 17 the desert owl, the Egyptian vulture, the cormorant, 18 the stork, herons of all kinds, the hoopoe, and the bat.

19 “All winged insects that walk along the ground are ceremonially unclean for you and may not be eaten. 20 But you may eat any winged bird or insect that is ceremonially clean.

21 “You must not eat anything that has died a natural death. You may give it to a foreigner living in your town, or you may sell it to a stranger. But do not eat it yourselves, for you are set apart as holy to the Lord your God.

“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

The Giving of Tithes

22 “You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. 23 Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored—and eat it there in his presence. This applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds. Doing this will teach you always to fear the Lord your God.

24 “Now when the Lord your God blesses you with a good harvest, the place of worship he chooses for his name to be honored might be too far for you to bring the tithe. 25 If so, you may sell the tithe portion of your crops and herds, put the money in a pouch, and go to the place the Lord your God has chosen. 26 When you arrive, you may use the money to buy any kind of food you want—cattle, sheep, goats, wine, or other alcoholic drink. Then feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and celebrate with your household. 27 And do not neglect the Levites in your town, for they will receive no allotment of land among you.

28 “At the end of every third year, bring the entire tithe of that year’s harvest and store it in the nearest town. 29 Give it to the Levites, who will receive no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all your work.

Release for Debtors

15 “At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of everyone who owes you money. 2 This is how it must be done. Everyone must cancel the loans they have made to their fellow Israelites. They must not demand payment from their neighbors or relatives, for the Lord’s time of release has arrived. 3 This release from debt, however, applies only to your fellow Israelites—not to the foreigners living among you.

4 “There should be no poor among you, for the Lord your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession. 5 You will receive this blessing if you are careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. 6 The Lord your God will bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they will not rule over you.

7 “But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. 8 Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. 9 Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. 11 There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.

Release for Hebrew Slaves

12 “If a fellow Hebrew sells himself or herself to be your servant[e] and serves you for six years, in the seventh year you must set that servant free.

13 “When you release a male servant, do not send him away empty-handed. 14 Give him a generous farewell gift from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. Share with him some of the bounty with which the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were once slaves in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you! That is why I am giving you this command.

16 “But suppose your servant says, ‘I will not leave you,’ because he loves you and your family, and he has done well with you. 17 In that case, take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door. After that, he will be your servant for life. And do the same for your female servants.

18 “You must not consider it a hardship when you release your servants. Remember that for six years they have given you services worth double the wages of hired workers, and the Lord your God will bless you in all you do.

Sacrificing Firstborn Male Animals

19 “You must set aside for the Lord your God all the firstborn males from your flocks and herds. Do not use the firstborn of your herds to work your fields, and do not shear the firstborn of your flocks. 20 Instead, you and your family must eat these animals in the presence of the Lord your God each year at the place he chooses. 21 But if this firstborn animal has any defect, such as lameness or blindness, or if anything else is wrong with it, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 Instead, use it for food for your family in your hometown. Anyone, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat it, just as anyone may eat a gazelle or deer. 23 But you must not consume the blood. You must pour it out on the ground like water.

Footnotes

  1. 13:1 Verses 13:1-18 are numbered 13:2-19 in Hebrew text.
  2. 13:15 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; similarly in 13:17.
  3. 14:4 The identification of some of the animals and birds listed in this chapter is uncertain.
  4. 14:7 Or coney, or rock badger.
  5. 15:12 Or If a Hebrew man or woman is sold to you.
Listen to Deuteronomy 13-15
Close MSG

Deuteronomy 13-15
The Message

13 1-4 When a prophet or visionary gets up in your community and gives out a miracle-sign or wonder, and the miracle-sign or wonder that he gave out happens and he says, “Let’s follow other gods” (these are gods you know nothing about), “let’s worship them,” don’t pay any attention to what that prophet or visionary says. God, your God, is testing you to find out if you totally love him with everything you have in you. You are to follow only God, your God, hold him in deep reverence, keep his commandments, listen obediently to what he says, serve him—hold on to him for dear life!

5 And that prophet or visionary must be put to death. He has urged mutiny against God, your God, who rescued you from Egypt, who redeemed you from a world of slavery and put you on the road on which God, your God, has commanded you to walk. Purge the evil from your company.

6-10 And when your brother or son or daughter, or even your dear wife or lifelong friend, comes to you in secret and whispers, “Let’s go and worship some other gods” (gods that you know nothing about, neither you nor your ancestors, the gods of the peoples around you near and far, from one end of the Earth to the other), don’t go along with him; shut your ears. Don’t feel sorry for him and don’t make excuses for him. Kill him. That’s right, kill him. You throw the first stone. Take action at once and swiftly with everybody in the community getting in on it at the end. Stone him with stones so that he dies. He tried to turn you traitor against God, your God, the one who got you out of Egypt and the world of slavery.

11 Every man, woman, and child in Israel will hear what’s been done and be in awe. No one will dare to do an evil thing like this again.

12-17 When word comes in from one of your cities that God, your God, is giving you to live in, reporting that evil men have gotten together with some of the citizens of the city and have broken away, saying, “Let’s go and worship other gods” (gods you know nothing about), then you must conduct a careful examination. Ask questions, investigate. If it turns out that the report is true and this abomination did in fact take place in your community, you must execute the citizens of that town. Kill them, setting that city apart for holy destruction: the city and everything in it including its animals. Gather the plunder in the middle of the town square and burn it all—town and plunder together up in smoke, a holy sacrifice to God, your God. Leave it there, ashes and ruins. Don’t build on that site again. And don’t let any of the plunder devoted to holy destruction stick to your fingers. Get rid of it so that God may turn from anger to compassion, generously making you prosper, just as he promised your ancestors.

18 Yes. Obediently listen to God, your God. Keep all his commands that I am giving you today. Do the right thing in the eyes of God, your God.

* * *

14 1-2 You are children of God, your God, so don’t mutilate your bodies or shave your heads in funeral rites for the dead. You only are a people holy to God, your God; God chose you out of all the people on Earth as his cherished personal treasure.

3-8 Don’t eat anything abominable. These are the animals you may eat: ox, sheep, goat, deer, gazelle, roebuck, wild goat, ibex, antelope, mountain sheep—any animal that has a cloven hoof and chews the cud. But you may not eat camels, rabbits, and rock badgers because they chew the cud but they don’t have a cloven hoof—that makes them ritually unclean. And pigs: Don’t eat pigs—they have a cloven hoof but don’t chew the cud, which makes them ritually unclean. Don’t even touch a pig’s carcass.

9-10 This is what you may eat from the water: anything that has fins and scales. But if it doesn’t have fins or scales, you may not eat it. It’s ritually unclean.

11-18 You may eat any ritually clean bird. These are the exceptions, so don’t eat these: eagle, vulture, black vulture, kite, falcon, the buzzard family, the raven family, ostrich, nighthawk, the hawk family, little owl, great owl, white owl, pelican, osprey, cormorant, stork, the heron family, hoopoe, bat.

19-20 Winged insects are ritually unclean; don’t eat them. But ritually clean winged creatures are permitted.

21 Because you are a people holy to God, your God, don’t eat anything that you find dead. You can, though, give it to a foreigner in your neighborhood for a meal or sell it to a foreigner.

Don’t boil a kid in its mother’s milk.

22-26 Make an offering of ten percent, a tithe, of all the produce which grows in your fields year after year. Bring this into the Presence of God, your God, at the place he designates for worship and there eat the tithe from your grain, wine, and oil and the firstborn from your herds and flocks. In this way you will learn to live in deep reverence before God, your God, as long as you live. But if the place God, your God, designates for worship is too far away and you can’t carry your tithe that far, God, your God, will still bless you: exchange your tithe for money and take the money to the place God, your God, has chosen to be worshiped. Use the money to buy anything you want: cattle, sheep, wine, or beer—anything that looks good to you. You and your family can then feast in the Presence of God, your God, and have a good time.

27 Meanwhile, don’t forget to take good care of the Levites who live in your towns; they won’t get any property or inheritance of their own as you will.

28-29 At the end of every third year, gather the tithe from all your produce of that year and put it aside in storage. Keep it in reserve for the Levite who won’t get any property or inheritance as you will, and for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow who live in your neighborhood. That way they’ll have plenty to eat and God, your God, will bless you in all your work.

15 1-3 At the end of every seventh year, cancel all debts. This is the procedure: Everyone who has lent money to a neighbor writes it off. You must not press your neighbor or his brother for payment: All-Debts-Are-Canceled—God says so. You may collect payment from foreigners, but whatever you have lent to your fellow Israelite you must write off.

4-6 There must be no poor people among you because God is going to bless you lavishly in this land that God, your God, is giving you as an inheritance, your very own land. But only if you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, diligently observing every commandment that I command you today. Oh yes—God, your God, will bless you just as he promised. You will lend to many nations but won’t borrow from any; you’ll rule over many nations but none will rule over you.

7-9 When you happen on someone who’s in trouble or needs help among your people with whom you live in this land that God, your God, is giving you, don’t look the other way pretending you don’t see him. Don’t keep a tight grip on your purse. No. Look at him, open your purse, lend whatever and as much as he needs. Don’t count the cost. Don’t listen to that selfish voice saying, “It’s almost the seventh year, the year of All-Debts-Are-Canceled,” and turn aside and leave your needy neighbor in the lurch, refusing to help him. He’ll call God’s attention to you and your blatant sin.

10-11 Give freely and spontaneously. Don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God’s, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.

12-15 If a Hebrew man or Hebrew woman was sold to you and has served you for six years, in the seventh year you must set him or her free, released into a free life. And when you set them free don’t send them off empty-handed. Provide them with some animals, plenty of bread and wine and oil. Load them with provisions from all the blessings with which God, your God, has blessed you. Don’t for a minute forget that you were once slaves in Egypt and God, your God, redeemed you from that slave world.

For that reason, this day I command you to do this.

16-17 But if your slave, because he loves you and your family and has a good life with you, says, “I don’t want to leave you,” then take an awl and pierce through his earlobe into the doorpost, marking him as your slave forever. Do the same with your women slaves who want to stay with you.

18 Don’t consider this an unreasonable hardship, this setting your slave free. After all, he’s worked six years for you at half the cost of a hired hand.

Believe me, God, your God, will bless you in everything you do.

* * *

19-23 Set apart to God, your God, all the firstborn males in your herds and flocks. Don’t use the firstborn from your herds as work animals; don’t shear the firstborn from your flocks. These are for you to eat every year, you and your family, in the Presence of God, your God, at the place that God designates for worship. If the animal is defective, lame, say, or blind—anything wrong with it—don’t slaughter it as a sacrifice to God, your God. Stay at home and eat it there. Both the ritually clean and unclean may eat it, the same as with a gazelle or a deer. Only you must not eat its blood. Pour the blood out on the ground like water.

* * *

Next
Deuteronomy 12
Deuteronomy 16
Next
dropdown
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Learn the Bible in 30 days
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


The Message (MSG)

Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson