Deuteronomy 25-27

Contemporary English Version

Whipping as Punishment for a Crime

Moses said to Israel:

25 ^1-2Suppose you and someone else each accuse the other of doing something wrong, and you go to court, where the judges decide you are guilty. If your punishment is to be beaten with a whip,^[a] one of the judges will order you to lie down, and you will receive the number of lashes you deserve. ³^(A) Forty lashes is the most that you can be given, because more than that might make other Israelites think you are worthless.

Don't Muzzle an Ox

Moses said to Israel:

⁴^(B) Don't muzzle an ox while it is threshing grain.^[b]

A Son for a Dead Brother

Moses said to Israel:

^5-6^(C) Suppose two brothers are living on the same property, when one of them dies without having a son to carry on his name. If this happens, his widow must not marry anyone outside the family. Instead, she must marry her late husband's brother, and their first son will be the legal son of the dead man.

⁷^(D) But suppose the brother refuses to marry the widow. She must go to a meeting of the town leaders at the town gate and say, “My husband died without having a son to carry on his name. And my husband's brother refuses to marry me so I can have a son.”

⁸The leaders will call the living brother to the town gate and try to persuade him to marry the widow. But if he doesn't change his mind and marry her, ⁹she must go over to him while the town leaders watch. She will pull off one of his sandals and spit in his face, while saying, “That's what happens to a man who won't help provide descendants for his dead brother.” ¹⁰From then on, that man's family will be known as “the family of the man whose sandal was pulled off.”

When Two Men Fight

Moses said to Israel:

¹¹If two men are fighting, and the wife of one man tries to rescue her husband by grabbing the other man's private parts, ¹²you must cut off her hand. Don't have any mercy.

Be Honest in Business

Moses said to Israel:

^13-14^(E) Don't try to cheat people by having two sets of weights or measures, one to get more when you are buying, and the other to give less when you are selling. ¹⁵If you weigh and measure things honestly, the Lord your God will let you enjoy a long life in the land he is giving you. ¹⁶But the Lord is disgusted with anyone who cheats or is dishonest.

Wipe Out Amalek

Moses said:

¹⁷^(F) People of Israel, do you remember what the Amalekites did to you after you came out of Egypt? ¹⁸You were tired, and they followed along behind, attacking those who could not keep up with the others. This showed that the Amalekites have no respect for God.

¹⁹The Lord your God will help you capture the land, and he will give you peace. But when that day comes, you must wipe out Amalek so completely that no one will remember they ever lived.

Give the Lord the First Part of Your Harvest

Moses said to Israel:

26 The Lord is giving you the land, and soon you will conquer it, settle down, ²^(G) and plant crops. And when you begin harvesting each of your crops, the very first things you pick must be put in a basket. Take them to the place where the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped, ³and tell the priest, “Long ago the Lord our God promised our ancestors that he would give us this land. And today, I thank him for keeping his promise and giving me a share of the land.”

⁴The priest will take the basket and set it in front of the Lord's altar. ⁵Then, standing there in front of the place of worship, you must pray:

My ancestor was homeless,
an Aramean who went to live
    in Egypt.
There were only a few
    in his family then,
but they became great
and powerful,
    a nation of many people.

⁶The Egyptians were cruel
    and had no pity on us.
They mistreated our people
    and forced us into slavery.
⁷We called out for help
to you, the Lord God
    of our ancestors.
You heard our cries;
you knew we were in trouble
    and abused.
⁸Then you terrified the Egyptians
with your mighty miracles
    and rescued us from Egypt.
⁹You brought us here
and gave us this land
    rich with milk and honey.
¹⁰Now, Lord, I bring to you
the best of the crops
    that you have given me.

After you say these things, place the basket in front of the Lord's altar and bow down to worship him.

¹¹Then you and your family must celebrate by eating a meal at the place of worship to thank the Lord your God for giving you such a good harvest. And remember to invite the Levites and the foreigners who live in your town.

Ten Percent of the Harvest

Moses said to Israel:

¹²^(H) Every year you are to give ten percent of your harvest to the Lord.^[c] But every third year,^[d] this ten percent must be given to the poor who live in your town, including Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows. That way, they will have enough to eat. ¹³Then you must pray:

Our Lord and our God, you have said that ten percent of my harvest is sacred. I have obeyed your command and given this to the poor, including the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows.

¹⁴I have not eaten any of this sacred food while I was in mourning; in fact, I never touched it when I was unclean.^[e] And none of it has been offered as a sacrifice to the spirits of the dead. I have done everything exactly as you commanded.

¹⁵Our Lord, look down from your temple in heaven and bless us and our land. You promised our ancestors that you would give us this land rich with milk and honey, and you have kept your promise.

The Lord Is Your God, and You Are His People

Moses said to Israel:

¹⁶Today the Lord your God has commanded you to obey these laws and teachings with all your heart and soul.

¹⁷In response, you have agreed that the Lord will be your God, that you will obey all his laws and teachings, and that you will listen when he speaks to you.

¹⁸^(I) Since you have agreed to obey the Lord, he has agreed that you will be his people and that you will belong to him, just as he promised. ¹⁹The Lord created all nations, but he will make you more famous than any of them, and you will receive more praise and honor. You will belong only to the Lord your God, just as he promised.

Build an Altar on Mount Ebal

27 Moses stood together with the leaders and told the people of Israel:

Obey all the laws and teachings that I am giving you today. ^2-4^(J) Soon you will enter the land that the Lord your God is giving to you. He is the God your ancestors worshiped, and he has promised that this land is rich with milk and honey.

After you cross the Jordan River, go to Mount Ebal. Set up large slabs of stone, then cover them with white plaster and write on them a copy of these laws.

⁵^(K) At this same place, build an altar for offering sacrifices to the Lord your God. But don't use stones that have been cut with iron tools. ⁶Look for stones that can be used without being cut. Then offer sacrifices to please the Lord,^[f] burning them completely on the altar. ⁷Next, offer sacrifices to ask the Lord's blessing,^[g] and serve the meat at a sacred meal where you will celebrate in honor of the Lord.

⁸Don't forget to write out a copy of these laws on the stone slabs that you are going to set up. Make sure that the writing is easy to read.

Curses on Those Who Disobey

⁹Moses stood together with the priests^[h] and said, “Israel, be quiet and listen to me! Today you have become the people of the Lord your God.^[i] ¹⁰So you must obey his laws and teachings that I am giving you.”

¹¹That same day, Moses gave them the following instructions:

^12-13^(L) After you cross the Jordan River, you will go to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.^[j] The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Ephraim, Manasseh,^[k] and Benjamin will go up on Mount Gerizim, where they will bless the people of Israel. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali will go up on Mount Ebal where they will agree to the curses.

^14-26^(M) The people of the Levi tribe will speak each curse in a loud voice, then the rest of the people^[l] will agree to that curse by saying, “Amen!” Here are the curses:

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who makes an idol or worships idols, even secretly. The Lord is disgusted with idols.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on all who do not show respect for their father and mother.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who moves the rocks that mark property lines.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who tells blind people to go the wrong way.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who keeps the poor from getting justice, whether these poor are foreigners, widows, or orphans.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on any man who sleeps with his father's wife; that man has shown no respect for his father's marriage.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who has sex with an animal.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on any man who sleeps with his sister or his half sister or his mother-in-law.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who commits murder, even when there are no witnesses to the crime.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who accepts money to murder an innocent victim.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who refuses to obey his laws.

And so, to each of these curses, the people will answer, “Amen!”

Footnotes

25.1,2 whip: Or “rod.”
25.4 threshing grain: Oxen were used at the threshing place to walk on heads of grain, or pull heavy slabs of wood over it, to separate the kernels from the husks.
26.12 Every year … Lord: See 14.22-29.
26.12 every third year: Probably the third and sixth years of the seven-year cycle described in 15.1-11 and Leviticus 25.1-7.
26.14 in mourning … unclean: Touching a dead body made a person unclean and unfit to worship God. Ten percent of the harvest belonged to God, and was not to be touched by an unclean person.
27.6 sacrifices to please the Lord: See the note at 12.5-19.
27.7 sacrifices to ask the Lord's blessing: These sacrifices have traditionally been called “peace offerings” or “offerings of well-being.” A main purpose was to ask for the Lord's blessing, and so in the CEV they are sometimes called “sacrifices to ask the Lord's blessing.”
27.9 priests: See the note at 17.8-12.
27.9 Today you have become the people of the Lord your God: As a result of the agreement that the Lord had made with them, recorded in 26.16-19.
27.12,13 Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal: These mountains were separated by a valley.
27.12,13 Ephraim, Manasseh: The Hebrew text has “Joseph”; the descendants of Joseph formed the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.
27.14-26 the rest of the people: Or “all the people who are standing on Mount Ebal.”

Mark 14:27-53

Contemporary English Version

Peter's Promise

(Matthew 26.31-35; Luke 22.31-34; John 13.36-38)

²⁷^(A) Jesus said to his disciples, “All of you will reject me, as the Scriptures say,

‘I will strike down
the shepherd,
and the sheep
will be scattered.’

²⁸^(B) But after I am raised to life, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

²⁹Peter spoke up, “Even if all the others reject you, I never will!”

³⁰Jesus replied, “This very night before a rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don't know me.”

³¹But Peter was so sure of himself that he said, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never say I don't know you!”

All the others said the same thing.

Jesus Prays

(Matthew 26.36-46; Luke 22.39-46)

³²Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he told them, “Sit here while I pray.”

³³Jesus took along Peter, James, and John. He was sad and troubled and ³⁴told them, “I am so sad that I feel as if I am dying. Stay here and keep awake with me.”

^35-36Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt down on the ground and prayed, “Father,^[a] if it is possible, don't let this happen to me! Father, you can do anything. Don't make me suffer by drinking from this cup.^[b] But do what you want, and not what I want.”

³⁷When Jesus came back and found the disciples sleeping, he said to Simon Peter, “Are you asleep? Can't you stay awake for just one hour? ³⁸Stay awake and pray that you won't be tested. You want to do what is right, but you are weak.”

³⁹Jesus went back and prayed the same prayer. ⁴⁰But when he returned to the disciples, he found them sleeping again. They simply could not keep their eyes open, and they did not know what to say.

⁴¹When Jesus returned to the disciples the third time, he said, “Are you still sleeping and resting?^[c] Enough of this! The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners. ⁴²Get up! Let's go. The one who will betray me is already here.”

Jesus Is Arrested

(Matthew 26.47-56; Luke 22.47-53; John 18.3-12)

⁴³Jesus was still speaking, when Judas the betrayer came up. He was one of the twelve disciples, and a mob of men armed with swords and clubs were with him. They had been sent by the chief priests, the nation's leaders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses. ⁴⁴Judas had told them ahead of time, “Arrest the man I greet with a kiss.^[d] Tie him up tight and lead him away.”

⁴⁵Judas walked right up to Jesus and said, “Teacher!” Then Judas kissed him, ⁴⁶and the men grabbed Jesus and arrested him.

⁴⁷Someone standing there pulled out a sword. He struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.

⁴⁸Jesus said to the mob, “Why do you come with swords and clubs to arrest me like a criminal? ⁴⁹^(C) Day after day I was with you and taught in the temple, and you didn't arrest me. But what the Scriptures say must come true.”

⁵⁰All of Jesus' disciples ran off and left him. ⁵¹One of them was a young man who was wearing only a linen cloth. And when the men grabbed him, ⁵²he left the cloth behind and ran away naked.

Jesus Is Questioned by the Council

(Matthew 26.57-68; Luke 22.54,55,63-71; John 18.13,14,19-24)

⁵³Jesus was led off to the high priest. Then the chief priests, the nation's leaders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses all met together.

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Footnotes

14.35,36 Father: The Greek text has “Abba,” which is an Aramaic word meaning “father.”
14.35,36 by drinking from this cup: See the note at 10.38.
14.41 Are you still sleeping and resting: Or “You may as well keep on sleeping and resting.”
14.44 greet with a kiss: It was the custom for people to greet each other with a kiss on the cheek.