²⁶ See, I am setting before you today a blessing^(A) and a curse^(B)— ²⁷ the blessing^(C) if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; ²⁸ the curse if you disobey^(D) the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods,^(E) 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^(F) the blessings, and on Mount Ebal^(G) the curses.^{(H) 30} As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, westward, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh,^(I) in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal.^{(J) 31} You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession^(K) of the land the Lord your God is giving^(L) 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^(M) 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.^{(N) 2} Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains,^(O) on the hills and under every spreading tree,^(P) where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. ³ Break down their altars, smash^(Q) their sacred stones and burn^(R) their Asherah^(S) poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names^(T) from those places.

⁴ You must not worship the Lord your God in their way.^{(U) 5} But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name^(V) there for his dwelling.^(W) To that place you must go; ⁶ there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes^(X) and special gifts, what you have vowed^(Y) to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.^{(Z) 7} There, in the presence^(AA) of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice^(AB) 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,^{(AC) 9} since you have not yet reached the resting place^(AD) and the inheritance^(AE) 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^(AF) you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest^(AG) 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^(AH)—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.^{(AI) 12} And there rejoice^(AJ) before the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites^(AK) from your towns who have no allotment or inheritance^(AL) of their own. ¹³ Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please.^{(AM) 14} Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose^(AN) 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,^(AO) 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;^(AP) pour^(AQ) it out on the ground like water.^{(AR) 17} You must not eat in your own towns the tithe^(AS) of your grain and new wine and olive oil,^(AT) or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give,^(AU) or your freewill offerings or special gifts.^{(AV) 18} Instead, you are to eat^(AW) them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God will choose^(AX)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your towns—and you are to rejoice^(AY) before the Lord your God in everything you put your hand to. ¹⁹ Be careful not to neglect the Levites^(AZ) as long as you live in your land.^(BA)

²⁰ When the Lord your God has enlarged your territory^(BB) as he promised^(BC) you, and you crave meat^(BD) 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^(BE) 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.^{(BF) 22} Eat them as you would gazelle or deer.^(BG) Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. ²³ But be sure you do not eat the blood,^(BH) because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.^{(BI) 24} You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.^{(BJ) 25} Do not eat it, so that it may go well^(BK) with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right^(BL) in the eyes of the Lord.

²⁶ But take your consecrated things and whatever you have vowed to give,^(BM) and go to the place the Lord will choose. ²⁷ Present your burnt offerings^(BN) 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^(BO) the meat. ²⁸ Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well^(BP) 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^(BQ) before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land,^{(BR) 30} and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared^(BS) by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.”^{(BT) 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.^(BU) They even burn their sons^(BV) and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.^(BW)

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

Worshiping Other Gods

13 ^[b]If a prophet,^(BY) or one who foretells by dreams,^(BZ) appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, ² and if the sign^(CA) or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods”^(CB) (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” ³ you must not listen to the words of that prophet^(CC) or dreamer.^(CD) The Lord your God is testing^(CE) you to find out whether you love^(CF) him with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴ It is the Lord your God you must follow,^(CG) and him you must revere.^(CH) Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast^(CI) to him. ⁵ That prophet or dreamer must be put to death^(CJ) 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^(CK) you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil^(CL) 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^(CM) you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods”^(CN) (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^(CO) to them or listen to them. Show them no pity.^(CP) Do not spare them or shield them. ⁹ You must certainly put them to death.^(CQ) Your hand^(CR) 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^(CS) 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,^(CT) 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^(CU) 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.^(CV) And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you,^{(CW) 15} you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely,^[c](CX) both its people and its livestock.^{(CY) 16} You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town^(CZ) and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God.^(DA) That town is to remain a ruin^(DB) forever, never to be rebuilt, ¹⁷ and none of the condemned things^[d] are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger,^(DC) will show you mercy,^(DD) and will have compassion^(DE) on you. He will increase your numbers,^(DF) as he promised^(DG) 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^(DH) in his eyes.

Clean and Unclean Food^(DI)

14 You are the children^(DJ) 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^(DK) to the Lord your God.^(DL) Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.^(DM)

³ Do not eat any detestable thing.^{(DN) 4} These are the animals you may eat:^(DO) the ox, the sheep, the goat,^{(DP) 5} the deer,^(DQ) the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat,^(DR) the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.^{[e] 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.^(DS)

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^(DT) of falcon,^{(DU) 14} any kind of raven,^{(DV) 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,^(DW) 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.^(DX)

²¹ Do not eat anything you find already dead.^(DY) 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.^(DZ)

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

Tithes

²² Be sure to set aside a tenth^(EB) of all that your fields produce each year. ²³ Eat^(EC) the tithe of your grain, new wine^(ED) 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,^(EE) so that you may learn^(EF) to revere^(EG) 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^(EH) 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,^(EI) or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.^{(EJ) 27} And do not neglect the Levites^(EK) living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.^(EL)

²⁸ At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes^(EM) of that year’s produce and store it in your towns,^{(EN) 29} so that the Levites (who have no allotment^(EO) or inheritance^(EP) of their own) and the foreigners,^(EQ) the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied,^(ER) and so that the Lord your God may bless^(ES) you in all the work of your hands.

The Year for Canceling Debts^(ET)

15 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.^{(EU) 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,^(EV) 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^(EW) you, ⁵ if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow^(EX) 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.^(EY)

⁷ If anyone is poor^(EZ) 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^(FA) toward them. ⁸ Rather, be openhanded^(FB) and freely lend them whatever they need. ⁹ Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts,^(FC) is near,” so that you do not show ill will^(FD) 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.^{(FE) 10} Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart;^(FF) then because of this the Lord your God will bless^(FG) you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. ¹¹ There will always be poor people^(FH) in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.^(FI)

Freeing Servants^(FJ)(FK)

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.^{(FL) 13} And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. ¹⁴ Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor^(FM) and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. ¹⁵ Remember that you were slaves^(FN) in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you.^(FO) 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^(FP) your God every firstborn male^(FQ) of your herds and flocks.^(FR) Do not put the firstborn of your cows to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.^{(FS) 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.^{(FT) 21} If an animal has a defect,^(FU) is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.^{(FV) 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.^{(FW) 23} But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.^(FX)

The Passover^(FY)

16 Observe the month of Aviv^(FZ) and celebrate the Passover^(GA) 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.^{(GB) 3} Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction,^(GC) because you left Egypt in haste^(GD)—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.^{(GE) 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^(GF) of the first day remain until morning.^(GG)

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^[f](GH) of your departure from Egypt. ⁷ Roast^(GI) 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^(GJ) to the Lord your God and do no work.^(GK)

The Festival of Weeks^(GL)

⁹ Count off seven weeks^(GM) from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.^{(GN) 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^(GO) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name^(GP)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites^(GQ) in your towns, and the foreigners,^(GR) the fatherless and the widows living among you.^{(GS) 12} Remember that you were slaves in Egypt,^(GT) and follow carefully these decrees.

The Festival of Tabernacles^(GU)

¹³ Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor^(GV) and your winepress.^{(GW) 14} Be joyful^(GX) 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^(GY) will be complete.

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

Judgment and Hope

66 This is what the Lord says:

¹² For this is what the Lord says:

¹⁷ “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens,^(AZ) following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs,^(BA) rats^(BB) and other unclean things—they will meet their end^(BC) together with the one they follow,” declares the Lord.

¹⁸ “And I, because of what they have planned and done,^(BD) am about to come^[a] and gather the people of all nations^(BE) and languages, and they will come and see my glory.^(BF)

¹⁹ “I will set a sign^(BG) among them, and I will send some of those who survive^(BH) to the nations—to Tarshish,^(BI) to the Libyans^[b] and Lydians^(BJ) (famous as archers), to Tubal^(BK) and Greece,^(BL) and to the distant islands^(BM) that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.^(BN) They will proclaim my glory among the nations. ²⁰ And they will bring^(BO) all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain^(BP) in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,”^(BQ) says the Lord. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels.^{(BR) 21} And I will select some of them also to be priests^(BS) and Levites,” says the Lord.

²² “As the new heavens and the new earth^(BT) that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure.^{(BU) 23} From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath^(BV) to another, all mankind will come and bow down^(BW) before me,” says the Lord. ²⁴ “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies^(BX) of those who rebelled^(BY) against me; the worms^(BZ) that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched,^(CA) and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”

16 “All this^(A) I have told you so that you will not fall away.^{(B) 2} They will put you out of the synagogue;^(C) in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.^{(D) 3} They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.^{(E) 4} I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember^(F) that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you,^{(G) 5} but now I am going to him who sent me.^(H) None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’^{(I) 6} Rather, you are filled with grief^(J) because I have said these things. ⁷ But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate^(K) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.^{(L) 8} When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin,^(M) because people do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness,^(N) because I am going to the Father,^(O) where you can see me no longer; ¹¹ and about judgment, because the prince of this world^(P) now stands condemned.

¹² “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.^{(Q) 13} But when he, the Spirit of truth,^(R) comes, he will guide you into all the truth.^(S) He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine.^(T) That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

The Disciples’ Grief Will Turn to Joy

¹⁶ Jesus went on to say, “In a little while^(U) you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”^(V)

¹⁷ At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’^(W) and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”^{(X) 18} They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

¹⁹ Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? ²⁰ Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn^(Y) while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.^{(Z) 21} A woman giving birth to a child has pain^(AA) because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. ²² So with you: Now is your time of grief,^(AB) but I will see you again^(AC) and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.^{(AD) 23} In that day^(AE) you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.^{(AF) 24} Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive,^(AG) and your joy will be complete.^(AH)

²⁵ “Though I have been speaking figuratively,^(AI) a time is coming^(AJ) when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask in my name.^(AK) I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. ²⁷ No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me^(AL) and have believed that I came from God.^{(AM) 28} I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”^(AN)

²⁹ Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.^{(AO) 30} Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe^(AP) that you came from God.”^(AQ)

³¹ “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. ³² “A time is coming^(AR) and in fact has come when you will be scattered,^(AS) each to your own home. You will leave me all alone.^(AT) Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.^(AU)

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.^(AV) In this world you will have trouble.^(AW) But take heart! I have overcome^(AX) the world.”

Jesus Prays to Be Glorified

17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven^(AY) and prayed:

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

Jesus Prays for All Believers