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Deuteronomy 12-16
New King James Version

A Prescribed Place of Worship

12 “These (A)are the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to observe in the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you to possess, (B)all[a] the days that you live on the earth. 2 (C)You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, (D)on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 And (E)you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their [b]wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place. 4 You shall not (F)worship the Lord your God with such things.

5 “But you shall seek the (G)place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His (H)dwelling[c] place; and there you shall go. 6 (I)There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the (J)firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7 And (K)there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and (L)you shall rejoice in [d]all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.

8 “You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—(M)every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes— 9 for as yet you have not come to the (N)rest[e] and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. 10 But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you (O)rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, 11 then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord. 12 And (P)you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the (Q)Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance with you. 13 Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see; 14 but in the place which the Lord chooses, in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.

15 “However, (R)you may slaughter and eat meat within all your gates, whatever your heart desires, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you; (S)the unclean and the clean may eat of it, (T)of the gazelle and the deer alike. 16 (U)Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it on the earth like water. 17 You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or your new wine or your oil, of the firstborn of your herd or your flock, of any of your offerings which you vow, of your freewill offerings, or of the [f]heave offering of your hand. 18 But you must eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God chooses, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in [g]all to which you put your hands. 19 [h]Take heed to yourself that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

20 “When the Lord your God (V)enlarges your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘Let me eat meat,’ because you long to eat meat, you may eat as much meat as your heart desires. 21 If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from (W)you, then you may slaughter from your herd and from your flock which the Lord has given you, just as I have commanded you, and you may eat within your gates as much as your heart desires. 22 Just as the gazelle and the deer are eaten, so you may eat them; the unclean and the clean alike may eat them. 23 Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, (X)for the blood is the life; you may not eat the life with the meat. 24 You shall not eat it; you shall pour it on the earth like water. 25 You shall not eat it, (Y)that it may go well with you and your children after you, (Z)when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord. 26 Only the (AA)holy things which you have, and your vowed offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses. 27 And (AB)you shall offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, and you shall eat the meat. 28 Observe and obey all these words which I command you, (AC)that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.

Beware of False Gods

29 “When (AD)the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, 30 take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ 31 (AE)You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every [i]abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for (AF)they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; (AG)you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

Punishment of Apostates

13 “If there arises among you a prophet or a (AH)dreamer of dreams, (AI)and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and (AJ)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 (AK)is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall (AL)walk[j] after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and (AM)hold fast to Him. 5 But (AN)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. (AO)So you shall [k]put away the evil from your midst.

6 (AP)“If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, (AQ)the wife [l]of your bosom, or your friend (AR)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 (AS)not [m]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 (AT)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 (AU)fear, and not again do such wickedness as this among you.

12 (AV)“If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell in, saying, 13 [n]‘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 [o]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 [p]completely (AW)burn with fire the city and all its plunder, for the Lord your God. It shall be (AX)a [q]heap forever; it shall not be built again. 17 (AY)So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the Lord may (AZ)turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and [r]multiply you, just as He swore to your fathers, 18 because you have listened to the voice of the Lord your God, (BA)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 (BB)the children of the Lord your God; (BC)you shall not cut yourselves nor [s]shave the front of your head for the dead. 2 (BD)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(BE)

3 (BF)“You shall not eat any [t]detestable thing. 4 (BG)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 [u]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 (BH)or touch their dead carcasses.

9 (BI)“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 (BJ)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 (BK)every [v]creeping thing that flies is unclean for you; (BL)they shall not be eaten.

20 “You may eat all clean birds.

21 (BM)“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; (BN)for you are a holy people to the Lord your God.

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

Tithing Principles

22 (BP)“You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. 23 (BQ)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 (BR)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 (BS)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 (BT)rejoice, you and your household. 27 You shall not [w]forsake the (BU)Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.

28 (BV)“At the end of every third year you shall bring out the (BW)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(BX)

15 “At the end of (BY)every seven years you shall grant a [x]release of debts. 2 And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall [y]release it; he shall not [z]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 (BZ)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; (CA)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 [aa]gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, (CB)you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, 8 but (CC)you shall [ab]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 (CD)eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and (CE)he cry out to the Lord against you, and (CF)it become sin among you. 10 You shall surely give to him, and (CG)your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because (CH)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 (CI)the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall [ac]open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’

The Law Concerning Bondservants

12 (CJ)“If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is (CK)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 [ad]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 (CL)blessed you with, you shall give to him. 15 (CM)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 (CN)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 (CO)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 (CP)“All the firstborn males that come from your herd and your flock you shall [ae]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 (CQ)You and your household shall eat it before the Lord your God year by year in the place which the Lord chooses. 21 (CR)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; (CS)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.

The Passover Reviewed(CT)

16 “Observe the (CU)month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for (CV)in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God, from the flock and (CW)the herd, in the (CX)place where the Lord chooses to put His name. 3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it; (CY)seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may (CZ)remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. 4 (DA)And no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days, nor shall any of the meat which you sacrifice the first day at twilight remain overnight until (DB)morning.

5 “You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which the Lord your God gives you; 6 but at the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide, there you shall sacrifice the Passover (DC)at twilight, at the going down of the sun, at the time you came out of Egypt. 7 And you shall roast and eat it (DD)in the place which the Lord your God chooses, and in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents. 8 Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and (DE)on the seventh day there shall be a [af]sacred assembly to the Lord your God. You shall do no work on it.

The Feast of Weeks Reviewed(DF)

9 “You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain. 10 Then you shall keep the (DG)Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give (DH)as the Lord your God blesses you. 11 (DI)You shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are among you, at the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. 12 (DJ)And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

The Feast of Tabernacles Reviewed(DK)

13 (DL)“You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. 14 And (DM)you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your [ag]gates. 15 (DN)Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.

16 (DO)“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and (DP)they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, (DQ)according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.

Justice Must Be Administered

18 “You shall appoint (DR)judges and officers in all your [ah]gates, which the Lord your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 19 (DS)You shall not pervert justice; (DT)you shall not [ai]show partiality, (DU)nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and [aj]twists the words of the righteous. 20 You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may (DV)live and inherit the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

21 (DW)“You shall not plant for yourself any tree, as a [ak]wooden image, near the altar which you build for yourself to the Lord your God. 22 (DX)You shall not set up a sacred pillar, which the Lord your God hates.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 12:1 As long as
  2. Deuteronomy 12:3 Heb. Asherim
  3. Deuteronomy 12:5 home
  4. Deuteronomy 12:7 all that you undertake
  5. Deuteronomy 12:9 Or place of rest
  6. Deuteronomy 12:17 contribution
  7. Deuteronomy 12:18 all your undertakings
  8. Deuteronomy 12:19 Be careful
  9. Deuteronomy 12:31 detestable action
  10. Deuteronomy 13:4 follow the Lord
  11. Deuteronomy 13:5 exterminate
  12. Deuteronomy 13:6 Whom you cherish
  13. Deuteronomy 13:8 yield
  14. Deuteronomy 13:13 Lit. Sons of Belial
  15. Deuteronomy 13:14 detestable action
  16. Deuteronomy 13:16 Or as a whole-offering
  17. Deuteronomy 13:16 Lit. mound or ruin
  18. Deuteronomy 13:17 increase
  19. Deuteronomy 14:1 make any baldness between your eyes
  20. Deuteronomy 14:3 abominable
  21. Deuteronomy 14:5 Or addax
  22. Deuteronomy 14:19 swarming
  23. Deuteronomy 14:27 neglect
  24. Deuteronomy 15:1 remission
  25. Deuteronomy 15:2 cancel the debt
  26. Deuteronomy 15:2 exact it
  27. Deuteronomy 15:7 towns
  28. Deuteronomy 15:8 freely open
  29. Deuteronomy 15:11 freely open
  30. Deuteronomy 15:13 set him free
  31. Deuteronomy 15:19 set apart or consecrate
  32. Deuteronomy 16:8 Lit. restraint
  33. Deuteronomy 16:14 towns
  34. Deuteronomy 16:18 towns
  35. Deuteronomy 16:19 Lit. regard faces
  36. Deuteronomy 16:19 perverts
  37. Deuteronomy 16:21 Or Asherah
Listen to Deuteronomy 12-16
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Deuteronomy 12-16
New International Version

The One Place of Worship

12 These are the decrees(A) 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.(B) 2 Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains,(C) on the hills and under every spreading tree,(D) where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. 3 Break down their altars, smash(E) their sacred stones and burn(F) their Asherah(G) poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names(H) from those places.

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

20 When the Lord your God has enlarged your territory(AP) as he promised(AQ) you, and you crave meat(AR) 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(AS) 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.(AT) 22 Eat them as you would gazelle or deer.(AU) Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. 23 But be sure you do not eat the blood,(AV) because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.(AW) 24 You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.(AX) 25 Do not eat it, so that it may go well(AY) with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right(AZ) in the eyes of the Lord.

26 But take your consecrated things and whatever you have vowed to give,(BA) and go to the place the Lord will choose. 27 Present your burnt offerings(BB) 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(BC) the meat. 28 Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well(BD) 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(BE) before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land,(BF) 30 and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared(BG) by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.”(BH) 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.(BI) They even burn their sons(BJ) and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.(BK)

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

Worshiping Other Gods

13 [b]If a prophet,(BM) or one who foretells by dreams,(BN) appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign(BO) or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods”(BP) (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet(BQ) or dreamer.(BR) The Lord your God is testing(BS) you to find out whether you love(BT) him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 It is the Lord your God you must follow,(BU) and him you must revere.(BV) Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast(BW) to him. 5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death(BX) 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(BY) you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil(BZ) 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(CA) you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods”(CB) (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(CC) to them or listen to them. Show them no pity.(CD) Do not spare them or shield them. 9 You must certainly put them to death.(CE) Your hand(CF) 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(CG) 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,(CH) 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(CI) 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.(CJ) And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you,(CK) 15 you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely,[c](CL) both its people and its livestock.(CM) 16 You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town(CN) and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God.(CO) That town is to remain a ruin(CP) 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,(CQ) will show you mercy,(CR) and will have compassion(CS) on you. He will increase your numbers,(CT) as he promised(CU) 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(CV) in his eyes.

Clean and Unclean Food(CW)

14 You are the children(CX) 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(CY) to the Lord your God.(CZ) Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.(DA)

3 Do not eat any detestable thing.(DB) 4 These are the animals you may eat:(DC) the ox, the sheep, the goat,(DD) 5 the deer,(DE) the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat,(DF) 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.(DG)

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(DH) of falcon,(DI) 14 any kind of raven,(DJ) 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,(DK) 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.(DL)

21 Do not eat anything you find already dead.(DM) 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.(DN)

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

Tithes

22 Be sure to set aside a tenth(DP) of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Eat(DQ) the tithe of your grain, new wine(DR) 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,(DS) so that you may learn(DT) to revere(DU) 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(DV) 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,(DW) or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.(DX) 27 And do not neglect the Levites(DY) living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.(DZ)

28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes(EA) of that year’s produce and store it in your towns,(EB) 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment(EC) or inheritance(ED) of their own) and the foreigners,(EE) the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied,(EF) and so that the Lord your God may bless(EG) you in all the work of your hands.

The Year for Canceling Debts(EH)

15 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.(EI) 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,(EJ) 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(EK) you, 5 if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow(EL) 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.(EM)

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

Freeing Servants(EX)(EY)

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.(EZ) 13 And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14 Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor(FA) and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves(FB) in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you.(FC) 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(FD) your God every firstborn male(FE) of your herds and flocks.(FF) Do not put the firstborn of your cows to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.(FG) 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.(FH) 21 If an animal has a defect,(FI) is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.(FJ) 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.(FK) 23 But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.(FL)

The Passover(FM)

16 Observe the month of Aviv(FN) and celebrate the Passover(FO) 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.(FP) 3 Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction,(FQ) because you left Egypt in haste(FR)—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.(FS) 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(FT) of the first day remain until morning.(FU)

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](FV) of your departure from Egypt. 7 Roast(FW) 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(FX) to the Lord your God and do no work.(FY)

The Festival of Weeks(FZ)

9 Count off seven weeks(GA) from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.(GB) 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(GC) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name(GD)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites(GE) in your towns, and the foreigners,(GF) the fatherless and the widows living among you.(GG) 12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt,(GH) and follow carefully these decrees.

The Festival of Tabernacles(GI)

13 Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor(GJ) and your winepress.(GK) 14 Be joyful(GL) 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(GM) will be complete.

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

Judges

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

Worshiping Other Gods

21 Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole(GW) beside the altar you build to the Lord your God,(GX) 22 and do not erect a sacred stone,(GY) for these the Lord your God hates.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 12:32 In Hebrew texts this verse (12:32) is numbered 13:1.
  2. Deuteronomy 13:1 In Hebrew texts 13:1-18 is numbered 13:2-19.
  3. Deuteronomy 13:15 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  4. Deuteronomy 13:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  5. Deuteronomy 14:5 The precise identification of some of the birds and animals in this chapter is uncertain.
  6. Deuteronomy 16:6 Or down, at the time of day
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