The Feasts of Passover, of Weeks, and of Booths

16 “Observe (A)the month of Abib and [a](B)celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. You shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to establish His name. (C)You shall not eat leavened bread with it; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in a hurry), so that you will remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt (D)all the days of your life. For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in your entire territory, and (E)none of the meat which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall be left overnight until the morning. You are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your [b]towns which the Lord your God is giving you; but only (F)at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt. You shall (G)cook and eat it in the place which the Lord your God chooses. In the morning you are to return to your tents. For six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and (H)on the seventh day there shall be (I)a festive assembly to the Lord your God; you shall do no work on it.

(J)You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall [c]celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a [d]voluntary offering of your hand in a proportional amount, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you; 11 and you shall (K)rejoice before the Lord your God, you, your son and your daughter, and your male and female slaves, and (L)the Levite who is in your [e]town, and (M)the stranger, the [f]orphan, and the widow who are in your midst, at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. 12 (N)You shall also remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful and [g]comply with these statutes.

13 (O)You shall [h]celebrate the Feast of [i]Booths for seven days when you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vat; 14 and you shall (P)rejoice in your feast, you, your son and your daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the Levite, the stranger, the [j]orphan, and the widow who are in your [k]towns. 15 For seven days you shall celebrate a 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 will be altogether joyful.

16 (Q)Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths; and (R)they are not to appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Everyone [l]shall give as he is able, in accordance with the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.

18 “You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your [m]towns which the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 (S)You shall not distort justice, (T)you shall not [n]show partiality; and (U)you shall not accept a bribe, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and distorts the words of the righteous. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that (V)you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

21 (W)You shall not plant for yourself an [o]Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the Lord your God, which you shall make for yourself. 22 And (X)you shall not set up for yourself a memorial stone, which the Lord your God hates.

Administration of Justice

17 (Y)You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish or any [p]defect, for that is a detestable thing to the Lord your God.

(Z)If there is found in your midst, in any of your [q]towns which the Lord your God is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, by violating His covenant, and that person has gone and (AA)served other gods and worshiped them, (AB)or the sun, the moon, or any of the heavenly [r]lights, (AC)which I have commanded not to do, and if it is reported to you and you have heard about it, then you shall investigate thoroughly. And [s]if it is true and the report is trustworthy that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, then you are to bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil deed, that is, the man or the woman, and (AD)you shall stone them to [t]death. (AE)On the [u]testimony of two witnesses or three witnesses, the [v]condemned shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the [w]testimony of only one witness. (AF)The hands of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. (AG)So you shall eliminate the evil from your midst.

(AH)If a case is too difficult for you to decide, between [x]one kind of homicide or another, between [y]one kind of lawsuit or another, and between [z]one kind of assault or another, that are cases of dispute in your [aa]courts, then you shall arise and go up to (AI)the place which the Lord your God chooses. So you shall come to (AJ)the Levitical priests or the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall inquire of them and they will declare to you the [ab]verdict. 10 Then you shall act in accordance with the [ac]terms of the verdict which they declare to you from that place which the Lord chooses; and you shall be careful to act in accordance with everything that they instruct you to do. 11 (AK)In accordance with the [ad]terms of the law about which they instruct you, and in accordance with the verdict which they tell you, you shall act; you shall not turn aside from the word which they declare to you, to the right or the left. 12 But the person who acts (AL)insolently by not listening to the priest who stands there to serve the Lord your God, nor to the judge, that person shall die; so you shall eliminate the evil from Israel. 13 Then all the people will hear and be afraid, and will not act (AM)insolently again.

14 “When you enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and you (AN)take possession of it and live in it, and you say, ‘(AO)I will appoint a king over me like all the nations who are around me,’ 15 you shall in fact appoint a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses. One (AP)from among your countrymen you shall appoint as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves, anyone who is not your countryman. 16 (AQ)In any case, he is not to acquire many horses for himself, nor shall he (AR)make the people return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since (AS)the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ 17 And (AT)he shall not acquire many wives for himself, so that his heart does not turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.

18 “Now it shall come about, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this Law on a scroll [ae](AU)in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it (AV)all the days of his life, so that he will learn to fear the Lord his God, [af]by carefully following all the words of this Law and these statutes, 20 so that his heart will not be haughty toward his countrymen, (AW)and that he will not turn away from the commandment to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may [ag]live long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.

Notas al pie

  1. Deuteronomy 16:1 Lit perform
  2. Deuteronomy 16:5 Lit gates
  3. Deuteronomy 16:10 Lit perform
  4. Deuteronomy 16:10 Or freewill offering
  5. Deuteronomy 16:11 Lit gates
  6. Deuteronomy 16:11 Or fatherless
  7. Deuteronomy 16:12 Lit perform these
  8. Deuteronomy 16:13 Lit perform
  9. Deuteronomy 16:13 Or Tabernacles
  10. Deuteronomy 16:14 Or fatherless
  11. Deuteronomy 16:14 Lit gates
  12. Deuteronomy 16:17 Lit according to the gift of his hand
  13. Deuteronomy 16:18 Lit gates
  14. Deuteronomy 16:19 Lit recognize faces
  15. Deuteronomy 16:21 I.e., wooden symbol of a female deity
  16. Deuteronomy 17:1 Lit bad thing
  17. Deuteronomy 17:2 Lit gates
  18. Deuteronomy 17:3 Lit host
  19. Deuteronomy 17:4 Lit behold, true
  20. Deuteronomy 17:5 Lit death with stones
  21. Deuteronomy 17:6 Lit mouth
  22. Deuteronomy 17:6 Lit one dying
  23. Deuteronomy 17:6 Lit mouth
  24. Deuteronomy 17:8 Lit blood to blood
  25. Deuteronomy 17:8 Lit lawsuit to lawsuit
  26. Deuteronomy 17:8 Lit blow to blow
  27. Deuteronomy 17:8 Lit gates
  28. Deuteronomy 17:9 Lit word of decision
  29. Deuteronomy 17:10 Lit mouth
  30. Deuteronomy 17:11 Lit mouth
  31. Deuteronomy 17:18 Lit from before
  32. Deuteronomy 17:19 Lit to keep all...to do them,
  33. Deuteronomy 17:20 Lit prolong days

Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread

16 “In honor of the Lord your God, celebrate the Passover each year in the early spring, in the month of Abib,[a] for that was the month in which the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. Your Passover sacrifice may be from either the flock or the herd, and it must be sacrificed to the Lord your God at the designated place of worship—the place he chooses for his name to be honored. Eat it with bread made without yeast. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, as when you escaped from Egypt in such a hurry. Eat this bread—the bread of suffering—so that as long as you live you will remember the day you departed from Egypt. Let no yeast be found in any house throughout your land for those seven days. And when you sacrifice the Passover lamb on the evening of the first day, do not let any of the meat remain until the next morning.

“You may not sacrifice the Passover in just any of the towns that the Lord your God is giving you. You must offer it only at the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored. Sacrifice it there in the evening as the sun goes down on the anniversary of your exodus from Egypt. Roast the lamb and eat it in the place the Lord your God chooses. Then you may go back to your tents the next morning. For the next six days you may not eat any bread made with yeast. On the seventh day proclaim another holy day in honor of the Lord your God, and no work may be done on that day.

The Festival of Harvest

“Count off seven weeks from when you first begin to cut the grain at the time of harvest. 10 Then celebrate the Festival of Harvest[b] to honor the Lord your God. Bring him a voluntary offering in proportion to the blessings you have received from him. 11 This is a time to celebrate before the Lord your God at the designated place of worship he will choose for his name to be honored. Celebrate with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites from your towns, and the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live among you. 12 Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, so be careful to obey all these decrees.

The Festival of Shelters

13 “You must observe the Festival of Shelters[c] for seven days at the end of the harvest season, after the grain has been threshed and the grapes have been pressed. 14 This festival will be a happy time of celebrating with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows from your towns. 15 For seven days you must celebrate this festival to honor the Lord your God at the place he chooses, for it is he who blesses you with bountiful harvests and gives you success in all your work. This festival will be a time of great joy for all.

16 “Each year every man in Israel must celebrate these three festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. On each of these occasions, all men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he chooses, but they must not appear before the Lord without a gift for him. 17 All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God.

Justice for the People

18 “Appoint judges and officials for yourselves from each of your tribes in all the towns the Lord your God is giving you. They must judge the people fairly. 19 You must never twist justice or show partiality. Never accept a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt the decisions of the godly. 20 Let true justice prevail, so you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

21 “You must never set up a wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build for the Lord your God. 22 And never set up sacred pillars for worship, for the Lord your God hates them.

17 “Never sacrifice sick or defective cattle, sheep, or goats to the Lord your God, for he detests such gifts.

“When you begin living in the towns the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman among you might do evil in the sight of the Lord your God and violate the covenant. For instance, they might serve other gods or worship the sun, the moon, or any of the stars—the forces of heaven—which I have strictly forbidden. When you hear about it, investigate the matter thoroughly. If it is true that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, then the man or woman who has committed such an evil act must be taken to the gates of the town and stoned to death. But never put a person to death on the testimony of only one witness. There must always be two or three witnesses. The witnesses must throw the first stones, and then all the people may join in. In this way, you will purge the evil from among you.

“Suppose a case arises in a local court that is too hard for you to decide—for instance, whether someone is guilty of murder or only of manslaughter, or a difficult lawsuit, or a case involving different kinds of assault. Take such legal cases to the place the Lord your God will choose, and present them to the Levitical priests or the judge on duty at that time. They will hear the case and declare the verdict. 10 You must carry out the verdict they announce and the sentence they prescribe at the place the Lord chooses. You must do exactly what they say. 11 After they have interpreted the law and declared their verdict, the sentence they impose must be fully executed; do not modify it in any way. 12 Anyone arrogant enough to reject the verdict of the judge or of the priest who represents the Lord your God must die. In this way you will purge the evil from Israel. 13 Then everyone else will hear about it and be afraid to act so arrogantly.

Guidelines for a King

14 “You are about to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you take it over and settle there, you may think, ‘We should select a king to rule over us like the other nations around us.’ 15 If this happens, be sure to select as king the man the Lord your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner.

16 “The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’ 17 The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.

18 “When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. 20 This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.

Notas al pie

  1. 16:1 Hebrew Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto the Lord your God. Abib, the first month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurs within the months of March and April.
  2. 16:10 Hebrew Festival of Weeks; also in 16:16. This was later called the Festival of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1). It is celebrated today as Shavuot (or Shabuoth).
  3. 16:13 Or Festival of Booths, or Festival of Tabernacles; also in 16:16. This was earlier called the Festival of the Final Harvest or Festival of Ingathering (see Exod 23:16b). It is celebrated today as Sukkot (or Succoth).