Add parallel Print Page Options

Statutes for the King

14 “When you enter the land which Yahweh your God gives you, and you (A)possess it and live in it, and you say, ‘(B)I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,’ 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom Yahweh your God chooses, one (C)from among your brothers you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your brother. 16 (D)Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he (E)cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses. (F)Yahweh has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ 17 (G)And he shall not multiply wives for himself, [a]or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.

18 “Now it will be when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll [b](H)in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it (I)all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear Yahweh his God, [c]to carefully observe all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers (J)and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his sons in the midst of Israel.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 17:17 Lit nor
  2. Deuteronomy 17:18 Lit from before
  3. Deuteronomy 17:19 Lit to keep to do them

The King

14 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession(A) of it and settled in it,(B) and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,”(C) 15 be sure to appoint(D) over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites.(E) Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses(F) for himself(G) or make the people return to Egypt(H) to get more of them,(I) for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”(J) 17 He must not take many wives,(K) or his heart will be led astray.(L) He must not accumulate(M) large amounts of silver and gold.(N)

18 When he takes the throne(O) of his kingdom, he is to write(P) for himself on a scroll a copy(Q) of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life(R) so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees(S) 20 and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law(T) to the right or to the left.(U) Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.(V)

Read full chapter