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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.

17 (A)You shall not sacrifice to Yahweh your God an ox or a sheep which has a defect or any [a]blemish, for that is an abominable thing to Yahweh your God.

(B)If there is found in your midst, in any of your gates of the towns which Yahweh your God is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the sight of Yahweh your God, by trespassing against His covenant, and has gone and (C)served other gods and worshiped them, (D)or the sun or the moon or any of the heavenly host, (E)which I have not commanded, and if it is told to you and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire thoroughly. Behold, if it is true and the matter is confirmed that this abomination has been done in Israel, then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil deed to your gates, that is, the man or the woman, and (F)you shall stone them, and they will die. (G)On the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the mouth of one witness. (H)The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. (I)So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Judging Cases

(J)If any case is too difficult for you to judge, between [b]one kind of homicide or another, between [c]one kind of lawsuit or another, and between [d]one kind of assault or another, being cases of dispute in your gates, then you shall arise and go up to (K)the place which Yahweh your God chooses. So you shall come to (L)the Levitical priest or the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall inquire of them, and they will declare to you the judgment in the case. 10 And you shall do according to the [e]terms of the judgment which they declare to you from that place which Yahweh chooses; and you shall be careful to do according to all that they teach you. 11 (M)According to the [f]terms of the law which they teach you, and according to the judgment which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside from the word which they declare to you, to the right or the left. 12 And the man who acts (N)presumptuously by not listening to the priest who stands there to minister to Yahweh your God, or to the judge, that man shall die; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel. 13 Then all the people will hear and be afraid and will not act (O)presumptuously again.

Statutes for the King

14 “When you enter the land which Yahweh your God gives you, and you (P)possess it and live in it, and you say, ‘(Q)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 (R)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 (S)Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he (T)cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses. (U)Yahweh has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ 17 (V)And he shall not multiply wives for himself, [g]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 [h](W)in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it (X)all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear Yahweh his God, [i]to carefully observe all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers (Y)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.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 17:1 Lit evil thing
  2. Deuteronomy 17:8 Lit blood to blood
  3. Deuteronomy 17:8 Lit judgment to judgment
  4. Deuteronomy 17:8 Lit stroke to stroke
  5. Deuteronomy 17:10 Lit mouth
  6. Deuteronomy 17:11 Lit mouth
  7. Deuteronomy 17:17 Lit nor
  8. Deuteronomy 17:18 Lit from before
  9. Deuteronomy 17:19 Lit to keep to do them