Deuteronomy 25
English Standard Version
25 “If there is a (A)dispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, (B)acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty, 2 then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense. 3 (C)Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight.
4 (D)“You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.
Laws Concerning Levirate Marriage
5 (E)“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her (F)husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that (G)his name may not be blotted out of Israel. 7 And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall (H)go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, (I)‘I do not wish to take her,’ 9 then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and (J)pull his sandal off his foot and (K)spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not (L)build up his brother's house.’ 10 And the name of his house[a] shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’
Miscellaneous Laws
11 “When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, 12 then you shall cut off her hand. (M)Your eye shall have no pity.
13 “You (N)shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. 14 You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. 15 A full and fair[b] weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, (O)that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 16 For (P)all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, (Q)are an abomination to the Lord your God.
17 (R)“Remember what Amalek did to you (S)on the way as you came out of Egypt, 18 how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and (T)cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. 19 Therefore (U)when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall (V)blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 25:10 Hebrew its name
- Deuteronomy 25:15 Or just, or righteous; twice in this verse
Deuteronomy 25
International Standard Version
Limitations on Punishment
25 “When there is a conflict between individuals, let them come to court to judge the case, decide who is innocent, and condemn the guilty person. 2 If the guilty person deserves a beating, the judge will make him lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of lashes fit for his crime. 3 But he must not be beaten more than 40 lashes, because if he receives more than 40 lashes, your brother will be humiliated in your eyes.
4 “Don’t muzzle an ox while it is threshing grain.”
Levirate Marriage
5 “When two brothers are living together and one of them dies without leaving a son, his widow must not be married outside the family to a foreigner. Instead, the brother-in-law must go to her, take her as his wife, and by doing so perform the duty of a brother-in-law. 6 The firstborn whom she will bear will continue the name of the dead brother, so his name will not be erased from Israel. 7 But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, then she[a] must go to the elders at the city gate and declare, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perform the duty of a brother-in-law in order to preserve the name of his brother in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law.’ 8 Then the elders of the city are to summon him and speak with him. If he insists on saying, ‘I don’t want to marry her,’ 9 then she is to approach her brother-in-law in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal, spit in his face, and say in response, ‘May this be done to the man who does not preserve the lineage[b] of his brother.’ 10 Then his family name in Israel will be known as ‘the family of the one whose sandal was removed.’”
Limiting a Wife’s Defense
11 “If two men are fighting together, and the wife of one comes to rescue her husband from the grasp of his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes his genitals, 12 you are to cut off her hand. Don’t show any pity.”
Honest Weights
13 “Don’t have different weights in your bag—one heavy and one light. 14 Don’t have different measuring devices in your house—one large and one small. 15 You must have honest weights and measuring devices,[c] so you may live long in the land that the Lord your God is about to give you, 16 for anyone who does these things—anyone who deals dishonestly—is detestable to the Lord your God.”
Annihilation of the Amalekites
17 “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the road while you were coming out of Egypt, 18 how when you were very tired and weary, they lay in wait for you on the road and eliminated everyone who was lagging behind. They had no fear of God. 19 Therefore, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies who surround you in the land that he[d] is about to give you to possess as an inheritance, you must completely erase the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven. Don’t forget!”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 25:7 Lit. the brother’s wife
- Deuteronomy 25:9 Lit. house
- Deuteronomy 25:15 Lit. and an honest and fair device
- Deuteronomy 25:19 Lit. that the Lord your God
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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