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Deuteronomy 9-15
New American Standard Bible

Israel Provoked God

9 “Hear, Israel! You are crossing the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess (A)nations greater and mightier than you, cities that are great and (B)fortified to heaven, 2 a people who are great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know and of whom you have heard it said, ‘(C)Who can stand against the sons of Anak?’ 3 So be aware today that (D)it is the Lord your God who is crossing over ahead of you as (E)a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that (F)you may drive them out and eliminate them quickly, just as the Lord has spoken to you.

4 “(G)Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them away from [a]you, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to take possession of this land.’ Rather, it is (H)because of the [b]wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. 5 It is (I)not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are going in to take possession of their land, [c]but it is because of the [d]wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and in order to confirm (J)the [e]oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

6 “Know, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are (K)a [f]stubborn people. 7 Remember, do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to anger in the wilderness; (L)from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord. 8 Even (M)at Horeb you provoked the Lord to anger, and the Lord was so angry with you that He would have destroyed you. 9 When I went up to the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I remained on the mountain for forty days and nights; (N)I neither ate bread nor drank water. 10 The Lord gave me the two tablets of stone (O)written by the finger of God; and on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. 11 It came about (P)at the end of forty days and nights that the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. 12 (Q)Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go down from here quickly, because your people, whom you brought out of Egypt, have behaved corruptly. They have (R)quickly turned aside from the way that I commanded them; they have made a cast metal image for themselves.’ 13 The (S)Lord also said to [g]me, ‘I have seen this people, and indeed, it is a [h](T)stubborn people. 14 (U)Leave Me alone, that I may destroy them and (V)wipe out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’

15 “(W)So I turned and came down from the mountain while the mountain was burning with fire, and the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. 16 And I saw that you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God. You had made for yourselves a cast metal image of a calf; you had quickly turned aside from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them from my two hands, and smashed them to pieces before your eyes! 18 (X)Then I fell down before the Lord (Y)like the first time, for forty days and nights; (Z)I neither ate bread nor drank water, (AA)because of all your sin which you had committed by doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. 19 For (AB)I was afraid of the anger and the rage with which the Lord was angry with you so as to destroy you; (AC)but the Lord listened to me that time as well. 20 The Lord was also angry enough with Aaron to destroy him; so I also prayed for Aaron at the same time. 21 (AD)And I took your [i]sinful thing which you had made, the calf, and burned it in the fire and crushed it, grinding it thoroughly until it was as fine as dust; and I threw its dust into the stream that came down from the mountain.

22 “Then at (AE)Taberah, at (AF)Massah, and at (AG)Kibroth-hattaavah you kept provoking the Lord to anger. 23 And when the Lord sent you from (AH)Kadesh-barnea, saying, ‘(AI)Go up and take possession of the land which I have given you,’ you rebelled against the [j]command of the Lord your God; (AJ)you neither trusted Him nor listened to His voice. 24 (AK)You have been rebellious toward the Lord since the day I knew you.

25 “(AL)So I fell down before the Lord for the forty days and nights, which I [k]did because the Lord said He would destroy you. 26 (AM)And I prayed to the Lord and said, ‘Lord God, do not destroy Your people, Your inheritance, whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand! 27 Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not turn Your attention to the stubbornness of this people, or to their wickedness, or their sin. 28 Otherwise, the people of the land from which You brought us will say, “(AN)Since the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which He had [l]promised them, and since He hated them, He has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness!” 29 Yet they are Your people, and (AO)Your inheritance, whom You brought out by Your (AP)great power and Your outstretched arm.’

The Tablets Rewritten

10 “At that time the Lord said to me, ‘(AQ)Cut out for yourself two tablets of stone like the first two, and come up to Me on the mountain, and (AR)make an [m]ark of wood for yourself. 2 Then (AS)I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you smashed to pieces, and (AT)you shall put them in the ark.’ 3 So (AU)I made an ark of acacia wood and (AV)cut out two tablets of stone like the first two, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 4 Then He wrote on the tablets, like the first writing, (AW)the Ten [n]Commandments (AX)which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire (AY)on the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and (AZ)came down from the mountain, and I (BA)put the tablets in the ark which I had made; (BB)and they are there, just as the Lord commanded me.”

6 (Now the sons of Israel set out from [o]Beeroth (BC)Bene-jaakan to Moserah. (BD)There Aaron died and there he was buried, and his son Eleazar served as priest in his place. 7 (BE)From there they set out to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of streams of water. 8 (BF)At that time the Lord singled out the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord (BG)to serve Him and to bless in His name, until this day. 9 (BH)Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, just as the Lord your God spoke to him.)

10 “(BI)I, moreover, stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights like the first time, and the Lord listened to me that time also; the Lord was not willing to destroy you. 11 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, proceed on your journey ahead of the people, so that they may go in and take possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.’

12 “(BJ)And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to [p]fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and (BK)love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with (BL)all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? 14 Behold, (BM)to the Lord your God belong heaven and the [q]highest heavens, (BN)the earth and all that is in it. 15 (BO)Yet the Lord set His affection on your fathers, to love them, and He chose their [r]descendants after them, you over all the other peoples, as it is this day. 16 (BP)So circumcise [s]your heart, and do not (BQ)stiffen your neck any longer. 17 (BR)For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the (BS)Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, (BT)who does not show partiality, nor (BU)take a bribe. 18 He executes justice for (BV)the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the stranger by giving him food and clothing. 19 (BW)So show your love for the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20 You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and (BX)cling to Him, and (BY)you shall swear by His name. 21 He is (BZ)your glory and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. 22 (CA)Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons in all, (CB)and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

Rewards of Obedience

11 “You shall therefore (CC)love the Lord your God, and always (CD)keep His directive, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments. 2 Know this day (CE)that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the [t]discipline of the Lord your God—His greatness, His mighty hand, His outstretched arm, 3 and (CF)His signs and His works which He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land; 4 and what He did to Egypt’s army, to its horses and its chariots, (CG)when He made the water of the [u]Red Sea [v]engulf them while they were pursuing you, and the Lord [w]completely eliminated them; 5 and what He did to you in the wilderness, until you came to this place; 6 and (CH)what He did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and (CI)every living thing that [x]followed them, among all Israel— 7 but your own eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord which He did.

8 “You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, (CJ)so that you may be strong and go in and take possession of the land into which you are about to cross to possess it; 9 and (CK)so that you may prolong your days on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their [y]descendants, (CL)a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land, into which you are entering to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you used to sow your seed and water it [z]by your foot like a vegetable garden. 11 But (CM)the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12 a land for which the Lord your God cares; (CN)the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it, from the [aa]beginning even to the end of the year.

13 “And it shall come about, (CO)if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, (CP)to love the Lord your God and to serve Him (CQ)with all your heart and all your soul, 14 that [ab](CR)He will provide rain for your land in its season, the [ac](CS)early and [ad]late rain, so that you may gather your grain, your new wine, and your oil. 15 [ae](CT)He will also provide grass in your field for your cattle, and (CU)you will eat and be satisfied. 16 [af](CV)Beware that your hearts are not easily deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods, and worship them. 17 Otherwise, (CW)the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will (CX)shut up the sky (CY)so that there will be no rain, and the ground will not yield its produce; then (CZ)you will quickly perish from the good land which the Lord is giving you.

18 “(DA)You shall therefore take these words of mine to [ag]heart and to soul; and you shall tie them as a sign on your [ah]hand, and they shall be as [ai]frontlets [aj]on your forehead. 19 (DB)You shall also teach them to your sons, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. 20 (DC)And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that (DD)your days and the days of your sons may be increased on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as [ak](DE)long as the heavens are above the earth. 22 For if you are (DF)careful to keep all of this commandment which I am commanding you to do, (DG)to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and (DH)cling to Him, 23 then the Lord will [al](DI)dispossess all these nations from you, and you will [am](DJ)dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. 24 (DK)Every place on which the sole of your foot steps shall be yours; (DL)your border will be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as [an]the western sea. 25 (DM)No one will be able to stand against you; the Lord your God will [ao]instill the dread of you and the fear of you in all the land on which you set foot, just as He has spoken to you.

26 “(DN)See, I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the (DO)blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; 28 and the (DP)curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, [ap]by following other gods which you have not known.

29 “And it shall come about, when the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, (DQ)that you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 30 Are they not across the Jordan, west of the road toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite (DR)Gilgal, beside (DS)the [aq]oaks of Moreh? 31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to go in to take possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and (DT)you shall possess it and live in it, 32 and you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the judgments which I am placing before you today.

Laws of the Sanctuary

12 “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully [ar]follow in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess [as](DU)as long as you live on the [at]earth. 2 You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you are going to dispossess serve their gods, on the (DV)high mountains, on the hills, and under every leafy tree. 3 And (DW)you shall tear down their altars and smash their memorial stones to pieces, and burn their [au]Asherim in the fire, and cut to pieces the carved images of their gods; and you shall (DX)eliminate their name from that place. 4 You shall not act this way toward the Lord your God. 5 (DY)But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and you shall come there. 6 You shall bring there your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, (DZ)your tithes, the [av]contribution of your hand, your vowed offerings, your [aw]voluntary offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. 7 There you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and (EA)rejoice in all [ax]your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you.

8 “You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, (EB)everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes; 9 for you have not as yet come to (EC)the resting place and the (ED)inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. 10 When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and (EE)He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security, 11 (EF)then it shall come about that the place in which the Lord your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring everything that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the [ay]contribution of your hand, and all your choice vowed offerings which you will vow to the Lord. 12 And you shall (EG)rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the (EH)Levite who is within your gates, since (EI)he has no portion or inheritance with you.

13 “(EJ)Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in any cultic place that you see, 14 but only in the place which the Lord chooses in one of your tribes: there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do everything that I command you.

15 “(EK)However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, [az]whatever you desire, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as (EL)the gazelle and the deer. 16 (EM)Only you shall not eat the blood; (EN)you are to pour it out on the ground like water. 17 (EO)You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, new wine, or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your vowed offerings which you vow, or your [ba]voluntary offerings, or the [bb]contribution of your hand. 18 But (EP)you shall eat them before the Lord your God in (EQ)the place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the (ER)Levite who is within your gates; and you shall (ES)rejoice before the Lord your God in all [bc]your undertakings. 19 (ET)Be careful that you do not abandon the Levite [bd]as long as you live in your land.

20 “When the Lord your God extends your border (EU)as He has [be]promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because [bf]you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, [bg]whatever you desire. 21 If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter animals from your herd and flock which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates [bh]whatever you desire. 22 Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten, so you may eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat it. 23 Only be sure (EV)not to eat the blood, for the blood is the [bi]life, and you shall not eat the [bj]life with the flesh. 24 You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. 25 You shall not eat it, so that (EW)it may go well for you and your sons after you, since (EX)you will be doing what is right in the sight of the Lord. 26 (EY)Only your holy things which you may have and your vowed offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses. 27 And (EZ)you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh 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 (FA)you shall eat the flesh.

28 “Be careful and listen to all these words which I am commanding you, so that (FB)it may go well for you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.

29 “When (FC)the Lord your God cuts off from you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and live in their land, 30 be careful that you are not ensnared [bk]to follow them, after they are destroyed from your presence, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’ 31 (FD)You shall not behave this way toward the Lord your God, because every abominable act which the Lord hates, they have done for their gods; for (FE)they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire for their gods.

32 “[bl](FF)Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; (FG)you shall not add to nor take anything away from it.

Reject Idolatry

13 “[bm](FH)If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘(FI)Let’s follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let’s serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is (FJ)testing you to find out whether (FK)you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 (FL)You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and (FM)cling to Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be (FN)put to death, because he has spoken falsely against the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of [bn]slavery, (FO)to drive you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. (FP)So you shall eliminate the evil from among you.

6 “(FQ)If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife [bo]you cherish, or your friend who is like your own soul, entices you secretly, saying, ‘(FR)Let’s go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you, or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), 8 (FS)you shall not consent to him or listen to him; (FT)and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. 9 (FU)Instead, you shall most certainly kill him; (FV)your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 So you shall stone him [bp]to death, because he has attempted (FW)to drive you away from the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [bq]slavery. 11 Then (FX)all Israel will hear about it and be afraid, and will not do such a wicked thing among you again.

12 “If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that 13 some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘(FY)Let’s go and serve other gods’ (whom you have not known), 14 then you shall investigate, search out, and inquire thoroughly. And if it is true and the matter is certain that this abomination has been committed among you, 15 (FZ)you shall most certainly strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword. [br]Utterly destroy it and all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. 16 (GA)Then you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of its public square, and burn the city and all its plunder with fire as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God; and it shall be a [bs](GB)ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt. 17 Nothing at all from what is designated for destruction is to cling to your hand, in order that the Lord may turn from (GC)His burning anger and (GD)show mercy to you, and have compassion on you and (GE)make you increase, just (GF)as He has sworn to your fathers, 18 [bt]if you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, [bu]keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, [bv]and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.

Clean and Unclean Animals

14 “You are (GG)sons of the Lord your God; (GH)you shall not cut yourselves nor [bw]shave a bald spot [bx]above your forehead for the dead. 2 For you are (GI)a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a (GJ)people for His personal possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

3 “(GK)You shall not eat any detestable thing. 4 (GL)These are the animals that you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 [by]the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. 6 And any animal that has a divided hoof and has its hoofs split in two, and [bz]chews the cud, among the animals, [ca]that animal you may eat. 7 However, you are not to eat these among the ones that [cb]chew the cud, or among those that have the hoof divided in [cc]two: the camel, the [cd]rabbit, and the rock hyrax, for though they [ce]chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are unclean to you. 8 And the pig, because it has a divided hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. You shall not eat any of their flesh, nor touch their carcasses.

9 “These you may eat of everything that is in the water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat, 10 but anything that does not have fins and scales, you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.

11 “You may eat any clean bird. 12 But (GM)these are the ones that you shall not eat: the [cf]eagle and the vulture and the [cg]buzzard, 13 and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, 14 and every raven in its kind, 15 and the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, and the hawk in their kinds, 16 the little owl, the [ch]great owl, the white owl, 17 the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, 18 the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. 19 And all the swarming insects with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten. 20 You may eat any clean bird.

21 “(GN)You shall not eat anything which dies of itself. You may give it to the stranger who is in your [ci]town, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a stranger; for you are (GO)a holy people to the Lord your God. (GP)You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

22 “You (GQ)shall certainly tithe all the produce from [cj]what you sow, which comes from the field every year. 23 You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God, (GR)at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may (GS)learn to fear the Lord your God always. 24 But if the [ck]distance is so great for you that you are not able to [cl]bring the tithe, since the place where the Lord your God chooses (GT)to set His name is too far away from you when the Lord your God blesses you, 25 then you shall [cm]exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 26 And you may spend the money on whatever your [cn]heart desires: on oxen, sheep, wine, other strong drink, or whatever your [co]heart [cp]desires; and (GU)there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. 27 Also you shall not neglect (GV)the Levite who is in your [cq]town, (GW)for he has no portion or inheritance among you.

28 “(GX)At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and you shall deposit it in your [cr]town. 29 And the Levite, (GY)because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and (GZ)the stranger, the [cs]orphan, and the widow who are in your [ct]town, shall come and (HA)eat and be satisfied, in order that (HB)the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

The Sabbatical Year

15 “(HC)At the end of every seven years you shall [cu]grant a release of debts. 2 And this is the regulation for the release of debts: every creditor is to forgive what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not require it of his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord’s release has been proclaimed. 3 (HD)From a foreigner you may require it, but your hand shall [cv]forgive whatever of yours is with your brother. 4 However, there will be no poor among you, since (HE)the Lord will certainly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, 5 if only you listen obediently to the voice of the Lord your God, to [cw]follow carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today. 6 (HF)For the Lord your God will have blessed you just as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

7 “If there is (HG)a poor person among you, one of your brothers, in any of your [cx]towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, (HH)you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; 8 but (HI)you shall fully open your hand to him, and generously lend him enough for his need in whatever he lacks. 9 Be careful that there is no mean-spirited [cy]thought in your heart, [cz]such as, ‘(HJ)The seventh year, the year of release of debts, is near,’ and (HK)your eye is malicious toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he (HL)may cry out to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin in you. 10 You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be [da]grudging when you give to him, because (HM)for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work, and in all [db]your undertakings. 11 (HN)For the poor will not cease [dc]to exist in the land; therefore I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall fully open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’

12 “(HO)If your fellow countryman, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, then he shall serve you for six years, but in the seventh year you shall set him [dd]free. 13 And when you set him [de]free, you shall not send him away empty-handed. 14 You shall give generously to him from your flock, your threshing floor, and from your wine vat; you shall give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 And you are to remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I am commanding [df]this of you today. 16 But it shall come about, (HP)if he says to you, ‘I will not leave you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is doing well with you, 17 then you shall take an [dg]awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant permanently. You shall also do the same to your female slave.

18 “It shall not seem difficult for you when you set him [dh]free, because he has given you six years with double the [di]service of a hired worker; so the Lord your God will bless you in whatever you do.

19 “(HQ)You shall consecrate to the Lord your God all the firstborn males that are born in your herd and in your flock; you shall not work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 (HR)You and your household shall eat it every year before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses. 21 (HS)But if it has any impairment, such as a limp, or blindness, or any serious impairment, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 You shall eat it within your gates; (HT)the unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as (HU)a gazelle or a deer. 23 Only (HV)you shall not eat its blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 9:4 Lit you, saying
  2. Deuteronomy 9:4 Or godlessness
  3. Deuteronomy 9:5 Or for
  4. Deuteronomy 9:5 Or godlessness
  5. Deuteronomy 9:5 Lit word
  6. Deuteronomy 9:6 Lit stiff-necked
  7. Deuteronomy 9:13 Lit me, saying
  8. Deuteronomy 9:13 Lit stiff-necked
  9. Deuteronomy 9:21 Lit sin
  10. Deuteronomy 9:23 Lit mouth
  11. Deuteronomy 9:25 Lit fell down
  12. Deuteronomy 9:28 Lit spoken to
  13. Deuteronomy 10:1 I.e., sacred chest
  14. Deuteronomy 10:4 Lit Words
  15. Deuteronomy 10:6 Or the wells of the sons of Jaakan
  16. Deuteronomy 10:12 Or revere
  17. Deuteronomy 10:14 Lit heaven of heavens
  18. Deuteronomy 10:15 Lit seed
  19. Deuteronomy 10:16 Lit the foreskin of your heart,
  20. Deuteronomy 11:2 Or instruction
  21. Deuteronomy 11:4 Lit Sea of Reeds
  22. Deuteronomy 11:4 Lit flow over their faces
  23. Deuteronomy 11:4 Lit to this day
  24. Deuteronomy 11:6 Lit was at their feet
  25. Deuteronomy 11:9 Lit seed
  26. Deuteronomy 11:10 I.e., use of foot to facilitate irrigation
  27. Deuteronomy 11:12 Lit beginning of the year
  28. Deuteronomy 11:14 As in some ancient versions; MT I
  29. Deuteronomy 11:14 I.e., autumn
  30. Deuteronomy 11:14 I.e., spring
  31. Deuteronomy 11:15 As in some ancient versions; MT I
  32. Deuteronomy 11:16 Lit Watch yourselves
  33. Deuteronomy 11:18 Lit your heart
  34. Deuteronomy 11:18 Or forearm
  35. Deuteronomy 11:18 Or phylacteries
  36. Deuteronomy 11:18 Lit between your eyes
  37. Deuteronomy 11:21 Lit the days of the heavens
  38. Deuteronomy 11:23 Or drive out
  39. Deuteronomy 11:23 Or drive out
  40. Deuteronomy 11:24 I.e., the Mediterranean
  41. Deuteronomy 11:25 Lit give...over all
  42. Deuteronomy 11:28 Lit to follow
  43. Deuteronomy 11:30 Or terebinths
  44. Deuteronomy 12:1 Lit perform
  45. Deuteronomy 12:1 Lit all the days
  46. Deuteronomy 12:1 Lit ground
  47. Deuteronomy 12:3 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  48. Deuteronomy 12:6 Or uplifted offering
  49. Deuteronomy 12:6 Or freewill offerings
  50. Deuteronomy 12:7 Lit the putting forth of your hand
  51. Deuteronomy 12:11 Or uplifted offering
  52. Deuteronomy 12:15 Lit in every desire of your soul
  53. Deuteronomy 12:17 Or freewill offerings
  54. Deuteronomy 12:17 Or uplifted offering
  55. Deuteronomy 12:18 Lit the putting forth of your hand
  56. Deuteronomy 12:19 Lit all your days upon your land
  57. Deuteronomy 12:20 Lit spoken to
  58. Deuteronomy 12:20 Lit your soul desires
  59. Deuteronomy 12:20 Lit in every desire of your soul
  60. Deuteronomy 12:21 Lit in every desire of your soul
  61. Deuteronomy 12:23 Lit soul
  62. Deuteronomy 12:23 Lit soul
  63. Deuteronomy 12:30 Lit after them
  64. Deuteronomy 12:32 Lit Everything that
  65. Deuteronomy 13:1 Ch 13:2 in Heb
  66. Deuteronomy 13:5 Lit slaves
  67. Deuteronomy 13:6 Lit of your breast
  68. Deuteronomy 13:10 Lit with stones so that he dies
  69. Deuteronomy 13:10 Lit slaves
  70. Deuteronomy 13:15 Or Put it under the ban
  71. Deuteronomy 13:16 Lit rubbish heap
  72. Deuteronomy 13:18 Or for
  73. Deuteronomy 13:18 Lit to keep
  74. Deuteronomy 13:18 Lit to do
  75. Deuteronomy 14:1 Lit make
  76. Deuteronomy 14:1 Lit between your eyes
  77. Deuteronomy 14:5 Exact identification of these animals is uncertain
  78. Deuteronomy 14:6 Lit brings up
  79. Deuteronomy 14:6 Lit it
  80. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit bring up
  81. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit a cleaving
  82. Deuteronomy 14:7 Or hare
  83. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit bring up
  84. Deuteronomy 14:12 Or vulture
  85. Deuteronomy 14:12 Or black vulture
  86. Deuteronomy 14:16 Or great horned owl
  87. Deuteronomy 14:21 Lit gates
  88. Deuteronomy 14:22 Lit your seed
  89. Deuteronomy 14:24 Lit way
  90. Deuteronomy 14:24 Lit carry it
  91. Deuteronomy 14:25 Lit give in money
  92. Deuteronomy 14:26 Lit soul
  93. Deuteronomy 14:26 Lit soul
  94. Deuteronomy 14:26 Lit asks of you
  95. Deuteronomy 14:27 Lit gates
  96. Deuteronomy 14:28 Lit gates
  97. Deuteronomy 14:29 Or fatherless
  98. Deuteronomy 14:29 Lit gates
  99. Deuteronomy 15:1 Lit make
  100. Deuteronomy 15:3 Lit release
  101. Deuteronomy 15:5 Lit perform
  102. Deuteronomy 15:7 Lit gates
  103. Deuteronomy 15:9 Lit word
  104. Deuteronomy 15:9 Lit saying
  105. Deuteronomy 15:10 Lit evil
  106. Deuteronomy 15:10 Lit the putting forth of your hand
  107. Deuteronomy 15:11 Lit from the midst of
  108. Deuteronomy 15:12 Lit free from you
  109. Deuteronomy 15:13 Lit free from you
  110. Deuteronomy 15:15 Lit this thing
  111. Deuteronomy 15:17 I.e., a pointed tool
  112. Deuteronomy 15:18 Lit free from you
  113. Deuteronomy 15:18 Lit wages
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Deuteronomy 9-15
New International Version

Not Because of Israel’s Righteousness

9 Hear, Israel: You are now about to cross the Jordan(A) to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you,(B) with large cities(C) that have walls up to the sky.(D) 2 The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?”(E) 3 But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you(F) like a devouring fire.(G) He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly,(H) as the Lord has promised you.

4 After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself,(I) “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness(J) of these nations(K) that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity(L) that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness(M) of these nations,(N) the Lord your God will drive them out(O) before you, to accomplish what he swore(P) to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.(Q) 6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.(R)

The Golden Calf

7 Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger(S) of the Lord your God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious(T) against the Lord.(U) 8 At Horeb you aroused the Lord’s wrath(V) so that he was angry enough to destroy you.(W) 9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant(X) that the Lord had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days(Y) and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water.(Z) 10 The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.(AA) On them were all the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.(AB)

11 At the end of the forty days and forty nights,(AC) the Lord gave me the two stone tablets,(AD) the tablets of the covenant. 12 Then the Lord told me, “Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt.(AE) They have turned away quickly(AF) from what I commanded them and have made an idol for themselves.”

13 And the Lord said to me, “I have seen this people(AG), and they are a stiff-necked people indeed! 14 Let me alone,(AH) so that I may destroy them and blot out(AI) their name from under heaven.(AJ) And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.”

15 So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was ablaze with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands.(AK) 16 When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf.(AL) You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes.

18 Then once again I fell(AM) prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water,(AN) because of all the sin you had committed,(AO) doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and so arousing his anger. 19 I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you.(AP) But again the Lord listened to me.(AQ) 20 And the Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too. 21 Also I took that sinful thing of yours, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust(AR) and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain.(AS)

22 You also made the Lord angry(AT) at Taberah,(AU) at Massah(AV) and at Kibroth Hattaavah.(AW)

23 And when the Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea,(AX) he said, “Go up and take possession(AY) of the land I have given you.” But you rebelled(AZ) against the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust(BA) him or obey him. 24 You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you.(BB)

25 I lay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights(BC) because the Lord had said he would destroy you.(BD) 26 I prayed to the Lord and said, “Sovereign Lord, do not destroy your people,(BE) your own inheritance(BF) that you redeemed(BG) by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.(BH) 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness(BI) of this people, their wickedness and their sin. 28 Otherwise, the country(BJ) from which you brought us will say, ‘Because the Lord was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them,(BK) he brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.’(BL) 29 But they are your people,(BM) your inheritance(BN) that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.(BO)”

Tablets Like the First Ones

10 At that time the Lord said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets(BP) like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden ark.[a] 2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the ark.”(BQ)

3 So I made the ark out of acacia wood(BR) and chiseled(BS) out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 The Lord wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments(BT) he had proclaimed(BU) to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.(BV) And the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I came back down the mountain(BW) and put the tablets in the ark(BX) I had made,(BY) as the Lord commanded me, and they are there now.(BZ)

6 (The Israelites traveled from the wells of Bene Jaakan to Moserah.(CA) There Aaron died(CB) and was buried, and Eleazar(CC) his son succeeded him as priest.(CD) 7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah and on to Jotbathah, a land with streams of water.(CE) 8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi(CF) to carry the ark of the covenant(CG) of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister(CH) and to pronounce blessings(CI) in his name, as they still do today.(CJ) 9 That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance,(CK) as the Lord your God told them.)

10 Now I had stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights, as I did the first time, and the Lord listened to me at this time also. It was not his will to destroy you.(CL) 11 “Go,” the Lord said to me, “and lead the people on their way, so that they may enter and possess the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”

Fear the Lord

12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you(CM) but to fear(CN) the Lord your God, to walk(CO) in obedience to him, to love him,(CP) to serve the Lord(CQ) your God with all your heart(CR) and with all your soul,(CS) 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands(CT) and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?(CU)

14 To the Lord your God belong the heavens,(CV) even the highest heavens,(CW) the earth and everything in it.(CX) 15 Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved(CY) them, and he chose you,(CZ) their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today.(DA) 16 Circumcise(DB) your hearts,(DC) therefore, and do not be stiff-necked(DD) any longer. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods(DE) and Lord of lords,(DF) the great God, mighty and awesome,(DG) who shows no partiality(DH) and accepts no bribes.(DI) 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow,(DJ) and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.(DK) 19 And you are to love(DL) those who are foreigners,(DM) for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.(DN) 20 Fear the Lord your God and serve him.(DO) Hold fast(DP) to him and take your oaths in his name.(DQ) 21 He is the one you praise;(DR) he is your God, who performed for you those great(DS) and awesome wonders(DT) you saw with your own eyes. 22 Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all,(DU) and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.(DV)

Love and Obey the Lord

11 Love(DW) the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.(DX) 2 Remember today that your children(DY) were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God:(DZ) his majesty,(EA) his mighty hand, his outstretched arm;(EB) 3 the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country;(EC) 4 what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots,(ED) how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea[b](EE) as they were pursuing you, and how the Lord brought lasting ruin on them. 5 It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the wilderness until you arrived at this place, 6 and what he did(EF) to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened(EG) its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them. 7 But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done.(EH)

8 Observe therefore all the commands(EI) I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess,(EJ) 9 and so that you may live long(EK) in the land the Lord swore(EL) to your ancestors to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.(EM) 10 The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt,(EN) from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. 11 But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys(EO) that drinks rain from heaven.(EP) 12 It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes(EQ) of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.

13 So if you faithfully obey(ER) the commands I am giving you today—to love(ES) the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul(ET)— 14 then I will send rain(EU) on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains,(EV) so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. 15 I will provide grass(EW) in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.(EX)

16 Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.(EY) 17 Then the Lord’s anger(EZ) will burn against you, and he will shut up(FA) the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce,(FB) and you will soon perish(FC) from the good land the Lord is giving you. 18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.(FD) 19 Teach them to your children,(FE) talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.(FF) 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,(FG) 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many(FH) in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.(FI)

22 If you carefully observe(FJ) all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love(FK) the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast(FL) to him— 23 then the Lord will drive out(FM) all these nations(FN) before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.(FO) 24 Every place where you set your foot will be yours:(FP) Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River(FQ) to the Mediterranean Sea. 25 No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he promised you, will put the terror(FR) and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.(FS)

26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing(FT) and a curse(FU)— 27 the blessing(FV) if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey(FW) the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods,(FX) which you have not known. 29 When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim(FY) the blessings, and on Mount Ebal(FZ) the curses.(GA) 30 As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, westward, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh,(GB) in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal.(GC) 31 You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession(GD) of the land the Lord your God is giving(GE) you. When you have taken it over and are living there, 32 be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.

The One Place of Worship

12 These are the decrees(GF) 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.(GG) 2 Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains,(GH) on the hills and under every spreading tree,(GI) where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. 3 Break down their altars, smash(GJ) their sacred stones and burn(GK) their Asherah(GL) poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names(GM) from those places.

4 You must not worship the Lord your God in their way.(GN) 5 But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name(GO) there for his dwelling.(GP) To that place you must go; 6 there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes(GQ) and special gifts, what you have vowed(GR) to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.(GS) 7 There, in the presence(GT) of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice(GU) 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,(GV) 9 since you have not yet reached the resting place(GW) and the inheritance(GX) 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(GY) you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest(GZ) 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(HA)—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.(HB) 12 And there rejoice(HC) before the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites(HD) from your towns who have no allotment or inheritance(HE) of their own. 13 Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please.(HF) 14 Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose(HG) 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,(HH) 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;(HI) pour(HJ) it out on the ground like water.(HK) 17 You must not eat in your own towns the tithe(HL) of your grain and new wine and olive oil,(HM) or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give,(HN) or your freewill offerings or special gifts.(HO) 18 Instead, you are to eat(HP) them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God will choose(HQ)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your towns—and you are to rejoice(HR) before the Lord your God in everything you put your hand to. 19 Be careful not to neglect the Levites(HS) as long as you live in your land.(HT)

20 When the Lord your God has enlarged your territory(HU) as he promised(HV) you, and you crave meat(HW) 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(HX) 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.(HY) 22 Eat them as you would gazelle or deer.(HZ) Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. 23 But be sure you do not eat the blood,(IA) because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.(IB) 24 You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.(IC) 25 Do not eat it, so that it may go well(ID) with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right(IE) in the eyes of the Lord.

26 But take your consecrated things and whatever you have vowed to give,(IF) and go to the place the Lord will choose. 27 Present your burnt offerings(IG) 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(IH) the meat. 28 Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well(II) 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(IJ) before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land,(IK) 30 and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared(IL) by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.”(IM) 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.(IN) They even burn their sons(IO) and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.(IP)

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

Worshiping Other Gods

13 [d]If a prophet,(IR) or one who foretells by dreams,(IS) appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign(IT) or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods”(IU) (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet(IV) or dreamer.(IW) The Lord your God is testing(IX) you to find out whether you love(IY) him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 It is the Lord your God you must follow,(IZ) and him you must revere.(JA) Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast(JB) to him. 5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death(JC) 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(JD) you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil(JE) 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(JF) you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods”(JG) (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(JH) to them or listen to them. Show them no pity.(JI) Do not spare them or shield them. 9 You must certainly put them to death.(JJ) Your hand(JK) 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(JL) 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,(JM) 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(JN) 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.(JO) And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you,(JP) 15 you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely,[e](JQ) both its people and its livestock.(JR) 16 You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town(JS) and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God.(JT) That town is to remain a ruin(JU) forever, never to be rebuilt, 17 and none of the condemned things[f] are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger,(JV) will show you mercy,(JW) and will have compassion(JX) on you. He will increase your numbers,(JY) as he promised(JZ) 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(KA) in his eyes.

Clean and Unclean Food(KB)

14 You are the children(KC) 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(KD) to the Lord your God.(KE) Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.(KF)

3 Do not eat any detestable thing.(KG) 4 These are the animals you may eat:(KH) the ox, the sheep, the goat,(KI) 5 the deer,(KJ) the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat,(KK) the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.[g] 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.(KL)

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(KM) of falcon,(KN) 14 any kind of raven,(KO) 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,(KP) 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.(KQ)

21 Do not eat anything you find already dead.(KR) 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.(KS)

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

Tithes

22 Be sure to set aside a tenth(KU) of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Eat(KV) the tithe of your grain, new wine(KW) 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,(KX) so that you may learn(KY) to revere(KZ) 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(LA) 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,(LB) or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.(LC) 27 And do not neglect the Levites(LD) living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.(LE)

28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes(LF) of that year’s produce and store it in your towns,(LG) 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment(LH) or inheritance(LI) of their own) and the foreigners,(LJ) the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied,(LK) and so that the Lord your God may bless(LL) you in all the work of your hands.

The Year for Canceling Debts(LM)

15 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.(LN) 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,(LO) 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(LP) you, 5 if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow(LQ) 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.(LR)

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

Freeing Servants(MC)(MD)

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.(ME) 13 And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14 Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor(MF) and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves(MG) in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you.(MH) 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(MI) your God every firstborn male(MJ) of your herds and flocks.(MK) Do not put the firstborn of your cows to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.(ML) 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.(MM) 21 If an animal has a defect,(MN) is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.(MO) 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.(MP) 23 But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.(MQ)

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 10:1 That is, a chest
  2. Deuteronomy 11:4 Or the Sea of Reeds
  3. Deuteronomy 12:32 In Hebrew texts this verse (12:32) is numbered 13:1.
  4. Deuteronomy 13:1 In Hebrew texts 13:1-18 is numbered 13:2-19.
  5. Deuteronomy 13:15 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  6. Deuteronomy 13:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  7. Deuteronomy 14:5 The precise identification of some of the birds and animals in this chapter is uncertain.
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Deuteronomy 8
Deuteronomy 16
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