Worshiping Other Gods

²¹ Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole^(A) beside the altar you build to the Lord your God,^{(B) 22} and do not erect a sacred stone,^(C) for these the Lord your God hates.

17 Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect^(D) or flaw in it, for that would be detestable^(E) to him.^(F)

² If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of his covenant,^{(G) 3} and contrary to my command^(H) has worshiped other gods,^(I) bowing down to them or to the sun^(J) or the moon or the stars in the sky,^{(K) 4} and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true^(L) and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,^{(M) 5} take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death.^{(N) 6} On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.^{(O) 7} The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death,^(P) and then the hands of all the people.^(Q) You must purge the evil^(R) from among you.

Law Courts

⁸ If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge^(S)—whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults^(T)—take them to the place the Lord your God will choose.^{(U) 9} Go to the Levitical^(V) priests and to the judge^(W) who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict.^{(X) 10} You must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the Lord will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you to do. ¹¹ Act according to whatever they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left.^{(Y) 12} Anyone who shows contempt^(Z) for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering^(AA) there to the Lord your God is to be put to death.^(AB) You must purge the evil from Israel.^{(AC) 13} All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again.^(AD)

The King

¹⁴ When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession^(AE) of it and settled in it,^(AF) and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,”^{(AG) 15} be sure to appoint^(AH) over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites.^(AI) Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. ¹⁶ The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses^(AJ) for himself^(AK) or make the people return to Egypt^(AL) to get more of them,^(AM) for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”^{(AN) 17} He must not take many wives,^(AO) or his heart will be led astray.^(AP) He must not accumulate^(AQ) large amounts of silver and gold.^(AR)

¹⁸ When he takes the throne^(AS) of his kingdom, he is to write^(AT) for himself on a scroll a copy^(AU) 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^(AV) so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees^{(AW) 20} and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law^(AX) to the right or to the left.^(AY) Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.^(AZ)

Offerings for Priests and Levites

18 The Levitical^(BA) priests—indeed, the whole tribe of Levi—are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the food offerings^(BB) presented to the Lord, for that is their inheritance.^{(BC) 2} They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance,^(BD) as he promised them.^(BE)

³ This is the share due the priests^(BF) from the people who sacrifice a bull^(BG) or a sheep: the shoulder, the internal organs and the meat from the head.^{(BH) 4} You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep,^{(BI) 5} for the Lord your God has chosen them^(BJ) and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister^(BK) in the Lord’s name always.^(BL)

⁶ If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the Lord will choose,^{(BM) 7} he may minister in the name^(BN) of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the Lord. ⁸ He is to share equally in their benefits, even though he has received money from the sale of family possessions.^(BO)

Occult Practices

⁹ When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate^(BP) the detestable ways^(BQ) of the nations there. ¹⁰ Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire,^(BR) who practices divination^(BS) or sorcery,^(BT) interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,^{(BU) 11} or casts spells,^(BV) or who is a medium or spiritist^(BW) or who consults the dead. ¹² Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.^{(BX) 13} You must be blameless^(BY) before the Lord your God.^(BZ)

The Prophet

¹⁴ The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination.^(CA) But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. ¹⁵ The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites.^(CB) You must listen to him. ¹⁶ For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”^(CC)

¹⁷ The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet^(CD) like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words^(CE) in his mouth.^(CF) He will tell them everything I command him.^{(CG) 19} I myself will call to account^(CH) anyone who does not listen^(CI) to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.^{(CJ) 20} But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods,^(CK) is to be put to death.”^(CL)

²¹ You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” ²² If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true,^(CM) that is a message the Lord has not spoken.^(CN) That prophet has spoken presumptuously,^(CO) so do not be alarmed.

The Parable of the Great Banquet^(A)

¹⁵ When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast^(B) in the kingdom of God.”^(C)

¹⁶ Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. ¹⁷ At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

¹⁸ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

¹⁹ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

²⁰ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

²¹ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’^(D)

²² “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

²³ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. ²⁴ I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”^(E)

The Cost of Being a Disciple

²⁵ Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.^{(F) 27} And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.^(G)

²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, ³⁰ saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

³¹ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.^(H)

³⁴ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?^{(I) 35} It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.^(J)

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”^(K)