Appointing a King

14 “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you,(A) take possession of it, live in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations around me,’ 15 you are to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses.(B) Appoint a king from your brothers. You are not to set a foreigner over you, or one who is not of your people.(C) 16 However, he must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire many horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’(D) 17 He must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won’t go astray. He must not acquire very large amounts of silver and gold for himself. 18 When he is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear(E) the Lord his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do these statutes. 20 Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his sons will continue ruling many years[a] over Israel.

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Notas al pie

  1. Deuteronomy 17:20 Lit will lengthen days on his kingdom

14 “When you have come to that land that Yahweh your God is giving to you and you have taken possession of it and you have settled in it, and you say, ‘I will set over me a king like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 indeed, you may set a king over you whom Yahweh your God will choose, from the midst of your countrymen[a] you must set a king over you; you are not allowed to appoint over you a man, a foreigner, who is not your countryman.[b] 16 Except, he may not make numerous[c] for himself horses, and he may not allow the people to to go to Egypt in order to increase horses,[d] for Yahweh has said to you that you may never return.[e] 17 And he must not acquire many[f] wives for himself, so that his heart would turn aside; and he must not accumulate silver and gold for himself excessively.[g]

18 And then[h] when he is sitting[i] on the throne of his kingdom, then he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll before[j] the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it[k] all the days of his life, so that he may learn to revere Yahweh your God by diligently observing[l] all the word of this law and these rules, 20 so as not to exalt his heart above his countrymen[m] and not to turn aside from the commandment to the right or to the left, so that he may reign long over his kingdom,[n] he and his children in the midst of Israel.”

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Notas al pie

  1. Deuteronomy 17:15 Or “brothers”
  2. Deuteronomy 17:15 Or “brother”
  3. Deuteronomy 17:16 Literally “not multiply”
  4. Deuteronomy 17:16 Literally “in order to make numerous horse”
  5. Deuteronomy 17:16 Literally “not you may do again to return”
  6. Deuteronomy 17:17 Or “make numerous”
  7. Deuteronomy 17:17 Literally “gold and silver not he must make numerous for him very”
  8. Deuteronomy 17:18 Literally “And it shall happen”
  9. Deuteronomy 17:18 Literally “as/when his sitting”
  10. Deuteronomy 17:18 Literally “to the face of”
  11. Deuteronomy 17:19 Hebrew “in it”
  12. Deuteronomy 17:19 Literally “by keeping ... to do them”
  13. Deuteronomy 17:20 Or “brothers”
  14. Deuteronomy 17:20 Literally “he may make long his days over his kingdom”