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Limitations of Royal Authority

14 “When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’(A) 15 you may indeed set over you a king whom the Lord your God will choose. One of your own community you may set as king over you; you are not permitted to put a foreigner over you, who is not of your own community.(B) 16 Even so, he must not acquire many horses for himself or return the people to Egypt in order to acquire more horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You must never return that way again.’(C) 17 And he must not acquire many wives for himself or else his heart will turn away; also silver and gold he must not acquire in great quantity for himself.(D) 18 When he has taken the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.(E) 19 It shall remain with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes,(F) 20 neither exalting himself above other members of the community nor turning aside from the commandment, either to the right or to the left, so that he and his descendants may reign long over his kingdom in Israel.(G)

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14 “When you enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and you (A)take possession of it and live in it, and you say, ‘(B)I will appoint a king over me like all the nations who are around me,’ 15 you shall in fact appoint a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses. One (C)from among your countrymen you shall appoint as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves, anyone who is not your countryman. 16 (D)In any case, he is not to acquire many horses for himself, nor shall he (E)make the people return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since (F)the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ 17 And (G)he shall not acquire many wives for himself, so that his heart does not turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.

18 “Now it shall come about, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this Law on a scroll [a](H)in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it (I)all the days of his life, so that he will learn to fear the Lord his God, [b]by carefully following all the words of this Law and these statutes, 20 so that his heart will not be haughty toward his countrymen, (J)and that he will not turn away from the commandment to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may [c]live long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 17:18 Lit from before
  2. Deuteronomy 17:19 Lit to keep all...to do them,
  3. Deuteronomy 17:20 Lit prolong days