Deuteronomy 25
Names of God Bible
Various Laws
25 This is what you must do whenever two people have a disagreement that is brought into court. The judges will hear the case and decide who’s right and who’s wrong. 2 If the person who’s in the wrong deserves to be beaten, the judge will order him to lie down. Then the judge will have him beaten with as many lashes as the crime deserves. 3 Forty lashes may be given, but no more. If an Israelite were given more than that, he would be publicly humiliated.
4 Never muzzle an ox when it’s threshing[a] grain.
5 When brothers live together and one of them dies without having a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother must marry her and sleep with her. He must do his duty as her brother-in-law. 6 Then the first son she has will carry the dead brother’s name so that his name won’t die out in Israel.
7 But if the man doesn’t want to marry his brother’s widow, she must go to the leaders of the city at the city gate. She must say, “My brother-in-law refuses to let his brother’s name continue in Israel. He doesn’t want to do his duty as my brother-in-law.” 8 Then the leaders of the city must summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying that he doesn’t want to marry her, 9 his brother’s widow must go up to him in the presence of the leaders. She must take off one of his sandals and spit in his face. She must make this formal statement: “This is what happens to a man who refuses to continue his brother’s family line.” 10 Then in Israel his family will be called the Family of the Man Without a Sandal.
11 This is what you must do when two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from the man who is beating him. If she tries to stop the fight by grabbing the other man’s genitals, 12 cut off her hand. Have no pity on her.
13 Never carry two sets of weights, a heavier one and a lighter one. 14 Never have two kinds of measures in your house, a larger one and a smaller one. 15 Use accurate and honest weights and measures. Then you will live for a long time in the land that Yahweh your Elohim is giving you. 16 Everyone who uses dishonest weights and measures is disgusting to Yahweh your Elohim.
17 Remember what the Amalekites did to you on your trip from Egypt. 18 They attacked you when you were tired and exhausted and killed all those who were lagging behind. They weren’t afraid of Elohim. 19 So when Yahweh your Elohim gives you peace from all your enemies around you in the land that he is giving you as your own property, don’t forget to erase every memory of the Amalekites from the earth.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 25:4 Threshing is the process of beating stalks to separate them from the grain.
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
New King James Version
Laws of Social Responsibility
25 “If there is a (A)dispute between men, and they come to [a]court, that the judges may judge them, and they (B)justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, 2 then it shall be, if the wicked man (C)deserves to be beaten, that the judge will cause him to lie down (D)and be beaten in his presence, according to his guilt, with a certain number of blows. 3 (E)Forty blows he may give him and no more, lest he should exceed this and beat him with many blows above these, and your brother (F)be humiliated in your sight.
4 (G)“You shall not muzzle an ox while it [b]treads out the grain.
Marriage Duty of the Surviving Brother
5 (H)“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears (I)will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that (J)his name may not be blotted out of Israel. 7 But if the man does not want to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the (K)gate to the elders, and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to raise up a name to his brother in Israel; he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him. But if he stands firm and says, (L)‘I do not want to take her,’ 9 then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, (M)remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who will not (N)build up his brother’s house.’ 10 And his name shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal removed.’
Miscellaneous Laws
11 “If two men fight together, and the wife of one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of the one attacking him, and puts out her hand and seizes him by the genitals, 12 then you shall cut off her hand; (O)your eye shall not pity her.
13 (P)“You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. 14 You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. 15 You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, (Q)that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 16 For (R)all who do such things, all who behave unrighteously, are [c]an abomination to the Lord your God.
Destroy the Amalekites
17 (S)“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, 18 how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he (T)did not fear God. 19 Therefore it shall be, (U)when the Lord your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will (V)blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 25:1 Lit. the judgment
- Deuteronomy 25:4 threshes
- Deuteronomy 25:16 detestable
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
