Print Page Options

26 And when thou hast entered into the land which thy Lord God shall give to thee to wield, and thou hast gotten it, and hast dwelled therein,

thou shalt take the first fruits of all thy fruits, and thou shalt put them in a basket; and thou shalt go to the place which thy Lord God (shall) choose, that his name be inwardly called there.

And thou shalt go to the priest, that shall be in those days, and thou shalt say to him, I acknowledge today before thy Lord God, that I have entered into the land, which he swore to our fathers, that he should give it to us (that he would give to us).

And the priest shall take the basket (out) of thine hand, and he shall set it (down) before the altar of thy Lord God.

And thou shalt say in the sight of thy Lord God, (A) Syrian pursued (was) my father, that went down into Egypt, and was a pilgrim there in fewest number; and he increased into a great folk, and strong, and of multitude without number. (And thou shalt say before the Lord thy God, A wandering Syrian was my father, who went down into Egypt, and he, with a few others, were foreigners there; but they increased into a great and strong nation, and into a multitude without number.)

And [the] Egyptians tormented us, and pursued us, and they putted upon us most grievous burdens.

And we cried to the Lord God of our fathers, which heard us (who heard us), and he beheld our meekness, and our travail, and our anguish;

and he led us out of Egypt in a mighty hand, and in an arm stretched out, in great dread, and in miracles, and in great wonders, (and he led us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and an outstretched arm, with great and fearful miracles, and with great wonders,)

and he led us into this place; and he hath given to us a land flowing with milk and honey.

10 And therefore I offer now to thee the first fruits of the fruits of the land which (thou,) the Lord, gave to me. And thou shalt leave them in the sight of thy Lord God. And when thy Lord God is worshipped, (And so now I offer the first fruits of the fruits of the land which thou, O Lord, hath given me. And thou shalt leave them before the Lord thy God. And when thou hast worshipped the Lord thy God,)

11 thou shalt eat in all the goods which thy Lord God gave to thee, and to thine house, thou, and the deacon, and the comeling that is with thee. (thou shalt make joy for all the good things which the Lord thy God hath given thee, and thy family, thou, and also the Levite, and the newcomer who is with thee.)

12 When thou hast fulfilled the tithe of all thy fruits, in the third year of thy tithes, thou shalt give (them) to the deacon, and to the comeling, and to the fatherless, either the motherless child, and to the widow, that they eat within thy gates, and be full-filled. (When thou hast taken the tithe of all thy fruits in the third year, which is the tithe-year, thou shalt give them to the Levite, and the newcomer, and the fatherless or the motherless child, and the widow, so that they can eat it within thy gates, and be filled full.)

13 And thou shalt speak in the sight of thy Lord God, and say, I have taken away that that is hallowed of mine house, and I gave it to the deacon, and to the comeling, and to the fatherless, either motherless child, and to the widow, as thou commandedest to me; I passed not (over) thy commandments, I forgot not thy behest. (And thou shalt say before the Lord thy God, I have brought forth from my house what was dedicated to thee, and I have given it to the Levite, and the newcomer, and the fatherless or the motherless child, and the widow, as thou hast commanded me; I have not passed over thy commandments, I have not forgotten thy charge, or thy orders.)

14 I ate not of those things in my mourning, neither I separated them in(to) any uncleanness, neither I spended of those anything in burying of a dead body (I did not eat any of it while mourning, I did not put any of it aside for unclean uses, and I did not spend any of it for burying a dead body). I obeyed to the voice of my Lord God, and I did all things as thou commandedest to me.

15 Behold thou from thy saintuary, from the high dwelling place of heaven, and bless thou thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given to us, as thou hast sworn to our fathers, the land flowing with milk and honey.

16 Today Israel, thy Lord God commanded to thee, that thou do these behests and dooms, that thou keep and fulfill them of all thine heart, and of all thy soul. (Today Israel, the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, that thou obey these statutes and laws, or judgements, that thou keep and fulfill them with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.)

17 Thou hast chosen the Lord today, that he be God to thee, and that thou go in his ways, and that thou keep his ceremonies, and his behests, and his dooms, and obey to his commandment. (Thou hast chosen the Lord today, that he be thy God, and that thou go in his ways, and that thou keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his laws, or his judgements, and obey his bidding, or his orders.)

18 Lo! the Lord hath chosen thee today, that thou be a special people to him, as he hath spoken to thee, and that thou keep all his commandments; (Lo! the Lord hath chosen thee today, that thou be a special people to him, as he hath promised thee, and also that thou obey all his commandments;)

19 and he shall make thee higher than all folks, which he made into his praising, and name, and glory; that thou be an holy people to thy Lord God, as he hath spoken to thee. (and he shall grant thee more favour than all the nations which he hath made, to bring him praise, and fame, and glory/and thou shalt bring him praise, and fame, and glory; and thou shalt be a holy people to the Lord thy God, as he promised thee.)

Bringing First Fruits and Tithes

26 “Then it will be, when you enter the land which Yahweh your God gives you as an inheritance and you possess it and live in it, that you shall take some of (A)the first of all the fruit of the ground which you bring in from your land that Yahweh your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and (B)go to the place where Yahweh your God chooses for His name to dwell. And you shall go to the priest who is in office in those days and say to him, ‘I declare this day to Yahweh [a]my God that I have entered the land which Yahweh swore to our fathers to give us.’ Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of Yahweh your God. And you shall answer and say before Yahweh your God, ‘(C)My father was a [b]wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and [c]sojourned there, (D)few in number; but there he became a (E)great, mighty, and populous nation. And the (F)Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us and imposed hard slave labor on us. Then (G)we cried out to Yahweh, the God of our fathers, and Yahweh heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression; (H)and Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders; and He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, (I)a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground (J)which You, O Yahweh, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before Yahweh your God and worship before Yahweh your God; 11 and you and (K)the Levite and the sojourner who is among you shall (L)be glad in all the good which Yahweh your God has given you and your household.

12 (M)When you have finished [d]paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the sojourner, to the [e]orphan, and to the widow, that they may eat within your gates and be satisfied. 13 Then you shall say before Yahweh your God, ‘I have purged the sacred portion from my house, and I also have given it to the Levite and the sojourner, the [f]orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; (N)I have not trespassed against or forgotten any of Your commandments. 14 I have not eaten of it [g]while mourning, nor have I purged any of it while I was unclean, nor have I given any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of Yahweh my God; I have done according to all that You have commanded me. 15 (O)Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the ground which You have given to us, (P)a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.’

16 “This day Yahweh your God commands you to do these statutes and judgments. You shall therefore be careful to do them (Q)with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 (R)You have today declared Yahweh to be your God, and [h]that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and listen to His voice. 18 And Yahweh has today declared you to be (S)His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and [i]that you should keep all His commandments; 19 and [j]that He will (T)set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, a name, and beauty; and that you shall be (U)a holy people to Yahweh your God, as He has spoken.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 26:3 As in Gr; Heb your
  2. Deuteronomy 26:5 Or perishing
  3. Deuteronomy 26:5 Or lived as an sojourner
  4. Deuteronomy 26:12 Lit tithing
  5. Deuteronomy 26:12 Or fatherless
  6. Deuteronomy 26:13 Or fatherless
  7. Deuteronomy 26:14 Lit while in my
  8. Deuteronomy 26:17 Lit to walk in
  9. Deuteronomy 26:18 Lit to keep all
  10. Deuteronomy 26:19 Lit to set you

26 And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein;

That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there.

And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the Lord thy God, that I am come unto the country which the Lord sware unto our fathers for to give us.

And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God.

And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:

And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:

And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:

And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:

And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.

10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God:

11 And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.

12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;

13 Then thou shalt say before the Lord thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them.

14 I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given ought thereof for the dead: but I have hearkened to the voice of the Lord my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.

15 Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

16 This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

17 Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice:

18 And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;

19 And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken.

Offerings of Firstfruits and Tithes

26 “And it shall be, when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it, (A)that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground, which you shall bring from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and (B)go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. And you shall go to the one who is priest in those days, and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord [a]your God that I have come to the country which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’

“Then the priest shall take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God. And you shall answer and say before the Lord your God: ‘My father was (C)a [b]Syrian, (D)about to perish, and (E)he went down to Egypt and [c]dwelt there, (F)few in number; and there he became a nation, (G)great, mighty, and populous. But the (H)Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and laid hard bondage on us. (I)Then we cried out to the Lord God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labor and our oppression. So (J)the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, (K)with great terror and with signs and wonders. He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, (L)“a land flowing with milk and honey”; 10 and now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which you, O Lord, have given me.’

“Then you shall set it before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God. 11 So (M)you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.

12 “When you have finished laying aside all the (N)tithe of your increase in the third year—(O)the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, 13 then you shall say before the Lord your God: ‘I have removed the [d]holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, (P)nor have I forgotten them. 14 (Q)I have not eaten any of it [e]when in mourning, nor have I removed any of it [f]for an unclean use, nor given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me. 15 (R)Look down from Your holy [g]habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us, just as You swore to our fathers, (S)“a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’

A Special People of God

16 “This day the Lord your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 Today you have (T)proclaimed the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will (U)obey His voice. 18 Also today (V)the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, 19 and that He will set you (W)high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be (X)a [h]holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 26:3 LXX my
  2. Deuteronomy 26:5 Or Aramean
  3. Deuteronomy 26:5 As a resident alien
  4. Deuteronomy 26:13 hallowed things
  5. Deuteronomy 26:14 Lit. in my mourning
  6. Deuteronomy 26:14 Or while I was unclean
  7. Deuteronomy 26:15 home
  8. Deuteronomy 26:19 consecrated

The First Harvest

26 “You will soon enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You will take that land and live there. You will gather the crops that grow in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You must take some of the first crops you gather and put them in baskets. Then take that part of your harvest to the place that the Lord your God chooses to be the home for his name. Go to the priest who is serving at that time. Tell him, ‘The Lord promised our ancestors that he would give us some land. Today I come to announce to the Lord your God that I have come to that land.’

“Then the priest will take the basket from you. He will put it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. Then there before the Lord your God you will say: ‘My ancestor was a wandering Aramean.[a] He went down into Egypt and stayed there. When he went there, he had only a few people in his family. But in Egypt he became a great nation—a powerful nation with many people. The Egyptians treated us badly. They made us slaves. They hurt us and forced us to work very hard. Then we prayed to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and complained about them. And the Lord heard us. He saw our trouble, our hard work, and our suffering. Then the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his great power and strength. He used great miracles and wonders and did amazing things. So he brought us to this place. He gave us this land—a land filled with many good things.[b] 10 Now, Lord, I bring you the first harvest from the land that you gave me.’

“Then you must put the harvest down before the Lord your God and bow down to worship him. 11 Then you must have a meal together and enjoy all the good things that the Lord your God has given to you and your family. You must share them with the Levites and the foreigners living among you.

12 “Every third year is the Year of Tithes. In that year, you must give one-tenth of your harvest to the Levites, to the foreigners living in your country, and to the widows and orphans. Then they will have plenty to eat in every city. 13 You must say to the Lord your God, ‘I have taken out of my house the holy part of my harvest. I have given it to the Levites, to the foreigners, and to the orphans and widows. I have followed all the commands you gave me. I have not refused to obey any of your commands. I have not forgotten them. 14 I have not eaten this food when I was sad.[c] I was not unclean when I collected this food.[d] I have not offered any of this food for dead people. I have obeyed you, Lord my God. I have done everything you commanded me. 15 Look down from your holy home, from heaven, and bless your people Israel. And bless the land that you gave us. You promised our ancestors to give us this land—a land filled with many good things.’

Obey the Lord’s Commands

16 “Today the Lord your God commands you to obey all these laws and rules. Be careful to follow them with all your heart and soul. 17 Today you have said that the Lord is your God. You have promised to live the way he wants. You promised to follow his teachings and to obey his laws and commands. You said you would do everything he tells you to do. 18 And today the Lord has accepted you to be his own people. He has promised you this. The Lord also said that you must obey all his commands. 19 The Lord will make you greater than all the nations he made. He will give you praise, fame, and honor. And you will be his own special people, as he promised.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 26:5 Aramean A person from ancient Syria. Here, this might be Abraham, Isaac, or probably Jacob (Israel).
  2. Deuteronomy 26:9 land … things Literally, “land flowing with milk and honey.” Also in verse 15.
  3. Deuteronomy 26:14 I have … sad People ate this food to be happy about the many things God gave them, so it could not be from food used during a time of sadness.
  4. Deuteronomy 26:14 I was … food This would mean other people could not eat this food during the celebration to honor the Lord.