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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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Footnotes

  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”

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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