Legal Decisions by Priests and Judges

“If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to (A)the place that the Lord your God will choose. (B)And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and (C)they shall declare to you the decision. 10 Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the Lord will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you. 11 According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left. 12 The man who (D)acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest (E)who stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So (F)you shall purge the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people (G)shall hear and fear and not act presumptuously again.

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(A)If a case is too difficult for you to decide, between [a]one kind of homicide or another, between [b]one kind of lawsuit or another, and between [c]one kind of assault or another, that are cases of dispute in your [d]courts, then you shall arise and go up to (B)the place which the Lord your God chooses. So you shall come to (C)the Levitical priests or the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall inquire of them and they will declare to you the [e]verdict. 10 Then you shall act in accordance with the [f]terms of the verdict which they declare to you from that place which the Lord chooses; and you shall be careful to act in accordance with everything that they instruct you to do. 11 (D)In accordance with the [g]terms of the law about which they instruct you, and in accordance with the verdict which they tell you, you shall act; you shall not turn aside from the word which they declare to you, to the right or the left. 12 But the person who acts (E)insolently by not listening to the priest who stands there to serve the Lord your God, nor to the judge, that person shall die; so you shall eliminate the evil from Israel. 13 Then all the people will hear and be afraid, and will not act (F)insolently again.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 17:8 Lit blood to blood
  2. Deuteronomy 17:8 Lit lawsuit to lawsuit
  3. Deuteronomy 17:8 Lit blow to blow
  4. Deuteronomy 17:8 Lit gates
  5. Deuteronomy 17:9 Lit word of decision
  6. Deuteronomy 17:10 Lit mouth
  7. Deuteronomy 17:11 Lit mouth