The First Harvest

26 When you go into the land the Lord your God is giving you as your ·own [^Linheritance], to ·take it over [possess it] and live in it, ² you must take some of the first harvest of crops that grow from the land the Lord your God is giving you. Put the food in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God will choose to ·be worshiped [^Lcause his name to dwell; ^CZion; 12:4–6]. ³ Go and say to the priest ·on duty at that time [in office in those days], “Today I declare before the Lord your God that I have come into the land the Lord promised our ·ancestors [fathers] that he would give us [Gen. 12:1–3].” ⁴ The priest will take your basket and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. ⁵ Then you shall announce before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean [^Clikely a reference to Jacob/Israel’s stay in Paddan-Aram; Gen. 28–31]. He went down to Egypt and lived as a ·foreigner [resident alien] with only a few people, but they became a great, powerful, and large nation there [Gen. 12:1–3]. ⁶ But the Egyptians were ·cruel [mean] to us, ·making us suffer [afflicting/humiliating us] and ·work very hard [giving us onerous work]. ⁷ So we ·prayed [cried out] to the Lord, the God of our ·ancestors [fathers], and he heard us. When he saw our ·trouble [affliction; humiliation], hard work, and ·suffering [oppression; Ex. 2:23–25; 3:7, 9], ⁸ the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his ·great power [^Lstrong hand] and ·strength [^Loutstretched arm], using great terrors, signs, and ·miracles [wonders]. ⁹ Then he brought us to this place and gave us this ·fertile land [^Lland flowing with milk and honey; Ex. 3:8]. ¹⁰ Now I bring part of the first harvest from this land that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. ¹¹ Then you and the Levites and ·foreigners [resident aliens] among you should rejoice, because the Lord your God has given good things to you and your ·family [^Lhouse].