Beginning

17 Thou shalt not offer to thy Lord God an ox and a sheep in which is a wem, either anything of vice/either anything of reproof, for it is abomination to thy Lord God. (Thou shalt not offer to the Lord thy God an ox or a sheep which hath a blemish, or a fault, for that is an abomination to the Lord thy God.)

² And when a man either a woman, that do evil in the sight of thy Lord God, be found with thee, within one of thy gates which thy Lord God shall give to thee, and they break the covenant of God,

³ that they go and serve alien gods, and worship them, the sun, and the moon, and all the knighthood of heaven, which things I commanded not; (and go and serve foreign, or other, gods, and worship them, or the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, which things I would never command;)

⁴ and this is told to thee, and thou hearest (of) it, and inquirest diligently, and thou findest that it is sooth, and that (such an) abomination is done in Israel;

⁵ thou shalt lead out the man and the woman, that did that most cursed thing, to the gates of thy city, and they shall be oppressed with stones (until they die). (thou shalt lead out the man, or the woman, who did this most cursed thing, to the gates of thy city, and they shall be killed with stones.)

⁶ He that shall be slain, shall perish in the mouth of twain, either of three witnesses; no man be slain, for one man saith witnessing against him. (He who shall be put to death, shall die only after the testimony of two, or three, witnesses; no one shall die because one person saith witnessing against them.)

⁷ The hand of the witnesses shall first slay him, and at the last the hand of the other people shall be put to, for to throw him down with stones, that thou do away evil from the midst of thee. (The hands of the witnesses shall be the first to stone them, and then the other people shall put their hands to it, and they shall throw their stones, so that thou do away evil from the midst of thee.)

⁸ If thou perceivest, that hard and doubtful doom is with thee (If thou perceivest, that there is a hard and difficult judgement before thee), betwixt blood and blood, cause and cause, leprosy and not leprosy, and thou seest that the words of [the] judges within thy gates be diverse in their deeming; rise thou, and go up to the place that thy Lord God hath chosen;

⁹ and thou shalt come to the priests of the kin of Levi, and to the judge that is in that time, and thou shalt ask of them, which shall show to thee the truth of [the] doom. (and thou shalt come to the levitical priests, and to the judge then in office, and thou shalt ask them, and they shall tell thee the correct judgement and sentence.)

¹⁰ And thou shalt do, whatever thing they say, that be sovereigns in the place which the Lord choose (who be the rulers in the place which the Lord shall choose), and (who) teach thee by the law of the Lord;

¹¹ thou shalt follow the sentence of them; thou shalt not bow therefrom to the right side, either to the left.

¹² For that man shall die, that is proud, and will not obey to the behest of the priest, that ministereth in that time to thy Lord God, and to the sentence of the judge, and thou shalt do away evil from the midst of Israel; (And the person shall die, who is proud, and will not obey the decision of the priest, who ministereth at that time to the Lord thy God, or the sentence of the judge, and so thou shalt do away evil from the midst of Israel;)

¹³ and all the people shall hear, and dread, that no man from thenceforth swell with pride. (and all the people shall hear, and have fear, so that henceforth no one should swell with pride.)

¹⁴ When thou hast entered into the land, which thy Lord God shall give to thee, and wieldest it, and dwellest therein, and sayest, I shall ordain a king on me, as all nations by compass have (and sayest, We shall ordain a king over us, like all the nations around us have);

¹⁵ thou shalt ordain him, whom thy Lord God chooseth, (out) of the number of thy brethren. Thou shalt not be able to make king a man of another folk, which man is not thy brother (Thou shalt not ordain a man from another nation to be your king, yea, a man who is not thy brother, that is, thy kinsman).

¹⁶ And when the king is ordained, he shall not multiply horses to him(self), neither he shall lead again the people into Egypt, neither he shall be raised into pride, or tyranny, by the number of knights, mostly since the Lord commanded to you, that ye turn no more again by the same way. (And when the king is ordained, he shall not multiply horses unto himself, nor shall he lead the people back to Egypt, in order to add to his horses, for the Lord hath commanded that ye never go back there.)

¹⁷ The king shall not have many wives, that draw his mind to lusts, neither he shall have great weights of silver and of gold. (The king shall not have many wives, who would draw away his mind to lust, or too much fleshliness, nor shall he have great quantities of silver and gold.)

¹⁸ Forsooth after that he hath set in the throne of his realm, he shall write to himself, that is, shall make to be written, the deuteronomy, that is, declaration, of this law in a book, and he shall take (the) exemplar of (the) priests of the kin of Levi; (And after that he hath sat on the throne of his kingdom, he shall have written for himself the deuteronomy, or the declaration, of this law in a book, and his copy shall be made from the original held by the levitical priests;)

¹⁹ and he shall have it with him, and he shall read it in all the days of his life, that he learn to dread his Lord God, and to keep his words and his ceremonies, that be commanded in the law; (and he shall have it with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he can learn to fear the Lord his God/so that he can learn to revere the Lord his God, and obey all his words and his statutes, that be commanded in the law;)

²⁰ neither his heart be raised into pride on his brethren, neither bow he into the right side, either left side, that he reign long time, he and his sons on Israel. (and then his heart shall not be raised up in pride above his brothers, or his kinsmen, nor shall he turn from these commandments to the right, or to the left, and then he and his sons shall reign a long time over Israel.)

18 Priests and deacons, and all men that be of the same lineage, shall have no part and heritage with the tother people of Israel, for they shall eat the sacrifices of the Lord, and the offerings of him; (The levitical priests, and all the men who be of the tribe of Levi, shall have no part or inheritance with the other people of Israel, for they shall eat the burnt sacrifices, and the other offerings, to the Lord;)

² and they shall not take any other thing of the possession of their brethren; for the Lord himself is their heritage, as he spake to them. (and they shall have no possession among their brothers; for the Lord himself is their inheritance, as he promised them.)

³ This shall be the doom of (the) priests, that is, the thing justly given, either granted, of the people, and of them that offer sacrifices (This shall be the priest’s due, that is, the thing rightly given from the people, yea, from those who offer sacrifices); whether they offer an ox, either a sheep, they shall give to the priest the shoulder, and the paunch,

⁴ the first fruits of wheat, and of wine, and of oil, and a part of wools of the shearing of sheep. (the first fruits of thy corn, and of thy wine, and of thy oil, and a part of the wools from the shearing of thy sheep.)

⁵ For thy Lord God hath chosen him (out) of all thy lineages, that he stand and minister to the name of the Lord (that he stand to minister in the name of the Lord), he and his sons, [into] without end.

⁶ If a deacon goeth out of one of thy cities of all Israel, in which he dwelleth (If a Levite goeth out of any of thy cities in Israel, in which he liveth), and will come and desireth the place which the Lord (shall) choose,

⁷ he shall minister in the name of his Lord God, as all his brethren deacons, that shall stand in that time before the Lord. (then he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, like all of his fellow Levites, who stand before the Lord at that time.)

⁸ He shall take the same part of meats, that also other deacons shall take; besides that that is due to him in his city, by succession, either heritage, of (his) father. (He shall receive the same portion of food, that other Levites receive; besides what is due to him in his own city, by succession, either inheritance, from his father.)

⁹ When thou hast entered into the land which thy Lord God shall give to thee, be thou ware lest thou wilt follow the abominations of those folks;

¹⁰ none be found in thee that cleanseth his son, either his daughter, and leadeth by the fire, either that asketh questions of diviners that divine about the altars, and that taketh heed to dreams, and (to) chittering of birds; neither any witch be (among you), (let none be found among thee who maketh his son, or his daughter, to pass through the fire, or who asketh questions of diviners who divine about the altars, or who taketh heed to dreams, or to the twittering of birds; and let there be no witch found among you,)

¹¹ neither any enchanter or tregetour, (that is, he who deceiveth men’s eyes so that a thing seem that which it is not); neither a man take counsel of them that have a fiend speaking within them, neither of false diviners, neither seek of dead men the truth (nor let anyone take counsel from them who have a fiend speaking within them, or from false diviners, nor seek they to learn the truth from the dead).

¹² For the Lord hath abomination of all these things, and for such wickednesses he shall do away them in thine entering. (For the Lord hath abomination for all these things, and for such wickednesses, he shall drive them all out before thee.)

¹³ Thou shalt be perfect, and without filth, with thy Lord God.

¹⁴ These heathen men, whose land thou shalt wield, hear them that work by chittering of birds, and false diviners; but thou art taught in other manner of thy Lord God. (These heathen, whose land thou shalt possess, listen to those who portend by the twittering of birds, and to false diviners; but thou art taught in another way, by the Lord thy God.)

¹⁵ Thy Lord God shall raise a prophet of thy folk, and of thy brethren, as me, to thee, (and) thou shalt hear him; (The Lord thy God shall raise up a prophet like me, for thee, from thy nation, or thy people, yea, one of thy brothers, or one of thy kinsmen, and thou shalt listen to him;)

¹⁶ as thou askedest of thy Lord God in Horeb, when the company was gathered together, and thou saidest, I shall no more hear the voice of my Lord God, and I shall no more see this greatest fire, lest I die. (as thou askedest of the Lord thy God at Mount Sinai, when the congregation was gathered together, and thou saidest, We shall not hear again the voice of the Lord our God, and we shall not see this great fire again, lest we die.)

¹⁷ And the Lord said to me, They have spoken well all things (They have spoken all things well).

¹⁸ I shall raise to them a prophet, like thee, of the midst of their brethren, and I shall put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all things, which I shall command to him. (I shall raise up for them a prophet, like thee, from the midst of their brothers, or of their kinsmen, and I shall put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all the things, that I shall command to him.)

¹⁹ And I shall be venger of him, that will not hear his words, which he shall speak in my name. (And I shall take vengeance upon anyone, who shall not obey the words, which he shall speak in my name.)

²⁰ Soothly a prophet shall be slain, which is depraved with pride, and will speak in my name those things, which I commanded not to him, that he should say, either by the name of alien gods. (And the prophet who is depraved with pride, and shall speak in my name those things, which I did not command him to say, or shall speak in the name of foreign, or other, gods, that prophet must be put to death.)

²¹ That if thou answerest by privy thought, How may I understand the word, which the Lord spake not? (And if thou ask within thyselves, How can we know that the Lord did not speak this word?)

²² thou shalt have this sign, or token, (to know a false prophet from a true prophet,) if that that that prophet saith before in the name of the Lord, cometh not, the Lord spake it not, but he feigned it through (the) pride of his soul, and therefore thou shalt not dread him. (thou shalt have this sign, to know a false prophet from a true prophet; If what that prophet saith beforehand in the name of the Lord, cometh not, then the Lord did not speak it, but the false prophet feigned his prophecy through the pride of his soul, and so thou shalt not fear him.)

19 When thy Lord God hath destroyed the folks, whose land he shall give to thee, and thou hast wielded it, and hast dwelled in the cities, and in [the] houses thereof;

² thou shalt separate three cities to thee in the midst of the land, which thy Lord God shall give to thee into possession. (thou shalt set apart three cities for thee in the midst of the land, which the Lord thy God shall give thee for a possession.)

³ Thou shalt make ready diligently the way, and thou shalt part evenly into three parts all the province(s) of thy land, that he that is exiled for manslaying, have nigh (at) hand whither he may escape. (Thou shalt diligently make ready the way, and thou shalt evenly divide all the provinces of thy land into three parts, so that anyone who is exiled for manslaughter, shall have a place close at hand to which they can escape.)

⁴ This shall be the law of a manslayer fleeing, whose life shall be kept. If a man smiteth unwittingly his neighbour, and which is proved to have not had any hatred against him yesterday, and the third day ago, (This shall be the law for anyone fleeing manslaughter, whose life shall be saved. If anyone unwittingly, or unintentionally, striketh down his neighbour, and is proved to have not had any hatred against him yesterday, and the third day ago,)

⁵ but to have gone simply with him into the wood to hew down trees, and in the felling down of trees the ax flieth from his hand, and the iron slideth from the helve, and smiteth, and slayeth his friend; this man shall flee to one of the foresaid cities, and shall live; (but simply to have gone into the woods with him to cut down some trees, and in the felling down of the trees, the ax flieth out of his hand, and the iron slideth from the helve, and striketh, and killeth his friend; this person shall flee to one of the foresaid cities, and shall be safe there;)

⁶ lest peradventure the next kinsman of him, whose blood is shed out, be pricked with sorrow, and pursue, and (over)take him, if the way is longer, and slay his life, that is not guilty of death; for it is showed that he had not any hatred before against him that is slain. (lest the next of kin of him whose blood is shed out, be pricked with sorrow, and he pursue the killer, and overtake him, because the way is long, and then take the life of him who is truly not guilty of murder; for it was shown that he had no hatred before against that person who was killed.)

⁷ Therefore I command to thee, that thou separate three cities of even space betwixt themselves. (And so I command thee to set apart three cities with even space between them.)

⁸ Forsooth when thy Lord God hath alarged thy terms, as he swore to thy fathers, and hath given to thee all the land which he promised to them;

⁹ if nevertheless thou keepest his commandments, and doest those things which I command to thee today, that thou love thy Lord God, and go in his ways in all time (so that thou love the Lord thy God, and go in his ways at all times), (then) thou shalt add to thee three other cities, and (so) thou shalt double the number of the foresaid cities,

¹⁰ that guiltless blood be not shed out in the midst of the land which thy Lord God shall give to thee to have in possession, lest thou be guilty of blood. (so that innocent blood be not shed out in the midst of the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee to have for a possession, and that thou be guilty of shedding that innocent blood.)

¹¹ Forsooth if any man hateth his neighbour, and setteth ambushes to his life, and riseth up against him privily, and smiteth him, and he is dead (and he dieth), and the manslayer fleeth to one of the foresaid cities,

¹² the elder men of that city shall send (for), and take him from the place of refuge; and they shall betake him into the hand of the next kinsman of him, whose blood is shed out, and he shall die, (the elders of that city shall send for him, and shall bring him back from the place of refuge; and they shall deliver him into the hands of the next of kin of him whose blood was shed out, and he shall die/and he shall be put to death,)

¹³ and thou shalt not have mercy upon him; and thou shalt do away guilty blood from Israel, that it be well to thee. (and thou shalt not give him any mercy; and so thou shalt do away from Israel the guilt for innocent blood, so that it be well with thee.)

¹⁴ Thou shalt not take, and turn over, the terms of thy neighbour, which the former men set in thy possession, which thy Lord God shall give to thee in the land, which land thou shalt take to be wielded. (Thou shalt not take away, or turn over, thy neighbour’s boundary stones, which the people in former times put there in thy possession, which the Lord thy God shall give thee, in the land which thou shalt take for thyselves.)

¹⁵ One witness shall not stand against any man, whatever thing it is of sin, and of wickedness; but each word shall stand in the mouth of twain, either of three witnesses. (One witness shall not convict anyone, whatever his sin, or wickedness; but each charge must be established by the testimony of two, or three, witnesses.)

¹⁶ If a false witness standeth against a man, and accuseth him of breaking of the law,

¹⁷ both they, of whom the cause is, shall stand before the Lord, in the sight of priests, and of judges, that be in those days. (then both of the people who be in dispute, shall stand before the Lord, in the sight of the priests, and the judges, who then be in office.)

¹⁸ And when they seeking the cause most diligently (And if, after they have studied the case most diligently), (they) have found that the false witness said a lie against his brother,

¹⁹ they shall yield to him, as he thought to have done to his brother; and (so) thou shalt do away evil from the midst of thee,

²⁰ that other men hear, and have dread, and be no more hardy to do such things (so that other people can hear, and have fear, and no more be so fool-hardy to do such things). Thou shalt not have mercy on him,

²¹ but thou shalt ask life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

20 If thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and thou seest a multitude of knights, and of chariots, and a greater multitude of the adversary(’s) host than (what) thou hast, thou shalt not dread them; for thy Lord God is with thee, that led thee out of the land of Egypt. (If thou goest out to battle against thy enemies, and thou seest a multitude of horsemen, and of chariots, and a greater multitude of the adversary’s army than what thou hast, thou shalt not fear them; for the Lord thy God is with thee, who led thee out of the land of Egypt.)

² Soothly when the battle nigheth now, the priest shall stand before the battle array, and thus he shall speak to the people (and he shall speak to the people thus),

³ Thou, Israel, hear today, ye have battle against your enemies; your heart dread not, be ye not afeared; do not ye give stead, dread ye not them; (Hear, O Israel, today ye shall do battle against your enemies; but do not let your heart fear, and do not be afraid; do not ye give place to panic, and do not ye fear them;)

⁴ for your Lord God is in the midst of you, and he shall fight for you against your adversaries, that he deliver you from peril. (for the Lord your God is in your midst, and he shall fight for you against your adversaries, so that he can save you from peril.)

⁵ But the leaders shall cry by all the companies, while the host shall hear, (and shall say,) Who is the man that hath builded a new house, and hath hallowed not it? go he and turn again into his house, lest peradventure he die in battle, and another man hallow it. (Then the leaders of the army shall say, in the hearing of all the people, Who is the man who hath built a new house, and hath not yet dedicated it? go he back, and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.)

⁶ Who is the man that (hath) planted a vinery, and hath not yet made it to be common, and of which it is leaveful to all men to eat? go he, and turn again into his house, lest peradventure he die in battle, and another man be set in his office. (Who is the man who hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet made it to be common, and therefore lawful for all men to eat of it? go he back, and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man enjoy its fruits.)

⁷ Who is the man that hath espoused a wife, and hath not (yet) taken her by fleshly knowing? go he, and turn again into his house, lest peradventure he die in battle, and another man take her. (Who is the man who hath espoused a wife, and hath not yet taken her in fleshly knowing? go he back, and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.)

⁸ When these things be said, the leaders of the host shall add to (them) other things, and they shall speak to the people, and say, Who is a fearful man, and of dreadful heart? go he, and turn again into his house, lest he make his brethren’s hearts to dread, as he is aghast by dread. (When these things be said, the leaders of the army shall add other things, and they shall say to the people, Who is fearful, and hath a heart full of dread? go he back, and return to his house, lest he make his kinsmen’s hearts to fear, just like his is filled with fear.)

⁹ And when the dukes of the host be still, and have made (an) end of speaking, each chieftain of thy host shall make ready his companies to battle. (And when the leaders of the army have finished speaking, they shall appoint a leader, or a chief man, for each company.)

¹⁰ If any time thou shalt go to a city to overcome it, first thou shalt proffer peace to it. (Now anytime that thou shalt go to attack a city, thou shalt first make an offer of peace to them, that is, thou shalt give them a chance to surrender.)

¹¹ If the city receiveth thy (offer of) peace, and openeth to thee the gates, all the people that is therein shall be saved, and it shall serve thee under tribute. (If the city accepteth thy offer of peace, and they surrender, and they open the gates to thee, then all the people who be there shall become your slaves, and shall serve thee.)

¹² But if they will not make bond of peace with thee, and begin battle against thee, thou shalt fight against it. (But if they will not make peace with thee, but begin battle against thee, then thou shalt fight against them.)

¹³ And when thy Lord God hath betaken it in(to) thine hands, thou shalt smite by the sharpness of sword all thing of male kind that is therein, (And when the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thy hands, thou shalt strike down, or shalt kill, with the sharpness of the sword, all the males who be there,)

¹⁴ without women, and young children, beasts, and other things that be in the city. Thou shalt part all the prey to the host, and thou shalt eat of the spoils of thine enemies, which spoils thy Lord God hath given to thee. (but not the women, and the young children, and the beasts, and the other things that be in the city. Thou shalt divide all the prey among the army, and thou shalt eat the spoils of thy enemies, which spoils the Lord thy God hath given thee.)

¹⁵ Thus thou shalt do to all the cities, that be full far from thee, and be not of these (nigh) cities which thou shalt take into possession. (Thus thou shalt do, to all the cities that be far away from thee, but not to the cities that be near, which thou shalt take for a possession.)

¹⁶ But of these cities that shall be given to thee, thou shalt not suffer any to live, but thou shalt slay by the sharpness of sword; (But in these cities that shall be given to thee by the Lord, thou shalt not allow anyone to remain alive, but thou shalt kill them all by the sharpness of the sword;)

¹⁷ that is to say, Hittites, and Amorites, and Canaanites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites, as thy Lord God hath commanded to thee;

¹⁸ lest peradventure they teach you to do all the abominations, which they have wrought (un)to their gods, and ye do sin against your Lord God (and then ye sin against the Lord your God).

¹⁹ When thou hast besieged a city by long time, and thou hast compassed it with strongholds that thou overcome it, thou shalt not cut down the trees, of which men may eat/of which fruit may be eaten, neither thou shalt waste the country(side) about with axes; for it is a tree, and not a man, neither it may increase the number of fighters against thee. (When thou hast besieged a city for a long time, and thou hast surrounded it with strongholds so that thou can overcome it, thou shalt not cut down the trees, from which men can eat/whose fruit can be eaten, nor shalt thou destroy all the countryside about with axes; for it is a tree, and not a man, and it cannot increase the number of fighters against thee.)

²⁰ And if any of them be not apple trees, but be wild, and able into other uses, cut them down, and make of them engines, till thou take the city that fighteth against thee. (But if any of them be not apple trees, or other kinds of fruit trees, but be wild, and good for other uses, then cut them down, and make engines, or bulwarks, out of them, until thou take the city that fighteth against thee.)