Beginning

24 Suppose a man marries a woman. But later he decides he doesn’t like her. He finds something shameful about her. So he gives her a letter of divorce and sends her away from his house. ² Then after she leaves his house she becomes another man’s wife. ³ But her second husband doesn’t like her either. So he gives her a letter of divorce and sends her away from his house. Or perhaps he dies. ⁴ Then her first husband isn’t allowed to marry her again. The Lord would hate that. When her first husband divorced her, she became “unclean.” Don’t bring sin on the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own.

⁵ Suppose a man has just married his wife. Then don’t send him into battle. Don’t give him any other duty either. He’s free to stay home for one year. He needs time to make his new wife happy.

⁶ Someone might borrow money from you and give you two millstones to keep until you are paid back. Don’t keep them. Don’t even keep the upper one. That person needs both millstones to make a living.

⁷ Suppose someone is caught kidnapping another Israelite. And they sell or treat that person as a slave. Then the kidnapper must die. Get rid of that evil person.

⁸ What about skin diseases? Be very careful to do exactly what the priests, who are Levites, tell you to do. You must be careful to obey the commands I’ve given them. ⁹ Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on your way out of Egypt.

¹⁰ Suppose your neighbor borrows something from you. And he offers you something to keep until you get paid back. Then don’t go into their house to get it. ¹¹ Stay outside. Let the neighbor bring it out to you. ¹² The neighbor might be poor. You might be given their coat to keep until you get paid back. Don’t go to sleep while you still have it. ¹³ Return it before the sun goes down. They need it to sleep in and will thank you for returning it. The Lord your God will see it and know that you have done the right thing.

¹⁴ Don’t take advantage of any hired worker who is poor and needy. That applies to your own people. It also applies to outsiders living in one of your towns. ¹⁵ Give them their pay every day. They are poor and are counting on it. If you don’t pay them, they might cry out to the Lord against you. Then you will be guilty of committing a sin.

¹⁶ Parents must not be put to death because of what their children do. And children must not be put to death because of what their parents do. People must die because of their own sins.

¹⁷ Do what is right and fair for outsiders and for children whose fathers have died. Suppose a widow borrows something from you. And she offers to give you her coat until she pays you back. Don’t take it. ¹⁸ Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. Remember that the Lord your God set you free from there. That’s why I’m commanding you to do those things.

¹⁹ When you are gathering crops in your field, you might leave some grain behind by mistake. Don’t go back to get it. Leave it behind for outsiders and widows. Leave it for children whose fathers have died. Then the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. ²⁰ When you knock olives off your trees, don’t go back over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for outsiders and widows. Leave it for children whose fathers have died. ²¹ When you pick grapes in your vineyard, don’t go back over the vines a second time. Leave what remains for outsiders and widows. Leave it for children whose fathers have died. ²² Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That’s why I’m commanding you to do these things.

25 Suppose two people don’t agree about something. Then they must take their case to court. The judges will decide the case. They will let the one who isn’t guilty go free. And they will punish the one who is guilty. ² The guilty one might have done something that’s worthy of a beating. Then the judge will make them lie down and be beaten with a whip right there in court. The number of strokes should fit the crime. ³ But the judge must not give the guilty person more than 40 strokes. If more than that are used, you will have disrespected your Israelite neighbor.

⁴ Don’t stop an ox from eating while you use it to separate grain from straw.

⁵ Suppose two brothers are living near each other. And one of them dies without having a son. Then his widow must not marry anyone outside the family. Her husband’s brother should marry her. That’s what a brother-in-law is supposed to do. ⁶ Her first baby boy will be named after her first husband. Then the dead man’s name will continue in Israel.

⁷ But suppose the man doesn’t want to marry his brother’s wife. Then she will go to the elders at the gate of the town. She will say, “My husband’s brother refuses to keep his brother’s name alive in Israel. He won’t do for me what a brother-in-law is supposed to do.” ⁸ Then the elders in his town will send for him. They will talk to him. But he still might say, “I don’t want to marry her.” ⁹ Then his brother’s widow will go up to him in front of the elders. She’ll pull one of his sandals off his foot. She’ll spit in his face. And she’ll say, “That’s what we do to a man who won’t build up his brother’s family line.” ¹⁰ That man’s family line will be known in Israel as The Family of the Man Whose Sandal Was Pulled Off.

¹¹ Suppose two men are fighting. And the wife of one of them comes to save her husband from his attacker. So she reaches out and grabs hold of his attacker’s private parts. ¹² Then you must cut off her hand. Don’t feel sorry for her.

¹³ Don’t have two different scales. Don’t have scales that cause things to seem heavier or lighter than they really are. ¹⁴ And don’t have two different sets of measures. Don’t have measures that cause things to seem larger or smaller than they really are. ¹⁵ You must use weights and measures that are honest and exact. Then you will live a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving you. ¹⁶ He hates anyone who cheats.

¹⁷ Remember what the Amalekites did to you on your way out of Egypt. ¹⁸ You were tired and worn out. They met up with you on your journey. They attacked everyone who was lagging behind. They didn’t have any respect for God. ¹⁹ The Lord your God will give you peace and rest from all the enemies around you. He’ll do this in the land he’s giving you to take over as your very own. No one on earth will mention the Amalekites ever again because you will destroy them. Do not forget!

Give the Lord His Share

26 You will enter the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own. You will take it over. You will make your homes in the land. ² When you do, get some of the first share of everything your soil produces. Put it in a basket. It’s from the land the Lord your God is giving you. Take your gifts and go to the special place he will choose. He will put his Name there. ³ Speak to the priest in office at that time. Tell him, “I announce today to the Lord your God that I have come to this land. It’s the land he promised to give us. He promised it to our people of long ago.” ⁴ The priest will receive the basket from you. He’ll set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. ⁵ Then you will speak while the Lord is listening. You will say, “My father Jacob was a wanderer from the land of Aram. He went down into Egypt with a few people. He lived there and became the father of a great nation. It had huge numbers of people. ⁶ But the people of Egypt treated us badly. They made us suffer. They made us work very hard. ⁷ Then we cried out to the Lord. He is the God of our people who lived long ago. He heard our voice. He saw how much we were suffering. The Egyptians were treating us badly. They were making us work very hard. ⁸ So the Lord used his mighty hand and powerful arm to bring us out of Egypt. He did great and terrifying things. He did signs and amazing things. ⁹ He brought us to this place. He gave us this land. It’s a land that has plenty of milk and honey. ¹⁰ Now, Lord, I’m bringing you the first share of crops from the soil. After all, you have given them to me.” Place the basket in front of the Lord your God. Bow down to him. ¹¹ Then you and the Levites and the outsiders among you will be full of joy. You will enjoy all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your family.

¹² You will set apart a tenth of everything you produce in the third year. That’s the year for giving the tenth to people who have greater needs. You will give it to the Levites, outsiders and widows. You will also give it to children whose fathers have died. Then all of them will have plenty to eat in your towns. ¹³ Speak to the Lord your God. Say to him, “I have taken your sacred share from my house. I have given it to the Levites, outsiders and widows. I have also given it to children whose fathers have died. I’ve done everything you commanded me to do. I haven’t stopped obeying your commands. I haven’t forgotten any of them. ¹⁴ I haven’t eaten any part of your sacred share while I mourned over someone who had died. I haven’t taken any of it from my house while I was ‘unclean.’ And I haven’t offered any of it to the dead. Lord my God, I’ve obeyed you. I’ve done everything you commanded me to do. ¹⁵ Look down from the holy place where you live in heaven. Bless your people Israel. Bless the land you have given us. It’s the land you promised to give to our people of long ago. It’s a land that has plenty of milk and honey.”

Obey the Lord’s Commands

¹⁶ This day the Lord your God commands you to obey all these rules and laws. Be careful to obey them with all your heart and with all your soul. ¹⁷ Today you have announced that the Lord is your God. You have said you would live exactly as he wants you to live. You have agreed to keep his rules, commands and laws. And you have said you would listen to him. ¹⁸ Today the Lord has announced that you are his people. He has said that you are his special treasure. He promised that you would be. He has told you to keep all his commands. ¹⁹ He has announced that he will make you famous. He’ll give you more praise and honor than all the other nations he has made. And he has said that you will be a holy nation. The Lord your God has set you apart for himself. That’s exactly what he promised to do.

The Altar on Mount Ebal

27 Moses and the elders of Israel gave commands to the people. They said, “Obey all the commands we’re giving you today. ² You will go across the Jordan River. You will enter the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you do, set up some large stones. Put a coat of plaster on them. ³ Write all the words of this law on them. Do it when you have crossed over into the land the Lord your God is giving you. It’s a land that has plenty of milk and honey. The Lord is the God of your people of long ago. He promised you that you would enter the land. ⁴ After you have gone across the Jordan, set up those stones on Mount Ebal. Put a coat of plaster on them. We’re commanding you today to do that. ⁵ Build an altar there to honor the Lord your God. Make it out of stones. Don’t use any iron tool on them. ⁶ Use stones you find in the fields to build his altar. Then offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. ⁷ Sacrifice friendship offerings there. Eat them and be filled with joy in the sight of the Lord your God. ⁸ You must write all the words of this law on the stones you have set up. Write the words very clearly.”

Curses for Not Obeying the Lord

⁹ Then Moses and the priests, who are Levites, spoke to all the Israelites. They said, “Israel, be quiet! Listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God. ¹⁰ Obey him. Obey his commands and rules that we’re giving you today.”

¹¹ Here are the commands Moses gave the people that same day.

¹² You will go across the Jordan River. When you do, six tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people. Those tribes are Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. ¹³ The other six tribes will stand on Mount Ebal to announce some curses. Those tribes are Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.

¹⁴ The Levites will speak to all the Israelites in a loud voice. The Levites will say,

¹⁵ “May anyone who makes a statue of a god and sets it up in secret be under the Lord’s curse. That statue is made by a skilled worker. And the Lord hates it.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

¹⁶ “May anyone who brings shame on their father or mother be under the Lord’s curse.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

¹⁷ “May anyone who moves their neighbor’s boundary stone be under the Lord’s curse.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

¹⁸ “May anyone who leads blind people down the wrong road be under the Lord’s curse.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

¹⁹ “May anyone who treats unfairly outsiders, widows, and children whose fathers have died be under the Lord’s curse.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²⁰ “May anyone who sleeps with his stepmother be under the Lord’s curse. That man brings shame on his father by doing that.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²¹ “May anyone who has sex with animals be under the Lord’s curse.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²² “May anyone who sleeps with his sister be under the Lord’s curse. It doesn’t matter whether she is his full sister or his half sister.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²³ “May anyone who sleeps with his mother-in-law be under the Lord’s curse.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²⁴ “May anyone who kills their neighbor secretly be under the Lord’s curse.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²⁵ “May anyone who accepts money to kill someone who isn’t guilty of doing anything wrong be under the Lord’s curse.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²⁶ “May anyone who doesn’t honor the words of this law by obeying them be under the Lord’s curse.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”