Beginning
Marriage and Divorce
24 “Suppose a man takes a wife and marries her. Now if she doesn’t find favor in his eyes because he has found something indecent in her, he is to write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her and send her out from his house. 2 When she leaves his house, she may go and become another man’s wife. 3 Now suppose the second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, and he hands it to her and she leaves his house—or suppose the second husband who took her to be his wife dies. 4 Then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled—for that would be detestable before Adonai. You are not to bring guilt on the land that Adonai your God is giving you as an inheritance.
5 “When a man takes a new wife, he is not to go out with the army or have any duty passed over to him. He is to be free at home for one year and make his wife happy.
Preserving Life and Property
6 “No one is to take a pair of millstones or the upper one as collateral, for this would be taking a livelihood as collateral.
7 “If a man is caught kidnapping any of his brothers from Bnei-Yisrael, whether he treats him like property or sells him, then that kidnapper must die. So you are to purge the evil from your midst.
8 “Take care in the plague of tzara’at—be very careful to do all that the Levitical kohanim instruct you, just as I commanded them, so you are to take care to do. 9 Remember what Adonai your God did to Miriam, along the way when you were coming out from Egypt.
Relief for the Poor
10 “When you make any kind of loan to your neighbor, you are not to go into his house to get his pledge. 11 You are to stand outside, and the man to whom you are making the loan is to bring the pledge outside to you. 12 If he is a poor man, you are not to sleep with his pledge[a]. 13 You must certainly restore the pledge to him when the sun sets, so that he may sleep in his coat and bless you—and it is to be righteousness for you before Adonai your God.
14 “You are not to oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is from your brothers or the outsiders in your land within your town gates. 15 On that day you are to give him his wages—the sun is not to set on it—for he is poor and sets his heart on it. Otherwise he will cry out against you to Adonai, and you will have sin on you.
16 “Fathers are not to be put to death for children, and children are not to be put to death for fathers—each one is to be put to death for his own sin. 17 You are not to twist justice for an outsider or orphan, and you are not to take as collateral a widow’s clothing. 18 But you are to remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and Adonai your God redeemed you from there. Therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.
19 “When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you are not to turn back to get it. It is for the outsider, for the orphan and for the widow—in order that Adonai your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat your olive tree, you are not to search through the branches afterward. It is for the outsider, for the orphan and for the widow. 21 When you harvest your vineyard, you are not to pick over it afterward. It is for the outsider, for the orphan and for the widow. 22 You are to remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. Therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.
Justice From the Court
25 “Suppose there is a dispute between people and they approach the court, the judges hear their case, and declare one righteous and the other guilty. 2 Now if the guilty one deserves to be flogged, the judge is to make him lie down and be flogged before him, with the number of lashes in proportion to his guilt. 3 He may strike him 40 times but no more. Otherwise he would beat him with too many a wound beyond these, and your brother would be degraded in your eyes.
4 “You are not to muzzle the ox while it is threshing.
5 “If brothers dwell together and one of them dies and has no son, the dead man’s wife is not to be married outside to a stranger. Her husband’s brother is to go to her and take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law. 6 Now the firstborn that she bears is to carry on the name of his dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out of Israel. 7 But if the man does not want to take his brother’s widow, his brother’s widow is to go to the elders at the gate and say, ‘My brother-in-law refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel—he is unwilling to perform a brother-in-law’s duty for me.’ 8 Then the elders of his town are to summon him and speak to him. And if he stands firm and says, ‘I do not desire to take her,’ 9 then his brother’s widow is to come to him in the sight of the elders, pull his sandal off his foot, spit in his face, and reply, ‘So will it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ 10 Then his name is to be called in Israel ‘the house of the pulled-off sandal.’
11 “Suppose people fight with one another, a man and his brother, and the wife of the one approaches to rescue her husband from the hand of the one hitting him; and she puts out her hand and grabs him by his genitals. 12 Then you are to cut off her hand—your eye will show no pity.
13 “You are not to have stones of different weights in your bag—large and small. 14 You are not to have in your house ephahs of different measures—large and small. 15 You must have a full and honest weight and a full and honest measure, so that your days may be long on the land that Adonai your God is giving you. 16 For all who do these things, all who do injustice, are detestable to Adonai your God.
Beware, Blot Out Amalek
17 “Remember what Amalek did to you along the way as you came out from Egypt— 18 how he happened upon you along the way and attacked those among you in the rear, all the stragglers behind you, when you were tired and weary—he did not fear God. 19 Now when Adonai your God grants you rest from all the enemies surrounding you in the land Adonai your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. Do not forget!
Parashat Ki Tavo
Firstfruits and Tithes
26 “Now when you enter the land that Adonai your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it, 2 you are to take some of the first of all the produce of the soil, which you gather from your land that Adonai your God is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place Adonai your God chooses to make His Name dwell. 3 You are to go to the kohen in charge in those days and say to him, ‘I declare today to Adonai your God, that I have entered into the land Adonai swore to our fathers to give us.’ 4 The kohen is to take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of Adonai your God.
5 “Then you are to respond before Adonai your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and lived there as an outsider, few in number. But there he became a great nation—mighty and numerous. 6 The Egyptians treated us badly, afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us. 7 Then we cried out to Adonai, God of our fathers, and Adonai listened to our voice and saw our affliction, our toil and our oppression. 8 Then Adonai brought us out from Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, and with signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land—a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now, look! I have brought the first of the fruits of the soil that You have given me, Adonai.’ Then you are to set it down before Adonai your God and worship before Adonai your God. 11 You will rejoice in all the good that Adonai your God has given to you and to your house—you, the Levite, and the outsider in your midst.
12 “When you finish tithing the full tenth of your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you are to give it to the Levite, to the outsider, to the orphan and to the widow, so that they may eat within your town gates and be satisfied. 13 Then you are to say before Adonai your God, ‘I have removed the holy tithe from my house and also have given it to the Levite and to the outsider, to the orphan and to the widow, according to all Your mitzvah that You have commanded me. I have not transgressed or forgotten any of Your mitzvot. 14 I have not eaten from the tithe in my mourning, or removed any of it while unclean, or given any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the voice of Adonai my God; I have done all just as You commanded me. 15 Look down from Your holy dwelling place, from the heavens and bless Your people Israel and the soil You have given us, as You swore to our fathers—a land flowing with milk and honey.’
Affirming the Covenant
16 “This day Adonai your God is commanding you to do these statutes and ordinances—so you are to take care and do them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 Today you have affirmed Adonai as your God, that you will walk in His ways, keep His statutes, mitzvot and ordinances, and listen to His voice. 18 Now today Adonai has affirmed you as His treasured people, as He promised you; that you are to keep all His mitzvot; 19 that He will set you high above all the nations He has made, for praise, fame and honor; and that you are to be a holy people to Adonai your God, as He has promised.”
27 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep the whole mitzvah that I am commanding you today. 2 Now on the day when you cross over the Jordan to the land that Adonai your God is giving you, you are to set up large stones for yourself and coat them with plaster. 3 Then you are to write on them all the words of this Torah when you cross over—so that you may enter the land that Adonai your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey just as Adonai, the God of your fathers, promised you. 4 Now when you cross over the Jordan, you are to set up these stones about which I am commanding you today on Mount Ebal, and coat them with plaster. 5 There also you will build an altar to Adonai your God, an altar of stones—you are not to use an iron tool on them. 6 You are to build the altar of Adonai your God of whole stones, and you are to offer up burnt offerings on it to Adonai your God. 7 You are to sacrifice fellowship offerings and eat there, and you will rejoice before Adonai your God. 8 You are to write on the stones all the words of this Torah very clearly.”
9 Then Moses and the Levitical kohanim spoke to all Israel, saying, “Be silent and listen, O Israel—this day you have become a people for Adonai your God. 10 Therefore listen to the voice of Adonai your God, and do His mitzvot and statutes that I am commanding you today.”
11 Moses commanded the people on that day saying, 12 “When you have crossed over the Jordan, these are to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 For the curse these are to stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
14 “Then the Levites are to answer and say with a loud voice to every man of Israel: 15 ‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molten image—an abomination to Adonai, the work of a craftsman’s hands—and sets it up in secret.’ Then all the people are to answer and say, ‘Amen.’
16 ‘Cursed is the one who dishonors his father or mother.’ Then all the people are to say, ‘Amen.’
17 ‘Cursed is the one who removes his neighbor’s boundary marker.’ Then all the people are to say, ‘Amen.’
18 ‘Cursed is the one who misleads a blind person on the road.’ Then all the people are to say, ‘Amen.’
19 ‘Cursed is the one who twists justice for the outsider, orphan and widow.’ Then all the people are to say, ‘Amen.’
20 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s nakedness.’[b] Then all the people are to say, ‘Amen.’
21 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with any kind of animal.’ Then all the people are to say, ‘Amen.’
22 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ Then all the people are to say, ‘Amen.’
23 “Cursed is the one who lies with his mother-in-law.’ Then all the people are to say, ‘Amen.’
24 ‘Cursed is the one who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ Then all the people are to say, ‘Amen.’
25 ‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to strike down an innocent life.’ Then all the people are to say, ‘Amen.’
26 ‘Cursed is the one who does not uphold the words of this Torah by doing them.’ Then all the people are to say, ‘Amen.’[c]
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.