Old/New Testament
25 If controversy arises between people,[a] they should go to court for judgment. When the judges[b] hear the case, they shall exonerate[c] the innocent but condemn[d] the guilty. 2 Then,[e] if the guilty person is sentenced to a beating,[f] the judge shall force him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of blows his wicked behavior deserves.[g] 3 The judge[h] may sentence him to forty blows,[i] but no more. If he is struck with more than these, you might view your fellow Israelite[j] with contempt.
4 You must not muzzle your[k] ox when it is treading grain.
Respect for the Sanctity of Others
5 If brothers live together and one of them dies without having a son, the dead man’s wife must not remarry someone outside the family. Instead, her late husband’s brother must go to her, marry her,[l] and perform the duty of a brother-in-law.[m] 6 Then[n] the first son[o] she bears will continue the name of the dead brother, thus preventing his name from being blotted out of Israel. 7 But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, then she[p] must go to the elders at the town gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel; he is unwilling to perform the duty of a brother-in-law to me!” 8 Then the elders of his city must summon him and speak to him. If he persists, saying, “I don’t want to marry her,” 9 then his sister-in-law must approach him in view of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face.[q] She will then respond, “Thus may it be done to any man who does not maintain his brother’s family line!”[r] 10 His family name will be referred to[s] in Israel as “the family[t] of the one whose sandal was removed.”[u]
11 If two men[v] get into a hand-to-hand fight, and the wife of one of them gets involved to help her husband against his attacker, and she reaches out her hand and grabs his private parts,[w] 12 then you must cut off her hand—do not pity her.
13 You must not have in your bag different stone weights,[x] a heavy and a light one.[y] 14 You must not have in your house different measuring containers,[z] a large and a small one. 15 You must have an accurate and correct[aa] stone weight and an accurate and correct measuring container, so that your life may be extended in the land the Lord your God is about to give you. 16 For anyone who acts dishonestly in these ways is abhorrent[ab] to the Lord your God.
Treatment of the Amalekites
17 Remember what the Amalekites[ac] did to you on your way from Egypt, 18 how they met you along the way and cut off all your stragglers in the rear of the march when you were exhausted and tired; they were unafraid of God.[ad] 19 So when the Lord your God gives you relief from all the enemies who surround you in the land he[ae] is giving you as an inheritance,[af] you must wipe out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven[ag]—do not forget![ah]
Presentation of the Firstfruits
26 When[ai] you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you occupy it and live in it, 2 you must take the first of all the ground’s produce you harvest from the land the Lord your God is giving you, place it in a basket, and go to the place where he[aj] chooses to locate his name.[ak] 3 You must go to the priest in office at that time and say to him, “I declare today to the Lord your[al] God that I have come into the land that the Lord[am] promised[an] to our ancestors[ao] to give us.” 4 The priest will then take the basket from you[ap] and set it before the altar of the Lord your God. 5 Then you must affirm before the Lord your God, “A wandering[aq] Aramean[ar] was my ancestor,[as] and he went down to Egypt and lived there as a foreigner with a household few in number,[at] but there he became a great, powerful, and numerous people. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, forcing us to do burdensome labor. 7 So we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and he[au] heard us and saw our humiliation, toil, and oppression. 8 Therefore the Lord brought us out of Egypt with tremendous strength and power,[av] as well as with great awe-inspiring signs and wonders. 9 Then 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 ground’s produce that you, Lord, have given me.” Then you must set it down before the Lord your God and worship before him.[aw] 11 You will celebrate all the good things that the Lord your God has given you and your family,[ax] along with the Levites and the resident foreigners among you.
Presentation of the Third-year Tithe
12 When you finish tithing all[ay] your income in the third year (the year of tithing), you must give it to the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows[az] so that they may eat to their satisfaction in your villages.[ba] 13 Then you shall say before the Lord your God, “I have removed the sacred offering[bb] from my house and given it to the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows just as you have commanded me.[bc] I have not violated or forgotten your commandments. 14 I have not eaten anything when I was in mourning, or removed any of it while ceremonially unclean, or offered any of it to the dead;[bd] I have obeyed you[be] and have done everything you have commanded me. 15 Look down from your holy dwelling place in heaven and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us, just as you promised our ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Narrative Interlude
16 Today the Lord your God is commanding you to keep these statutes and ordinances, something you must do with all your heart and soul.[bf] 17 Today you have declared the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in his ways, keep his statutes, commandments, and ordinances, and obey him. 18 And today the Lord has declared you to be his special people (as he already promised you) so you may keep all his commandments. 19 Then[bg] he will elevate you above all the nations he has made and you will receive praise, fame, and honor.[bh] You will[bi] be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he has said.
The Assembly at Shechem
27 Then Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Pay attention to all the commandments[bj] I am giving[bk] you today. 2 When you cross the Jordan River[bl] to the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must erect great stones and cover[bm] them with plaster. 3 Then you must inscribe on them all the words of this law when you cross over, so that you may enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors,[bn] said to you. 4 So when you cross the Jordan you must erect on Mount Ebal[bo] these stones about which I am commanding you today, and you must cover them with plaster. 5 Then you must build an altar there to the Lord your God, an altar of stones—do not use an iron tool on them. 6 You must build the altar of the Lord your God with whole stones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. 7 Also you must offer fellowship offerings and eat them there, rejoicing before the Lord your God. 8 You must inscribe on the stones all the words of this law, making them clear.”
9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel: “Be quiet and pay attention, Israel. Today you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 You must obey him[bp] and keep his commandments and statutes that I am giving you today.” 11 Moreover, Moses commanded the people that day: 12 “The following tribes[bq] must stand to bless the people on Mount Gerizim when you cross the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these other tribes must stand for the curse on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
The Covenant Curses
14 “The Levites will call out to every Israelite[br] with a loud voice: 15 ‘Cursed is the one[bs] who makes a carved or metal image—something abhorrent[bt] to the Lord, the work of the craftsman[bu]—and sets it up in a secret place.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’[bv] 16 ‘Cursed[bw] is the one who disrespects[bx] his father and mother.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 17 ‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 18 ‘Cursed is the one who misleads a blind person on the road.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 19 ‘Cursed is the one who perverts justice for the resident foreigner, the orphan, and the widow.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 20 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed with[by] his father’s former wife,[bz] for he dishonors his father.’[ca] Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 21 ‘Cursed is the one who commits bestiality.’[cb] Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 22 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed[cc] with his sister, the daughter of either his father or mother.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 23 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed[cd] with his mother-in-law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 24 ‘Cursed is the one who kills[ce] his neighbor in private.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 25 ‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 26 ‘Cursed is the one who refuses to keep the words of this law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
The Prediction of Peter’s Denial
27 Then[a] Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written,
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’[b]
28 But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even if they all fall away, I will not!” 30 Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth,[c] today—this very night—before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But Peter[d] insisted emphatically,[e] “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you.” And all of them said the same thing.
Gethsemane
32 Then[f] they went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus[g] said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James,[h] and John with him, and became very troubled and distressed. 34 He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay alert.” 35 Going a little farther, he threw himself to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour would pass from him. 36 He said, “Abba,[i] Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup[j] away from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 Then[k] he came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake for one hour? 38 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 He went away again and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came again he found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open.[l] And they did not know what to tell him. 41 He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?[m] Enough of that![n] The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer[o] is approaching!”
Betrayal and Arrest
43 Right away, while Jesus[p] was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived.[q] With him came a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and experts in the law[r] and elders. 44 (Now the betrayer[s] had given them a sign, saying, “The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him and lead him away under guard.”)[t] 45 When Judas[u] arrived, he went up to Jesus[v] immediately and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed[w] him. 46 Then they took hold of him[x] and arrested him. 47 One of the bystanders drew his sword and struck the high priest’s slave,[y] cutting off his ear. 48 Jesus said to them, “Have you come with swords and clubs to arrest me like you would an outlaw?[z] 49 Day after day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, yet[aa] you did not arrest me. But this has happened so that[ab] the scriptures would be fulfilled.” 50 Then[ac] all the disciples[ad] left him and fled. 51 A young man was following him, wearing only a linen cloth. They tried to arrest him, 52 but he ran off naked,[ae] leaving his linen cloth behind.
Condemned by the Sanhedrin
53 Then[af] they led Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests and elders and experts in the law[ag] came together.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.