Deuteronomy 17:11-20

11 Accept their verdict and follow their instructions in every detail.
12 Anyone who dares to disobey either the judge or the priest on duty is to be put to death; in this way you will remove this evil from Israel.
13 Then everyone will hear of it and be afraid, and no one else will dare to act in such a way.
14 "After you have taken possession of the land that the Lord your God is going to give you and have settled there, then you will decide you need a king like all the nations around you. 1
15 Be sure that the man you choose to be king is the one whom the Lord has chosen. He must be one of your own people; do not make a foreigner your king.
16 The king is not to have a large number of horses for his army, and he is not to send people to Egypt to buy horses, because the Lord has said that his people are never to return there. 2
17 The king is not to have many wives, because this would make him turn away from the Lord; and he is not to make himself rich with silver and gold. 3
18 When he becomes king, he is to have a copy of the book of God's laws and teachings made from the original copy kept by the levitical priests.
19 He is to keep this book near him and read from it all his life, so that he will learn to honor the Lord and to obey faithfully everything that is commanded in it.
20 This will keep him from thinking that he is better than other Israelites and from disobeying the Lord's commands in any way. Then he will reign for many years, and his descendants will rule Israel for many generations.

Cross References 3

  • 1. 17.14 1 Samuel 8.5.
  • 2. 17.16 1 K 10.28;2 Chronicles 1.16; 9.28.
  • 3. 17.17 a 1 K 11.1-8; b 1 K 10.14-22, 27;2 Chronicles 1.15; 9.27.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. to buy horses; [or] in exchange for horses.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.