Shēnméngjì 17

1 Fán yǒu cánji , huò yǒu shénme è bìng de niú yáng , nǐ dōu bùkĕ xiàn gĕi Yēhéhuá nǐde shén , yīnwei zhè shì Yēhéhuá nǐ shén suǒ zēngwù de .

2 Zaì nǐmen zhōngjiān , zaì Yēhéhuá nǐ shén suǒ cì nǐde zhū chéng zhōng , wúlùn nǎ zuò chéng lǐ , ruò yǒu rén , huò nán huò nǚ , xíng Yēhéhuá nǐ shén yǎn zhōng kàn wéi è de shì , wéibeì le tāde yuē ,

3 Qù shìfèng jìngbaì bié shén , huò baì rìtou , huò baì yuèliang , huò baì tiān xiàng , shì zhǔ bú céng fēnfu de .

4 Yǒu rén gàosu nǐ , nǐ yĕ tīngjian le , jiù yào xì xì dì tàn tīng , guǒrán shì zhēn , zhún yǒu zhè kè zēngwù de shì xíng zaì Yǐsèliè zhōng ,

5 Nǐ jiù yào jiāng xíng zhè è shì de nánrén huò nǚrén lā dào chéng mén waì , yòng shítou jiāng tā dá sǐ .

6 Yào píng liǎng sān gèrén de kǒu zuò jiànzhèng jiāng nà dàng sǐ de rén zhìsǐ . bùkĕ píng yī gèrén de kǒu zuò jiànzhèng jiāng tā zhìsǐ .

7 Jiànzhèng rén yào xiān xià shǒu , ránhòu zhòng mín yĕ xià shǒu jiàng tā zhìsǐ . zhèyàng , jiù bǎ nà è cóng nǐmen zhōngjiān chúdiào .

8 Nǐ chéng zhōng ruò qǐ le zhēng sòng de shì , huò yīn liúxuè , huò yīn zhēngjing , huò yīn ōudǎ , shì nǐ nán duàn de ànjiàn , nǐ jiù dàng qǐlai , wǎng Yēhéhuá nǐ shén suǒ xuǎnzé de dìfang

9 Qù jiàn jìsī Lìwèi rén , bìng dāngshí de shĕnpàn guān , qiú wèn tāmen , tāmen bìjiāng pàn yǔ zhǐshì nǐ .

10 Tāmen zaì Yēhéhuá suǒ xuǎnzé de dìfang zhǐshì nǐde pàn yǔ , nǐ bì zhào zhe tāmen suǒ zhǐjiào nǐde yīqiè huà jǐn shǒu zūnxíng .

11 Yào àn tāmen suǒ zhǐjiào nǐde lǜfǎ , zhào tāmen suǒ duàndìng de qù xíng . tāmen suǒ zhǐshì nǐde pàn yǔ , nǐ bùkĕ piānlí zuǒyòu .

12 Ruò yǒu rén shàn gǎn bú tīng cóng nà shì lì zaì Yēhéhuá nǐ shén miànqián de jìsī , huò bú tīng cóng shĕnpàn guān , nà rén jiù bì zhìsǐ . zhèyàng , biàn jiāng nà è cóng Yǐsèliè zhōng chúdiào .

13 Zhòng bǎixìng dōu yào tīngjian haìpà , bú zaì shàn gǎn xíngshì .

14 Dào le Yēhéhuá nǐ shén suǒ cì nǐde dì , de le nà dì jūzhù de shíhou , ruò shuō , wǒ yào lì wáng zhìlǐ wǒ , xiàng sìwéi de guó yíyàng .

15 Nǐ zǒng yào lì Yēhéhuá nǐ shén suǒ jiǎnxuǎn de rén wéi wáng . bì cóng nǐ dìxiōng zhōng lì yī rén . bùkĕ lì nǐ dìxiōng yǐwaì de rén wéi wáng .

16 Zhǐshì wáng bùkĕ wéi zìjǐ jiā tiān mǎ pǐ , yĕ bùkĕ shǐ bǎixìng huí Āijí qù , wéi yào jiā tiān tāde mǎ pǐ , yīn Yēhéhuá céng fēnfu nǐmen shuō , bùkĕ zaì huí nà tiaó lù qù .

17 Tā yĕ bùkĕ wéi zìjǐ duō lì fēi pín , kǒngpà tāde xīn piān xié . yĕ bùkĕ wéi zìjǐ duō jī jīn yín .

18 Tā dēng le guó wèi , jiù yào jiāng jìsī Lìwèi rén miànqián de zhè lǜfǎ shū , wéi zìjǐ chāo lù yī bĕn ,

19 Cún zaì Tānàli , yào píng shēng sòng dú , hǎo xuéxí jìngwèi Yēhéhuá tāde shén , jǐn shǒu zūnxíng zhè lǜfǎ shū shàng de yīqiè yányǔ hé zhèxie lǜ lì ,

20 Miǎndé tā xiàng dìxiōng xīn gāo qì ào , piān zuǒ piān yòu , lí le zhè jièmìng . zhèyàng , tā hé tāde zǐsūn biàn kè zaì Yǐsèliè zhōng , zaì guó wèi shàn nián cháng rì jiǔ .

Shēnméngjì 17 Commentary

Chapter 17

All sacrifices to be perfect, Idolaters must be slain. (1-7) Difficult controversies. (8-13) The choice of a king, His duties. (14-20)

Verses 1-7 No creature which had any blemish was to be offered in sacrifice to God. We are thus called to remember the perfect, pure, and spotless sacrifice of Christ, and reminded to serve God with the best of our abilities, time, and possession, or our pretended obedience will be hateful to him. So great a punishment as death, so remarkable a death as stoning, must be inflicted on the Jewish idolater. Let all who in our day set up idols in their hearts, remember how God punished this crime in Israel.

Verses 8-13 Courts of judgment were to be set up in every city. Though their judgment had not the Divine authority of an oracle, it was the judgment of wise, prudent, experienced men, and had the advantage of a Divine promise.

Verses 14-20 God himself was in a particular manner Israel's King; and if they set another over them, it was necessary that he should choose the person. Accordingly, when the people desired a king, they applied to Samuel, a prophet of the Lord. In all cases, God's choice, if we can but know it, should direct, determine, and overrule ours. Laws are given for the prince that should be elected. He must carefully avoid every thing that would turn him from God and religion. Riches, honours, and pleasures, are three great hinderances of godliness, (the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life,) especially to those in high stations; against these the king is here warned. The king must carefully study the law of God, and make that his rule; and having a copy of the Scriptures of his own writing, must read therein all the days of his life. It is not enough to have Bibles, but we must use them, use them daily, as long as we live. Christ's scholars never learn above their Bibles, but will have constant occasion for them, till they come to that world where knowledge and love will be made perfect. The king's writing and reading were as nothing, if he did not practise what he wrote and read. And those who fear God and keep his commandments, will fare the better for it even in this world.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 17

This chapter begins with a caution not to sacrifice anything to the Lord that is blemished or ill favoured, De 17:1, an order is given to put to death men or women guilty of idolatry, where it is clearly proved upon them, De 17:2-7 and it is directed that when cases are too hard for inferior judges to determine, they should be brought to Jerusalem to the priests, Levites, and judges, which formed the great consistory there, whose sentence was to be adhered unto on pain of death, De 17:8-13, and rules are given about the choice of a king, and he is informed what he must not do, and what he should do, De 17:14-20.