Deuteronomy 1; Deuteronomy 7; Deuteronomy 9; Deuteronomy 10; Deuteronomy 14; Deuteronomy 15; Deuteronomy 16; Deuteronomy 17; Deuteronomy 18; Deuteronomy 19; Deuteronomy 20; Deuteronomy 21; Deuteronomy 22; Deuteronomy 23; Deuteronomy 24; Deuteronomy 25; Deuteronomy 30

Deuteronomy 1

1 This is the speech Moses gave in the desert east of the Jordan River, on the plains, near Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and near Laban, Hazeroth, and Di Zahab. He spoke to all the Israelites.

2 (It takes 11 days to go from Mount Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by way of Mount Seir.)

3 On the first day of the eleventh month in the fortieth year [after they had left Egypt], Moses told the Israelites everything the LORD had commanded him to tell them.

4 This was after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth and in Edrei.

5 The Israelites were east of the Jordan River in Moab when Moses began to review God's teachings. This is what he said:

6 At Mount Horeb the LORD our God said to us, "You have stayed at this mountain long enough.

7 Break camp, and get ready! Go to the mountain region of the Amorites, and go to everyone living on the plains, in the mountains, in the foothills, in the Negev, on the whole Mediterranean coast (the land of the Canaanites), and into Lebanon as far as the Euphrates River.

8 I'm giving you this land. Enter, and take possession of the land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to you, their descendants."

9 At that time I said to you, "I'm not able to take care of you by myself.

10 The LORD your God has made your population increase so that you are now as numerous as the stars in the sky.

11 May the LORD God of your ancestors make you a thousand times more numerous, and may he bless you as he has promised.

12 How can I take care of your problems, your troubles, and your disagreements all by myself?

13 From each of your tribes, choose some men who are wise, intelligent, and experienced, and I'll appoint them to be your leaders."

14 You agreed that this was a good idea.

15 So I took the heads of your tribes who were wise and experienced men and made them officers for each of your tribes. I put them in charge of groups of 1,000, or 100, or 50, or 10 people.

16 Also at that time I gave these instructions to your judges: "Hear the cases that your people bring. Judge each case fairly, no matter whether it is [a dispute] between two Israelites or [a dispute] between an Israelite and a non-Israelite.

17 Be impartial in your decisions. Listen to the least important people the same way you listen to the most important people. Never be afraid of anyone, since your decisions come from God. You may bring me any case that's too hard for you, and I will hear it."

18 So I told you how to handle these situations.

19 So we left Mount Horeb, as the LORD our God had commanded. We traveled through all that vast and dangerous desert you saw on the way to the mountain region of the Amorites. At last we came to Kadesh Barnea.

20 Then I said to you, "We have come to the mountain region of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.

21 The LORD your God is giving you this land. Go ahead! Take possession of it, as the LORD God of your ancestors told you. Don't be afraid or terrified."

22 All of you came to me and said, "Let's send men ahead of us to gather information about the land for us. Have them report to us about the route we should take and the cities we'll come to."

23 It seemed like a good idea to me. So I chose 12 of your men, one from each tribe.

24 They left and went into the mountains. When they came to the Eshcol Valley, they explored it.

25 They took some of the region's fruit with them and brought it back to us. They reported, "The land that the LORD our God is giving us is good."

26 But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God and refused to go.

27 You complained in your tents and said, "The LORD hates us! That's why he brought us out of Egypt. He wanted to hand us over to the Amorites so that they could destroy us!

28 Where are we going anyway? Our own men have discouraged us by saying, 'The people there are taller and stronger than we are. The cities are big with sky-high walls! We even saw the people of Anak there.'"

29 Then I said to you, "Don't tremble. Don't be afraid of them.

30 The LORD your God, who is going ahead of you, will fight for you as you saw him fight for you in Egypt

31 and in the desert." There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as parents carry their children. He carried you wherever you went until you came to this place.

32 In spite of this, you didn't trust the LORD your God,

33 who went ahead of you to find places for you to camp. He appeared in a column of fire at night and in a column of smoke during the day to show you which route to take.

34 When the LORD heard what you said, he was angry and took this oath:

35 "Not one of these evil people will ever see the good land that I swore to give to your ancestors,

36 except Caleb, son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give the land that he set his feet on to him and his descendants, because he wholeheartedly followed the LORD."

37 The LORD became angry with me because of you. He said, "You won't go there either.

38 But your assistant Joshua, son of Nun, will go there. Encourage him, because he will help Israel take possession of the land.

39 Although you thought the little children would be captured in war, your children, who are still too young to know the difference between good and evil, will enter that land. I will give it to them, and they will take possession of it.

40 Turn around, go back into the desert, and follow the road that goes to the Red Sea."

41 You responded, "We have sinned against the LORD. We'll go and fight, as the LORD our God commanded us to do." Each of you armed yourself for war, thinking you could easily invade the mountain region.

42 But the LORD said to me, "Tell them, 'Don't go and fight, because I won't be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.'"

43 I told you, but you wouldn't listen. You defied the LORD's command and invaded the mountain region.

44 The Amorites who lived there came out and attacked you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They defeated you, chasing you from Seir all the way to Hormah.

45 When you came back, you cried to the LORD, but the LORD didn't listen to you or hear you.

46 That's why you stayed in Kadesh as long as you did.

Deuteronomy 7

1 The LORD your God will bring you to the land you're about to enter and take possession of. He will force many nations out of your way: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites--seven nations larger and more powerful than you.

2 When the LORD your God gives them to you and you defeat them, destroy every one of them because they have been claimed by the LORD. Don't make any treaties with them or show them any mercy.

3 Never marry any of them. Never let your daughters marry their sons or your sons marry their daughters.

4 These people will turn your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the LORD will get very angry with you and will quickly destroy you.

5 But this is what you must do to these people: Tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, and burn their idols.

6 You are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. He chose you to be his own special possession out of all the nations on earth.

7 The LORD set his heart on you and chose you, even though you didn't outnumber all the other people. You were the smallest of all nations.

8 You were chosen because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors. So he used his mighty hand to bring you out. He freed you from slavery under Pharaoh (the king of Egypt).

9 Keep in mind that the LORD your God is [the only] God. He is a faithful God, who keeps his promise and is merciful to thousands of generations of those who love him and obey his commands.

10 But he sends destruction to pay back everyone who hates him. He never takes long to pay back anyone who hates him.

11 So obey the commands, laws, and rules I'm giving you today.

12 If you listen to these rules and faithfully obey them, the LORD your God will keep his promise to you and be merciful to you, as he swore to your ancestors.

13 He will love you, bless you, and increase the number of your descendants. He will bless you with children. He will bless your land with produce: grain, new wine, and olive oil. He will bless your herds with calves, and your flocks with lambs and kids. This will all happen in the land the LORD will give you, as he swore to your ancestors.

14 You will be blessed more than any other people. Your men and women will be able to have children, and your animals will be able to have offspring.

15 The LORD will keep you from having any kind of illness. He will not strike you with any of the terrible diseases you experienced in Egypt. Instead, he will strike all those who hate you.

16 You must destroy all the people the LORD your God hands over to you. Have no pity on them, and never worship their gods, because they will be a trap for you.

17 You may say to yourselves, "These nations outnumber us. How can we force them out?"

18 Don't be afraid of them. Remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and all of Egypt.

19 You saw with your own eyes the terrible plagues, the miraculous signs, and the amazing things the LORD did. He used his mighty hand and powerful arm to bring you out. He will do the same thing to all the people you're afraid of.

20 The LORD your God will spread panic among them until they all die. There will be no one left--not even those who were hiding from you.

21 Don't be afraid of them, because the LORD your God is with you. He is a great and awe-inspiring God.

22 Little by little he will force these nations out of your way. You won't be able to wipe them out quickly. Otherwise, you would be overrun with wild animals.

23 The LORD your God will hand these people over to you and will throw them into a great panic until they're destroyed.

24 He will hand their kings over to you, and no one on earth will even remember their names. No one will be able to stop you. You will destroy them all.

25 Burn their idols. Don't ever long for the silver and gold on these idols or take any of it for yourselves. It might be a trap for you. Besides, these idols are disgusting to the LORD your God.

26 Never bring a disgusting idol into your house. If you do, you and the idol will be destroyed. Consider it detestable and disgusting. It must be destroyed."

Deuteronomy 9

1 Listen, Israel, you're about to cross the Jordan River. You'll be forcing out nations that are larger and stronger than you, with big cities that have sky-high walls.

2 Their people are tall and strong. They're descendants of Anak. You know all about them. You've also heard it said, "Who can oppose the descendants of Anak?"

3 Realize today that the LORD your God is the one who is going ahead of you like a raging fire. He will wipe them out and will use you to crush their power. You will take possession of their land and will quickly destroy them as the LORD promised you.

4 When the LORD your God expels these people in front of you, don't say to yourselves, "Because we've been living right, the LORD brought us here to take possession of this land." No, it's because these nations are so wicked that the LORD is forcing them out of your way.

5 It's not because you've been living right or because you're so honest that you're entering to take possession of their land. It's because these people are so wicked that the LORD your God is forcing them out of your way. It's also because the LORD wants to confirm the promise he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

6 So understand this: It's not because you've been living right that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess. You are impossible to deal with!

7 Never forget how you made the LORD your God angry in the desert. You've rebelled against the LORD from the day you left Egypt until you came here.

8 Even at Mount Horeb you made the LORD so angry that he wanted to destroy you.

9 When I went up on the mountain to get the stone tablets, the tablets of the promise that the LORD made to you, I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights without food or water.

10 Then the LORD gave me the two stone tablets inscribed by God himself. On them were written all the words that the LORD spoke to you from the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly.

11 At the end of the 40 days and 40 nights, the LORD gave me the two stone tablets with his promise on them.

12 He told me, "Leave right away. Your people whom you brought out of Egypt have ruined [everything]. They've quickly turned from the way I commanded them to live. They've made an idol for themselves."

13 The LORD also said to me, "I've seen these people, and they are impossible to deal with.

14 Leave me alone! I'll destroy them and wipe their name off the earth. Then I'll make you into a nation larger and stronger than they are."

15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it was still burning with fire. I was carrying the two tablets with the promise on them.

16 Then I saw that you had sinned against the LORD your God. You had made a statue of a calf for yourselves. You had quickly turned from the way the LORD commanded you to live.

17 I took the two tablets, threw them down, and smashed them in front of you.

18 Once again I threw myself down in front of the LORD. I went without food and water for 40 days and 40 nights because of the sin you committed. You did what the LORD considered evil and made him furious.

19 I was terrified of the LORD's anger and fury. He was so angry he wanted to destroy you. But once more the LORD listened to me.

20 The LORD also became very angry with Aaron and wanted to destroy him. But at that time I prayed for Aaron, too.

21 I took that sinful calf you made and burned it. I crushed it, grinding it thoroughly until it was as fine as powder. Then I threw the powder into the river that flowed down the mountain.

22 You also made the LORD angry at Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth Hattaavah.

23 When the LORD sent you from Kadesh Barnea, he said, "Go and take possession of the land I'm giving you." But you rebelled against the word of the LORD your God. You didn't believe him or obey him.

24 You've rebelled against the LORD as long as I've known you.

25 I threw myself down in front of the LORD for 40 days and 40 nights because the LORD said he would destroy you.

26 I prayed to the LORD and said, "Almighty LORD, don't destroy your people. They belong to you. You saved them by your great power and used your mighty hand to bring them out of Egypt.

27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Disregard the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people.

28 Otherwise, the country we left will say, "The LORD wasn't able to bring them to the land he promised them. He hated them. That's why he brought them out--to let them die in the desert."

29 They are your people. They belong to you. You used your great strength and powerful arm to bring them out [of Egypt].

Deuteronomy 10

1 At that time the LORD said to me, "Cut two [more] stone tablets like the first ones, and come up to me on the mountain. Also make an ark out of wood.

2 I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the first tablets, which you smashed. Then you will put them in the ark."

3 I made an ark out of acacia wood. I cut two [more] stone tablets like the first ones. I carried the two tablets up the mountain.

4 The LORD wrote on these tablets the same words as before, the ten commandments. He had spoken these words to you from the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly. Then the LORD gave them to me.

5 I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made. They are still there, where the LORD commanded me to put them.

6 The Israelites moved from the wells of the Jaakanites to Moserah. Aaron died there and was buried, and his son Eleazar succeeded him as priest.

7 They moved from there to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with rivers that don't dry up.

8 At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the LORD's promise, to stand in the LORD's presence when they serve him as priests, and to praise his name, as they still do today.

9 This is why the tribe of Levi has no land of their own as the other tribes have. The LORD your God is their only possession, as he promised them.

10 I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights as I did the first time. Once again the LORD listened to me and agreed not to destroy you.

11 The LORD said to me, "Lead the people on their journey. They will enter and take possession of the land I will give them, as I swore to their ancestors."

12 Israel, what does the LORD your God want you to do? He wants you to fear him, follow all his directions, love him, and worship him with all your heart and with all your soul.

13 The LORD wants you to obey his commands and laws that I'm giving you today for your own good.

14 Remember that the sky, the highest heaven, the earth and everything it contains belong to the LORD your God.

15 The LORD set his heart on your ancestors and loved them. Because of this, today he chooses you, their descendants, out of all the people of the world.

16 So circumcise your uncircumcised hearts, and don't be impossible to deal with any longer.

17 The LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, powerful, and awe-inspiring God. He never plays favorites and never takes a bribe.

18 He makes sure orphans and widows receive justice. He loves foreigners and gives them food and clothes.

19 So you should love foreigners, because you were foreigners living in Egypt.

20 Fear the LORD your God, worship him, be loyal to him, and take your oaths in his name.

21 He is your glory. He is your God, who did for you these spectacular and awe-inspiring deeds you saw with your own eyes.

22 When your ancestors went to Egypt, there were 70 of them. Now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Deuteronomy 14

1 You are the children of the LORD your God. So when someone dies, don't [mourn] by cutting yourselves or shaving bald spots on your head.

2 You are people who are holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the people who live on earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his own special possession.

3 Never eat anything that is disgusting to the LORD.

4 Here are the [kinds of] animals you may eat: oxen, sheep, goats,

5 deer, gazelles, fallow deer, wild goats, mountain goats, antelope, and mountain sheep.

6 You may eat all animals that have completely divided hoofs and that also chew their cud.

7 But some animals chew their cud, while others have completely divided hoofs. You may not eat these [kinds of] animals. They include camels, rabbits, and rock badgers. (Although they chew their cud, they don't have divided hoofs. They are unclean for you.)

8 Also, you may not eat pigs. (Although their hoofs are divided, they don't chew their cud.) Never eat their meat or touch their dead bodies.

9 Here's what you may eat of every creature that lives in the water: You may eat any creature that has fins and scales.

10 But never eat anything that doesn't have fins and scales. It is unclean for you.

11 You may eat any clean bird.

12 But here are the birds that you should never eat: eagles, bearded vultures, black vultures,

13 buzzards, all types of kites,

14 all types of crows,

15 ostriches, nighthawks, seagulls, all types of falcons,

16 little owls, great owls, barn owls,

17 pelicans, ospreys, cormorants,

18 storks, all types of herons, hoopoes, and bats.

19 Every swarming, winged insect is also unclean for you. They must never be eaten.

20 However, you may eat any [other kind of] flying creature that is clean.

21 Never eat any creature that dies naturally. You may give it to the foreigners who live in your cities, and they may eat it. You may also sell it to foreigners who are visiting. But you are people who are holy to the LORD your God. Never cook a young goat in its mother's milk.

22 Every year be sure to save a tenth of the crops harvested from whatever you plant in your fields.

23 Eat the tenth of your grain, new wine, and olive oil, and eat the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, and goats in the presence of the LORD your God in the place he will choose to put his name. Then you will learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live.

24 But the place the LORD your God will choose to put his name may be too far away. He may bless you with so much that you can't carry a tenth of your income that far.

25 If so, exchange the tenth part of your income for silver. Take the silver with you, and go to the place the LORD your God will choose.

26 Use the silver to buy whatever you want: cattle, sheep, goats, wine, liquor--whatever you choose. Then you and your family will eat and enjoy yourselves there in the presence of the LORD your God.

27 Never forget to take care of the Levites who live in your cities. They have no land of their own as you have.

28 At the end of every third year bring a tenth of that year's crop, and store it in your cities.

29 Foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities may come to eat all they want. The Levites may also come because they have no land of their own as you have. Then the LORD your God will bless you in whatever work you do.

Deuteronomy 15

1 At the end of every seven years, you must cancel debts.

2 This is what you will do: If you've made a loan, don't collect payment on the debt your neighbor still owes you. Don't demand that your neighbor or relative pay you, because the [time] for suspending payments on debts has been proclaimed in the LORD's honor.

3 You may demand that a foreigner pay, but don't collect payment on the debt another Israelite still owes you.

4 In any case, there shouldn't be any poor people among you, because the LORD your God will certainly bless you in the land he is giving you as your own possession.

5 He will bless you only if you listen carefully to the LORD your God and faithfully obey all these commands I'm giving you today.

6 The LORD your God will bless you, as he promised. You will make loans to many nations, but you will not have to borrow from any of them. You will rule many nations, but no nation will ever rule you.

7 This is what you must do whenever there are poor Israelites in one of your cities in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

8 Be generous to these poor people, and freely lend them as much as they need. Never be hard-hearted and tight-fisted with them.

9 When the seventh year--the year when payments on debts are canceled--is near, you might be stingy toward poor Israelites and give them nothing. Be careful not to think these worthless thoughts. The poor will complain to the LORD about you, and you will be condemned for your sin.

10 Be sure to give to them without any hesitation. When you do this, the LORD your God will bless you in everything you work for and set out to do.

11 There will always be poor people in the land. That's why I command you to be generous to other Israelites who are poor and needy.

12 Whenever Hebrew men or women are sold to you as slaves, they will be your slaves for six years. In the seventh year you must let them go free.

13 But when you let them go, don't send them away empty-handed.

14 Generously give them provisions--sheep from your flocks, grain from your threshing floor, and wine from your winepress. Be as generous to them as the LORD your God has been to you.

15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God freed you. That's why I'm giving you this command today.

16 But suppose a male slave says to you, "I don't want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and is happy with you.

17 Then take an awl and pierce it through his ear lobe into a door, and he will be your slave for life. Do the same to a female slave [if she doesn't want to leave].

18 If you have to let your slave go free, it won't be a hardship for you. It would have cost you twice as much to hire someone to do the same work for those six years. Besides, the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.

19 You must dedicate every firstborn male from your herds and flocks to the LORD your God. Never use a firstborn ox for work, and never shear a firstborn sheep.

20 Every year you and your family must eat these animals in the presence of the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose.

21 But if an animal is lame or blind or has any other serious defect--never sacrifice it to the LORD your God.

22 Eat it in your city. Clean and unclean people may eat them together as if they were eating a gazelle or a deer.

23 But never eat the blood. Pour it on the ground like water.

Deuteronomy 16

1 Honor the LORD your God by celebrating Passover in the month of Abib. In the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt at night.

2 Slaughter an animal from your flock or herd as the Passover sacrifice to the LORD your God. Do this at the place where the LORD will choose for his name to live.

3 Never eat leavened bread with the meat from this sacrifice. Instead, for seven days you must eat unleavened bread at this festival. (It is the bread of misery because you left Egypt in a hurry.) Eat this bread so that, as long as you live, you will remember the day you left Egypt.

4 There should be no yeast anywhere in your land for seven days. Never leave until morning any of the meat you slaughter on the evening of the first day.

5 You're not allowed to slaughter the animals for Passover in any of the cities the LORD your God is giving you.

6 Instead, slaughter your animals for Passover in the place where the LORD your God will choose for his name to live. Do this in the evening as the sun goes down. This is the same time you did it when you left Egypt.

7 Cook the meat, and eat it at the place the LORD your God will choose. In the morning you may go back to your tents.

8 For six days eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day hold a religious assembly dedicated to the LORD your God. Don't do any work that day.

9 Count seven weeks from the time you start harvesting grain.

10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the LORD your God. Bring a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given you.

11 Enjoy yourselves in the presence of the LORD your God along with your sons, daughters, male and female slaves, the Levites who live in your cities, the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live among you. Enjoy yourselves at the place the LORD your God will choose for his name to live.

12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and obey these laws carefully.

13 After you have gathered the grain from your threshing floor and made your wine, celebrate the Festival of Booths for seven days.

14 Enjoy yourselves at the festival along with your sons, daughters, male and female slaves, the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities.

15 For seven days you will celebrate this festival dedicated to the LORD your God in the place he will choose. You will enjoy yourselves, because the LORD your God will bless all your harvest and all your work.

16 Three times a year all your men must come into the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Booths. But no one may come into the presence of the LORD without an offering.

17 Each man must bring a gift in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given him.

18 Appoint judges and officers for your tribes in every city that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people fairly.

19 Never pervert justice. Instead, be impartial. Never take a bribe, because bribes blind wise people and deny justice to those who are in the right.

20 Strive for nothing but justice so that you will live and take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

21 When you build the altar for the LORD your God, never plant beside it any tree dedicated to the goddess Asherah.

22 Never set up a sacred stone. These are things the LORD your God hates.

Deuteronomy 17

1 Never offer an ox or a sheep that has a defect or anything seriously wrong with it as a sacrifice to the LORD your God. That would be disgusting to him.

2 In one of the cities the LORD your God is giving you, there may be a man or woman among you who is doing what the LORD considers evil. This person may be disregarding the conditions of the LORD's promise

3 by worshiping and bowing down to other gods, the sun, the moon, or the whole army of heaven. I have forbidden this.

4 When you are told about it, investigate it thoroughly. If it's true and it can be proven that this disgusting thing has been done in Israel,

5 then bring the man or woman who did this evil thing to the gates of your city, and stone that person to death.

6 The person can only be sentenced to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses, but no one should ever be sentenced to death on the testimony of only one witness.

7 The witnesses must start the execution, then all the other people will join them in putting the person to death. You must get rid of this evil.

8 There may be a case that is too hard for you to decide. It may involve murder, assault, or a dispute--any case which may be brought to court in your cities. Take this case to the place that the LORD your God will choose.

9 Go to the Levitical priests and the judge who is serving at that time. Ask for their opinion, and they will give you their verdict

10 at the place that the LORD will choose. Do what they tell you. Follow all their instructions carefully,

11 and do what they tell you to do in their verdict. Do exactly what they tell you to do in their decision.

12 If anyone deliberately disobeys the priest (who serves the LORD your God) or the judge, that person must die. You must get rid of this evil in Israel.

13 When all the people hear about it, they will be afraid and will never defy [God's law] again.

14 You will enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You will take possession of it and live there. You will say, "Let's have our own king like all the other nations around us."

15 Be sure to appoint the king the LORD your God will choose. He must be one of your own people. Never let a foreigner be king, because he's not one of your own people.

16 The king must never own a large number of horses or make the people return to Egypt to get more horses. The LORD has told you, "You will never go back there again."

17 The king must never have a large number of wives, or he will turn away [from God]. And he must never own a lot of gold and silver.

18 When he becomes king, he should have the Levitical priests make him a copy of these teachings on a scroll.

19 He must keep it with him and read it his entire life. He will learn to fear the LORD his God and faithfully obey everything found in these teachings and laws.

20 Then he won't think he's better than the rest of his people, and he won't disobey these commands in any way. So he and his sons will rule for a long time in Israel.

Deuteronomy 18

1 The Levitical priests--in fact, the whole tribe of Levi--will receive no land or property of their own like the rest of the Israelites. They will eat what has been sacrificed to the LORD. These sacrifices will be what they receive.

2 So the Levites will have no land of their own like the other Israelites. The LORD will be their inheritance, as he promised them.

3 This is what the people owe the priests whenever they sacrifice an ox, a sheep, or a goat: the shoulder, jaws, and stomach.

4 Also, give them the first produce harvested: grain, new wine, olive oil, and the first wool you shear from your sheep.

5 Out of all your tribes, the LORD your God has chosen the Levites and their descendants to do the work of serving in the name of the LORD forever.

6 A Levite from any of your cities in Israel may come from where he has been living to the place the LORD will choose. He may come as often as he wants

7 and may serve in the name of the LORD his God like all the other Levites who do their work in the LORD's presence.

8 If he does, he'll get the same amount of food as they do, in addition to what he gets from selling his family's goods.

9 When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, never learn the disgusting practices of those nations.

10 You must never sacrifice your sons or daughters by burning them alive, practice black magic, be a fortuneteller, witch, or sorcerer,

11 cast spells, ask ghosts or spirits for help, or consult the dead.

12 Whoever does these things is disgusting to the LORD. The LORD your God is forcing these nations out of your way because of their disgusting practices.

13 You must have integrity [in dealing] with the LORD your God.

14 These nations you are forcing out listen to fortunetellers and to those who practice black magic. But the LORD your God won't let you do anything like that.

15 The LORD your God will send you a prophet, an Israelite like me. You must listen to him.

16 This is what you asked the LORD your God to give you on the day of the assembly at Mount Horeb. You said, "We never want to hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this raging fire again. If we do, we'll die!"

17 The LORD told me, "What they've said is good.

18 So I will send them a prophet, an Israelite like you. I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.

19 Whoever refuses to listen to the words that prophet speaks in my name will answer to me.

20 But any prophet who dares to say something in my name that I didn't command him to say or who speaks in the name of other gods must die."

21 You may be wondering, "How can we recognize that the LORD didn't speak this message?"

22 If a prophet speaks in the LORD's name and what he says doesn't happen or come true, then it didn't come from the LORD. That prophet has spoken on his own authority. Never be afraid of him.

Deuteronomy 19

1 The LORD your God will destroy all the nations that are living in the land that he's giving you. You will force them out and live in their cities and houses.

2 When all this is done, set aside three cities in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

3 Provide a route to each of these cities and divide the land that the LORD your God is giving you into three regions. Whoever kills someone may run to one of these cities.

4 A person who unintentionally kills someone he never hated in the past may run to one of these cities to save his life.

5 Suppose two people go into the woods to cut wood. As one of them swings the ax to cut down a tree, the head flies off the handle, hits, and kills the other person. The one who accidentally killed the other person may run to one of these cities and save his life.

6 Otherwise, in a rage the relative who has the authority to avenge the death will pursue him. If the place is too far away, the relative may catch up with him and take his life even though he didn't deserve the death penalty, because in the past he never hated the person he killed.

7 This is why I'm commanding you to set aside three cities for yourselves.

8 The LORD your God may expand your country's borders as he promised your ancestors with an oath. He may give you the whole land he promised to give them.

9 He may do this because you faithfully obey all these commands I am now giving you--to love the LORD your God and follow his directions as long as you live. If this happens, you may add three more cities of refuge to these three.

10 That way, innocent people won't be killed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you won't be guilty of murder.

11 Suppose someone hates another person, waits in ambush for him, attacks him, takes his life, and runs to one of these cities.

12 If someone does this, the leaders of your city must send for that person. They must take him from that city and hand him over to the relative who has the authority to avenge the death. He must die.

13 They must have no pity on him. The guilt of murdering an innocent person must be removed from Israel. Then things will go well for Israel.

14 Never move your neighbor's original boundary marker on any property in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

15 One witness is never enough to convict someone of a crime, offense, or sin he may have committed. Cases must be settled based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

16 This is what you must do whenever a witness takes the stand to accuse a person falsely of a crime.

17 The two people involved must stand in the LORD's presence, in front of the priests and judges who are serving at that time.

18 The judges must make a thorough investigation. If it is found that the witness lied when he testified against the other Israelite,

19 then do to him what he planned to do to the other person. You must get rid of this evil.

20 When the rest of the people hear about this, they will be afraid. Never again will such an evil thing be done among you.

21 Have no pity on him: [Take] a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.

Deuteronomy 20

1 When you go to war against your enemies, you may see horses, chariots, and armies larger than yours. Don't be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, will be with you.

2 Before the battle starts, a priest must come and speak to the troops.

3 He should tell them, "Listen, Israel, today you're going into battle against your enemies. Don't lose your courage! Don't be afraid or alarmed or tremble because of them.

4 The LORD your God is going with you. He will fight for you against your enemies and give you victory."

5 The officers should tell the troops, "If you have built a new house but not dedicated it, you may go home. Otherwise, you might die in battle, and someone else will dedicate it.

6 If you have planted a vineyard and not enjoyed the grapes, you may go home. Otherwise, you might die in battle, and someone else will enjoy the grapes.

7 If you are engaged to a woman but have not married her, you may go home. Otherwise, you might die in battle, and someone else will marry her."

8 The officers should also tell the troops, "If you are afraid or have lost your courage, you may go home. Then you won't ruin the morale of the other Israelites."

9 When the officers finish speaking to the troops, they should appoint commanders to lead them.

10 When you approach a city to attack it, offer its people a peaceful way to surrender.

11 If they accept it and open [their gates] to you, then all the people there will be made to do forced labor and serve you.

12 If they won't accept your offer of peace but declare war on you, set up a blockade around the city.

13 When the LORD your God hands the city over to you, kill every man in that city with your swords.

14 But take the women and children, the cattle and everything else in the city, including all its goods, as your loot. You may enjoy your enemies' goods that the LORD your God has given you.

15 This is what you must do to all the cities that are far away which don't belong to the nations nearby.

16 However, you must not spare anyone's life in the cities of these nations that the LORD your God is giving you as your property.

17 You must claim the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites for the LORD and completely destroy them, as the LORD your God has commanded you.

18 Otherwise, they will teach you to do all the disgusting things they do for their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God.

19 This is what you must do whenever you blockade a city for a long time in order to capture it in war. Don't harm any of its fruit trees with an ax. You can eat the fruit. Never cut those trees down, because the trees of the field are not people you have come to blockade.

20 You may destroy trees that you know are not fruit trees. You may cut them down and use them in your blockade until you capture the city.

Deuteronomy 21

1 This is what you must do if you find a murder victim lying in a field in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. If no one knows who committed the murder,

2 your leaders and judges must go and measure the distance from the body to each of the neighboring cities.

3 When it has been determined which city is nearest the body, the leaders from that city must choose a heifer that has never been put to work and never worn a yoke.

4 The leaders of that city will bring the heifer down to a river, to a location where the land hasn't been plowed or planted. At the river they must break the heifer's neck.

5 The priests, the descendants of Levi, must come forward. The LORD your God has chosen them to serve him as priests and to bless people in the LORD's name. Their decision is final in all cases involving a disagreement or an assault.

6 All the leaders from the city which was nearest the murder victim must wash their hands over the dead heifer.

7 Then they must make this formal statement: "We didn't commit this murder, and we didn't witness it.

8 LORD, make peace with your people Israel, whom you freed. Don't let the guilt of this unsolved murder remain among your people Israel." Then there will be peace with the LORD despite the murder.

9 This is how you will get rid of the guilt of an unsolved murder by doing what the LORD considers right.

10 When you go to war with your enemies and the LORD your God hands them over to you, you may take them captive.

11 If you see a beautiful woman among the captives and have your heart set on her, you may marry her.

12 Bring her into your home. She must shave her head, cut her nails,

13 and no longer wear the clothes she was wearing when you captured her. Then she may live in your house and mourn [the loss of] her father and mother for one month. After that, you may sleep with her. Then you will become husband and wife.

14 But if it happens that you are no longer pleased with her, let her go wherever she wants. You must never sell her or mistreat her as if she were a slave, since you've already had sex with her.

15 A man might have two wives and love one but not the other. Both wives might have children, and the firstborn son might belong to the wife that the man doesn't love.

16 When the day comes for the father to give his sons their inheritance, he can't treat the son of the wife he loves as if that son were the firstborn. This would show a total disregard for the real firstborn (the son of the wife he doesn't love).

17 Instead, he must recognize the son of the wife he doesn't love as the firstborn. He must give that son a double portion of whatever he owns. That son is the very first son he had. The rights of the firstborn son are his.

18 Parents might have a stubborn and rebellious son who doesn't obey them. Even though they punish him, he still won't listen to them.

19 His father and mother must take him to the leaders of the city at the city gate.

20 They will say to the leaders of the city, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He won't obey us. He eats too much and is a drunk."

21 All the men of the city should stone him to death. You must get rid of this evil. When all Israel hears about it, they will be afraid.

22 When a convicted person is put to death,

23 never leave his dead body hung on a pole overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone whose body is hung on a pole is cursed by God. The land that the LORD your God is giving you must never become unclean.

Deuteronomy 22

1 If you see another Israelite's ox or sheep out where it doesn't belong, don't pretend that you don't see it. Make sure you take it back.

2 If the owner doesn't live near you or you don't know who owns it, take the animal home with you. Keep it until the owner comes looking for it. Then give it back.

3 Do the same if you find a donkey, some clothes, or anything else that another Israelite may have lost. Don't pretend that you don't know what to do.

4 If you see another Israelite's donkey or ox lying on the road, don't pretend that you don't see it. Make sure you help him get it back on its feet.

5 A woman must never wear anything men would wear, and a man must never wear women's clothes. Whoever does this is disgusting to the LORD your God.

6 Whenever you're traveling and find a nest containing chicks or eggs, this is what you must do. If the mother bird is sitting on the nest, never take her with the chicks.

7 You may take the chicks, but make sure you let the mother go. Then things will go well for you, and you will live for a long time.

8 Whenever you build a new house, put a railing around the edge of the roof. Then you won't be responsible for a death at your home if someone falls off the roof.

9 Never plant anything between the rows in your vineyard. Otherwise, you will have to give everything that grows there to the holy place. This includes the crop you planted and the grapes from the vineyard.

10 Never plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together.

11 Never wear clothes made of wool and linen woven together.

12 Make tassels on the four corners of the shawl you wear over your clothes.

13 A man might marry a woman, sleep with her, and decide he doesn't like her.

14 Then he might make up charges against her and ruin her reputation by saying, "I married this woman. But when I slept with her, I found out she wasn't a virgin."

15 The girl's father and mother must go to the city gate where the leaders of the city are and submit the evidence that their daughter was a virgin.

16 The girl's father will tell the leaders, "I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he doesn't like her.

17 Now he has made up charges against her. He says he found out that my daughter wasn't a virgin. But here's the evidence!" Then the girl's parents must spread out the cloth in front of the leaders of the city.

18 The leaders of that city must take the man and punish him.

19 They will fine him 2½ pounds of silver and give it to the girl's father. The husband ruined the reputation of an Israelite virgin. She will continue to be his wife, and he can never divorce her as long as he lives.

20 But if the charge is true, and no evidence that the girl was a virgin can be found,

21 they must take the girl to the entrance of her father's house. The men of her city must stone her to death because she has committed such a godless act in Israel: She had sex before marriage, while she was still living in her father's house. You must get rid of this evil.

22 If a man is caught having sexual intercourse with a married woman, both that man and the woman must die. You must get rid of this evil in Israel.

23 This is what you must do when a man has sexual intercourse with a virgin who is engaged to another man. If this happens in a city,

24 take them to the gate of the city and stone them to death. The girl must die because she was in a city and didn't scream for help. The man must die because he had sex with another man's wife. You must get rid of this evil.

25 But if a man rapes an engaged girl out in the country, then only the man must die.

26 Don't do anything to the girl. She has not committed a sin for which she deserves to die. This is like the case of someone who attacks and murders another person.

27 The man found the girl out in the country. She may have screamed for help, but no one was there to rescue her.

28 This is what you must do when a man rapes a virgin who isn't engaged. When the crime is discovered,

29 the man who had sexual intercourse with her must give the girl's father 1¼ pounds of silver, and she will become his wife. Since he raped her, he can never divorce her as long as he lives.

30 A man must never marry his father's wife because this would disgrace his father.

Deuteronomy 23

1 A man whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off may never join the assembly of the LORD.

2 A man born from an illicit union may not join the assembly of the LORD. No descendant of his may join the assembly of the LORD for ten generations.

3 Ammonites or Moabites may not join the assembly of the LORD. Not one descendant of theirs may join the assembly of the LORD for ten generations.

4 They cannot join because they didn't greet you with food and water on your trip from Egypt. They even hired Balaam, son of Beor, from Pethor in Aram Naharaim, to curse you.

5 But the LORD your God refused to listen to Balaam. Instead, he turned Balaam's curse into a blessing for you because the LORD your God loves you.

6 Never offer them peace or friendship as long as you live.

7 Never consider the Edomites disgusting. They're your relatives. Never consider the Egyptians disgusting. You once were foreigners living in their country.

8 Their grandchildren may join the assembly of the LORD.

9 When you're at war and have set up camp to fight your enemies, stay away from anything that will make you unclean.

10 If one of your men becomes unclean from a nocturnal emission, he must go outside the camp and stay there.

11 Toward evening he must wash, and at sunset he may come back to camp.

12 Choose a place outside the camp where you can go [to relieve yourself].

13 You must carry a pointed stick as part of your equipment. When you go outside to squat, dig a hole with it. When you're done, cover up your excrement.

14 The LORD your God moves around in your camp to protect you and hand your enemies over to you. So your camp must always be holy. This way, the LORD will never see anything offensive among you and turn away from you.

15 If a slave escapes from his master and comes to you, don't return him to his master.

16 Let him stay with you [and live] among your people wherever he chooses, in any of your cities that seems best to him. Never mistreat him.

17 No Israelite man or woman should ever become a temple prostitute.

18 Never bring gifts or money earned by prostitution into the house of the LORD your God as an offering you vowed to give. These earnings are disgusting to the LORD your God.

19 Never charge another Israelite any interest on money, food, or anything else that is borrowed.

20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but not an Israelite. Then the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do once you've entered the land and taken possession of it.

21 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, don't avoid keeping it. The LORD your God expects you to keep it. You would be guilty of a sin if you didn't.

22 If you didn't make a vow, you would not be guilty.

23 Make sure you do what you said you would do [in your vow]. You freely chose to make your vow to the LORD your God.

24 If you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you like until you're full. But never put any in your basket.

25 If you go into your neighbor's grain field, you may pick grain by hand. But never use a sickle to cut your neighbor's grain.

Deuteronomy 24

1 This is what you must do if a husband writes out a certificate of divorce, gives it to his wife, and makes her leave his house. (He divorced her because he found out something indecent about her and she no longer pleased him.)

2 She might marry another man after she leaves his house.

3 If her second husband doesn't love her and divorces her, or if he dies,

4 her first husband is not allowed to marry her again. She has become unclean. This would be disgusting in the LORD's presence. Don't pollute with sin the land that the LORD your God is giving you as your property.

5 A man who has recently been married will be free from military duty or any other public service. For one year he is free to stay at home and make his new wife happy.

6 Never let a family's handmill for grinding flour--or even part of a handmill--be taken to guarantee a loan. The family wouldn't be able to prepare food in order to stay alive.

7 Whoever kidnaps another Israelite must die. The kidnapper must die, whether he treated the other person like a slave or sold him. You must get rid of this evil.

8 Guard against outbreaks of serious skin diseases. Be very careful to do exactly as the Levitical priests instruct you. Make sure you do what I commanded them.

9 Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam on your trip from Egypt.

10 When you make a loan to your neighbor, don't go into his house to take a security deposit.

11 Wait outside, and the person to whom you're making the loan will bring the deposit out to you.

12 If the person is poor, don't keep the coat you took as a deposit overnight.

13 Make sure you bring it back to him at sunset. When he wears his coat to bed [that night], he'll bless you. You will have done the right thing in the presence of the LORD your God.

14 Don't withhold pay from hired workers who are poor and needy, whether they are Israelites or foreigners living in one of your cities.

15 Pay them each day before sunset because they are poor and need their pay. Otherwise, they will complain to the LORD about you, and you will be condemned for your sin.

16 Parents must never be put to death for the crimes of their children, and children must never be put to death for the crimes of their parents. Each person must be put to death for his own crime.

17 Never deprive foreigners and orphans of justice. And never take widows' clothes to guarantee a loan.

18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God freed you from slavery. So I'm commanding you to do this.

19 This is what you must do when you're harvesting wheat in your field. If you forget to bring in one of the bundles of wheat, don't go back to get it. Leave it there for foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.

20 When you harvest olives from your trees, never knock down all of them. Leave some for foreigners, orphans, and widows.

21 When you pick the grapes in your vineyard, don't pick all of them. Leave some for foreigners, orphans, and widows.

22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. So I'm commanding you to do this.

Deuteronomy 25

1 This is what you must do whenever [two] people have a disagreement that is brought into court. The judges will hear the case and decide who's right and who's wrong.

2 If the person who's in the wrong deserves to be beaten, the judge will order him to lie down. Then the judge will have him beaten with as many lashes as the crime deserves.

3 Forty lashes may be given, but no more. If an Israelite were given more than that, he would be publicly humiliated.

4 Never muzzle an ox when it's threshing grain.

5 When brothers live together and one of them dies without having a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother must marry her and sleep with her. He must do his duty as her brother-in-law.

6 Then the first son she has will carry the dead brother's name so that his name won't die out in Israel.

7 But if the man doesn't want to marry his brother's widow, she must go to the leaders of the city at the city gate. She must say, "My brother-in-law refuses to let his brother's name continue in Israel. He doesn't want to do his duty as my brother-in-law."

8 Then the leaders of the city must summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying that he doesn't want to marry her,

9 his brother's widow must go up to him in the presence of the leaders. She must take off one of his sandals and spit in his face. She must make this formal statement: "This is what happens to a man who refuses to continue his brother's family line."

10 Then in Israel his family will be called the Family of the Man Without a Sandal.

11 This is what you must do when two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from the man who is beating him. If she tries to stop the fight by grabbing the other man's genitals,

12 cut off her hand. Have no pity on her.

13 Never carry two sets of weights, a heavier one and a lighter one.

14 Never have two kinds of measures in your house, a larger one and a smaller one.

15 Use accurate and honest weights and measures. Then you will live for a long time in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

16 Everyone who uses dishonest weights and measures is disgusting to the LORD.

17 Remember what the Amalekites did to you on your trip from Egypt.

18 They attacked you when you were tired and exhausted and killed all those who were lagging behind. They weren't afraid of God.

19 So when the LORD your God gives you peace from all your enemies around you in the land that he is giving you as your own property, don't forget to erase every memory of the Amalekites from the earth.

Deuteronomy 30

1 All these blessings and curses I have spoken about will happen to you. Take them to heart when you are among all the nations where the LORD your God will scatter you.

2 If you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul, doing everything I command you today,

3 he will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you from all the nations of the world where he will scatter you.

4 Even if you are scattered to the most distant country in the world, the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back from there.

5 The LORD your God will bring you to the land your ancestors owned. You will take possession of it, and the LORD will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors were.

6 The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants. You will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and you will live.

7 Then the LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies, those who hate you and persecute you.

8 You will again obey the LORD and follow all his commands that I'm giving you today.

9 The LORD your God will give you many blessings in everything you do: You will have many children. Your animals will have many offspring. Your soil will produce many crops. The LORD will again delight in making you as prosperous as he made your ancestors.

10 He will do this if you obey him and follow his commands and laws that are written in this Book of Teachings and return to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

11 This command I'm giving you today isn't too hard for you or beyond your reach.

12 It's not in heaven. You don't have to ask, "Who will go to heaven to get this command for us so that we can hear it and obey it?"

13 This command isn't on the other side of the sea. You don't have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it for us so that we can hear it and obey it?"

14 No, these words are very near you. They're in your mouth and in your heart so that you will obey them.

15 Today I offer you life and prosperity or death and destruction.

16 This is what I'm commanding you today: Love the LORD your God, follow his directions, and obey his commands, laws, and rules. Then you will live, your population will increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you're about to enter and take possession of.

17 But your hearts might turn away, and you might not listen. You might be tempted to bow down to other gods and worship them.

18 If you do, I tell you today that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live for a long time in the land that you're going to take possession of when you cross the Jordan River.

19 I call on heaven and earth as witnesses today that I have offered you life or death, blessings or curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants will live.

20 Love the LORD your God, obey him, and be loyal to him. This will be your way of life, and it will mean a long life for you in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.