26“After you have occupied the land that the Lord your God is giving you and have settled there, ²^*each of you must place in a basket the first part of each crop that you harvest and you must take it with you to the one place of worship. ³Go to the priest in charge at that time and say to him, ‘I now acknowledge to the Lord my God that I have entered the land that he promised our ancestors to give us.’

⁴“The priest will take the basket from you and place it before the altar of the Lord your God. ⁵Then, in the Lord’s presence you will recite these words: ‘My ancestor was a wandering Aramean, who took his family to Egypt to live. They were few in number when they went there, but they became a large and powerful nation. ⁶The Egyptians treated us harshly and forced us to work as slaves. ⁷Then we cried out for help to the Lord, the God of our ancestors. He heard us and saw our suffering, hardship, and misery. ⁸By his great power and strength he rescued us from Egypt. He worked miracles and wonders, and caused terrifying things to happen. ⁹He brought us here and gave us this rich and fertile land. ¹⁰So now I bring to the Lord the first part of the harvest that he has given me.’

“Then set the basket down in the Lord’s presence and worship there. ¹¹Be grateful for the good things that the Lord your God has given you and your family; and let the Levites and the foreigners who live among you join in the celebration. ¹²^*“Every third year give the tithe—a tenth of your crops—to the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows, so that in every community they will have all they need to eat. When you have done this, ¹³say to the Lord, ‘None of the sacred tithe is left in my house; I have given it to the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows, as you commanded me to do. I have not disobeyed or forgotten any of your commands concerning the tithe. ¹⁴I have not eaten any of it when I was mourning; I have not taken any of it out of my house when I was ritually unclean; and I have not given any of it as an offering for the dead.^w I have obeyed you, O Lord; I have done everything you commanded concerning the tithe. ¹⁵Look down from your holy place in heaven and bless your people Israel; bless also the rich and fertile land that you have given us, as you promised our ancestors.’

The ’s Own People

¹⁶“Today the Lord your God commands you to obey all his laws; so obey them faithfully with all your heart. ¹⁷Today you have acknowledged the Lord as your God; you have promised to obey him, to keep all his laws, and to do all that he commands. ¹⁸^*Today the Lord has accepted you as his own people, as he promised you; and he commands you to obey all his laws. ¹⁹He will make you greater than any other nation that he has created, and you will bring praise and honour to his name.^x You will be his own people, as he promised.”

God’s Laws Written on Stones

27Then Moses, together with the leaders of Israel, said to the people, “Obey all the instructions that I am giving you today. ²^*On the day you cross the River Jordan and enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you are to set up some large stones, cover them with plaster, ³^*and write on them all these laws and teachings. When you have entered the rich and fertile land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you, ⁴^*and you are on the other side of the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am instructing you today, and cover them with plaster. ⁵^*Build an altar there made of stones that have had no iron tools used on them, ⁶^*because any altar you build for the Lord your God must be made of uncut stones. There you are to offer the sacrifices that are to be burnt, ⁷^*and there you are to sacrifice and eat your fellowship offerings and be grateful in the presence of the Lord your God. ⁸^*On the stones covered with plaster write clearly every word of God’s laws.”

⁹Then Moses, together with the levitical priests, said to all the people of Israel, “Give me your attention, people of Israel, and listen to me. Today you have become the people of the Lord your God; ¹⁰so obey him and keep all his laws that I am giving you today.”

The Curses on Disobedience

¹¹Then Moses said to the people of Israel, ¹²^*“After you have crossed the Jordan, the following tribes are to stand on Mount Gerizim when the blessings are pronounced on the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. ¹³And the following tribes will stand on Mount Ebal when the curses are pronounced: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. ¹⁴The Levites will speak these words in a loud voice:

¹⁵^*“ ‘God’s curse on anyone who makes an idol of stone, wood, or metal and secretly worships it; the Lord hates idolatry.’