Deuteronomy 17:14–18:8

14 “When you have come to that land that Yahweh your God is giving to you and you have taken possession of it and you have settled in it, and you say, ‘I will set over me a king like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 indeed, you may set a king over you whom Yahweh your God will choose, from the midst of your countrymenz you must set a king over you; you are not allowed to appoint over you a man, a foreigner, who is not your countryman.a 16 Except, he may ⌊not make numerous⌋b for himself horses, and he may not allow the people to to go to Egypt ⌊in order to increase horses⌋,c for Yahweh has said to you that ⌊you may never return⌋.d 17 And he must not ⌊acquire many⌋e wives for himself, so that his heart would turn aside; and ⌊he must not accumulate silver and gold for himself excessively⌋.f

18 “⌊And then⌋g ⌊when he is sitting⌋h on the throne of his kingdom, then he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll ⌊before⌋i the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read itj all the days of his life, so that he may learn to revere Yahweh your God by ⌊diligently observing⌋k all the word of this law and these rules, 20 so as not to exalt his heart above his countrymenl and not to turn aside from the commandment to the right or to the left, so that ⌊he may reign long over his kingdom⌋,m he and his children in the midst of Israel.”

18 “And there shall not be for the Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, a plot of ground and an inheritance with Israel, rather they may eat an offering made by fire as their inheritance,a for Yahweh. 2 And there shall not be for themb an inheritance of land in the midst of his brothers; rather Yahweh is his inheritance, just as he ⌊promised⌋c to them.d

3 Now this shall be the share of the priest from the people, from ⌊those who sacrifice the sacrifice⌋,e whether it is an ox, sheep, or goat, and they shall give the priest the shoulder and the jawbones and the stomach. 4 The firstfruitsf of your grain, your wine, and your olive oil and the firstfruitsg of the fleece of your sheep you shall give to him. 5 For Yahweh your God has chosen him from among all your tribes to stand to minister in the name of Yahweh, he and his sons ⌊forever⌋.h

6 And if ai Levite comes from one of your ⌊towns⌋j from ⌊anywhere in Israel⌋k where he is residing, ⌊he may come whenever he desires⌋,l to the place that Yahweh will choose, 7 and he may minister in the name of Yahweh his God, just like all his brothers, ⌊the Levites who stand there⌋m ⌊before⌋n Yahweh. 8 They shall eat ⌊equal portions⌋,o apart from what he may receive from the sale of his patrimony.p

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z	Or “brothers”
a	Or “brother”
b	Literally “not multiply”
c	Literally “in order to make numerous horse”
d	Literally “not you may do again to return”
e	Or “make numerous”
f	Literally “gold and silver not he must make numerous for him very”
g	Literally “And it shall happen”
h	Literally “as/when his sitting”
i	Literally “to the face of”
j	Hebrew “in it”
k	Literally “by keeping ... to do them”
l	Or “brothers”
m	Literally “he may make long his days over his kingdom”
a	The meaning of the Hebrew text here is uncertain; possibly it reads: “rather an offering by fire then they will eat as their inheritance/patrimony”
b	Hebrew “him”
c	Literally “spoke”
d	Hebrew “him”
e	Literally “the sacrificers of the sacrifice”
f	Hebrew “firstfruit”
g	Hebrew “firstfruit”
h	Literally “all of the days”
i	Hebrew “the”
j	Literally “gates”
k	Literally “all of Israel”
l	Literally “he may come in all the desire of his soul/inner self”
m	Literally “the Levites the ones standing there”
n	Literally “to the face of”
o	Literally “a portion like a portion”
p	Hebrew meaning of these phrases/words is not certain; also could translate as “except what they receive from the sale of their fathers’ estates” (NASB); or “what he may inherit from his father’s family”