Deuteronomy 26–27

The First Harvest

26When you go into the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own, to take it over and live in it, ²you must take some of the first harvest of crops that grow from the land the Lord your God is giving you. Put the food in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God will choose to be worshiped. ³Say to the priest on duty at that time, “Today I declare before the Lord your God that I have come into the land the Lord promised our ancestors that he would give us.” ⁴The priest will take your basket and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. ⁵Then you shall announce before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean. He went down to Egypt with only a few people, but they became a great, powerful, and large nation there. ⁶But the Egyptians were cruel to us, making us suffer and work very hard. ⁷So we prayed to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and he heard us. When he saw our trouble, hard work, and suffering, ⁸the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his great power and strength, using great terrors, signs, and miracles. ⁹Then he brought us to this place and gave us this fertile land. ¹⁰Now I bring part of the first harvest from this land that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. ¹¹Then you and the Levites and foreigners among you should rejoice, because the Lord your God has given good things to you and your family.

¹²Bring a tenth of all your harvest the third year (the year to give a tenth of your harvest). Give it to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows so that they may eat in your towns and be full. ¹³Then say to the Lord your God, “I have taken out of my house the part of my harvest that belongs to God, and I have given it to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows. I have done everything you commanded me; I have not broken your commands, and I have not forgotten any of them. ¹⁴I have not eaten any of the holy part while I was in sorrow. I have not removed any of it while I was unclean, and I have not offered it for dead people. I have obeyed you, the Lord my God, and have done everything you commanded me. ¹⁵So look down from heaven, your holy home. Bless your people Israel and bless the land you have given us, which you promised to our ancestors—a fertile land.”

Obey the Lord’s Commands

¹⁶Today the Lord your God commands you to obey all these rules and laws; be careful to obey them with your whole being. ¹⁷Today you have said that the Lord is your God, and you have promised to do what he wants you to do—to keep his rules, commands, and laws. You have said you will obey him. ¹⁸And today the Lord has said that you are his very own people, as he has promised you. But you must obey his commands. ¹⁹He will make you greater than all the other nations he made. He will give you praise, fame, and honor, and you will be a holy people to the Lord your God, as he has said.

The Law Written on Stones

27Then Moses, along with the elders of Israel, commanded the people, saying, “Keep all the commands I have given you today. ²Soon you will cross the Jordan River to go into the land the Lord your God is giving you. On that day set up some large stones and cover them with plaster. ³When you cross over, write all the words of these teachings on them. Then you may enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a fertile land, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised. ⁴After you have crossed the Jordan River, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and cover them with plaster. ⁵Build an altar of stones there to the Lord your God, but don’t use any iron tool to cut the stones; ⁶build the altar of the Lord your God with stones from the field. Offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God, ⁷and offer fellowship offerings there, and eat them and rejoice before the Lord your God. ⁸Then write clearly all the words of these teachings on the stones.”

Curses of the Law

⁹Then Moses and the Levites who were priests spoke to all Israel and said, “Be quiet, Israel. Listen! Today you have become the people of the Lord your God. ¹⁰Obey the Lord your God, and keep his commands and laws that I give you today.”

¹¹That day Moses also gave the people this command:

¹²When you cross the Jordan River, these tribes must stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. ¹³And these tribes must stand on Mount Ebal to announce the curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

¹⁴The Levites will say to all the people of Israel in a loud voice:

¹⁵“Anyone will be cursed who makes an idol or statue and secretly sets it up, because the Lord hates the idols people make.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

¹⁶“Anyone will be cursed who dishonors his father or mother.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

¹⁷“Anyone will be cursed who moves the stone that marks a neighbor’s border.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

¹⁸“Anyone will be cursed who sends a blind person down the wrong road.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

¹⁹“Anyone will be cursed who is unfair to foreigners, orphans, or widows.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²⁰“A man will be cursed who has sexual relations with his father’s wife, because it is a dishonor to his father.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²¹“Anyone will be cursed who has sexual relations with an animal.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²²“A man will be cursed who has sexual relations with his sister, whether she is his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²³“A man will be cursed who has sexual relations with his mother-in-law.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²⁴“Anyone will be cursed who kills a neighbor secretly.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²⁵“Anyone will be cursed who takes money to murder an innocent person.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”

²⁶“Anyone will be cursed who does not agree with the words of these teachings and does not obey them.”

Then all the people will say, “Amen!”