Deuteronomy 26–27

Firstfruits and Tithes

26When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, ²take some of the firstfruits^r of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name^{s 3}and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” ⁴The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. ⁵Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering^t Aramean,^u and he went down into Egypt with a few people^v and lived there and became a great nation,^w powerful and numerous. ⁶But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer,^x subjecting us to harsh labor.^{y 7}Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice^z and saw^a our misery,^b toil and oppression.^{c 8}So the Lord brought us out of Egypt^d with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,^e with great terror and with signs and wonders.^{f 9}He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey;^{g 10}and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.^h” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. ¹¹Then you and the Levitesⁱ and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice^j in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.

¹²When you have finished setting aside a tenth^k of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe,^l you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. ¹³Then say to the Lord your God: “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them.^{m 14}I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while I was in mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean,ⁿ nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done everything you commanded me. ¹⁵Look down from heaven,^o your holy dwelling place, and bless^p your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Follow the Lord’s Commands

¹⁶The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.^{q 17}You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him.^{r 18}And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession^s as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. ¹⁹He has declared that he will set you in praise,^t fame and honor high above all the nations^u he has made and that you will be a people holy^v to the Lord your God, as he promised.

The Altar on Mount Ebal

27Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all these commands^w that I give you today. ²When you have crossed the Jordan^x into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones^y and coat them with plaster.^{z 3}Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey,^a just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. ⁴And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal,^b as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. ⁵Build there an altar^c to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool^d on them. ⁶Build the altar of the Lord your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. ⁷Sacrifice fellowship offerings^e there, eating them and rejoicing^f in the presence of the Lord your God.^{g 8}And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones^h you have set up.”ⁱ

Curses From Mount Ebal

⁹Then Moses and the Levitical^j priests said to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God.^{k 10}Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.”

¹¹On the same day Moses commanded the people:

¹²When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim^l to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar,^m Joseph and Benjamin.^{n 13}And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal^o to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.

¹⁴The Levites shall recite to all the people of Israel in a loud voice:

¹⁵“Cursed is anyone who makes an idol^p—a thing detestable^q to the Lord, the work of skilled hands—and sets it up in secret.”

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”^r

¹⁶“Cursed is anyone who dishonors their father or mother.”^s

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

¹⁷“Cursed is anyone who moves their neighbor’s boundary stone.”^t

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

¹⁸“Cursed is anyone who leads the blind astray on the road.”^u

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

¹⁹“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner,^v the fatherless or the widow.”^w

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²⁰“Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his father’s wife, for he dishonors his father’s bed.”^x

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²¹“Cursed is anyone who has sexual relations with any animal.”^y

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²²“Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.”^z

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²³“Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his mother-in-law.”^a

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²⁴“Cursed is anyone who kills^b their neighbor secretly.”^c

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²⁵“Cursed is anyone who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.”^d

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

²⁶“Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.”^e

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”^f