Deuteronomy 16–19

¹‘Observe the month of Abib—and thou hast made a passover to Jehovah thy God, for in the month of Abib hath Jehovah thy God brought thee out of Egypt by night; ²and thou hast sacrificed a passover to Jehovah thy God, of the flock, and of the herd, in the place which Jehovah doth choose to cause His name to tabernacle there.

³‘Thou dost not eat with it any fermented thing, seven days thou dost eat with it unleavened things, bread of affliction; for in haste thou hast come out of the land of Egypt; so that thou dost remember the day of thy coming out of the land of Egypt all days of thy life; ⁴and there is not seen with thee leaven in all thy border seven days, and there doth not remain of the flesh which thou dost sacrifice at evening on the first day till morning.

⁵‘Thou art not able to sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, ⁶except at the place which Jehovah thy God doth choose to cause His name to tabernacle—there thou dost sacrifice the passover in the evening, at the going in of the sun, the season of thy coming out of Egypt; ⁷and thou hast cooked and eaten in the place on which Jehovah thy God doth fix, and hast turned in the morning, and gone to thy tents; ⁸six days thou dost eat unleavened things, and on the seventh day is a restraint to Jehovah thy God; thou dost do no work.

⁹‘Seven weeks thou dost number to thee; from the beginning of the sickle among the standing corn thou dost begin to number seven weeks, ¹⁰and thou hast made the feast of weeks to Jehovah thy God, a tribute of a free-will offering of thy hand, which thou dost give, as Jehovah thy God doth bless thee. ¹¹And thou hast rejoiced before Jehovah thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy handmaid, and the Levite who is within thy gates, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are in thy midst, in the place which Jehovah thy God doth choose to cause His name to tabernacle there, ¹²and thou hast remembered that a servant thou hast been in Egypt, and hast observed and done these statutes.

¹³‘The feast of booths thou dost make for thee seven days, in thine in-gathering of thy threshing-floor, and of thy wine-vat; ¹⁴and thou hast rejoiced in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy handmaid, and the Levite, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within thy gates. ¹⁵Seven days thou dost feast before Jehovah thy God, in the place which Jehovah doth choose, for Jehovah thy God doth bless thee in all thine increase, and in every work of thy hands, and thou hast been only rejoicing.

¹⁶‘Three times in a year doth every one of thy males appear before Jehovah thy God in the place which He doth choose—in the feast of unleavened things, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of booths; and they do not appear before Jehovah empty; ¹⁷each according to the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God, which He hath given to thee.

¹⁸‘Judges and authorities thou dost make to thee within all thy gates which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, for thy tribes; and they have judged the people—a righteous judgment. ¹⁹Thou dost not turn aside judgment; thou dost not discern faces, nor take a bribe, for the bribe blindeth the eyes of the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous. ²⁰Righteousness—righteousness thou dost pursue, so that thou livest, and hast possessed the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee.

²¹‘Thou dost not plant for thee a shrine of any trees near the altar of Jehovah thy God, which thou makest for thyself, ²²and thou dost not raise up to thee any standing image which Jehovah thy God is hating.

Chapter 17

¹‘Thou dost not sacrifice to Jehovah thy God ox or sheep in which there is a blemish—any evil thing; for it is the abomination of Jehovah thy God.

²‘When there is found in thy midst, in one of thy cities which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, a man or a woman who doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah thy God by transgressing His covenant, ³and he doth go and serve other gods, and doth bow himself to them, and to the sun, or to the moon, or to any of the host of the heavens, which I have not commanded— ⁴and it hath been declared to thee, and thou hast heard, and hast searched diligently, and lo, truth; the thing is established; this abomination hath been done in Israel—

⁵‘Then thou hast brought out that man, or that woman, who hath done this evil thing, unto thy gates—the man or the woman—and thou hast stoned them with stones, and they have died. ⁶By the mouth of two witnesses or of three witnesses is he who is dead put to death; he is not put to death by the mouth of one witness; ⁷the hand of the witnesses is on him, in the first place, to put him to death, and the hand of all the people last; and thou hast put away the evil thing out of thy midst.

⁸‘When anything is too hard for thee for judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke—matters of strife within thy gates—then thou hast risen, and gone up unto the place on which Jehovah thy God doth fix, ⁹and hast come in unto the priests, the Levites, and unto the judge who is in those days, and hast inquired, and they have declared to thee the word of judgment, ¹⁰and thou hast done according to the tenor of the word which they declare to thee (they of that place which Jehovah doth choose; and thou hast observed to do according to all that they direct thee.

¹¹‘According to the tenor of the law which they direct thee, and according to the judgment which they say to thee thou dost do; thou dost not turn aside from the word which they declare to thee, right or left. ¹²And the man who acteth with presumption, so as not to hearken unto the priest (who is standing to serve there Jehovah thy God), or unto the judge, even that man hath died, and thou hast put away the evil thing from Israel, ¹³and all the people do hear and fear, and do not presume any more.

¹⁴‘When thou comest in unto the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, and hast possessed it, and dwelt in it, and thou hast said, Let me set over me a king like all the nations which are round about me,— ¹⁵thou dost certainly set over thee a king on whom Jehovah doth fix; from the midst of thy brethren thou dost set over thee a king; thou art not able to set over thee a stranger, who is not thy brother.

¹⁶‘Only, he doth not multiply to himself horses, nor cause the people to turn back to Egypt, so as to multiply horses, seeing Jehovah hath said to you, Ye do not add to turn back in this way any more. ¹⁷And he doth not multiply to himself wives, and his heart doth not turn aside, and silver and gold he doth not multiply to himself—exceedingly.

¹⁸‘And it hath been, when he sitteth on the throne of his kingdom, that he hath written for himself the copy of this law, on a book, from that before the priests the Levites, ¹⁹and it hath been with him, and he hath read in it all days of his life, so that he doth learn to fear Jehovah his God, to keep all the words of this law, and these statutes, to do them; ²⁰so that his heart is not high above his brethren, and so as not to turn aside from the command, right or left, so that he prolongeth days over his kingdom, he and his sons, in the midst of Israel.

Chapter 18

¹‘There is not to the priests the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—a portion and inheritance with Israel; fire-offerings of Jehovah, even His inheritance, they eat, ²and he hath no inheritance in the midst of his brethren; Jehovah Himself is his inheritance, as He hath spoken to him.

³‘And this is the priest’s right from the people, from those sacrificing a sacrifice, whether ox or sheep, he hath even given to the priest the leg, and the two cheeks, and the stomach; ⁴the first of thy corn, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy flock, thou dost give to him; ⁵for on him hath Jehovah thy God fixed, out of all thy tribes, to stand to serve in the name of Jehovah, He and his sons continually.

⁶‘And when the Levite cometh from one of thy cities out of all Israel, where he hath sojourned, and hath come with all the desire of his soul unto the place which Jehovah doth choose, ⁷then he hath ministered in the name of Jehovah his God, like all his brethren, the Levites, who are standing there before Jehovah, ⁸portion as portion they do eat, apart from his sold things, with the fathers.

⁹‘When thou art coming in unto the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, thou dost not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations: ¹⁰there is not found in thee one causing his son and his daughter to pass over into fire, a user of divinations, an observer of clouds, and an enchanter, and a sorcerer, ¹¹and a charmer, and one asking at a familiar spirit, and a wizard, and one seeking unto the dead.

¹²‘For the abomination of Jehovah is every one doing these, and because of these abominations is Jehovah thy God dispossessing them from thy presence. ¹³Perfect thou art with Jehovah thy God, ¹⁴for these nations whom thou art possessing, unto observers of clouds, and unto diviners, do hearken; and thou—not so hath Jehovah thy God suffered thee.

¹⁵‘A prophet out of thy midst, out of thy brethren, like to me, doth Jehovah thy God raise up to thee—unto him ye hearken; ¹⁶according to all that thou didst ask from Jehovah thy God, in Horeb, in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not add to hear the voice of Jehovah my God, and this great fire let me not see any more, and I die not; ¹⁷and Jehovah saith unto me, They have done well that they have spoken; ¹⁸a prophet I raise up to them, out of the midst of their brethren, like to thee; and I have given my words in his mouth, and he hath spoken unto them all that which I command him; ¹⁹and it hath been—the man who doth not hearken unto My words which he doth speak in My name, I require it of him.

²⁰‘Only, the prophet who presumeth to speak a word in My name—that which I…