17 When you offer an animal as a sacrifice to the Lord your God, it must be perfect. Do not bring any sheep or bull that has something wrong with it. The Lord hates any gift like that.
2 The Lord your God will give you towns to live in. You may hear that a man or a woman who lives in one of your towns has done a bad thing. He has done a sin that is against the covenant of the Lord your God. 3 He may have started to worship false gods that I have commanded you not to worship. Perhaps he worships the sun, the moon or the stars. 4 If you hear news like that, you must check the report carefully. If it is true that a wicked thing like that has happened in Israel, 5 you must punish that person. Take the man or woman who has done that wicked thing to the gate of the town. Then you must throw stones at that person to kill them. 6 But two or three people must agree about what the person has done. You must never kill anyone because of the words of only one person. 7 The people who saw the wicked act must throw the first stones to kill the person. Then everyone else must also throw stones. In that way, you must remove evil acts from among you.
8 It may be difficult for the judges in your towns to decide what is true. This may happen when one person has attacked or killed another person. It may happen when people cannot agree about some land. It may be anything that people in your towns are arguing about. If you do not know who is right, you must take those people to the place that the Lord your God will choose. 9 You must go to the Levite priests and to the judge who has authority at that time. Ask them to decide what is right and true. 10 When they decide, you must do what they tell you to do. 11 Accept their teaching. Agree with what they have decided is right. Obey their words completely. Do not try to do anything that is different. 12 Someone might be too proud to obey the priest who has authority as the Lord 's servant. He may not agree with what the judge says is right. You must punish any proud person like that with death. In that way you will remove evil things from Israel. 13 Then all the people will hear what has happened. They will be afraid. They will no longer be too proud to obey the judge.
14 You are going into the land that the Lord your God is giving to you. You will take it for yourselves to be your home. Then you may say, ‘The other nations around us have kings. We must also have a king to rule us.’ 15 If that happens, you must only accept a king that the Lord your God chooses. Choose a king from among your own people. Do not choose anyone who is not an Israelite.
16 A king must not get a lot of horses for himself. He must not send his people back to Egypt to buy more horses. The Lord has said to you, ‘Never return to Egypt for any reason!’
17 A king must not marry many wives. They may turn his thoughts away from the Lord . He must not store a lot of silver and gold for himself.
18 When anyone starts to rule as king, he must copy this Law of God on a scroll. The scroll will be a copy of the one that belongs to the Levite priests. 19 He must keep this scroll with him all the time. He must continue to read it every day of his life. If he does that, he will learn to respect the Lord his God. He will learn to obey all the rules and commands of this Law. 20 If he does that, he will not become proud. He will not think that he is better than other Israelites. He will continue to obey the Lord 's commands. Then he and his descendants will rule Israel as kings for many years.
17 “You must not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or sheep that has anything wrong with it. The Lord your God would hate that.
2 “You might hear about an evil thing that happens in one of the cities that the Lord your God is giving you. You might hear that a man or woman in your group has sinned against the Lord your God. You might hear that they have broken his agreement or 3 that they have worshiped other gods or maybe the sun, the moon or the stars. I never told you to do that! 4 If you hear bad news like this, you must check it carefully. You must learn if it is true that this terrible thing has really happened in Israel. If you prove that it is true, 5 you must punish the person who did this evil thing. You must take that man or woman out to a public place near the city gates and kill them with stones. 6 But no one should be punished with death if only one witness says that person did that evil thing. But if two or three witnesses say it is true, the person must be killed. 7 The witnesses must throw the first stones to kill that person. Then the other people should throw stones to finish killing that person. In this way you will remove this evil from your group.
8 “There might be some problems that are too hard for your courts to judge. It might be a murder case or an argument between two people. Or it might be a fight in which someone was hurt. When these cases are argued in your towns, your judges there might not be able to decide what is right. Then you must go to the special place that the Lord your God will choose. 9 You must go to the priests who are Levites and to the judge on duty at that time. They will decide what to do about that problem. 10 There at the Lord ’s special place they will tell you their decision. You must do whatever they say. Be sure to do everything they tell you to do. 11 You must accept their decision and follow their instructions exactly—don’t change anything!
12 “You must punish anyone who refuses to obey the judge or the priest who is there at that time serving the Lord your God. That person must die. You must remove this evil person from Israel. 13 All the people will hear about this punishment and be afraid. Then they will not be stubborn anymore.
14 “You will enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You will take that land and live in it. Then you will say, ‘We will put a king over us, like all the nations around us.’ 15 When that happens, you must be sure to choose the king that the Lord your God chooses. The king over you must be one of your own people. You must not make a foreigner your king. 16 The king must not get more and more horses for himself. And he must not send people to Egypt to get more horses, because the Lord has told you, ‘You must never go back that way.’ 17 Also, the king must not have too many wives, because that will make him turn away from the Lord. And he must not make himself rich with silver and gold.
18 “When the king begins to rule, he must write a copy of the law for himself in a book. He must make that copy from the books that the priests from the tribe of Levi keep. 19 He must keep that book with him and read from it all his life, because he must learn to respect the Lord his God. He must learn to completely obey everything the law commands. 20 Then the king will not think that he is better than any of his own people. He will not turn away from the law, but he will follow it exactly. Then he and his descendants will rule the kingdom of Israel a long time.
17 Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the Lord thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the Lord thy God.
2 If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord thy God, in transgressing his covenant,
3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:
5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
7 The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.
8 If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose;
9 And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment:
10 And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee:
11 According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.
12 And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.
13 And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
14 When thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;
15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.
16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
17 “ ( A ) You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish or any [ a ] defect, for that is a detestable thing to the Lord your God.
2 “ ( B ) If there is found in your midst, in any of your [ b ] towns which the Lord your God is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, by violating His covenant, 3 and that person has gone and ( C ) served other gods and worshiped them, ( D ) or the sun, the moon, or any of the heavenly [ c ] lights, ( E ) which I have commanded not to do, 4 and if it is reported to you and you have heard about it , then you shall investigate thoroughly. And [ d ] if it is true and the report is trustworthy that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, 5 then you are to bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil deed, that is , the man or the woman, and ( F ) you shall stone them to [ e ] death. 6 ( G ) On the [ f ] testimony of two witnesses or three witnesses, the [ g ] condemned shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the [ h ] testimony of only one witness. 7 ( H ) The hands of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. ( I ) So you shall eliminate the evil from your midst.
8 “ ( J ) If a case is too difficult for you to decide, between [ i ] one kind of homicide or another, between [ j ] one kind of lawsuit or another, and between [ k ] one kind of assault or another, that are cases of dispute in your [ l ] courts, then you shall arise and go up to ( K ) the place which the Lord your God chooses. 9 So you shall come to ( L ) the Levitical priests or the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall inquire of them and they will declare to you the [ m ] verdict. 10 Then you shall act in accordance with the [ n ] terms of the verdict which they declare to you from that place which the Lord chooses; and you shall be careful to act in accordance with everything that they instruct you to do . 11 ( M ) In accordance with the [ o ] terms of the law about which they instruct you, and in accordance with the verdict which they tell you, you shall act; you shall not turn aside from the word which they declare to you, to the right or the left. 12 But the person who acts ( N ) insolently by not listening to the priest who stands there to serve the Lord your God, nor to the judge, that person shall die; so you shall eliminate the evil from Israel. 13 Then all the people will hear and be afraid, and will not act ( O ) insolently again.
14 “When you enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and you ( P ) take possession of it and live in it, and you say, ‘ ( Q ) I will appoint a king over me like all the nations who are around me,’ 15 you shall in fact appoint a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses. One ( R ) from among your countrymen you shall appoint as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves, anyone who is not your countryman. 16 ( S ) In any case, he is not to acquire many horses for himself, nor shall he ( T ) make the people return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since ( U ) the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ 17 And ( V ) he shall not acquire many wives for himself, so that his heart does not turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.
18 “Now it shall come about, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this Law on a scroll [ p ] ( W ) in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it ( X ) all the days of his life, so that he will learn to fear the Lord his God, [ q ] by carefully following all the words of this Law and these statutes, 20 so that his heart will not be haughty toward his countrymen, ( Y ) and that he will not turn away from the commandment to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may [ r ] live long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.
17 Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect ( A ) or flaw in it, for that would be detestable ( B ) to him. ( C )
2 If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of his covenant, ( D ) 3 and contrary to my command ( E ) has worshiped other gods, ( F ) bowing down to them or to the sun ( G ) or the moon or the stars in the sky, ( H ) 4 and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true ( I ) and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, ( J ) 5 take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death. ( K ) 6 On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. ( L ) 7 The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death, ( M ) and then the hands of all the people. ( N ) You must purge the evil ( O ) from among you.
8 If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge ( P ) —whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults ( Q ) —take them to the place the Lord your God will choose. ( R ) 9 Go to the Levitical ( S ) priests and to the judge ( T ) who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict. ( U ) 10 You must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the Lord will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you to do. 11 Act according to whatever they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left. ( V ) 12 Anyone who shows contempt ( W ) for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering ( X ) there to the Lord your God is to be put to death. ( Y ) You must purge the evil from Israel. ( Z ) 13 All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again. ( AA )
14 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession ( AB ) of it and settled in it, ( AC ) and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” ( AD ) 15 be sure to appoint ( AE ) over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. ( AF ) Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses ( AG ) for himself ( AH ) or make the people return to Egypt ( AI ) to get more of them, ( AJ ) for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” ( AK ) 17 He must not take many wives, ( AL ) or his heart will be led astray. ( AM ) He must not accumulate ( AN ) large amounts of silver and gold. ( AO )
18 When he takes the throne ( AP ) of his kingdom, he is to write ( AQ ) for himself on a scroll a copy ( AR ) of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life ( AS ) so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees ( AT ) 20 and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law ( AU ) to the right or to the left. ( AV ) Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel. ( AW )
