DEUTERONOMY

Deuteronomy1This book records the words that

Moses spoke to all the people of Israelwhile they were in the wilderness east ofthe Jordan River. They were camped inthe Jordan Valley near Suph, betweenParan on one side and Tophel, Laban,Hazeroth, and Di-zahab on the other.2Normally it takes only eleven days totravel from Mount Sinai to Kadeshbarnea,going by way of Mount Seir.3But forty years after the Israelites leftMount Sinai, on a day in midwinter,Moses gave these speeches to theIsraelites, telling them everything theLORD had commanded him to say.4This was after he had defeated KingSihon of the Amorites, who had ruled inHeshbon, and King Og of Bashan, whohad ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei.5So Moses addressed the people ofIsrael while they were in the land ofMoab east of the Jordan River. Hebegan to explain the law as follows:6"When we were at Mount Sinai, theLORD our God said to us, 'You havestayed at this mountain long enough.7It is time to break camp and move on.Go to the hill country of the Amoritesand to all the neighboring regions--theJordan Valley, the hill country, thewestern foothills, the Negev, and thecoastal plain. Go to the land of theCanaanites and to Lebanon, and all theway to the great Euphrates River.8I am giving all this land to you! Go inand occupy it, for it is the land the LORDswore to give to your ancestorsAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to alltheir descendants.'9"At that time I told you, 'You are toogreat a burden for me to carry all bymyself.10The LORD your God has made you asnumerous as the stars!11And may the LORD, the God of yourancestors, multiply you a thousandtimes more and bless you as hepromised!12But how can I settle all your quarrelsand problems by myself?13Choose some men from each tribewho have wisdom, understanding, and agood reputation, and I will appoint themas your leaders.'14"You agreed that my plan was a goodone.

15So I took the wise and respected menyou had selected from your tribes andappointed them to serve as judges andofficials over you. Some wereresponsible for a thousand people,some for a hundred, some for fifty, andsome for ten.16I instructed the judges, 'You must beperfectly fair at all times, not only tofellow Israelites, but also to theforeigners living among you.17When you make decisions, never favorthose who are rich; be fair to lowly andgreat alike. Don't be afraid of how theywill react, for you are judging in theplace of God. Bring me any cases thatare too difficult for you, and I will handlethem.'18And at that time I gave you instructionsabout everything you were to do.19"Then, just as the LORD our Goddirected us, we left Mount Sinai andtraveled through the great and terrifyingwilderness, which you yourselves saw,and headed toward the hill country ofthe Amorites. When we arrived atKadesh-barnea,20I said to you, 'You have now reachedthe land that the LORD our God isgiving us.21Look! He has placed it in front of you.Go and occupy it as the LORD, the Godof your ancestors, has promised you.Don't be afraid! Don't be discouraged!'22"But you responded, 'First, let's sendout scouts to explore the land for us.They will advise us on the best route totake and decide which towns we shouldcapture.'23This seemed like a good idea to me,so I chose twelve scouts, one from eachof your tribes.24They crossed into the hills and cameto the valley of Eshcol and explored it.25They picked some of its fruit andbrought it back to us. And they reportedthat the land the LORD our God hadgiven us was indeed a good land.26"But you rebelled against thecommand of the LORD your God andrefused to go in.27You murmured and complained in yourtents and said, 'The LORD must hate us,bringing us here from Egypt to beslaughtered by these Amorites.28How can we go on? Our scouts havedemoralized us with their report. Theysay that the people of the land are tallerand more powerful than we are, and thatthe walls of their towns rise high into the

DEUTERONOMY

sky! They have even seen giants there--the descendants of Anak!'29"But I said to you, 'Don't be afraid!30The LORD your God is going beforeyou. He will fight for you, just as yousaw him do in Egypt.31And you saw how the LORD your Godcared for you again and again here inthe wilderness, just as a father cares forhis child. Now he has brought you to thisplace.'32But even after all he did, you refusedto trust the LORD your God,33who goes before you looking for thebest places to camp, guiding you by apillar of fire at night and a pillar of cloudby day.34"When the LORD heard yourcomplaining, he became very angry. Sohe solemnly swore,35'Not one of you from this entire wickedgeneration will live to see the good landI swore to give your ancestors,36except Caleb son of Jephunneh. Hewill see this land because he hasfollowed the LORD completely. I willgive to him and his descendants someof the land he walked over during hisscouting mission.'37"And the LORD was also angry withme because of you. He said to me, 'Youwill never enter the Promised Land!38Instead, your assistant, Joshua son ofNun, will lead the people into the land.Encourage him as he prepares to enterit.39I will give the land to your innocentchildren. You were afraid they would becaptured, but they will be the ones whooccupy it.40As for you, turn around now and go onback through the wilderness toward theRed Sea. '41"Then you confessed, 'We havesinned against the LORD! We will gointo the land and fight for it, as theLORD our God has told us.' So yourmen strapped on their weapons,thinking it would be easy to conquer thehill country.42"But the LORD said to me, 'Tell themnot to attack, for I will not go with them.If they do, they will be crushed by theirenemies.'43This is what I told you, but you wouldnot listen. Instead, you again rebelledagainst the LORD's command andarrogantly went into the hill country tofight.44But the Amorites who lived there came

out against you like a swarm of bees.They chased and battered you all theway from Seir to Hormah.45Then you returned and wept beforethe LORD, but he refused to listen.46So you stayed there at Kadesh for along time.

2"Then we turned around and set out

across the wilderness toward the RedSea, just as the LORD had instructedme, and we wandered around MountSeir for a long time.2Then at last the LORD said to me,3'You have been wandering around inthis hill country long enough; turnnorthward.4Give these orders to the people: "Youwill be passing through the countrybelonging to your relatives the Edomites,the descendants of Esau, who live inSeir. The Edomites will feel threatened,so be careful.5Don't bother them, for I have giventhem all the hill country around MountSeir as their property, and I will not giveyou any of their land.6Pay them for whatever food or wateryou use.7The LORD your God has blessedeverything you have done and haswatched your every step through thisgreat wilderness. During these fortyyears, the LORD your God has beenwith you and provided for your everyneed so that you lacked nothing." '8So we went past our relatives, thedescendants of Esau, who live in Seir,and avoided the road through theArabah Valley that comes up from Elathand Ezion-geber. "Then as we travelednorthward along the desert routethrough Moab,9the LORD warned us, 'Do not botherthe Moabites, the descendants of Lot, orstart a war with them. I have given themAr as their property, and I will not giveyou any of their land.' "10(A numerous and powerful race ofgiants called the Emites had once livedin the area of Ar. They were as tall asthe Anakites, another race of giants.11Both the Emites and the Anakites areoften referred to as the Rephaites, butthe Moabites called them Emites.12In earlier times the Horites had lived atMount Seir, but they were driven outand displaced by the descendants ofEsau. In a similar way the peoples inCanaan were driven from the land that

DEUTERONOMY

the LORD had assigned to Israel.)13Moses continued, "Then the LORDtold us to cross Zered Brook, and we did.14So thirty-eight years passed from thetime we first arrived at Kadesh-barneauntil we finally crossed Zered Brook! Forthe LORD had vowed that this could nothappen until all the men old enough tofight in battle had died in the wilderness.15The LORD had lifted his hand againstthem until all of them had finally died.16"When all the men of fighting age haddied,17the LORD said to me,18'Today you will cross the border ofMoab at Ar19and enter the land of Ammon. But donot bother the Ammonites, thedescendants of Lot, or start a war withthem. I have given the land of Ammon tothem as their property, and I will not giveyou any of their land.' "20(That area, too, was once consideredthe land of the Rephaites, though theAmmonites referred to them asZamzummites.21They were a numerous and powerfulrace, as tall as the Anakites. But theLORD destroyed them so theAmmonites could occupy their land.22He had similarly helped thedescendants of Esau at Mount Seir, forhe destroyed the Horites so they couldsettle there in their place. Thedescendants of Esau live there to thisday.23A similar thing happened when theCaphtorites from Crete invaded anddestroyed the Avvites, who had lived invillages in the area of Gaza.)24Moses continued, "Then the LORDsaid, 'Now cross the Arnon Gorge! Look,I will help you defeat Sihon the Amorite,king of Heshbon, and I will give you hisland. Attack him and begin to occupythe land.25Beginning today I will make all peoplethroughout the earth terrified of you.When they hear reports about you, theywill tremble with dread and fear.'26"Then from the wilderness ofKedemoth I sent ambassadors to KingSihon of Heshbon with this proposal ofpeace:27'Let us pass through your land. We willstay on the main road and won't turn offinto the fields on either side.28We will pay for every bite of food weeat and all the water we drink. All wewant is permission to pass through your

land.29The descendants of Esau at MountSeir allowed us to go through theircountry, and so did the Moabites, wholive in Ar. Let us pass through until wecross the Jordan into the land the LORDour God has given us.'30But King Sihon refused to allow you topass through, because the LORD yourGod made Sihon stubborn and defiantso he could help you defeat them, as hehas now done.31"Then the LORD said to me, 'Look, Ihave begun to hand King Sihon and hisland over to you. Begin now to conquerand occupy his land.'32Then King Sihon declared war on usand mobilized his forces at Jahaz.33But the LORD our God handed himover to us, and we crushed him, hissons, and all his people.34We conquered all his towns andcompletely destroyed everyone--men,women, and children. Not a singleperson was spared.35We took all the livestock as plunder forourselves, along with anything of valuefrom the towns we ransacked.36"The LORD our God helped usconquer Aroer on the edge of the ArnonGorge, the town in the gorge, and thewhole area as far as Gilead. No townhad walls too strong for us.37However, we stayed away from theAmmonites along the Jabbok River andthe towns in the hill country--all theplaces the LORD our God hadcommanded us to leave alone.

3"Next we headed for the land of

Bashan, where King Og and his armyattacked us at Edrei.2But the LORD told me, 'Do not beafraid of him, for I have given you victoryover Og and his army, giving you hisentire land. Treat him just as you treatedKing Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled inHeshbon.'3So the LORD our God handed King Ogand all his people over to us, and wekilled them all.4We conquered all sixty of his towns, theentire Argob region in his kingdom ofBashan.5These were all fortified cities with highwalls and barred gates. We also tookmany unwalled villages at the same time.6We completely destroyed the kingdomof Bashan, just as we had destroyedKing Sihon of Heshbon. We destroyed

DEUTERONOMY

all the people in every town weconquered--men, women, and childrenalike.7But we kept all the livestock forourselves and took plunder from all thetowns.8"We now possessed all the land of thetwo Amorite kings east of the JordanRiver--from the Arnon Gorge to MountHermon.9(Mount Hermon is called Sirion by theSidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.)10We had now conquered all the citieson the plateau, and all Gilead andBashan as far as the towns of Salecahand Edrei, which were part of Og'skingdom in Bashan.11(Incidentally, King Og of Bashan wasthe last of the giant Rephaites. His ironbed was more than thirteen feet longand six feet wide. It can still be seen inthe Ammonite city of Rabbah.)12"When we took possession of this land,I gave the territory beyond Aroer alongthe Arnon Gorge, plus half of the hillcountry of Gilead with its towns, to thetribes of Reuben and Gad.13Then I gave the rest of Gilead and allof Bashan--Og's former kingdom--to thehalf-tribe of Manasseh. (The Argobregion of Bashan used to be known asthe land of the Rephaites.14Jair, a leader from the tribe ofManasseh, acquired the whole Argobregion in Bashan all the way to theborders of the Geshurites andMaacathites. Jair renamed this regionafter himself, calling it the Towns of Jair,as it is still known today.)15I gave Gilead to the clan of Makir.16And to the tribes of Reuben and Gad Igave the area extending from Gilead tothe middle of the Arnon Gorge, all theway to the Jabbok River on theAmmonite frontier.17They also received the Jordan Valley,including the Jordan River and itseastern banks, all the way from the Seaof Galilee down to the Dead Sea, withthe slopes of Pisgah on the east.18"At that time I gave this command tothe tribes that will live east of theJordan: 'Although the LORD your Godhas given you this land as your property,all your fighting men must cross theJordan, armed and ready to protect yourIsraelite relatives.19Your wives, children, and numerouslivestock, however, may stay behind inthe towns I have given you.

20When the LORD has given security tothe rest of the Israelites, as he has toyou, and when they occupy the land theLORD your God is giving them acrossthe Jordan River, then you may returnhere to the land I have given you.'21"At that time I said to Joshua, 'Youhave seen all that the LORD your Godhas done to these two kings. He will dothe same to all the kingdoms on thewest side of the Jordan.22Do not be afraid of the nations there,for the LORD your God will fight for you.'23"At that time I pleaded with the LORDand said,24'O Sovereign LORD, I am your servant.You have only begun to show me yourgreatness and power. Is there any godin heaven or on earth who can performsuch great deeds as yours?25Please let me cross the Jordan to seethe wonderful land on the other side, thebeautiful hill country and the Lebanonmountains.'26"But the LORD was angry with mebecause of you, and he would not listento me. 'That's enough!' he ordered.'Speak of it no more.27You can go to Pisgah Peak and viewthe land in every direction, but you maynot cross the Jordan River.28But commission Joshua andencourage him, for he will lead thepeople across the Jordan. He will givethem the land you now see before you.'29So we stayed in the valley near Bethpeor.

4"And now, Israel, listen carefully to

these laws and regulations that I amabout to teach you. Obey them so thatyou may live, so you may enter andoccupy the land the LORD, the God ofyour ancestors, is giving you.2Do not add to or subtract from thesecommands I am giving you from theLORD your God. Just obey them.3You saw what the LORD did to you atBaal-peor, where the LORD your Goddestroyed everyone who had worshipedthe god Baal of Peor.4But all of you who were faithful to theLORD your God are still alive today.5"You must obey these laws andregulations when you arrive in the landyou are about to enter and occupy. TheLORD my God gave them to me andcommanded me to pass them on to you.6If you obey them carefully, you willdisplay your wisdom and intelligence tothe surrounding nations. When they

DEUTERONOMY

hear about these laws, they will exclaim,'What other nation is as wise andprudent as this!'7For what great nation has a god asnear to them as the LORD our God isnear to us whenever we call on him?8And what great nation has laws andregulations as fair as this body of lawsthat I am giving you today?9"But watch out! Be very careful never toforget what you have seen the LORD dofor you. Do not let these things escapefrom your mind as long as you live! Andbe sure to pass them on to your childrenand grandchildren.10Tell them especially about the daywhen you stood before the LORD yourGod at Mount Sinai, where he told me,'Summon the people before me, and Iwill instruct them. That way, they willlearn to fear me as long as they live,and they will be able to teach my laws totheir children.'11You came near and stood at the footof the mountain, while the mountain wasburning with fire. Flames shot into thesky, shrouded in black clouds and deepdarkness.12And the LORD spoke to you from thefire. You heard his words but didn't seehis form; there was only a voice.13He proclaimed his covenant, which hecommanded you to keep--the TenCommandments--and wrote them ontwo stone tablets.14It was at that time that the LORDcommanded me to issue the laws andregulations you must obey in the landyou are about to enter and occupy.15"But be careful! You did not see theLORD's form on the day he spoke toyou from the fire at Mount Sinai.16So do not corrupt yourselves bymaking a physical image in any form--whether of a man or a woman,17an animal or a bird,18a creeping creature or a fish.19And when you look up into the sky andsee the sun, moon, and stars--all theforces of heaven--don't be seduced bythem and worship them. The LORD yourGod designated these heavenly bodiesfor all the peoples of the earth.20Remember that the LORD rescuedyou from the burning furnace of Egypt tobecome his own people and specialpossession; that is what you are today.21"But the LORD was very angry withme because of you. He vowed that Iwould never cross the Jordan River into

the good land the LORD your God isgiving you as your special possession.22Though you will cross the Jordan tooccupy the land, I will die here on thisside of the river.23So be careful not to break thecovenant the LORD your God has madewith you. You will break it if you makeidols of any shape or form, for the LORDyour God has absolutely forbidden this.24The LORD your God is a devouringfire, a jealous God.25"In the future, when you have childrenand grandchildren and have lived in theland a long time, do not corruptyourselves by making idols of any kind.This is evil in the sight of the LORD yourGod and will arouse his anger.26"Today I call heaven and earth aswitnesses against you. If you disobeyme, you will quickly disappear from theland you are crossing the Jordan tooccupy. You will live there only a shorttime; then you will be utterly destroyed.27For the LORD will scatter you amongthe nations, where only a few of you willsurvive.28There, in a foreign land, you willworship idols made from wood andstone, gods that neither see nor hearnor eat nor smell.29From there you will search again forthe LORD your God. And if you searchfor him with all your heart and soul, youwill find him.30"When those bitter days have comeupon you far in the future, you will finallyreturn to the LORD your God and listento what he tells you.31For the LORD your God is merciful--hewill not abandon you or destroy you orforget the solemn covenant he madewith your ancestors.32"Search all of history, from the timeGod created people on the earth untilnow. Then search from one end of theheavens to the other. See if anything asgreat as this has ever happened before.33Has any nation ever heard the voice ofGod speaking from fire--as you did--andsurvived?34Has any other god taken one nationfor himself by rescuing it from anotherby means of trials, miraculous signs,wonders, war, awesome power, andterrifying acts? Yet that is what theLORD your God did for you in Egypt,right before your very eyes.35"He showed you these things so youwould realize that the LORD is God and

DEUTERONOMY

that there is no other god.36He let you hear his voice from heavenso he could instruct you. He let you seehis great fire here on earth so he couldspeak to you from it.37Because he loved your ancestors, hechose to bless their descendants andpersonally brought you out of Egypt witha great display of power.38He drove out nations far greater thanyou, so he could bring you in and giveyou their land as a special possession,as it is today.39So remember this and keep it firmly inmind: The LORD is God both in heavenand on earth, and there is no other god!40If you obey all the laws and commandsthat I will give you today, all will be wellwith you and your children. Then youwill enjoy a long life in the land theLORD your God is giving you for alltime."41Then Moses set apart three cities ofrefuge east of the Jordan River,42where anyone who had accidentallykilled someone without having anyprevious hostility could flee for safety.43These were the cities: Bezer on thewilderness plateau for the tribe ofReuben; Ramoth in Gilead for the tribeof Gad; Golan in Bashan for the tribe ofManasseh.44This is the law that Moses handeddown to the Israelites.45These are the stipulations, laws, andregulations that Moses gave to thepeople of Israel when they left Egypt,46and as they camped in the valley nearBeth-peor east of the Jordan River.(This land was formerly occupied by theAmorites under King Sihon of Heshbon.He and his people had been destroyedby Moses and the Israelites as theycame up from Egypt.47Israel conquered his land and that ofKing Og of Bashan--the two Amoritekings east of the Jordan.48So Israel conquered all the area fromAroer at the edge of the Arnon Gorge toMount Sirion, also called Mount Hermon.49And they took the eastern bank of theJordan Valley as far south as the DeadSea, below the slopes of Pisgah.)

5Moses called all the people of Israel

together and said, "Listen carefully to allthe laws and regulations I am giving youtoday. Learn them and be sure to obeythem!2"While we were at Mount Sinai, the

LORD our God made a covenant withus.3The LORD did not make this covenantlong ago with our ancestors, but with allof us who are alive today.4The LORD spoke to you face to facefrom the heart of the fire on themountain.5I stood as an intermediary between youand the LORD, for you were afraid ofthe fire and did not climb the mountain.He spoke to me, and I passed his wordson to you. This is what he said:6" 'I am the LORD your God, whorescued you from slavery in Egypt.7" 'Do not worship any other godsbesides me.8" 'Do not make idols of any kind,whether in the shape of birds or animalsor fish.9You must never worship or bow downto them, for I, the LORD your God, am ajealous God who will not share youraffection with any other god! I do notleave unpunished the sins of those whohate me, but I punish the children for thesins of their parents to the third andfourth generations.10But I lavish my love on those who loveme and obey my commands, even for athousand generations.11" 'Do not misuse the name of theLORD your God. The LORD will not letyou go unpunished if you misuse hisname.12" 'Observe the Sabbath day bykeeping it holy, as the LORD your Godhas commanded you.13Six days a week are set apart for yourdaily duties and regular work,14but the seventh day is a day of restdedicated to the LORD your God. Onthat day no one in your household maydo any kind of work. This includes you,your sons and daughters, your male andfemale servants, your oxen and donkeysand other livestock, and any foreignersliving among you. All your male andfemale servants must rest as you do.15Remember that you were once slavesin Egypt and that the LORD your Godbrought you out with amazing powerand mighty deeds. That is why theLORD your God has commanded you toobserve the Sabbath day.16" 'Honor your father and mother, as theLORD your God commanded you. Thenyou will live a long, full life in the landthe LORD your God will give you.17" 'Do not murder.

DEUTERONOMY

18" 'Do not commit adultery.19" 'Do not steal.20" 'Do not testify falsely against yourneighbor.21" 'Do not covet your neighbor's wife.Do not covet your neighbor's house orland, male or female servant, ox ordonkey, or anything else your neighborowns.'22"The LORD spoke these words with aloud voice to all of you from the heart ofthe fire, surrounded by clouds and deepdarkness. This was all he said at thattime, and he wrote his words on twostone tablets and gave them to me.23But when you heard the voice from thedarkness, while the mountain wasblazing with fire, all your tribal leaderscame to me.24They said, 'The LORD our God hasshown us his glory and greatness, andwe have heard his voice from the heartof the fire. Today we have seen Godspeaking to humans, and yet we live!25But now, why should we die? If theLORD our God speaks to us again, wewill certainly die and be consumed bythis awesome fire.26Can any living thing hear the voice ofthe living God from the heart of the fireand yet survive?27You go and listen to what the LORDour God says. Then come and tell useverything he tells you, and we willlisten and obey.'28"The LORD heard your request andsaid to me, 'I have heard what thepeople have said to you, and they areright.29Oh, that they would always havehearts like this, that they might fear meand obey all my commands! If they did,they and their descendants wouldprosper forever.30Go and tell them to return to their tents.31But you stay here with me so I cangive you all my commands, laws, andregulations. You will teach them to thepeople so they can obey them in theland I am giving to them as theirinheritance.' "32So Moses told the people, "You mustobey all the commands of the LORDyour God, following his instructions inevery detail.33Stay on the path that the LORD yourGod has commanded you to follow.Then you will live long and prosperouslives in the land you are about to enterand occupy.

6"These are all the commands, laws,

and regulations that the LORD your Godtold me to teach you so you may obeythem in the land you are about to enterand occupy,2and so you and your children andgrandchildren might fear the LORD yourGod as long as you live. If you obey allhis laws and commands, you will enjoya long life.3Listen closely, Israel, to everything Isay. Be careful to obey. Then all will gowell with you, and you will have manychildren in the land flowing with milk andhoney, just as the LORD, the God ofyour ancestors, promised you.4"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God,the LORD alone.5And you must love the LORD your Godwith all your heart, all your soul, and allyour strength.6And you must commit yourselveswholeheartedly to these commands I amgiving you today.7Repeat them again and again to yourchildren. Talk about them when you areat home and when you are away on ajourney, when you are lying down andwhen you are getting up again.8Tie them to your hands as a reminder,and wear them on your forehead.9Write them on the doorposts of yourhouse and on your gates.10"The LORD your God will soon bringyou into the land he swore to give yourancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Itis a land filled with large, prosperouscities that you did not build.11The houses will be richly stocked withgoods you did not produce. You willdraw water from cisterns you did not dig,and you will eat from vineyards andolive trees you did not plant. When youhave eaten your fill in this land,12be careful not to forget the LORD, whorescued you from slavery in the land ofEgypt.13You must fear the LORD your Godand serve him. When you take an oath,you must use only his name.14"You must not worship any of the godsof neighboring nations,15for the LORD your God, who livesamong you, is a jealous God. His angerwill flare up against you and wipe youfrom the face of the earth.16Do not test the LORD your God as youdid when you complained at Massah.17You must diligently obey the

DEUTERONOMY

commands of the LORD your God--allthe stipulations and laws he has givenyou.18Do what is right and good in theLORD's sight, so all will go well with you.Then you will enter and occupy the goodland that the LORD solemnly promisedto give your ancestors.19You will drive out all the enemies livingin your land, just as the LORD said youwould.20"In the future your children will ask you,'What is the meaning of thesestipulations, laws, and regulations thatthe LORD our God has given us?'21Then you must tell them, 'We werePharaoh's slaves in Egypt, but theLORD brought us out of Egypt withamazing power.22Before our eyes the LORD didmiraculous signs and wonders, dealingterrifying blows against Egypt andPharaoh and all his people.23He brought us out of Egypt so hecould give us this land he had solemnlypromised to give our ancestors.24And the LORD our God commandedus to obey all these laws and to fear himfor our own prosperity and well-being,as is now the case.25For we are righteous when we obey allthe commands the LORD our God hasgiven us.'

7"When the LORD your God brings

you into the land you are about to enterand occupy, he will clear away manynations ahead of you: the Hittites,Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites,Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Theseseven nations are all more powerfulthan you.2When the LORD your God hands thesenations over to you and you conquerthem, you must completely destroy them.Make no treaties with them and showthem no mercy.3Do not intermarry with them, and don'tlet your daughters and sons marry theirsons and daughters.4They will lead your young people awayfrom me to worship other gods. Thenthe anger of the LORD will burn againstyou, and he will destroy you.5Instead, you must break down theirpagan altars and shatter their sacredpillars. Cut down their Asherah polesand burn their idols.6For you are a holy people, who belongto the LORD your God. Of all the people

on earth, the LORD your God haschosen you to be his own specialtreasure.7"The LORD did not choose you andlavish his love on you because you werelarger or greater than other nations, foryou were the smallest of all nations!8It was simply because the LORD lovesyou, and because he was keeping theoath he had sworn to your ancestors.That is why the LORD rescued you withsuch amazing power from your slaveryunder Pharaoh in Egypt.9Understand, therefore, that the LORDyour God is indeed God. He is thefaithful God who keeps his covenant fora thousand generations and constantlyloves those who love him and obey hiscommands.10But he does not hesitate to punish anddestroy those who hate him.11Therefore, obey all these commands,laws, and regulations I am giving youtoday.12"If you listen to these regulations andobey them faithfully, the LORD yourGod will keep his covenant of unfailinglove with you, as he solemnly promisedyour ancestors.13He will love you and bless you andmake you into a great nation. He willgive you many children and give fertilityto your land and your animals. Whenyou arrive in the land he swore to giveyour ancestors, you will have largecrops of grain, grapes, and olives, andgreat herds of cattle, sheep, and goats.14You will be blessed above all thenations of the earth. None of your menor women will be childless, and all yourlivestock will bear young.15And the LORD will protect you from allsickness. He will not let you suffer fromthe terrible diseases you knew in Egypt,but he will bring them all on yourenemies!16"You must destroy all the nations theLORD your God hands over to you.Show them no mercy and do notworship their gods. If you do, they willtrap you.17Perhaps you will think to yourselves,'How can we ever conquer these nationsthat are so much more powerful than weare?'18But don't be afraid of them! Justremember what the LORD your God didto Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt.19Remember the great terrors the LORDyour God sent against them. You saw it

DEUTERONOMY

all with your own eyes! And rememberthe miraculous signs and wonders, andthe amazing power he used when hebrought you out of Egypt. The LORDyour God will use this same poweragainst the people you fear.20And then the LORD your God will sendhornets to drive out the few survivorsstill hiding from you!21"No, do not be afraid of those nations,for the LORD your God is among you,and he is a great and awesome God.22The LORD your God will drive thosenations out ahead of you little by little.You will not clear them away all at once,for if you did, the wild animals wouldmultiply too quickly for you.23But the LORD your God will handthem over to you. He will throw theminto complete confusion until they aredestroyed.24He will put their kings in your power,and you will erase their names from theface of the earth. No one will be able tostand against you, and you will destroythem all.25"You must burn their idols in fire, anddo not desire the silver or gold withwhich they are made. Do not take it or itwill become a snare to you, for it isdetestable to the LORD your God.26Do not bring any detestable objectsinto your home, for then you will be setapart for destruction just like them. Youmust utterly detest such things, for theyare set apart for destruction.

8"Be careful to obey all the commands

I am giving you today. Then you will liveand multiply, and you will enter andoccupy the land the LORD swore to giveyour ancestors.2Remember how the LORD your Godled you through the wilderness for fortyyears, humbling you and testing you toprove your character, and to find outwhether or not you would really obey hiscommands.3Yes, he humbled you by letting you gohungry and then feeding you withmanna, a food previously unknown toyou and your ancestors. He did it toteach you that people need more thanbread for their life; real life comes byfeeding on every word of the LORD.4For all these forty years your clothesdidn't wear out, and your feet didn'tblister or swell.5So you should realize that just as aparent disciplines a child, the LORD

your God disciplines you to help you.6"So obey the commands of the LORDyour God by walking in his ways andfearing him.7For the LORD your God is bringing youinto a good land of flowing streams andpools of water, with springs that gushforth in the valleys and hills.8It is a land of wheat and barley, ofgrapevines, fig trees, pomegranates,olives, and honey.9It is a land where food is plentiful andnothing is lacking. It is a land where ironis as common as stone, and copper isabundant in the hills.10When you have eaten your fill, praisethe LORD your God for the good landhe has given you.11"But that is the time to be careful!Beware that in your plenty you do notforget the LORD your God and disobeyhis commands, regulations, and laws.12For when you have become full andprosperous and have built fine homes tolive in,13and when your flocks and herds havebecome very large and your silver andgold have multiplied along witheverything else,14that is the time to be careful. Do notbecome proud at that time and forgetthe LORD your God, who rescued youfrom slavery in the land of Egypt.15Do not forget that he led you throughthe great and terrifying wilderness withpoisonous snakes and scorpions, whereit was so hot and dry. He gave youwater from the rock!16He fed you with manna in thewilderness, a food unknown to yourancestors. He did this to humble youand test you for your own good.17He did it so you would never think thatit was your own strength and energythat made you wealthy.18Always remember that it is the LORDyour God who gives you power tobecome rich, and he does it to fulfill thecovenant he made with your ancestors.19"But I assure you of this: If you everforget the LORD your God and followother gods, worshiping and bowingdown to them, you will certainly bedestroyed.20Just as the LORD has destroyed othernations in your path, you also will bedestroyed for not obeying the LORDyour God.

9"Hear, O Israel! Today you are about

DEUTERONOMY

to cross the Jordan River to occupy theland belonging to nations much greaterand more powerful than you. They livein cities with walls that reach to the sky!2They are strong and tall--descendantsof the famous Anakite giants. You'veheard the saying, 'Who can stand up tothe Anakites?'3But the LORD your God will cross overahead of you like a devouring fire todestroy them. He will subdue them sothat you will quickly conquer them anddrive them out, just as the LORD haspromised.4"After the LORD your God has donethis for you, don't say to yourselves,'The LORD has given us this landbecause we are so righteous!' No, it isbecause of the wickedness of the othernations that he is doing it.5It is not at all because you are suchrighteous, upright people that you areabout to occupy their land. The LORDyour God will drive these nations outahead of you only because of theirwickedness, and to fulfill the oath hehad sworn to your ancestors Abraham,Isaac, and Jacob.6I will say it again: The LORD your Godis not giving you this good land becauseyou are righteous, for you are not--youare a stubborn people.7"Remember how angry you made theLORD your God out in the wilderness.From the day you left Egypt until now,you have constantly rebelled againsthim.8Remember how angry you made theLORD at Mount Sinai, where he wasready to destroy you.9That was when I was on the mountainreceiving the tablets of stone inscribedwith the covenant that the LORD hadmade with you. I was there for forty daysand forty nights, and all that time I atenothing and drank no water.10The LORD gave me the covenant, thetablets on which God himself had writtenall the words he had spoken to you fromthe fire on the mountain.11"At the end of the forty days and nights,the LORD handed me the two stonetablets with the covenant inscribed onthem.12Then the LORD said to me, 'Go downimmediately because the people you ledout of Egypt have become corrupt. Theyhave already turned from the way Icommanded them to live and have castan idol for themselves from gold.'

13"The LORD said to me, 'I have beenwatching this people, and they areextremely stubborn.14Leave me alone so I may destroy themand erase their name from underheaven. Then I will make a mightynation of your descendants, a nationlarger and more powerful than they are.'15"So I came down from the fierymountain, holding in my hands the twostone tablets of the covenant.16There below me I could see the goldcalf you had made in your terrible sinagainst the LORD your God. Howquickly you had turned from the path theLORD had commanded you to follow!17So I raised the stone tablets anddashed them to the ground. I smashedthem before your very eyes.18Then for forty days and nights I layprostrate before the LORD, neithereating bread nor drinking water. I didthis because you had sinned by doingwhat the LORD hated, thus making himvery angry.19How I feared for you, for the LORDwas ready to destroy you. But again helistened to me.20The LORD was so angry with Aaronthat he wanted to destroy him. But Iprayed for Aaron, and the LORD sparedhim.21I took your sin--the calf you had made--and I melted it in the fire and ground itinto fine dust. I threw the dust into thestream that cascades down themountain.22"You also made the LORD angry atTaberah, Massah, and Kibrothhattaavah.23And at Kadesh-barnea the LORD sentyou out with this command: 'Go up andtake the land I have given you.' But yourebelled against the command of theLORD your God and refused to trust himor obey him.24Yes, you have been rebelling againstthe LORD as long as I have known you.25"That is why I fell down and lay beforethe LORD for forty days and nightswhen he was ready to destroy you.26I prayed to the LORD and said, 'OSovereign LORD, do not destroy yourown people. They are your specialpossession, redeemed from Egypt byyour mighty power and glorious strength.27Overlook the stubbornness and sin ofthese people, but remember insteadyour servants Abraham, Isaac, andJacob.28If you destroy these people, the

DEUTERONOMY

Egyptians will say, "The LORDdestroyed them because he wasn't ableto bring them to the land he had swornto give them." Or they might say, "Hedestroyed them because he hated them;he brought them into the wilderness toslaughter them."29But they are your people and yourspecial possession, whom you broughtfrom Egypt by your mighty power andglorious strength.'

10"At that time the LORD said to me,

'Prepare two stone tablets like the firstones, and make a sacred chest of woodto keep them in. Return to me on themountain,2and I will write on the tablets the samewords that were on the ones yousmashed. Then place the tablets in thesacred chest--the Ark of the Covenant.'3"So I made a chest of acacia wood andcut two stone tablets like the first two,and I took the tablets up the mountain.4The LORD again wrote the terms of thecovenant--the Ten Commandments--onthem and gave them to me. They werethe same words the LORD had spokento you from the heart of the fire on themountain as you were assembled below.5Then I came down and placed thetablets in the Ark of the Covenant, whichI had made, just as the LORDcommanded me. And the tablets are stillthere in the Ark.6"The people of Israel set out from thewells of the people of Jaakan andtraveled to Moserah, where Aaron diedand was buried. His son Eleazarbecame the high priest in his place.7Then they journeyed to Gudgodah, andfrom there to Jotbathah, a land withbrooks of water.8At that time the LORD set apart thetribe of Levi to carry the Ark of theLORD's covenant, to minister before theLORD, and to pronounce blessings inhis name. These are still their duties.9That is why the Levites have no shareor inheritance reserved for them amongthe other Israelite tribes. The LORDhimself is their inheritance, as the LORDyour God told them.10"As I said before, I stayed on themountain in the LORD's presence forforty days and nights, as I had done thefirst time. And once again the LORDyielded to my pleas and didn't destroyyou.11But the LORD said to me, 'Get up and

lead the people into the land I swore togive their ancestors, so they may takepossession of it.'12"And now, Israel, what does the LORDyour God require of you? He requiresyou to fear him, to live according to hiswill, to love and worship him with allyour heart and soul,13and to obey the LORD's commandsand laws that I am giving you today foryour own good.14The highest heavens and the earthand everything in it all belong to theLORD your God.15Yet the LORD chose your ancestorsas the objects of his love. And he choseyou, their descendants, above everyother nation, as is evident today.16Therefore, cleanse your sinful heartsand stop being stubborn.17"The LORD your God is the God ofgods and Lord of lords. He is the greatGod, mighty and awesome, who showsno partiality and takes no bribes.18He gives justice to orphans andwidows. He shows love to the foreignersliving among you and gives them foodand clothing.19You, too, must show love to foreigners,for you yourselves were once foreignersin the land of Egypt.20You must fear the LORD your Godand worship him and cling to him. Youroaths must be in his name alone.21He is your God, the one who is worthyof your praise, the one who has donemighty miracles that you yourselveshave seen.22When your ancestors went down intoEgypt, there were only seventy of them.But now the LORD your God has madeyou as numerous as the stars in the sky!

11"You must love the LORD your

God and obey all his requirements, laws,regulations, and commands.2Listen! I am not talking now to yourchildren, who have never experiencedthe discipline of the LORD your God orseen his greatness and awesome power.3They weren't there to see themiraculous signs and wonders heperformed in Egypt against Pharaoh andall his land.4They didn't see what the LORD did tothe armies of Egypt and to their horsesand chariots--how he drowned them inthe Red Sea as they were chasing you,and how he has kept them devastatedto this very day!

DEUTERONOMY

5They didn't see how the LORD caredfor you in the wilderness until youarrived here.6They weren't there to see what he didto Dathan and Abiram (the sons of Eliab,a descendant of Reuben) when theearth opened up and swallowed them,along with their households and tentsand every living thing that belonged tothem.7But you have seen all the LORD'smighty deeds with your own eyes!8"Therefore, be careful to obey everycommand I am giving you today, so youmay have strength to go in and occupythe land you are about to enter.9If you obey, you will enjoy a long life inthe land the LORD swore to give to yourancestors and to you, theirdescendants--a land flowing with milkand honey!10For the land you are about to enterand occupy is not like the land of Egyptfrom which you came, where youplanted your seed and dug out irrigationditches with your foot as in a vegetablegarden.11It is a land of hills and valleys withplenty of rain--12a land that the LORD your God caresfor. He watches over it day after daythroughout the year!13"If you carefully obey all thecommands I am giving you today, and ifyou love the LORD your God with allyour heart and soul, and if you worshiphim,14then he will send the rains in theirproper seasons so you can harvestcrops of grain, grapes for wine, andolives for oil.15He will give you lush pastureland foryour cattle to graze in, and youyourselves will have plenty to eat.16"But do not let your heart turn awayfrom the LORD to worship other gods.17If you do, the LORD's anger will burnagainst you. He will shut up the sky andhold back the rain, and your harvestswill fail. Then you will quickly die in thatgood land the LORD is now giving you.18So commit yourselves completely tothese words of mine. Tie them to yourhands as a reminder, and wear them onyour forehead.19Teach them to your children. Talkabout them when you are at home andwhen you are away on a journey, whenyou are lying down and when you aregetting up again.

20Write them on the doorposts of yourhouse and on your gates,21so that as long as the sky remainsabove the earth, you and your childrenmay flourish in the land the LORD sworeto give your ancestors.22"Be careful to obey all the commands Igive you; show love to the LORD yourGod by walking in his ways and clingingto him.23Then the LORD will drive out all thenations in your land, though they aremuch greater and stronger than you.24Wherever you set your feet, the landwill be yours. Your frontiers will stretchfrom the wilderness in the south toLebanon in the north, and from theEuphrates River in the east to theMediterranean Sea in the west.25No one will be able to stand againstyou, for the LORD your God will sendfear and dread ahead of you, as hepromised you, wherever you go in thewhole land.26"Today I am giving you the choicebetween a blessing and a curse!27You will be blessed if you obey thecommands of the LORD your God that Iam giving you today.28You will receive a curse if you rejectthe commands of the LORD your Godand turn from his way by worshipingforeign gods.29"When the LORD your God brings youinto the land to possess it, you mustpronounce a blessing from MountGerizim and a curse from Mount Ebal.30(These two mountains are west of theJordan River in the land of theCanaanites who live in the JordanValley, near the town of Gilgal. They arelocated toward the west, not far from theoaks of Moreh.)31For you are about to cross the Jordanto occupy the land the LORD your Godis giving you. When you are living in thatland,32you must be careful to obey all thelaws and regulations I am giving youtoday.

12"These are the laws and

regulations you must obey as long asyou live in the land the LORD, the Godof your ancestors, is giving you.2"When you drive out the nations thatlive there, you must destroy all theplaces where they worship their gods--high on the mountains, up on the hills,and under every green tree.

DEUTERONOMY

3Break down their altars and smash theirsacred pillars. Burn their Asherah polesand cut down their carved idols. Erasethe names of their gods from thoseplaces!4"Do not worship the LORD your God inthe way these pagan peoples worshiptheir gods.5Rather, you must seek the LORD yourGod at the place he himself will choosefrom among all the tribes for his name tobe honored.6There you will bring to the LORD yourburnt offerings, your sacrifices, yourtithes, your special gifts, your offeringsto fulfill a vow, your freewill offerings,and your offerings of the firstbornanimals of your flocks and herds.7There you and your families will feast inthe presence of the LORD your God,and you will rejoice in all you haveaccomplished because the LORD yourGod has blessed you.8"Today you are doing whatever youplease, but that is not how it will be9when you arrive in the place of rest theLORD your God is giving you.10You will soon cross the Jordan Riverand live in the land the LORD your Godis giving you as a special possession.When he gives you rest and securityfrom all your enemies,11you must bring everything I commandyou--your burnt offerings, your sacrifices,your tithes, your special gifts, and yourofferings to fulfill a vow--to the place theLORD your God will choose for hisname to be honored.12You must celebrate there with yoursons and daughters and all yourservants in the presence of the LORDyour God. And remember the Leviteswho live in your towns, for they will haveno inheritance of land as their own.13Be careful not to sacrifice your burntofferings just anywhere.14You may do so only at the place theLORD will choose within one of yourtribal territories. There you must offeryour burnt offerings and do everything Icommand you.15"But you may butcher animals for meatin any town, wherever you want, just asyou do now with gazelle and deer. Youmay eat as many animals as the LORDyour God gives you. All of you, whetherceremonially clean or unclean, may eatthat meat.16The only restriction is that you are notto eat the blood. You must pour it out on

the ground like water.17"But your offerings must not be eatenat home--neither the tithe of your grainand new wine and olive oil, nor thefirstborn of your flocks and herds, nor anoffering to fulfill a vow, nor your freewillofferings, nor your special gifts.18You must eat these in the presence ofthe LORD your God at the place he willchoose. Eat them there with yourchildren, your servants, and the Leviteswho live in your towns, celebrating in thepresence of the LORD your God in allyou do.19Be very careful never to forget theLevites as long as you live in your land.20"When the LORD your God enlargesyour territory as he has promised, youmay eat meat whenever you want.21It might happen that the place theLORD your God chooses for his nameto be honored is a long way from yourhome. If so, you may butcher any of thecattle or sheep the LORD has given you,and you may eat the meat at your homeas I have commanded you.22Anyone, whether ceremonially clean orunclean, may eat that meat, just as youdo now with gazelle and deer.23The only restriction is never to eat theblood, for the blood is the life, and youmust not eat the life with the meat.24Instead, pour out the blood on theground like water.25Do not eat the blood; then all will gowell with you and your children, becauseyou will be doing what pleases theLORD.26Take your sacred gifts and yourofferings given to fulfill a vow to theplace the LORD chooses to dwell.27You must offer the meat and blood ofyour burnt offerings on the altar of theLORD your God. The blood of yourother sacrifices must be poured outbeside the altar of the LORD your God,but you may eat the meat.28Be careful to obey all my commandsso that all will go well with you and yourchildren, because you will be doing whatpleases the LORD your God.29"When the LORD your God destroysthe nations and you drive them out andoccupy their land,30do not be trapped into following theirexample in worshiping their gods. Donot say, 'How do these nations worshiptheir gods? I want to follow theirexample.'31You must not do this to the LORD your

DEUTERONOMY

God. These nations have committedmany detestable acts that the LORDhates, all in the name of their gods.They have even burned their sons anddaughters as sacrifices to their gods.32Carefully obey all the commands I giveyou. Do not add to them or subtract fromthem.

13"Suppose there are prophets

among you, or those who have dreamsabout the future, and they promise yousigns or miracles,2and the predicted signs or miraclestake place. If the prophets then say,'Come, let us worship the gods offoreign nations,'3do not listen to them. The LORD yourGod is testing you to see if you love himwith all your heart and soul.4Serve only the LORD your God andfear him alone. Obey his commands,listen to his voice, and cling to him.5The false prophets or dreamers who tryto lead you astray must be put to death,for they encourage rebellion against theLORD your God, who brought you out ofslavery in the land of Egypt. Since theytry to keep you from following the LORDyour God, you must execute them toremove the evil from among you.6"Suppose your brother, son, daughter,beloved wife, or closest friend comes toyou secretly and says, 'Let us goworship other gods'--gods that neitheryou nor your ancestors have known.7They might suggest that you worshipthe gods of peoples who live nearby orwho come from the ends of the earth.8If they do this, do not give in or listen,and have no pity. Do not spare orprotect them.9You must put them to death! You mustbe the one to initiate the execution; thenall the people must join in.10Stone the guilty ones to deathbecause they have tried to draw youaway from the LORD your God, whorescued you from the land of Egypt, theplace of slavery.11Then all Israel will hear about it and beafraid, and such wickedness will neveragain be done among you.12"Suppose you hear in one of the townsthe LORD your God is giving you13that some worthless rabble among youhave led their fellow citizens astray byencouraging them to worship foreigngods.14In such cases, you must examine the

facts carefully. If you find it is true andcan prove that such a detestable act hasoccurred among you,15you must attack that town andcompletely destroy all its inhabitants, aswell as all the livestock.16Then you must pile all the plunder inthe middle of the street and burn it. Putthe entire town to the torch as a burntoffering to the LORD your God. Thattown must remain a ruin forever; it maynever be rebuilt.17Keep none of the plunder that hasbeen set apart for destruction. Then theLORD will turn from his fierce anger andbe merciful to you. He will havecompassion on you and make you agreat nation, just as he solemnlypromised your ancestors.18"The LORD your God will be mercifulonly if you obey him and keep all thecommands I am giving you today, doingwhat is pleasing to him.

14"Since you are the people of the

LORD your God, never cut yourselvesor shave the hair above your foreheadsfor the sake of the dead.2You have been set apart as holy to theLORD your God, and he has chosenyou to be his own special treasure fromall the nations of the earth.3"You must not eat animals that areceremonially unclean.4These are the animals you may eat: theox, the sheep, the goat,5the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, thewild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and themountain sheep.6"Any animal that has split hooves andchews the cud may be eaten,7but if the animal doesn't have both, itmay not be eaten. So you may not eatthe camel, the hare, or the rock badger.They chew the cud but do not have splithooves.8And the pig may not be eaten, forthough it has split hooves, it does notchew the cud. All these animals areceremonially unclean for you. You maynot eat or even touch the dead bodies ofsuch animals.9"As for marine animals, you may eatwhatever has both fins and scales.10You may not, however, eat marineanimals that do not have both fins andscales. They are ceremonially uncleanfor you.11"You may eat any bird that isceremonially clean.

DEUTERONOMY

12These are the birds you may not eat:the eagle, the vulture, the osprey,13the buzzard, kites of all kinds,14ravens of all kinds,15the ostrich, the nighthawk, the seagull,hawks of all kinds,16the little owl, the great owl, the whiteowl,17the pelican, the carrion vulture, thecormorant,18the stork, herons of all kinds, thehoopoe, and the bat.19"All flying insects are ceremoniallyunclean for you and may not be eaten.20But you may eat any winged creaturethat is ceremonially clean.21"Do not eat anything that has died anatural death. You may give it to aforeigner living among you, or you maysell it to a foreigner. But do not eat ityourselves, for you are set apart as holyto the LORD your God. "Do not boil ayoung goat in its mother's milk.22"You must set aside a tithe of yourcrops--one-tenth of all the crops youharvest each year.23Bring this tithe to the place the LORDyour God chooses for his name to behonored, and eat it there in his presence.This applies to your tithes of grain, newwine, olive oil, and the firstborn males ofyour flocks and herds. The purpose oftithing is to teach you always to fear theLORD your God.24Now the place the LORD your Godchooses for his name to be honoredmight be a long way from your home.25If so, you may sell the tithe portion ofyour crops and herds and take themoney to the place the LORD your Godchooses.26When you arrive, use the money tobuy anything you want--an ox, a sheep,some wine, or beer. Then feast there inthe presence of the LORD your God andcelebrate with your household.27And do not forget the Levites in yourcommunity, for they have no inheritanceas you do.28"At the end of every third year bringthe tithe of all your crops and store it inthe nearest town.29Give it to the Levites, who have noinheritance among you, as well as to theforeigners living among you, theorphans, and the widows in your towns,so they can eat and be satisfied. Thenthe LORD your God will bless you in allyour work.

15"At the end of every seventh year

you must cancel your debts.2This is how it must be done. Creditorsmust cancel the loans they have madeto their fellow Israelites. They must notdemand payment from their neighborsor relatives, for the LORD's time ofrelease has arrived.3This release from debt, however,applies only to your fellow Israelites--notto the foreigners living among you.4There should be no poor among you,for the LORD your God will greatly blessyou in the land he is giving you as aspecial possession.5You will receive this blessing if youcarefully obey the commands of theLORD your God that I am giving youtoday.6The LORD your God will bless you ashe has promised. You will lend money tomany nations but will never need toborrow! You will rule many nations, butthey will not rule over you!7"But if there are any poor people inyour towns when you arrive in the landthe LORD your God is giving you, do notbe hard-hearted or tightfisted towardthem.8Instead, be generous and lend themwhatever they need.9Do not be mean-spirited and refusesomeone a loan because the year ofrelease is close at hand. If you refuse tomake the loan and the needy personcries out to the LORD, you will beconsidered guilty of sin.10Give freely without begrudging it, andthe LORD your God will bless you ineverything you do.11There will always be some among youwho are poor. That is why I amcommanding you to share yourresources freely with the poor and withother Israelites in need.12"If an Israelite man or womanvoluntarily becomes your servant andserves you for six years, in the seventhyear you must set that servant free.13"When you release a male servant, donot send him away empty-handed.14Give him a generous farewell gift fromyour flock, your threshing floor, and yourwinepress. Share with him some of thebounty with which the LORD your Godhas blessed you.15Remember that you were slaves in theland of Egypt and the LORD your Godredeemed you! That is why I am giving

DEUTERONOMY

you this command.16But suppose your servant says, 'I willnot leave you,' because he loves youand your family, and he is well off withyou.17In that case, take an awl and push itthrough his earlobe into the door. Afterthat, he will be your servant for life. "Youmust do the same for your femaleservants.18"Do not consider it a hardship whenyou release your servants. Rememberthat for six years they have given youthe services worth double the wages ofhired workers, and the LORD your Godwill bless you in all you do.19"You must set aside for the LORD yourGod all the firstborn males from yourflocks and herds. Do not use thefirstborn of your herds to work yourfields, and do not shear the firstborn ofyour flocks.20Instead, you and your family must eatthese animals in the presence of theLORD your God each year at the placehe chooses.21But if this firstborn animal has anydefect, such as being lame or blind, or ifanything else is wrong with it, you mustnot sacrifice it to the LORD your God.22Instead, use it for food for your familyat home. Anyone may eat it, whetherceremonially clean or unclean, just asanyone may eat a gazelle or deer.23But do not eat the blood. You mustpour it out on the ground like water.

16"In honor of the LORD your God,

always celebrate the Passover at theproper time in early spring, for that waswhen the LORD your God brought youout of Egypt by night.2Your Passover sacrifice may be fromeither the flock or the herd, and it mustbe sacrificed to the LORD your God atthe place he chooses for his name to behonored.3Eat it with bread made without yeast.For seven days eat only bread madewithout yeast, as you did when youescaped from Egypt in such a hurry. Eatthis bread--the bread of suffering--sothat you will remember the day youdeparted from Egypt as long as you live.4Let no yeast be found in any housethroughout your land for seven days.And do not let any of the meat of thePassover lamb remain until the nextmorning.5"The Passover must not be eaten in the

towns that the LORD your God is givingyou.6It must be offered at the place theLORD your God will choose for hisname to be honored. Sacrifice it thereas the sun goes down on theanniversary of your exodus from Egypt.7Roast the lamb and eat it in the placethe LORD your God chooses. Then goback to your tents the next morning.8For the next six days you may not eatbread made with yeast. On the seventhday the people must assemble beforethe LORD your God, and no work maybe done on that day.9"Count off seven weeks from thebeginning of your grain harvest.10Then you must celebrate the Festivalof Harvest to honor the LORD your God.Bring him a freewill offering in proportionto the blessings you have received fromhim.11It is a time to celebrate before theLORD your God at the place hechooses for his name to be honored.Celebrate with your whole family, allyour servants, the Levites from yourtowns, and the foreigners, orphans, andwidows who live among you.12Remember that you were slaves inEgypt, so be careful to obey all theselaws.13"Another celebration, the Festival ofShelters, must be observed for sevendays at the end of the harvest season,after the grain has been threshed andthe grapes have been pressed.14This festival will be a happy time ofrejoicing with your family, your servants,and with the Levites, foreigners,orphans, and widows from your towns.15For seven days celebrate this festivalto honor the LORD your God at theplace he chooses, for it is the LORDyour God who gives you bountifulharvests and blesses all your work. Thisfestival will be a time of great joy for all.16"Each year every man in Israel mustcelebrate these three festivals: theFestival of Unleavened Bread, theFestival of Harvest, and the Festival ofShelters. They must appear before theLORD your God at the place hechooses on each of these occasions,and they must bring a gift to the LORD.17All must give as they are able,according to the blessings given to themby the LORD your God.18"Appoint judges and officials for eachof your tribes in all the towns the LORD

DEUTERONOMY

your God is giving you. They will judgethe people fairly throughout the land.19You must never twist justice or showpartiality. Never accept a bribe, forbribes blind the eyes of the wise andcorrupt the decisions of the godly.20Let true justice prevail, so you may liveand occupy the land that the LORD yourGod is giving you.21"You must never set up an Asherahpole beside the altar of the LORD yourGod.22And never set up sacred pillars forworship, for the LORD your God hatesthem.

17"Never sacrifice a sick or defective

ox or sheep to the LORD your God, forhe detests such gifts.2"Suppose a man or woman among you,in one of your towns that the LORD yourGod is giving you, has done evil in thesight of the LORD your God and hasviolated the covenant3by serving other gods or by worshipingthe sun, the moon, or any of the forcesof heaven, which I have strictlyforbidden.4When you hear about it, investigate thematter thoroughly. If it is true that thisdetestable thing has been done in Israel,5then that man or woman must be takento the gates of the town and stoned todeath.6But never put a person to death on thetestimony of only one witness. Theremust always be at least two or threewitnesses.7The witnesses must throw the firststones, and then all the people will joinin. In this way, you will purge all evilfrom among you.8"Suppose a case arises in a local courtthat is too hard for you to decide--forinstance, whether someone is guilty ofmurder or only of manslaughter, or adifficult lawsuit, or a case involvingdifferent kinds of assault. Take suchcases to the place the LORD your Godwill choose,9where the Levitical priests and thejudge on duty will hear the case anddecide what to do.10The decision they make at the placethe LORD chooses will always stand.You must do exactly what they say.11After they have interpreted the law andreached a verdict, the sentence theyimpose must be fully executed; do notmodify it in any way.

12Anyone arrogant enough to reject theverdict of the judge or of the priest whorepresents the LORD your God must beput to death. Such evil must be purgedfrom Israel.13Then everyone will hear about it andbe afraid to act so arrogantly.14"You will soon arrive in the land theLORD your God is giving you, and youwill conquer it and settle there. Then youmay begin to think, 'We ought to have aking like the other nations around us.'15If this happens, be sure that you selectas king the man the LORD your Godchooses. You must appoint a fellowIsraelite, not a foreigner.16The king must not build up a largestable of horses for himself, and hemust never send his people to Egypt tobuy horses there, for the LORD has toldyou, 'You must never return to Egypt.'17The king must not take many wives forhimself, because they will lead himaway from the LORD. And he must notaccumulate vast amounts of wealth insilver and gold for himself.18"When he sits on the throne as king,he must copy these laws on a scroll forhimself in the presence of the Leviticalpriests.19He must always keep this copy of thelaw with him and read it daily as long ashe lives. That way he will learn to fearthe LORD his God by obeying all theterms of this law.20This regular reading will prevent himfrom becoming proud and acting as if heis above his fellow citizens. It will alsoprevent him from turning away fromthese commands in the smallest way.This will ensure that he and hisdescendants will reign for manygenerations in Israel.

18"Remember that the Levitical

priests and the rest of the tribe of Leviwill not be given an inheritance of landlike the other tribes in Israel. Instead,the priests and Levites will eat from theofferings given to the LORD by fire, forthat is their inheritance.2They will have no inheritance of theirown among the Israelites. The LORDhimself is their inheritance, just as hepromised them.3"These are the parts the priests mayclaim as their share from the oxen andsheep that the people bring as offerings:the shoulder, the cheeks, and thestomach.

DEUTERONOMY

4You must also give to the priests thefirst share of the grain, the new wine,the olive oil, and the wool at shearingtime.5For the LORD your God chose the tribeof Levi out of all your tribes to minister inthe LORD's name forever.6"Any Levite who so desires may comefrom any town in Israel, from whereverhe is living, to the place the LORDchooses.7He may minister there in the name ofthe LORD his God, just like his fellowLevites who are serving the LORD there.8He may eat his share of the sacrificesand offerings, even if he has a privatesource of income.9"When you arrive in the land the LORDyour God is giving you, be very carefulnot to imitate the detestable customs ofthe nations living there.10For example, never sacrifice your sonor daughter as a burnt offering. And donot let your people practice fortunetellingor sorcery, or allow them tointerpret omens, or engage in witchcraft,11or cast spells, or function as mediumsor psychics, or call forth the spirits of thedead.12Anyone who does these things is anobject of horror and disgust to the LORD.It is because the other nations havedone these things that the LORD yourGod will drive them out ahead of you.13You must be blameless before theLORD your God.14The people you are about to displaceconsult with sorcerers and fortunetellers,but the LORD your God forbidsyou to do such things.15"The LORD your God will raise up foryou a prophet like me from among yourfellow Israelites, and you must listen tothat prophet.16For this is what you yourselvesrequested of the LORD your God whenyou were assembled at Mount Sinai.You begged that you might never againhave to listen to the voice of the LORDyour God or see this blazing fire for fearyou would die.17"Then the LORD said to me, 'Fine, Iwill do as they have requested.18I will raise up a prophet like you fromamong their fellow Israelites. I will tellthat prophet what to say, and he will tellthe people everything I command him.19I will personally deal with anyone whowill not listen to the messages theprophet proclaims on my behalf.

20But any prophet who claims to give amessage from another god or whofalsely claims to speak for me must die.'21You may wonder, 'How will we knowwhether the prophecy is from the LORDor not?'22If the prophet predicts something inthe LORD's name and it does nothappen, the LORD did not give themessage. That prophet has spoken onhis own and need not be feared.

19"The LORD your God will soon

destroy the nations whose land he isgiving you, and you will displace themand settle in their towns and homes.2Then you must set apart three cities ofrefuge in the land the LORD your God isgiving you to occupy.3Divide the land the LORD your God isgiving you into three districts, with oneof these cities in each district. Keep theroads to these cities in good repair sothat anyone who has killed someonecan flee there for safety.4"If someone accidentally kills aneighbor without harboring any previoushatred, the slayer may flee to any ofthese cities and be safe.5For example, suppose someone goesinto the forest with a neighbor to cutwood. And suppose one of them swingsan ax and the ax head flies off thehandle, killing the other person. In suchcases, the slayer could flee to one of thecities of refuge and be safe.6If the distance to the nearest city ofrefuge was too far, an enraged avengermight be able to chase down and kill theperson who caused the death. Theslayer would die, even though there wasno death sentence and the first deathhad been an accident.7That is why I am commanding you toset aside three cities of refuge.8"If the LORD your God enlarges yourterritory, as he solemnly promised yourancestors, and gives you all the land hepromised them,9you must designate three additionalcities of refuge. (He will give you thisland if you obey all the commands Ihave given you--if you always love theLORD your God and walk in his ways.)10That way you will prevent the death ofinnocent people in the land the LORDyour God is giving you as a specialpossession, and you will not be heldresponsible for murder.11"But suppose someone hates a

DEUTERONOMY

neighbor and deliberately ambushesand murders that neighbor and thenescapes to one of the cities of refuge.12In that case, the leaders of themurderer's hometown must have themurderer brought back from the city ofrefuge and handed over to the deadperson's avenger to be killed.13Do not feel sorry for that murderer!Purge the guilt of murder from Israel soall may go well with you.14"When you arrive in the land the LORDyour God is giving you as a specialpossession, never steal someone's landby moving the boundary markers yourancestors set up to mark their property.15"Never convict anyone of a crime onthe testimony of just one witness. Thefacts of the case must be established bythe testimony of two or three witnesses.16If a malicious witness comes forwardand accuses someone of a crime,17then both the accuser and accusedmust appear before the priests andjudges who are on duty before theLORD.18They must be closely questioned, andif the accuser is found to be lying,19the accuser will receive thepunishment intended for the accused. Inthis way, you will cleanse such evil fromamong you.20Those who hear about it will be afraidto do such an evil thing again.21You must never show pity! Your ruleshould be life for life, eye for eye, toothfor tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

20"When you go out to fight your

enemies and you face horses andchariots and an army greater than yourown, do not be afraid. The LORD yourGod, who brought you safely out ofEgypt, is with you!2Before you go into battle, the priest willcome forward to speak with the troops.3He will say, 'Listen to me, all you menof Israel! Do not be afraid as you go outto fight today! Do not lose heart or panic.4For the LORD your God is going withyou! He will fight for you against yourenemies, and he will give you victory!'5"Then the officers of the army willaddress the troops and say, 'Hasanyone just built a new house but notyet dedicated it? If so, go home! Youmight be killed in the battle, andsomeone else would dedicate yourhouse!6Has anyone just planted a vineyard but

not yet eaten any of its fruit? If so, gohome! You might die in battle, andsomeone else would eat from it!7Has anyone just become engaged?Well, go home and get married! Youmight die in the battle, and someoneelse would marry your fianc‚e.'8Then the officers will also say, 'Isanyone terrified? If you are, go homebefore you frighten anyone else.'9When the officers have finished sayingthis to their troops, they will announcethe names of the unit commanders.10"As you approach a town to attack it,first offer its people terms for peace.11If they accept your terms and open thegates to you, then all the people insidewill serve you in forced labor.12But if they refuse to make peace andprepare to fight, you must attack thetown.13When the LORD your God hands itover to you, kill every man in the town.14But you may keep for yourselves allthe women, children, livestock, andother plunder. You may enjoy the spoilsof your enemies that the LORD yourGod has given you.15But these instructions apply only todistant towns, not to the towns ofnations nearby.16"As for the towns of the nations theLORD your God is giving you as aspecial possession, destroy every livingthing in them.17You must completely destroy theHittites, Amorites, Canaanites,Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, justas the LORD your God has commandedyou.18This will keep the people of the landfrom teaching you their detestablecustoms in the worship of their gods,which would cause you to sin deeplyagainst the LORD your God.19"When you are besieging a town andthe war drags on, do not destroy thetrees. Eat the fruit, but do not cut downthe trees. They are not enemies thatneed to be attacked!20But you may cut down trees that youknow are not valuable for food. Usethem to make the equipment you needto besiege the town until it falls.

21"Suppose someone is found

murdered in a field in the land the LORDyour God is giving you, and you don'tknow who committed the murder.2In such cases, your leaders and judges

DEUTERONOMY

must determine which town is nearestthe body.3Then the leaders of that town mustselect a young cow that has never beentrained or yoked to a plow.4They must lead it to a valley that isneither plowed nor planted with astream running through it. There theymust break the cow's neck.5The Levitical priests must go there also,for the LORD your God has chosenthem to minister before him and topronounce blessings in the LORD'sname. And they are to decide alllawsuits and punishments.6"The leaders of the town nearest thebody must wash their hands over theyoung cow whose neck was broken.7Then they must say, 'Our hands did notshed this blood, nor did we see ithappen.8O LORD, forgive your people Israelwhom you have redeemed. Do notcharge your people Israel with the guiltof murdering an innocent person.' Thenthey will be absolved of the guilt of thisperson's blood.9By following these instructions anddoing what is right in the LORD's sight,you will cleanse the guilt of murder fromyour community.10"Suppose you go to war against yourenemies and the LORD your God handsthem over to you and you take captives.11And suppose you see among thecaptives a beautiful woman, and you areattracted to her and want to marry her.12If this happens, you may take her toyour home, where she must shave herhead, cut her fingernails,13and change all her clothes. Then shemust remain in your home for a fullmonth, mourning for her father andmother. After that you may marry her.14But if you marry her and then decideyou do not like her, you must let her gofree. You may not sell her or treat her asa slave, for you have humiliated her.15"Suppose a man has two wives, but heloves one and not the other, and bothhave given him sons. And suppose thefirstborn son is the son of the wife hedoes not love.16When the man divides the inheritance,he may not give the larger inheritance tohis younger son, the son of the wife heloves.17He must give the customary doubleportion to his oldest son, who representsthe strength of his father's manhood and

who owns the rights of the firstborn son,even though he is the son of the wife hisfather does not love.18"Suppose a man has a stubborn,rebellious son who will not obey hisfather or mother, even though theydiscipline him.19In such cases, the father and mothermust take the son before the leaders ofthe town.20They must declare: 'This son of ours isstubborn and rebellious and refuses toobey. He is a worthless drunkard.'21Then all the men of the town muststone him to death. In this way, you willcleanse this evil from among you, andall Israel will hear about it and be afraid.22"If someone has committed a crimeworthy of death and is executed andthen hanged on a tree,23the body must never remain on thetree overnight. You must bury the bodythat same day, for anyone hanging on atree is cursed of God. Do not defile theland the LORD your God is giving youas a special possession.

22"If you see your neighbor's ox or

sheep wandering away, don't pretendnot to see it. Take it back to its owner.2If it does not belong to someone nearbyor you don't know who the owner is,keep it until the owner comes looking forit; then return it.3Do the same if you find your neighbor'sdonkey, clothing, or anything else yourneighbor loses. Don't pretend you didnot see it.4"If you see your neighbor's ox ordonkey lying on the road, do not lookthe other way. Go and help yourneighbor get it to its feet!5"A woman must not wear men'sclothing, and a man must not wearwomen's clothing. The LORD your Goddetests people who do this.6"If you find a bird's nest on the groundor in a tree and there are young ones oreggs in it with the mother sitting in thenest, do not take the mother with theyoung.7You may take the young, but let themother go, so you may prosper andenjoy a long life.8"Every new house you build must havea barrier around the edge of its flatrooftop. That way you will not bring theguilt of bloodshed on your household ifsomeone falls from the roof.9"Do not plant any other crop between

DEUTERONOMY

the rows of your vineyard. If you do, youare forbidden to use either the grapesfrom the vineyard or the produce of theother crop.10"Do not plow with an ox and a donkeyharnessed together.11"Do not wear clothing made of wooland linen woven together.12"You must put tassels on the fourcorners of your cloaks.13"Suppose a man marries a woman and,after sleeping with her, changes hismind about her14and falsely accuses her of having sleptwith another man. He might say, 'Idiscovered she was not a virgin when Imarried her.'15If the man does this, the woman'sfather and mother must bring the proofof her virginity to the leaders of the town.16Her father must tell them, 'I gave mydaughter to this man to be his wife, andnow he has turned against her.17He has accused her of shamefulthings, claiming that she was not a virginwhen he married her. But here is theproof of my daughter's virginity.' Thenthey must spread the cloth before thejudges.18The judges must then punish the man.19They will fine him one hundred piecesof silver, for he falsely accused a virginof Israel. The payment will be made tothe woman's father. The woman willthen remain the man's wife, and he maynever divorce her.20"But suppose the man's accusationsare true, and her virginity could not beproved.21In such cases, the judges must takethe girl to the door of her father's home,and the men of the town will stone her todeath. She has committed a disgracefulcrime in Israel by being promiscuouswhile living in her parents' home. Suchevil must be cleansed from among you.22"If a man is discovered committingadultery, both he and the other man'swife must be killed. In this way, the evilwill be cleansed from Israel.23"Suppose a man meets a youngwoman, a virgin who is engaged to bemarried, and he has sexual intercoursewith her. If this happens within a town,24you must take both of them to thegates of the town and stone them todeath. The woman is guilty because shedid not scream for help. The man mustdie because he violated another man'swife. In this way, you will cleanse the

land of evil.25"But if the man meets the engagedwoman out in the country, and he rapesher, then only the man should die.26Do nothing to the young woman; shehas committed no crime worthy of death.This case is similar to that of someonewho attacks and murders a neighbor.27Since the man raped her out in thecountry, it must be assumed that shescreamed, but there was no one torescue her.28"If a man is caught in the act of rapinga young woman who is not engaged,29he must pay fifty pieces of silver to herfather. Then he must marry the youngwoman because he violated her, and hewill never be allowed to divorce her.30"A man must not have intercourse withhis father's wife, for this would violatehis father.

23"If a man's testicles are crushed or

his penis is cut off, he may not beincluded in the assembly of the LORD.2"Those of illegitimate birth and theirdescendants for ten generations maynot be included in the assembly of theLORD.3"No Ammonites or Moabites, or any oftheir descendants for ten generations,may be included in the assembly of theLORD.4These nations did not welcome youwith food and water when you came outof Egypt. Instead, they tried to hireBalaam son of Beor from Pethor inAram-naharaim to curse you.5(But the LORD your God would notlisten to Balaam. He turned the intendedcurse into a blessing because the LORDyour God loves you.)6You must never, as long as you live, tryto help the Ammonites or the Moabitesin any way.7"Do not detest the Edomites or theEgyptians, because the Edomites areyour relatives, and you lived asforeigners among the Egyptians.8The third generation of Egyptians whocame with you from Egypt may enter theassembly of the LORD.9"When you go to war against yourenemies, stay away from everythingimpure.10"Any man who becomes ceremoniallydefiled because of a nocturnal emissionmust leave the camp and stay away allday.11Toward evening he must bathe himself,

DEUTERONOMY

and at sunset he may return to the camp.12"Mark off an area outside the camp fora latrine.13Each of you must have a spade aspart of your equipment. Whenever yourelieve yourself, you must dig a holewith the spade and cover the excrement.14The camp must be holy, for the LORDyour God moves around in your camp toprotect you and to defeat your enemies.He must not see any shameful thingamong you, or he might turn away fromyou.15"If slaves should escape from theirmasters and take refuge with you, donot force them to return.16Let them live among you in whatevertown they choose, and do not oppressthem.17"No Israelite man or woman may everbecome a temple prostitute.18Do not bring to the house of the LORDyour God any offering from the earningsof a prostitute, whether a man or awoman, for both are detestable to theLORD your God.19"Do not charge interest on the loansyou make to a fellow Israelite, whether itis money, food, or anything else thatmay be loaned with interest.20You may charge interest to foreigners,but not to Israelites, so the LORD yourGod may bless you in everything you doin the land you are about to enter andoccupy.21"When you make a vow to the LORDyour God, be prompt in doing whateveryou promised him. For the LORD yourGod demands that you promptly fulfill allyour vows. If you don't, you will be guiltyof sin.22However, it is not a sin to refrain frommaking a vow.23But once you have voluntarily made avow, be careful to do as you have said,for you have made a vow to the LORDyour God.24"You may eat your fill of grapes fromyour neighbor's vineyard, but do nottake any away in a basket.25And you may pluck a few heads ofyour neighbor's grain by hand, but youmay not harvest it with a sickle.

24"Suppose a man marries a woman

but later discovers something about herthat is shameful. So he writes her aletter of divorce, gives it to her, andsends her away.2If she then leaves and marries another

man3and the second husband also divorcesher or dies,4the former husband may not marry heragain, for she has been defiled. Thatwould be detestable to the LORD. Youmust not bring guilt upon the land theLORD your God is giving you as aspecial possession.5"A newly married man must not bedrafted into the army or given any otherspecial responsibilities. He must be freeto be at home for one year, bringinghappiness to the wife he has married.6"It is wrong to take a pair of millstones,or even just the upper millstone, as apledge, for the owner uses it to make aliving.7"If anyone kidnaps a fellow Israelite andtreats him as a slave or sells him, thekidnapper must die. You must cleansethe evil from among you.8"Watch all contagious skin diseasescarefully and follow the instructions ofthe Levitical priests; obey thecommands I have given them.9Remember what the LORD your Goddid to Miriam as you were coming fromEgypt.10"If you lend anything to your neighbor,do not enter your neighbor's house toclaim the security.11Stand outside and the owner will bringit out to you.12If your neighbor is poor and has only acloak to give as security, do not keepthe cloak overnight.13Return the cloak to its owner by sunsetso your neighbor can sleep in it andbless you. And the LORD your God willcount it as a righteous act.14"Never take advantage of poorlaborers, whether fellow Israelites orforeigners living in your towns.15Pay them their wages each day beforesunset because they are poor and arecounting on it. Otherwise they might cryout to the LORD against you, and itwould be counted against you as sin.16"Parents must not be put to death forthe sins of their children, nor thechildren for the sins of their parents.Those worthy of death must beexecuted for their own crimes.17"True justice must be given toforeigners living among you and toorphans, and you must never accept awidow's garment in pledge of her debt.18Always remember that you wereslaves in Egypt and that the LORD your

DEUTERONOMY

God redeemed you. That is why I havegiven you this command.19"When you are harvesting your cropsand forget to bring in a bundle of grainfrom your field, don't go back to get it.Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, andwidows. Then the LORD your God willbless you in all you do.20When you beat the olives from yourolive trees, don't go over the boughstwice. Leave some of the olives for theforeigners, orphans, and widows.21This also applies to the grapes in yourvineyard. Do not glean the vines afterthey are picked, but leave any remaininggrapes for the foreigners, orphans, andwidows.22Remember that you were slaves in theland of Egypt. That is why I am givingyou this command.

25"Suppose two people take a

dispute to court, and the judges declarethat one is right and the other is wrong.2If the person in the wrong is sentencedto be flogged, the judge will commandhim to lie down and be beaten in hispresence with the number of lashesappropriate to the crime.3No more than forty lashes may ever begiven; more than forty lashes wouldpublicly humiliate your neighbor.4"Do not keep an ox from eating as ittreads out the grain.5"If two brothers are living together onthe same property and one of them dieswithout a son, his widow must not marryoutside the family. Instead, herhusband's brother must marry her andfulfill the duties of a brother-in-law.6The first son she bears to him will becounted as the son of the dead brother,so that his name will not be forgotten inIsrael.7But if the dead man's brother refuses tomarry the widow, she must go to thetown gate and say to the leaders there,'My husband's brother refuses topreserve his brother's name in Israel--herefuses to marry me.'8The leaders of the town will thensummon him and try to reason with him.If he still insists that he doesn't want tomarry her,9the widow must walk over to him in thepresence of the leaders, pull his sandalfrom his foot, and spit in his face. Shewill then say, 'This is what happens to aman who refuses to raise up a son forhis brother.'

10Ever afterward his family will bereferred to as 'the family of the manwhose sandal was pulled off'!11"If two Israelite men are fighting andthe wife of one tries to rescue herhusband by grabbing the testicles of theother man,12her hand must be cut off without pity.13"You must use accurate scales whenyou weigh out merchandise,14and you must use full and honestmeasures.15Yes, use honest weights andmeasures, so that you will enjoy a longlife in the land the LORD your God isgiving you.16Those who cheat with dishonestweights and measures are detestable tothe LORD your God.17"Never forget what the Amalekites didto you as you came from Egypt.18They attacked you when you wereexhausted and weary, and they struckdown those who were lagging behind.They had no fear of God.19Therefore, when the LORD your Godhas given you rest from all your enemiesin the land he is giving you as a specialpossession, you are to destroy theAmalekites and erase their memoryfrom under heaven. Never forget this!

26"When you arrive in the land the

LORD your God is giving you as aspecial possession and you haveconquered it and settled there,2put some of the first produce from eachharvest into a basket and bring it to theplace the LORD your God chooses forhis name to be honored.3Go to the priest in charge at that timeand say to him, 'With this gift Iacknowledge that the LORD your Godhas brought me into the land he sworeto give our ancestors.'4The priest will then take the basketfrom your hand and set it before thealtar of the LORD your God.5You must then say in the presence ofthe LORD your God, 'My ancestor Jacobwas a wandering Aramean who went tolive in Egypt. His family was few innumber, but in Egypt they became amighty and numerous nation.6When the Egyptians mistreated andhumiliated us by making us their slaves,7we cried out to the LORD, the God ofour ancestors. He heard us and saw ourhardship, toil, and oppression.8So the LORD brought us out of Egypt

DEUTERONOMY

with amazing power, overwhelmingterror, and miraculous signs andwonders.9He brought us to this place and gave usthis land flowing with milk and honey!10And now, O LORD, I have brought youa token of the first crops you have givenme from the ground.' Then place theproduce before the LORD your God andworship him.11Afterward go and celebrate because ofall the good things the LORD your Godhas given to you and your household.Remember to include the Levites andthe foreigners living among you in thecelebration.12"Every third year you must offer aspecial tithe of your crops. You mustgive these tithes to the Levites,foreigners, orphans, and widows so thatthey will have enough to eat in yourtowns.13Then you must declare in thepresence of the LORD your God, 'I havetaken the sacred gift from my house andhave given it to the Levites, foreigners,orphans, and widows, just as youcommanded me. I have not violated orforgotten any of your commands.14I have not eaten any of it while inmourning; I have not touched it while Iwas ceremonially unclean; and I havenot offered any of it to the dead. I haveobeyed the LORD my God and havedone everything you commanded me.15Look down from your holy dwellingplace in heaven and bless your peopleIsrael and the land you have given us--aland flowing with milk and honey--just asyou solemnly promised our ancestors.'16"Today the LORD your God hascommanded you to obey all these lawsand regulations. You must commityourself to them without reservation.17You have declared today that theLORD is your God. You have promisedto obey his laws, commands, andregulations by walking in his ways anddoing everything he tells you.18The LORD has declared today thatyou are his people, his own specialtreasure, just as he promised, and thatyou must obey all his commands.19And if you do, he will make you greaterthan any other nation. Then you willreceive praise, honor, and renown. Youwill be a nation that is holy to the LORDyour God, just as he promised."

27Then Moses and the leaders of

Israel charged the people as follows:"Keep all these commands that I amgiving you today.2When you cross the Jordan River andenter the land the LORD your God isgiving you, set up some large stonesand coat them with plaster.3Then write all the terms of this law onthem. I repeat, you will soon cross theriver to enter the land the LORD yourGod is giving you, a land flowing withmilk and honey, just as the LORD, theGod of your ancestors, promised you.4When you cross the Jordan, set upthese stones at Mount Ebal and coatthem with plaster, as I am commandingyou today.5Then build an altar there to the LORDyour God, using natural stones.6Do not shape the stones with an irontool. On the altar you must offer burntofferings to the LORD your God.7Sacrifice peace offerings on it also, andfeast there with great joy before theLORD your God.8On the stones coated with plaster, youmust clearly write all the terms of thislaw."9Then Moses and the Levitical priestsaddressed all Israel as follows: "O Israel,be quiet and listen! Today you havebecome the people of the LORD yourGod.10So obey the LORD your God bykeeping all these commands and lawsthat I am giving you today."11That same day Moses gave thischarge to the people:12"When you cross the Jordan River, thetribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar,Joseph, and Benjamin must stand onMount Gerizim to proclaim a blessingover the people.13And the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher,Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali must standon Mount Ebal to proclaim a curse.14Then the Levites must shout to all thepeople of Israel:15'Cursed is anyone who carves or castsidols and secretly sets them up. Theseidols, the work of craftsmen, aredetestable to the LORD.' And all thepeople will reply, 'Amen.'16'Cursed is anyone who despises fatheror mother.' And all the people will reply,'Amen.'17'Cursed is anyone who steals propertyfrom a neighbor by moving a boundarymarker.' And all the people will reply,'Amen.'

DEUTERONOMY

18'Cursed is anyone who leads a blindperson astray on the road.' And all thepeople will reply, 'Amen.'19'Cursed is anyone who is unjust toforeigners, orphans, and widows.' Andall the people will reply, 'Amen.'20'Cursed is anyone who has sexualintercourse with his father's wife, for hehas violated his father.' And all thepeople will reply, 'Amen.'21'Cursed is anyone who has sexualintercourse with an animal.' And all thepeople will reply, 'Amen.'22'Cursed is anyone who has sexualintercourse with his sister, whether sheis the daughter of his father or hismother.' And all the people will reply,'Amen.'23'Cursed is anyone who has sexualintercourse with his mother-in-law.' Andall the people will reply, 'Amen.'24'Cursed is anyone who kills anotherperson in secret.' And all the people willreply, 'Amen.'25'Cursed is anyone who acceptspayment to kill an innocent person.' Andall the people will reply, 'Amen.'26'Cursed is anyone who does not affirmthe terms of this law by obeying them.'And all the people will reply, 'Amen.'

28"If you fully obey the LORD your

God by keeping all the commands I amgiving you today, the LORD your Godwill exalt you above all the nations of theworld.2You will experience all these blessingsif you obey the LORD your God:3You will be blessed in your towns andin the country.4You will be blessed with many childrenand productive fields. You will beblessed with fertile herds and flocks.5You will be blessed with basketsoverflowing with fruit, and with kneadingbowls filled with bread.6You will be blessed wherever you go,both in coming and in going.7"The LORD will conquer your enemieswhen they attack you. They will attackyou from one direction, but they willscatter from you in seven!8"The LORD will bless everything you doand will fill your storehouses with grain.The LORD your God will bless you inthe land he is giving you.9"If you obey the commands of theLORD your God and walk in his ways,the LORD will establish you as his holypeople as he solemnly promised to do.

10Then all the nations of the world willsee that you are a people claimed bythe LORD, and they will stand in awe ofyou.11"The LORD will give you anabundance of good things in the land heswore to give your ancestors--manychildren, numerous livestock, andabundant crops.12The LORD will send rain at the propertime from his rich treasury in theheavens to bless all the work you do.You will lend to many nations, but youwill never need to borrow from them.13If you listen to these commands of theLORD your God and carefully obeythem, the LORD will make you the headand not the tail, and you will alwayshave the upper hand.14You must not turn away from any ofthe commands I am giving you today tofollow after other gods and worshipthem.15"But if you refuse to listen to the LORDyour God and do not obey all thecommands and laws I am giving youtoday, all these curses will come andoverwhelm you:16You will be cursed in your towns andin the country.17You will be cursed with baskets emptyof fruit, and with kneading bowls emptyof bread.18You will be cursed with few childrenand barren fields. You will be cursedwith infertile herds and flocks.19You will be cursed wherever you go,both in coming and in going.20"The LORD himself will send againstyou curses, confusion, anddisillusionment in everything you do,until at last you are completelydestroyed for doing evil and forsakingme.21The LORD will send diseases amongyou until none of you are left in the landyou are about to enter and occupy.22The LORD will strike you with wastingdisease, fever, and inflammation, withscorching heat and drought, and withblight and mildew. These devastationswill pursue you until you die.23The skies above will be as unyieldingas bronze, and the earth beneath will beas hard as iron.24The LORD will turn your rain into sandand dust, and it will pour down from thesky until you are destroyed.25"The LORD will cause you to bedefeated by your enemies. You will

DEUTERONOMY

attack your enemies from one direction,but you will scatter from them in seven!You will be an object of horror to all thekingdoms of the earth.26Your dead bodies will be food for thebirds and wild animals, and no one willbe there to chase them away.27"The LORD will afflict you with theboils of Egypt and with tumors, scurvy,and the itch, from which you cannot becured.28The LORD will strike you withmadness, blindness, and panic.29You will grope around in broaddaylight, just like a blind person gropingin the darkness, and you will notsucceed at anything you do. You will beoppressed and robbed continually, andno one will come to save you.30"You will be engaged to a woman, butanother man will ravish her. You willbuild a house, but someone else will livein it. You will plant a vineyard, but youwill never enjoy its fruit.31Your ox will be butchered before youreyes, but you won't get a single bite ofthe meat. Your donkey will be drivenaway, never to be returned. Your sheepwill be given to your enemies, and noone will be there to help you.32You will watch as your sons anddaughters are taken away as slaves.Your heart will break as you long forthem, but nothing you do will help.33A foreign nation you have never heardabout will eat the crops you worked sohard to grow. You will suffer underconstant oppression and harshtreatment.34You will go mad because of all thetragedy around you.35The LORD will cover you from head tofoot with incurable boils.36"The LORD will exile you and the kingyou crowned to a nation unknown to youand your ancestors. Then in exile youwill worship gods of wood and stone!37You will become an object of horror, aproverb and a mockery among all thenations to which the LORD sends you.38"You will plant much but harvest little,for locusts will eat your crops.39You will plant vineyards and care forthem, but you will not drink the wine oreat the grapes, for worms will destroythe vines.40You will grow olive trees throughoutyour land, but you will never use theolive oil, for the trees will drop the fruitbefore it is ripe.

41You will have sons and daughters, butyou will not keep them, for they will beled away into captivity.42Swarms of insects will destroy yourtrees and crops.43The foreigners living among you willbecome stronger and stronger, whileyou become weaker and weaker.44They will lend money to you, not youto them. They will be the head, and youwill be the tail!45"If you refuse to listen to the LORDyour God and to obey the commandsand laws he has given you, all thesecurses will pursue and overtake youuntil you are destroyed.46These horrors will serve as a sign andwarning among you and yourdescendants forever.47Because you have not served theLORD your God with joy andenthusiasm for the abundant benefitsyou have received,48you will serve your enemies whom theLORD will send against you. You will beleft hungry, thirsty, naked, and lacking ineverything. They will oppress youharshly until you are destroyed.49"The LORD will bring a distant nationagainst you from the end of the earth,and it will swoop down on you like aneagle. It is a nation whose language youdo not understand,50a fierce and heartless nation thatshows no respect for the old and no pityfor the young.51Its armies will devour your livestockand crops, and you will starve to death.They will leave you no grain, new wine,olive oil, calves, or lambs, bringingabout your destruction.52They will lay siege to your cities untilall the fortified walls in your land--thewalls you trusted to protect you--areknocked down. They will attack all thetowns in the land the LORD your Godhas given you.53The siege will be so severe that youwill eat the flesh of your own sons anddaughters, whom the LORD your Godhas given you.54The most tenderhearted man amongyou will have no compassion for his ownbrother, his beloved wife, and hissurviving children.55He will refuse to give them a share ofthe flesh he is devouring--the flesh ofone of his own children--because he hasnothing else to eat during the siege thatyour enemy will inflict on all your towns.

DEUTERONOMY

56The most tender and delicate womanamong you--so delicate she would notso much as touch her feet to theground--will be cruel to the husband sheloves and to her own son or daughter.57She will hide from them the afterbirthand the new baby she has borne, sothat she herself can secretly eat them.She will have nothing else to eat duringthe siege and terrible distress that yourenemy will inflict on all your towns.58"If you refuse to obey all the terms ofthis law that are written in this book, andif you do not fear the glorious andawesome name of the LORD your God,59then the LORD will overwhelm bothyou and your children with indescribableplagues. These plagues will be intenseand without relief, making you miserableand unbearably sick.60He will bring against you all thediseases of Egypt that you feared somuch, and they will claim you.61The LORD will bring against you everysickness and plague there is, eventhose not mentioned in this Book of theLaw, until you are destroyed.62Though you are as numerous as thestars in the sky, few of you will be leftbecause you would not listen to theLORD your God.63"Just as the LORD has found greatpleasure in helping you to prosper andmultiply, the LORD will find pleasure indestroying you, until you disappear fromthe land you are about to enter andoccupy.64For the LORD will scatter you amongall the nations from one end of the earthto the other. There you will worshipforeign gods that neither you nor yourancestors have known, gods made ofwood and stone!65There among those nations you willfind no place of security and rest. Andthe LORD will cause your heart totremble, your eyesight to fail, and yoursoul to despair.66Your lives will hang in doubt. You willlive night and day in fear, with no reasonto believe that you will see the morninglight.67In the morning you will say, 'If only itwere night!' And in the evening you willsay, 'If only it were morning!' You willsay this because of your terror at theawesome horrors you see around you.68Then the LORD will send you back toEgypt in ships, a journey I promised youwould never again make. There you will

offer to sell yourselves to your enemiesas slaves, but no one will want to buyyou."

29These are the terms of the

covenant the LORD commanded Mosesto make with the Israelites while theywere in the land of Moab, in addition tothe covenant he had made with them atMount Sinai.2Moses summoned all the Israelites andsaid to them, "You have seen with yourown eyes everything the LORD did inEgypt to Pharaoh and all his servantsand his whole country--3all the great tests of strength, themiraculous signs, and the amazingwonders.4But to this day the LORD has not givenyou minds that understand, nor eyesthat see, nor ears that hear!5For forty years I led you through thewilderness, yet your clothes and sandalsdid not wear out.6You had no bread or wine or otherstrong drink, but he gave you food soyou would know that he is the LORDyour God.7When we came here, King Sihon ofHeshbon and King Og of Bashan cameout to fight against us, but we defeatedthem.8We took their land and gave it to thetribes of Reuben and Gad and to thehalf-tribe of Manasseh as theirinheritance.9"Therefore, obey the terms of thiscovenant so that you will prosper ineverything you do.10All of you--your tribal leaders, yourjudges, your officers, all the men ofIsrael--are standing today before theLORD your God.11With you are your little ones, yourwives, and the foreigners living amongyou who chop your wood and carry yourwater.12You are standing here today to enterinto a covenant with the LORD your God.The LORD is making this covenant withyou today, and he has sealed it with anoath.13He wants to confirm you today as hispeople and to confirm that he is yourGod, just as he promised you, and as heswore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac,and Jacob.14But you are not the only ones withwhom the LORD is making thiscovenant with its obligations.

DEUTERONOMY

15The LORD your God is making thiscovenant with you who stand in hispresence today and also with all futuregenerations of Israel.16"Surely you remember how we lived inthe land of Egypt and how we traveledthrough the lands of enemy nations aswe left.17You have seen their detestable idolsmade of wood, stone, silver, and gold.18The LORD made this covenant withyou so that no man, woman, family, ortribe among you would turn away fromthe LORD our God to worship thesegods of other nations, and so that noroot among you would bear bitter andpoisonous fruit.19Let none of those who hear thewarnings of this curse considerthemselves immune, thinking, 'I am safe,even though I am walking in my ownstubborn way.' This would lead to utterruin!20The LORD will not pardon such people.His anger and jealousy will burn againstthem. All the curses written in this bookwill come down on them, and the LORDwill erase their names from underheaven.21The LORD will separate them from allthe tribes of Israel, to pour out on themall the covenant curses recorded in thisBook of the Law.22"Then the generations to come, bothyour own descendants and theforeigners who come from distant lands,will see the devastation of the land andthe diseases the LORD will send againstit.23They will find its soil turned into sulfurand salt, with nothing planted andnothing growing, not even a blade ofgrass. It will be just like Sodom andGomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, whichthe LORD destroyed in his anger.24The surrounding nations will ask, 'Whyhas the LORD done this to his land?Why was he so angry?'25"And they will be told, 'This happenedbecause the people of the land brokethe covenant they made with the LORD,the God of their ancestors, when hebrought them out of the land of Egypt.26They turned to serve and worshipother gods that were foreign to them,gods that the LORD had not designatedfor them.27That is why the LORD's anger burnedagainst this land, bringing down on it allthe curses recorded in this book.

28In great anger and fury the LORDuprooted his people from their land andexiled them to another land, where theystill live today!'29"There are secret things that belong tothe LORD our God, but the revealedthings belong to us and ourdescendants forever, so that we mayobey these words of the law.

30"Suppose all these things happen

to you--the blessings and the curses Ihave listed--and you meditate on themas you are living among the nations towhich the LORD your God has exiledyou.2If at that time you return to the LORDyour God, and you and your childrenbegin wholeheartedly to obey all thecommands I have given you today,3then the LORD your God will restoreyour fortunes. He will have mercy onyou and gather you back from all thenations where he has scattered you.4Though you are at the ends of the earth,the LORD your God will go and find youand bring you back again.5He will return you to the land thatbelonged to your ancestors, and you willpossess that land again. He will makeyou even more prosperous andnumerous than your ancestors!6"The LORD your God will cleanse yourheart and the hearts of all yourdescendants so that you will love himwith all your heart and soul, and so youmay live!7The LORD your God will inflict all thesecurses on your enemies andpersecutors.8Then you will again obey the LORDand keep all the commands I am givingyou today.9The LORD your God will make yousuccessful in everything you do. He willgive you many children and numerouslivestock, and your fields will produceabundant harvests, for the LORD willdelight in being good to you as he wasto your ancestors.10The LORD your God will delight in youif you obey his voice and keep thecommands and laws written in this Bookof the Law, and if you turn to the LORDyour God with all your heart and soul.11"This command I am giving you todayis not too difficult for you to understandor perform.12It is not up in heaven, so distant thatyou must ask, 'Who will go to heaven

DEUTERONOMY

and bring it down so we can hear andobey it?'13It is not beyond the sea, so far awaythat you must ask, 'Who will cross thesea to bring it to us so we can hear andobey it?'14The message is very close at hand; itis on your lips and in your heart so thatyou can obey it.15"Now listen! Today I am giving you achoice between prosperity and disaster,between life and death.16I have commanded you today to lovethe LORD your God and to keep hiscommands, laws, and regulations bywalking in his ways. If you do this, youwill live and become a great nation, andthe LORD your God will bless you andthe land you are about to enter andoccupy.17But if your heart turns away and yourefuse to listen, and if you are drawnaway to serve and worship other gods,18then I warn you now that you willcertainly be destroyed. You will not livea long, good life in the land you arecrossing the Jordan to occupy.19"Today I have given you the choicebetween life and death, betweenblessings and curses. I call on heavenand earth to witness the choice youmake. Oh, that you would choose life,that you and your descendants mightlive!20Choose to love the LORD your Godand to obey him and commit yourself tohim, for he is your life. Then you will livelong in the land the LORD swore to giveyour ancestors Abraham, Isaac, andJacob."

31When Moses had finished saying

these things to all the people of Israel,2he said, "I am now 120 years old andam no longer able to lead you. TheLORD has told me that I will not crossthe Jordan River.3But the LORD your God himself willcross over ahead of you. He will destroythe nations living there, and you will takepossession of their land. Joshua is yournew leader, and he will go with you, justas the LORD promised.4The LORD will destroy the nationsliving in the land, just as he destroyedSihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites.5The LORD will hand over to you thepeople who live there, and you will dealwith them as I have commanded you.6Be strong and courageous! Do not be

afraid of them! The LORD your God willgo ahead of you. He will neither fail younor forsake you."7Then Moses called for Joshua, and asall Israel watched he said to him, "Bestrong and courageous! For you willlead these people into the land that theLORD swore to give their ancestors.You are the one who will deliver it tothem as their inheritance.8Do not be afraid or discouraged, for theLORD is the one who goes before you.He will be with you; he will neither failyou nor forsake you."9So Moses wrote down this law andgave it to the priests, who carried theArk of the LORD's covenant, and to theleaders of Israel.10Then Moses gave them this command:"At the end of every seventh year, theYear of Release, during the Festival ofShelters,11you must read this law to all thepeople of Israel when they assemblebefore the LORD your God at the placehe chooses.12Call them all together--men, women,children, and the foreigners living in yourtowns--so they may listen and learn tofear the LORD your God and carefullyobey all the terms of this law.13Do this so that your children who havenot known these laws will hear them andwill learn to fear the LORD your God. Dothis as long as you live in the land youare crossing the Jordan to occupy."14Then the LORD said to Moses, "Thetime has come for you to die. CallJoshua and take him with you to theTabernacle, and I will commission himthere." So Moses and Joshua went andpresented themselves at the Tabernacle.15And the LORD appeared to them in apillar of cloud at the entrance to thesacred tent.16The LORD said to Moses, "You areabout to die and join your ancestors.After you are gone, these people willbegin worshiping foreign gods, the godsof the land where they are going. Theywill abandon me and break the covenantI have made with them.17Then my anger will blaze forth againstthem. I will abandon them, hiding myface from them, and they will bedestroyed. Terrible trouble will comedown on them, so that they will say,'These disasters have come becauseGod is no longer among us!'18At that time I will hide my face from

DEUTERONOMY

them on account of all the sins theyhave committed by worshiping othergods.19"Now write down the words of thissong, and teach it to the people of Israel.Teach them to sing it, so it may serve asa witness against them.20For I will bring them into the land Iswore to give their ancestors--a landflowing with milk and honey. There theywill become prosperous; they will eat allthe food they want and become wellnourished. Then they will begin toworship other gods; they will despise meand break my covenant.21Then great disasters will come downon them, and this song will stand asevidence against them, for it will neverbe forgotten by their descendants. Iknow what these people are like, evenbefore they have entered the land Iswore to give them."22So that very day Moses wrote downthe words of the song and taught it tothe Israelites.23Then the LORD commissioned Joshuason of Nun with these words: "Be strongand courageous! You must bring thepeople of Israel into the land I swore togive them. I will be with you."24When Moses had finished writingdown this entire body of law in a book,25he gave these instructions to theLevites who carried the Ark of theLORD's covenant:26"Take this Book of the Law and place itbeside the Ark of the Covenant of theLORD your God, so it may serve as awitness against the people of Israel.27For I know how rebellious andstubborn you are. Even now, while I amstill with you, you have rebelled againstthe LORD. How much more rebelliouswill you be after my death!28Now summon all the leaders andofficials of your tribes so that I canspeak to them and call heaven andearth to witness against them.29I know that after my death you willbecome utterly corrupt and will turn fromthe path I have commanded you tofollow. In the days to come, disaster willcome down on you, for you will makethe LORD very angry by doing what isevil in his sight."30So Moses recited this entire song tothe assembly of Israel:

32"Listen, O heavens, and I will

speak! Hear, O earth, the words that I

say!2My teaching will fall on you like rain; myspeech will settle like dew. My words willfall like rain on tender grass, like gentleshowers on young plants.3I will proclaim the name of the LORD;how glorious is our God!4He is the Rock; his work is perfect.Everything he does is just and fair. He isa faithful God who does no wrong; howjust and upright he is!5"But they have acted corruptly towardhim; when they act like that, are theyreally his children? They are a deceitfuland twisted generation.6Is this the way you repay the LORD,you foolish and senseless people? Isn'the your Father who created you? Hashe not made you and established you?7Remember the days of long ago; thinkabout the generations past. Ask yourfather and he will inform you. Inquire ofyour elders, and they will tell you.8When the Most High assigned lands tothe nations, when he divided up thehuman race, he established theboundaries of the peoples according tothe number of angelic beings.9For the people of Israel belong to theLORD; Jacob is his special possession.10"He found them in a desert land, in anempty, howling wasteland. Hesurrounded them and watched overthem;he guarded them as his mostprecious possession.11Like an eagle that rouses her chicksand hovers over her young, so hespread his wings to take them in andcarried them aloft on his pinions.12The LORD alone guided them; theylived without any foreign gods.13He made them ride over the highlands;he let them feast on the crops of thefields. He nourished them with honeyfrom the cliffs, with olive oil from thehard rock.14He fed them curds from the herd andmilk from the flock, together with the fatof lambs and goats. He gave themchoice rams and goats from Bashan,together with the choicest wheat. Youdrank the finest wine, made from thejuice of grapes.15He fed them curds from the herd andmilk from the flock, together with the fatof lambs and goats. He gave themchoice rams and goats from Bashan,together with the choicest wheat. Youdrank the finest wine, made from thejuice of grapes.

DEUTERONOMY

16They stirred up his jealousy byworshiping foreign gods; they provokedhis fury with detestable acts.17They offered sacrifices to demons,non-gods, to gods they had not knownbefore, to gods only recently arrived, togods their ancestors had never feared.18You neglected the Rock who hadfathered you; you forgot the God whohad given you birth.19"The LORD saw this and was filledwith loathing. He was provoked to angerby his own sons and daughters.20He said, 'I will abandon them; I will seeto their end! For they are a twistedgeneration, children without integrity.21They have roused my jealousy byworshiping non-gods; they haveprovoked my fury with useless idols.Now I will rouse their jealousy byblessing other nations; I will provoketheir fury by blessing the foolish Gentiles.22For my anger blazes forth like fire andburns to the depths of the grave. Itdevours the earth and all its crops andignites the foundations of the mountains.23I will heap disasters upon them andshoot them down with my arrows.24I will send against them wastingfamine, burning fever, and deadlydisease. They will be troubled by thefangs of wild beasts, by poisonoussnakes that glide in the dust.25Outside, the sword will bring death,and inside, terror will strike both youngmen and young women, both infantsand the aged.26I decided to scatter them, so even thememory of them would disappear.27But I feared the taunt of the enemy,that their adversaries mightmisunderstand and say, "Our power hastriumphed! It was not the LORD who didthis!" '28"Israel is a nation that lacks sense; thepeople are foolish, withoutunderstanding.29Oh, that they were wise and couldunderstand this! Oh, that they mightknow their fate!30How could one person chase athousand of them, and two people putten thousand to flight, unless their Rockhad sold them, unless the LORD hadgiven them up?31But the rock of our enemies is not likeour Rock, as even they recognize.32Their vine grows from the vine ofSodom, from the vineyards of Gomorrah.Their grapes are poison, and their

clusters are bitter.33Their wine is the venom of snakes, thedeadly poison of vipers.34" 'I am storing up these things, sealingthem away within my treasury.35I will take vengeance; I will repaythose who deserve it. In due time theirfeet will slip. Their day of disaster willarrive, and their destiny will overtakethem.'36"Indeed, the LORD will judge hispeople, and he will change his mindabout his servants, when he sees theirstrength is gone and no one is left, slaveor free.37Then he will ask, 'Where are their gods,the rocks they fled to for refuge?38Where now are those gods, who atethe fat of their sacrifices and drank thewine of their offerings? Let those godsarise and help you! Let them provideyou with shelter!39Look now; I myself am he! There is nogod other than me! I am the one whokills and gives life; I am the one whowounds and heals; no one delivers frommy power!40Now I raise my hand to heaven anddeclare, "As surely as I live,41when I sharpen my flashing sword andbegin to carry out justice, I will bringvengeance on my enemies and repaythose who hate me.42I will make my arrows drunk with blood,and my sword will devour flesh--theblood of the slaughtered and thecaptives, and the heads of the enemyleaders." '43"Rejoice with him, O heavens, and letall the angels of God worship him, for hewill avenge the blood of his servants. Hewill take vengeance on his enemies andcleanse his land and his people."44So Moses came with Joshua son ofNun and recited all the words of thissong to the people.45When Moses had finished recitingthese words to Israel,46he added: "Take to heart all the wordsI have given you today. Pass them onas a command to your children so theywill obey every word of this law.47These instructions are not merewords--they are your life! By obeyingthem you will enjoy a long life in the landyou are crossing the Jordan River tooccupy."48That same day the LORD said toMoses,49"Go to Moab, to the mountains east of

DEUTERONOMY

the river, and climb Mount Nebo, whichis across from Jericho. Look out acrossthe land of Canaan, the land I am givingto the people of Israel as their ownpossession.50Then you must die there on themountain and join your ancestors, justas Aaron, your brother, died on MountHor and joined his ancestors.51For both of you broke faith with meamong the Israelites at the waters ofMeribah at Kadesh in the wilderness ofZin. You failed to demonstrate myholiness to the people of Israel there.52So you will see the land from adistance, but you may not enter the landI am giving to the people of Israel."

33This is the blessing that Moses,

the man of God, gave to the people ofIsrael before his death:2"The LORD came from Mount Sinaiand dawned upon us from Mount Seir;he shone forth from Mount Paran andcame from Meribah-kadesh with flamingfire at his right hand.3Indeed, you love the people; all yourholy ones are in your hands. They followin your steps and accept your instruction.4Moses charged us with the law, thespecial possession of the assembly ofIsrael.5The LORD became king in Israel --when the leaders of the peopleassembled, when the tribes of Israelgathered."6Moses said this about the tribe ofReuben: "Let the tribe of Reuben liveand not die out, even though their tribeis small."7Moses said this about the tribe ofJudah: "O LORD, hear the cry of Judahand bring them again to their people.Give them strength to defend theircause; help them against theirenemies!"8Moses said this about the tribe of Levi:"O LORD, you have given the sacredlots to your faithful servants the Levites.You put them to the test at Massah andcontended with them at the waters ofMeribah.9The Levites obeyed your word andguarded your covenant. They weremore loyal to you than to their parents,relatives, and children.10Now let them teach your regulations toJacob; let them give your instructions toIsrael. They will present incense beforeyou and offer whole burnt offerings on

the altar.11Bless the Levites, O LORD, andaccept all their work. Crush the loins oftheir enemies; strike down their foes sothey never rise again."12Moses said this about the tribe ofBenjamin: "The people of Benjamin areloved by the LORD and live in safetybeside him. He surrounds themcontinuously and preserves them fromevery harm."13Moses said this about the tribes ofJoseph: "May their land be blessed bythe LORD with the choice gift of rainfrom the heavens, and water frombeneath the earth;14with the riches that grow in the sun,and the bounty produced each month;15with the finest crops of the ancientmountains, and the abundance from theeverlasting hills;16with the best gifts of the earth and itsfullness, and the favor of the one whoappeared in the burning bush. Maythese blessings rest on Joseph's head,crowning the brow of the prince amonghis brothers.17Joseph has the strength and majestyof a young bull; his power is like thehorns of a wild ox. He will gore distantnations, driving them to the ends of theearth. This is my blessing for themultitudes of Ephraim and thethousands of Manasseh."18Moses said this about the tribes ofZebulun and Issachar : "May the peopleof Zebulun prosper in their expeditionsabroad. May the people of Issacharprosper at home in their tents.19They summon the people to themountain to offer proper sacrifices there.They benefit from the riches of the seaand the hidden treasures of the sand."20Moses said this about the tribe of Gad:"Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad'sterritory! Gad is poised there like a lionto tear off an arm or a head.21The people of Gad took the best landfor themselves; a leader's share wasassigned to them. When the leaders ofthe people were assembled, theycarried out the LORD's justice andobeyed his regulations for Israel."22Moses said this about the tribe of Dan:"Dan is a lion's cub, leaping out fromBashan."23Moses said this about the tribe ofNaphtali: "O Naphtali, you are rich infavor and full of the LORD's blessings;may you possess the west and the

DEUTERONOMY

south."24Moses said this about the tribe ofAsher: "May Asher be blessed aboveother sons; may he be esteemed by hisbrothers; may he bathe his feet in oliveoil.25May the bolts of your gates be of ironand bronze; may your strength matchthe length of your days!"26"There is no one like the God of Israel.He rides across the heavens to help you,across the skies in majestic splendor.27The eternal God is your refuge, andhis everlasting arms are under you. Hethrusts out the enemy before you; it ishe who cries, 'Destroy them!'28So Israel will live in safety, prosperousJacob in security, in a land of grain andwine, while the heavens drop down dew.29How blessed you are, O Israel! Whoelse is like you, a people saved by theLORD? He is your protecting shield andyour triumphant sword! Your enemieswill bow low before you, and you willtrample on their backs!"

34Then Moses went to Mount Nebo

from the plains of Moab and climbedPisgah Peak, which is across fromJericho. And the LORD showed him thewhole land, from Gilead as far as Dan;2all the land of Naphtali; the land ofEphraim and Manasseh; all the land ofJudah, extending to the MediterraneanSea ;3the Negev; the Jordan Valley withJericho--the city of palms--as far as Zoar.4Then the LORD said to Moses, "This isthe land I promised on oath to Abraham,Isaac, and Jacob, and I told them Iwould give it to their descendants. Ihave now allowed you to see it, but youwill not enter the land."5So Moses, the servant of the LORD,died there in the land of Moab, just asthe LORD had said.6He was buried in a valley near Bethpeorin Moab, but to this day no oneknows the exact place.7Moses was 120 years old when he died,yet his eyesight was clear, and he wasas strong as ever.8The people of Israel mourned thirtydays for Moses on the plains of Moab,until the customary period of mourningwas over.9Now Joshua son of Nun was full of thespirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid hishands on him. So the people of Israelobeyed him and did everything just as

the LORD had commanded Moses.10There has never been another prophetlike Moses, whom the LORD knew faceto face.11The LORD sent Moses to perform allthe miraculous signs and wonders in theland of Egypt against Pharaoh, all hisservants, and his entire land.12And it was through Moses that theLORD demonstrated his mighty powerand terrifying acts in the sight of allIsrael.