Deuteronomy 17
17
Sacrifices That Have Something Wrong with Them
Moses said to Israel:
1If an ox or a sheep has something wrong with it, don't offer it as a sacrifice to the Lord your God—he will be disgusted!
Put To Death People Who Worship Idols
Moses said to Israel:
2-3 #
Ex 22.20. The Lord your God is giving you towns to live in. But later, a man or a woman in your town may start worshiping other gods, or even the sun, moon, or stars.#17.2,3 sun, moon, or stars: Some people thought these were gods and worshiped them. I have warned you not to worship other gods, because whoever worships them is disobeying the Lord and breaking the agreement he made with you. 4So when you hear that someone in your town is committing this disgusting sin, you must carefully find out if that person really is guilty. 5-7#Nu 35.30; Dt 19.15; Mt 18.16; 2 Co 13.1; 1 Ti 5.19; He 10.28; 1 Co 5.13. But you will need two or three witnesses—one witness isn't enough to prove a person guilty.
Get rid of those who are guilty of such evil. Take them outside your town gates and everyone must stone them to death. But the witnesses must be the first to throw stones.
Difficult Cases
Moses said to Israel:
8-12It may be difficult to find out the truth in some legal cases in your town. You may not be able to decide if someone was killed accidentally or murdered. Or you may not be able to tell whether an injury or some property damage was done by accident or on purpose. If the case is too difficult, take it to the court at the place where the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped.
This court will be made up of one judge and several priests#17.8-12 several priests: The Hebrew text has “the priests, the Levites”; priests belonged to the Levi tribe. who serve at the Lord's altar. They will explain the law to you and give you their decision about the case. Do exactly what they tell you, or you will be put to death. 13When other Israelites hear about it, they will be afraid and obey the decisions of the court.
The King
Moses said:
14 #
1 S 8.5. People of Israel, after you capture the land the Lord your God is giving you, and after you settle on it, you will say, “We want a king, just like the nations around us.”
15Go ahead and appoint a king, but make sure that he is an Israelite and that he is the one the Lord has chosen.
16 #
1 K 10.28; 2 Ch 1.16,17; 9.28. The king should not have many horses, especially those from Egypt. The Lord has said never to go back there again. 17#1 K 11.1-8; 1 K 10.14-22,27; 2 Ch 1.15; 9.27. And the king must not have a lot of wives—they might tempt him to be unfaithful to the Lord.#17.17 a lot of wives … unfaithful to the Lord: A king would often marry the daughter of another king that he was making a treaty with. These foreign women would naturally want to worship their own gods, and would want their husband the king to do so as well. Finally, the king must not try to get huge amounts of silver and gold.
18The official copy of God's laws#17.18 God's laws: Or “God's laws for the king.” will be kept by the priests of the Levi tribe. So, as soon as anyone becomes king, he must go to the priests and write out a copy of these laws while they watch. 19Each day the king must read and obey these laws, so that he will learn to worship the Lord with fear and trembling 20and not think that he's better than everyone else.
If the king completely obeys the Lord's commands, he and his descendants will rule Israel for many years.
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Deuteronomy 17: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Deḇarim (Deuteronomy) 17
17
1“Do not slaughter to יהוה your Elohim a bull or sheep which has any blemish, any evil matter, for that is an abomination to יהוה your Elohim.
2“When there is found in your midst, in any of your cities which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the eyes of יהוה your Elohim, in transgressing His covenant,
3and has gone and served other mighty ones and bowed down to them, or to the sun or to the moon or to any of the host of the heavens, which I have not commanded,
4and it has been made known to you and you have heard, and have searched diligently. Then see, if true: the matter is confirmed that such an abomination has been done in Yisra’ĕl,
5then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil matter, and you shall stone to death that man or woman with stones.
6“At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he that is to die be put to death. He is not put to death by the mouth of one witness.
7“The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and the hand of all the people last. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
8When any matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, or between stroke and stroke – matters of strife within your gates – then you shall rise and go up to the place which יהוה your Elohim chooses,”
9and shall come to the priests, the Lĕwites, and to the judge who is in those days, and shall inquire. And they shall declare to you the word of right-ruling,
10and you shall do according to the word which they declare to you from that place which יהוה chooses. And you shall guard to do according to all that they instruct you.
11“Do according to the Torah in which they teach you, according to the right-ruling which they say to you. You do not turn to the right or to the left from the word which they declare to you.
12“And the man who acts arrogantly, so as not to listen to the priest who stands to serve there before יהוה your Elohim, or to the judge, that man shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Yisra’ĕl.
13“And let all the people hear and fear, and no longer do arrogantly.
14When you come to the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, and shall possess it and shall dwell in it, and you shall say, ‘Let me set a sovereign over me like all the nations that are around me,’ ”
15you shall certainly set a sovereign over you whom יהוה your Elohim shall choose. Set a sovereign over you from among your brothers, you are not allowed to set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.
16“Only, he is not to increase horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Mitsrayim to increase horses, for יהוה has said to you, ‘Do not return that way again.’
17“And he is not to increase wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor is he to greatly increase silver and gold for himself.
18“And it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his reign, that he shall write for himself a copy of this Torah in a book, from the one before the priests, the Lĕwites.
19And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he learns to fear יהוה his Elohim and guard all the Words of this Torah and these laws, to do them,”
20so that his heart is not lifted up above his brothers, and so as not to turn aside from the command, right or left, so that he prolongs his days in his reign, he and his children, in the midst of Yisra’ĕl.
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