Detailed Stipulations: Purity and Unity

12 “These are the rules and the regulations that you must diligently observe[fn] in the land that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,[fn] has given to you to take possession of it, during all the days that you are living on the land.

2 You must completely demolish all of the places there where they served their gods, that is, the nations whom you are about to dispossess, on the high mountains, and on the hills and under each leafy green tree.[fn] 3 And you shall break down their altars, and you shall smash their stone pillars, and their Asherah poles you must burn with fire, and the images of their gods you shall hew down, and you shall blot out their names from that place. 4 You shall not worship Yahweh your God like this. 5 But only[fn] to the place that Yahweh your God will choose from all of your tribes to place his name there as his dwelling shall you seek, and there you shall go. 6 And you shall bring there your burnt offerings and your sacrifices and your tithes and your donations[fn] and your votive gifts and your freewill offerings and the firstling of your herd and your flock. 7 And you shall eat there before[fn] Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice in all your endeavors,[fn] you and your family in which Yahweh your God has blessed you.

8 “You must not do just as we are doing here today,[fn] each according to all that is right in his eyes.[fn] 9 For you have not come up to now to the resting place and to the inheritance that Yahweh your God is giving to you. 10 But you will cross the Jordan, and you will settle in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance, and he will give rest to you from all your enemies from all around, and you will live securely, 11 and then[fn] at the place that Yahweh your God will choose, to let his name dwell there, there you shall bring all the things I am commanding you, your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and your donations,[fn] and all of the choice things, your votive gifts that you vow to Yahweh. 12 And you shall rejoice before[fn] Yahweh your God, you and your sons and your daughters and your slaves and your slave women and the Levite who is in your towns,[fn] because there is not for him a plot of ground and an inheritance with you.

13 “Take care for yourself so that you do not offer your burnt offerings at just any place that you happen to see, 14 but only[fn] at the place that Yahweh will choose among one of your tribes; there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all the things that I am commanding you.

15 “But whenever you desire[fn] you may slaughter, and you may eat meat according to the blessing of Yahweh your God that he has given to you in all of your towns;[fn] the unclean and the clean may eat it just as they would the gazelle and as the deer. 16 Only the blood you must not eat, but on the ground you must pour it like water. 17 You are not allowed to eat in your towns[fn] the tithe of your grain and your wine and your olive oil and the firstborn of your herd and your flock and all of your votive gifts that you vowed and your freewill offering and your donations.[fn] 18 But only before[fn] Yahweh your God you shall eat it, at the place that Yahweh your God will choose,[fn] you and your son and your daughter and your slave and your slave woman and the Levite who is in your towns,[fn] and you must rejoice before[fn] your God in all your undertakings.[fn] 19 Take care[fn] so that you do not neglect the Levite all of your days on your land.

20 “When Yahweh your God enlarges your territory just as he has promised[fn] to you, and you say ‘I want to eat some meat,’ because you want it,[fn] whenever you desire[fn] you may eat meat. 21 If the place that[fn] Yahweh your God will choose to put his name there is too far from you, and you slaughter any of your herd and any of your flock that Yahweh has given to you just as I have commanded you, then you may eat whenever you desire in your towns.[fn] 22 Surely just as the gazelle and the deer is eaten, so both the unclean and the clean together may eat it. 23 Only, be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the meat. 24 You shall not eat it, but on the ground you shall pour it out like water. 25 You shall not eat it, so that it will go well[fn] for you and your children after you, because then you will be doing what is[fn] right in the eyes of Yahweh. 26 Only your holy objects that are yours[fn] and your votive gifts you must carry and you must bring to the place that Yahweh will choose. 27 And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood on the altar of Yahweh your God, and the blood of your sacrifices you shall pour out on the altar of Yahweh your God, but the meat you may eat. 28 Be careful to obey[fn] all these things that I am commanding you, so that it will go well[fn] for you and for your children after you forever,[fn] because then you will be doing what is[fn] good and right[fn] in the eyes of Yahweh your God.

29 “When Yahweh your God has cut off the nations whom you are about to go to,[fn] to dispossess them before you,[fn] and you have dispossessed them, and you live in their land, 30 take care[fn] so that you are not ensnared into imitating them[fn] after their being destroyed from before you,[fn] and so that you not enquire concerning their gods, saying,[fn] ‘How did these nations serve their gods, and thus I myself[fn] want to do also.’ 31 You must not do so toward Yahweh your God, because of every detestable thing they have done for their gods Yahweh hates, for even their sons and their daughters they would burn in the fire to their gods.[fn] All of the things[fn] that I am commanding you, you must diligently observe;[fn] you shall not add to it, and you shall not take away from it.”

13 “If a prophet stands up in your midst or a dreamer of dreams[fn] and he gives to you a sign or wonder, 2 and the sign or[fn] the wonder comes about that he spoke[fn] to you, saying,[fn] ‘Let us go after other gods (those whom you have not known), and let us serve them,’ 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer, for Yahweh your God is testing you to know whether you love[fn] Yahweh your God with all of your heart and with all of your inner self.[fn] 4 You shall go after Yahweh your God, and him you shall revere, and his commandment you shall keep, and to his voice you shall listen, and him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. 5 But that prophet or the dreamer of that dream shall be executed, for he spoke falsely about Yahweh your God, the one bringing you out from the land of Egypt and the one redeeming you from the house of slavery, in order to seduce you from the way that Yahweh your God commanded you to go in it; so in this way you shall purge the evil from your midst.

6 “If your brother, the son of your mother or your son or your daughter or your wife whom you embrace[fn] or your intimate friend[fn] in secrecy says,[fn] ‘Let us go and let us serve other gods!’ gods that you and your ancestors[fn] have not known, 7 from among the gods of the people who are around you, those near you or those far from you,[fn] from one end of the earth and up to the other end of the earth, 8 you must not give in to him, and you shall not listen to him, and your eye shall not take pity on him, and you shall not have compassion, and you shall not cover up[fn] for him. 9 But you shall certainly kill him; your hand shall be first against him to kill him and next the hand of all of the people. 10 And you shall stone him with stones and let him die, for he tried to seduce you from Yahweh your God, the one bringing you from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 11 And all of Israel shall hear, and they shall fear, and they shall not continue to act[fn] according to this evil thing in your midst.

12 “If you hear in one of your towns which Yahweh your God is giving to you to live in, someone saying that[fn] 13 worthless men[fn] have gone out from your midst and have seduced the inhabitants of their town, saying,[fn] ‘Let us go and serve other gods!’ whom you have not known, 14 then you shall inquire and examine and interrogate thoroughly, and, look! It is true; the thing has actually been done, this detestable thing in your midst, 15 then you shall certainly strike down the inhabitants of that town with the edge[fn] of the sword; you shall destroy it and everything in it, its domestic animals with the edge[fn] of the sword. 16 And then you shall gather all of its booty into the middle of its public square, and you shall burn the town and all of its war-booty totally for Yahweh your God, and it shall be a pile of rubble forever;[fn] it shall not be built again. 17 And let not something cling to your hand from the things devoted to destruction, so that Yahweh may turn back from his burning anger,[fn] and he may show compassion to you and he may continue to show compassion and so multiply you just as he swore[fn] to your ancestors,[fn] 18 if you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, to keep all of his commandments that I am commanding to you today[fn] so as to do the right thing in the eyes of Yahweh your God.”

14 “You are children[fn] of Yahweh your God; therefore you must not gash[fn] yourself, and you must not make your forehead bald[fn] for the dead. 2 For you are a people holy to Yahweh your God, and you Yahweh has chosen to be a treasured possession from among all of the peoples that are on the surface[fn] of the earth.

3 You shall not eat any detestable thing. 4 These are the animals you may eat: ox, sheep, goats,[fn] 5 deer, gazelle, roebuck, wild goat, ibex, antelope, and mountain sheep. 6 And any animal having a split hoof[fn] and so a dividing of the hoof into two parts[fn] and that chews the cud[fn] among the animals[fn]—that animal you may eat. 7 Only these you may not eat from those chewing the cud[fn] and from those having a division of the hoof:[fn] the camel and the hare and the coney, because they chew the cud,[fn] but they do not divide the hoof; they are therefore unclean for you. 8 And also the pig because it has a division of the hoof[fn] but does not chew the cud;[fn] it is unclean for you; from their meat you shall not eat, and you shall not touch their carcasses.[fn]

9 “This is what you shall eat from all that is in the water: everything[fn] that has fins and scales[fn] you may eat. 10 But anything that does not have[fn] fins and scales, you may not eat, for it is unclean for you.

11 “All of the birds that are clean you may eat. 12 Now these are the ones you shall not eat any of them:[fn] the eagle and the vulture and the short-toed eagle,[fn] 13 and the red kite[fn] and the black kite or any kind of falcon,[fn] 14 and any kind of crow[fn] according to its kind, 15 and the ostrich[fn] and the short-eared owl and the seagull[fn] and the hawk according to its kind, 16 the little owl and the great owl and the barn owl,[fn] 17 and the desert owl[fn] and the carrion vulture[fn] and the cormorant,[fn] 18 and the stork and the heron according to its kind and the hoopoe and the bat. 19 And also all of the winged insects;[fn] they are unclean for you; you shall not eat them. 20 You may eat any clean bird.

21 “You shall not eat any carcass;[fn] you may give it to the alien who is in your towns,[fn] and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner, for you are a holy people for Yahweh your God; you may not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.

22 “Certainly you must give a tithe of all the yield of your seed, which comes forth from your field year after year.[fn] 23 And you shall eat before[fn] Yahweh your God in the place that he will choose to make to dwell his name there the tithe of your grain, your wine and your olive oil and the firstling of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to revere Yahweh your God always.[fn] 24 But if the distance is too great for you,[fn] so that you are not able to transport[fn] it, because the place that Yahweh your God will choose to set his name there, it is too far from you, when Yahweh your God will bless you, 25 then in that case you may exchange for money,[fn] and you shall take[fn] the money to your hand and go to the place that Yahweh your God will choose. 26 You may spend the money for anything that you desire,[fn] for oxen or for sheep or for wine or for strong drink or for anything that you desire,[fn] and you shall eat it there before[fn] Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. 27 And as to the Levite who is in your towns,[fn] you shall not neglect him, because there is not a plot of ground for him and an inheritance along with you.

28 “At the end of three years you shall bring out all of the tithe of your yield for that year, and you shall store it in your towns.[fn] 29 And so the Levite may come, because there is no plot of ground for him or an inheritance with you, and the alien also may come and the orphan and the widow that are in your towns,[fn] and they may eat their fill,[fn] so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all of the work of your hand that you undertake.”

15 “At the end of seven years you shall grant a remission of debt. 2 And this is the manner of the remission of debt: every creditor[fn] shall remit his claim that he holds against his neighbor, and he shall not exact payment from his brother because there[fn] a remission of debt has been proclaimed unto[fn] Yahweh. 3 With respect to the foreigner you may exact payment, but you must remit[fn] what shall be owed to you with respect to your brother. 4 Nevertheless, there[fn] shall not be among you a poor person, because Yahweh will certainly bless you in the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance, to take possession of it. 5 If only you listen well to the voice of Yahweh your God by observing diligently[fn] all of these commandments[fn] that I am commanding you today.[fn] 6 When Yahweh your God has blessed you, just as he promised[fn] to you, then you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow from them, and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you. 7 If there is a poor person among you from among one of your brothers in one of your towns[fn] that Yahweh your God is giving to you, you shall not harden your heart, and you shall not shut your hand toward your brother who is poor.[fn] 8 But you shall certainly open your hand for him, and you shall willingly lend[fn] to him enough to meet his need, whatever it is.[fn] 9 Take care[fn] so that there[fn] will not be a thought of wickedness[fn] in your heart, saying,[fn] ‘The seventh year, the year of the remission of debt is near,’ and you view your needy neighbor with hostility,[fn] and so you do not give to him, and he might cry out against you to Yahweh, and you would incur guilt against yourself.[fn] 10 By all means you must give to him, and you must not be discontented[fn] at your giving to him, because on account of this very thing, Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.[fn] 11 For the poor[fn] will not cease to be among you[fn] in the land; therefore I am commanding you, saying,[fn] ‘You shall willingly open your hand to your brother, to your needy and to your poor that are in your land.’

12 If your relative[fn] who is a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman is sold to you, and he or she has served you six years, then in the seventh year you shall send that person out free.[fn] 13 And when you send him out free from you, you shall not send him away empty-handed. 14 You shall generously supply him from among your flocks and from your threshing floor and from your press; according to that with which Yahweh your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. 15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God redeemed you; therefore I am commanding you thus today.[fn] 16 And then if it will happen that he says to you, ‘I do not want to go out[fn] from you,’ because he loves you and your family, because it is good for him to be with you; 17 then you shall take an awl, and you shall thrust it through his earlobe and into the door, and he shall be to you a slave forever;[fn] and you shall also do likewise for your slave woman. 18 It shall not be hard in your eyes when you send him forth free,[fn] because for six years he has served you worth twice the wage of a hired worker; and Yahweh your God will bless you in whatever you will do.[fn]

19 “Every firstling male that is born of your herd and of your flock you shall consecrate to Yahweh your God; you shall not do work with the firstling of your ox, and you shall not shear the firstling of your flock. 20 Rather before Yahweh[fn] your God you shall eat it year by year at the place Yahweh will choose, you and your household. 21 But if there is a physical defect in it, such as lameness or blindness, any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to Yahweh your God. 22 In your towns[fn] you shall eat it, the unclean and the clean together may eat it, just as they eat the gazelle and as they eat the deer. 23 But you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground like water.”

16 “Observe the month of Abib, and you shall keep the Passover to Yahweh your God, for in the month of Abib Yahweh your God brought you out from Egypt by night. 2 And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to Yahweh your God from among your flock and herd at the place that Yahweh will choose, to let his name dwell there. 3 You shall not eat with it[fn] anything leavened; seven days you shall eat with it[fn] unleavened bread of affliction, because in haste you went out from the land of Egypt, so that you will remember the day of your going out from the land of Egypt all the days of your life. 4 And leaven shall not be seen with[fn] you in any of your territory[fn] for seven days, and none of the meat that you will slaughter on the evening on the first day shall remain overnight until morning. 5 You are not allowed to offer the Passover sacrifice in one of your towns[fn] that Yahweh your God is giving to you, 6 but only at the place that Yahweh your God will choose, to let his name dwell there; you shall offer the Passover sacrifice in the evening at sunset,[fn] at the designated time[fn] of your going out from Egypt. 7 And you shall cook, and you shall eat it at the place that Yahweh your God will choose; and you may turn in the morning and go to your tents. 8 Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be an assembly for Yahweh your God; you shall not do work.

9 “You shall count off seven weeks for you; from the time you begin to harvest the standing grain[fn] you shall begin to count seven weeks. 10 And then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks for Yahweh your God with the measure of the freewill offering of your hand that you shall give just as Yahweh your God has blessed you. 11 And you shall rejoice before Yahweh your God, you and your son and your daughter and your slave and your slave woman and the Levite that is in your towns[fn] and the alien and the orphan and the widow who are in your midst in the place that Yahweh your God will choose to let his name dwell there. 12 And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and so you shall diligently observe[fn] these rules.

13 “You shall celebrate the Feast of Booths for yourselves[fn] seven days at the gathering in of the produce[fn] from your threshing floor and from your press; 14 and you shall rejoice at your feast, you and your son and your daughter and your slave and your slave woman and the Levite and the orphan and the widow that are in your towns.[fn] 15 Seven days you shall celebrate your feast to Yahweh your God at the place Yahweh will choose, for Yahweh your God shall bless you in all of your produce[fn] and in all of the work of your hand, and you shall surely be rejoicing.[fn] 16 Three times in the year all of your males shall appear before[fn] Yahweh your God at the place that he will choose, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before Yahweh[fn] empty-handed. 17 Each person shall give as he is able,[fn] that is, according to the blessing of Yahweh your God that he has given to you.

18 “You shall appoint judges and officials for you in all your towns[fn] that Yahweh your God is giving to you throughout your tribes, and you shall render for the people righteous judgments.[fn] 19 You shall not subvert[fn] justice; you shall not show partiality;[fn] and you shall not take a bribe, for the bribe makes blind the eyes of the wise and misrepresents the words of the righteous. 20 Justice, only justice[fn] you shall pursue, so that you may live, and you shall take possession of the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you. 21 You shall not plant for yourselves[fn] an Asherah pole[fn] beside the altar of Yahweh your God that you make for yourselves.[fn] 22 And you shall not set up for yourselves a stone pillar, a thing that Yahweh your God hates.

17 “You shall not sacrifice to Yahweh your God an ox or sheep that has a physical defect[fn] of anything seriously wrong,[fn] for that is a detestable thing to Yahweh your God. 2 If there is found in one of your towns[fn] that Yahweh your God is giving to you a man or a woman that does evil in the eyes of Yahweh your God to transgress his covenant 3 and by going and serving other gods and so he bows down to them and to the sun or to the moon or to any of the host of heaven which I have forbidden,[fn] 4 and it is reported to you or you hear about it and you enquire about it thoroughly and, indeed,[fn] the trustworthiness of the deed[fn] has been established, it has occurred,[fn] this detestable thing, in Israel, 5 then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has[fn] done this evil thing to your gates; that is, the man or the woman, and you shall stone them with stones to death.[fn] 6 On the evidence of[fn] two or three witnesses the person shall be put to death.[fn] The person[fn] shall not be put to death by the mouth of one witness. 7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first against the person[fn] to kill the person,[fn] and afterward the hands[fn] of all the people, and so you shall purge the evil from your midst.

8 “If a matter is too difficult for you,[fn] for example disputes between blood and blood,[fn] between legal claim and legal claim[fn] and between assault and assault[fn] and between matters of discernment in your towns,[fn] then you shall get up and you shall go to the place that Yahweh your God will choose; 9 then you shall go to the priests and the Levites and to the judge who will be in office in those days, and you shall enquire, and they shall announce to you the verdict.[fn]

10 “And you shall carry out exactly the decision[fn] that they announced to you from that place that Yahweh will choose, and you shall diligently observe[fn] according to all that they instruct you. 11 And so according to the instruction of the law[fn] that they teach you and according to the decisions that they say to you, you shall do; you shall not turn from the word that they tell you to the right or to the left. 12 And the man who treats with contempt[fn] so as not to listen to the priest who is standing to minister on behalf of Yahweh your God or to the judge, that man shall die; so you shall purge the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people will hear and will be afraid, and they will not behave presumptuously again.

14 “When you have come to that land that Yahweh your God is giving to you and you have taken possession of it and you have settled in it, and you say, ‘I will set over me a king like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 indeed, you may set a king over you whom Yahweh your God will choose, from the midst of your countrymen[fn] you must set a king over you; you are not allowed to appoint over you a man, a foreigner, who is not your countryman.[fn] 16 Except, he may not make numerous[fn] for himself horses, and he may not allow the people to to go to Egypt in order to increase horses,[fn] for Yahweh has said to you that you may never return.[fn] 17 And he must not acquire many[fn] wives for himself, so that his heart would turn aside; and he must not accumulate silver and gold for himself excessively.[fn]

18 “And then[fn] when he is sitting[fn] on the throne of his kingdom, then he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll before[fn] the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it[fn] all the days of his life, so that he may learn to revere Yahweh your God by diligently observing[fn] all the word of this law and these rules, 20 so as not to exalt his heart above his countrymen[fn] and not to turn aside from the commandment to the right or to the left, so that he may reign long over his kingdom,[fn] he and his children in the midst of Israel.”

18 “And there shall not be for the Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, a plot of ground and an inheritance with Israel, rather they may eat an offering made by fire as their inheritance,[fn] for Yahweh. 2 And there shall not be for them[fn] an inheritance of land in the midst of his brothers; rather Yahweh is his inheritance, just as he promised[fn] to them.[fn]

3 Now this shall be the share of the priest from the people, from those who sacrifice the sacrifice,[fn] whether it is an ox, sheep, or goat, and they shall give the priest the shoulder and the jawbones and the stomach. 4 The firstfruits[fn] of your grain, your wine, and your olive oil and the firstfruits[fn] of the fleece of your sheep you shall give to him. 5 For Yahweh your God has chosen him from among all your tribes to stand to minister in the name of Yahweh, he and his sons forever.[fn]

6 And if a[fn] Levite comes from one of your towns[fn] from anywhere in Israel[fn] where he is residing, he may come whenever he desires,[fn] to the place that Yahweh will choose, 7 and he may minister in the name of Yahweh his God, just like all his brothers, the Levites who stand there[fn] before[fn] Yahweh. 8 They shall eat equal portions,[fn] apart from what he may receive from the sale of his patrimony.[fn]

9 “When you come to the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you, you must not learn to do like the detestable practices of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you one who makes his son or his daughter go through the fire, or one who practices divination,[fn] or an interpreter of signs,[fn] or an augur,[fn] or sorcerer, 11 or one who casts magic spells, or one who consults a spirit of the dead,[fn] or spiritist, or one who inquires of the dead.[fn] 12 For everyone doing these things is detestable to Yahweh, and because of these detestable things Yahweh your God is driving them out from before you.[fn] 13 You must be blameless before Yahweh your God. 14 For these nations that you are about to dispossess listen to interpreters of signs[fn] and to diviners, but Yahweh your God has not allowed you to do the same.

15 “Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your countrymen,[fn] and to him you shall listen. 16 This is according to all that you asked[fn] from Yahweh your God at Horeb, on the day of the assembly, saying,[fn] ‘I do not want again to hear[fn] the voice of Yahweh my God, and I do not want to see again this great fire, so that I may not die!’ 17 And Yahweh said to me, ‘They are right in what they have said. 18 I will raise up a prophet for them from among their countrymen[fn] like you, and I will place[fn] my words into his mouth, and he shall speak to them everything that I command him.[fn] 19 And then[fn] the man that will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I will hold accountable. 20 However, the prophet that behaves presumptuously by speaking a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, and who speaks in the name of other gods, then that prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say to yourself,[fn] ‘How can we know the word that Yahweh has not spoken to him?’ 22 Whenever what the prophet spoke in the name of Yahweh, the thing does not take place and does not come about, that is the thing that Yahweh has not spoken to him.[fn] Presumptuously the prophet spoke it; you shall not fear that[fn] prophet.”

19 “When Yahweh your God has exterminated[fn] the nations concerning whom Yahweh your God is giving to you their land, and you have dispossessed them, and you have settled in their towns and in their houses, 2 you shall set apart three cities for you in the midst of your land that Yahweh your God is giving to you to take possession of it. 3 You shall prepare the roads[fn] for yourselves, and you shall divide the regions of your land into thirds that Yahweh your God gives you as a possession, so that it will be available for any manslayer to flee there.[fn]

4 “Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live there who has killed his neighbor unintentionally,[fn] and he did not hate him previously.[fn] 5 For example,[fn] when somebody goes with his neighbor into the forest to cut wood, and the iron head slips from the handle of the tool and strikes his neighbor and he dies, then he may flee to one of these cities, and so he may live. 6 He does this lest the avenger of blood might pursue after the killer, because he is hot with anger[fn] and he overtakes him, because it is a long distance to the city of refuge, and so he kills him,[fn] but he did not deserve a death sentence,[fn] because he was not hating him before.[fn] 7 Therefore I am commanding you, saying,[fn] ‘You shall set apart three cities.’ 8 Then if Yahweh your God enlarges your territory just as he swore to your ancestors[fn] and gives[fn] to you all the land that he promised[fn] to give to your ancestors,[fn] 9 then if you diligently observe this entire commandment[fn] that I am commanding you today[fn] by loving Yahweh your God and by going[fn] in his ways at all times,[fn] then you shall add three more cities for yourselves to these three. 10 Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed[fn] in the midst of your land that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance and thereby bloodguilt would be on you.[fn]

11 But if someone hates[fn] his neighbor and lies in wait for him and rises up[fn] against him and murders him,[fn] and the murderer flees to one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and they shall give him into the hand of the avenger of blood, and he shall be put to death. 13 Your eye shall not take pity on him, and you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that good will be directed toward you.[fn]

14 “You shall not move the boundary marker of your neighbor that former generations[fn] set up on your property in the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you to take possession of it. 15 The testimony of a single witness may not be used to convict[fn] with respect to any crime and for any wrongdoing in any offense that a person[fn] committed; on the evidence[fn] of two witnesses or on the evidence[fn] of three witnesses a charge shall be sustained.[fn] 16 If a malicious witness[fn] gets up to accuse[fn] anyone to testify against him falsely, 17 then the two men to whom the legal dispute pertains[fn] shall stand before[fn] Yahweh, before[fn] the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 Then judges shall make a thorough inquiry, and if it turns out[fn] that the witness is a false witness and he testified falsely against his brother, 19 then you shall do to him as he meant[fn] to do to his brother, and so you shall purge the evil from your midst. 20 And the rest[fn] shall hear and shall fear, and they shall not continue to do such a thing again[fn] as this evil thing in your midst. 21 You must show no pity:[fn] life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

20 “If you go out to war against your enemies and you see a horse and a chariot, an army[fn] larger that you, you shall not be afraid because of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, the one who brought you from the land of Egypt. 2 And then[fn] when you approach the battle, then the priest shall come near and speak to the troops. 3 And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, Israel, you are near today[fn] to the battle against your enemies; do not lose heart;[fn] you shall not be afraid, and you shall not panic, and you shall not be terrified because of them,[fn] 4 for Yahweh your God is going with you to fight for you against your enemies to help you.’ 5 And the officials shall speak to the troops, saying,[fn] ‘Who is the man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to this house, so that he does not die in battle and another man[fn] dedicates it. 6 And who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed it? Let him go and let him return to his house, so that he does not die in battle and another man[fn] enjoys it. 7 And who is the man who got engaged to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and let him return to his house, so that he does not die in battle and another man[fn] marries her.’ 8 And the officials shall continue to speak to the troops, and they shall say, ‘What man[fn] is afraid and disheartened?[fn] Let him go, and let him return to his house, and let him not cause the heart of his brothers to melt[fn] like his.’ 9 And when the officials have finished speaking[fn] to the army troops, then they shall appoint commanders of divisions at the head of the troops.

10 “When you approach a city to fight against it, you must offer it peace.[fn] 11 And then[fn] if they accept your terms of peace[fn] and they surrender to you,[fn] and then[fn] all the people inhabiting it[fn] shall be forced labor for you, and they shall serve you. 12 But if they do not accept your terms of peace[fn] and they want to make war with you, then you shall lay siege against it.[fn] 13 And Yahweh your God will give it into your hand, and you shall kill all its males with the edge[fn] of the sword. 14 Only the women and the little children and the domestic animals[fn] and all that shall be in the city, all of its spoil you may loot for yourselves, and you may enjoy the spoil of your enemies that Yahweh you God has given to you. 15 Thus you shall do to all the far[fn] cities from you, which are not from the cities of these nations located nearby.[fn]

16 But from the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance, you shall not let anything live that breathes.[fn] 17 Rather, you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittites[fn] and the Amorites,[fn] the Canaanites[fn] and the Perizzites,[fn] the Hivites,[fn] and the Jebusites,[fn] just as Yahweh your God has commanded you, 18 so that they may not teach you to do like all their detestable things that they do for their gods and thereby you sin against Yahweh your God.

19 “If[fn] you besiege a town for many days to make war against it in order to seize it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them,[fn] for you may eat from them,[fn] and so you must not cut them[fn] down. Are the trees of the field humans that they should come in siege against you?[fn] 20 Only[fn] the trees[fn] that you know are not fruit trees[fn] you may destroy and you may cut down, and you may build siege works against that city that is making war with you until it falls.”[fn]

21 “If someone slain is found in the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you to take possession of it and is lying in the field, and it is not known who killed him,[fn] 2 then your elders and your judges shall go out and shall measure the distance to the cities that are around the slain one. 3 And then[fn] the nearest city to the slain one, the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd that has not been worked with in the field, that has not pulled a yoke, 4 and the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a wadi that flows with water all year[fn] and that has not been plowed and has not been sown; then there they shall break the neck of the heifer in the wadi.[fn] 5 Then the priests, the descendants[fn] of Levi, shall come near, for Yahweh your God has chosen them to bless in the name of Yahweh, and every legal dispute and every case of assault will be subject to their ruling.[fn] 6 And all of the elders of that city nearest to the slain person shall wash their hands over the heifer with the broken neck in the wadi.[fn] 7 And they shall declare, and they shall say, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, and our eyes did not see what was done. 8 Forgive your people, Israel, whom you redeemed, Yahweh, and do not allow[fn] the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, and let them be forgiven with regard to blood.’ 9 And so you shall purge the innocent blood from your midst, because you must do the right thing in the eyes of Yahweh.

10 “When you go out for battle against your enemies, and Yahweh your God gives them into your hand, and you lead the captives[fn] away, 11 and you see among the captives[fn] a woman beautiful in appearance, and you become attached to her and you want to take her as a wife, 12 then you shall bring her into your household, and she shall shave her head, and she shall trim her nails. 13 And she shall remove the clothing of her captivity from her, and she shall remain in your house, and she shall mourn her father and her mother a full month,[fn] and after this you may have sex with her,[fn] and you may marry her, and she may become your wife.[fn] 14 And then if you do not take delight in her, then you shall let her go to do whatever she wants,[fn] but you shall not treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored[fn] her.

15 “If a man has two wives, and the one is loved and the other one is disliked and the one loved and the one that is disliked have borne for him sons, if it happens that the firstborn son belongs to the one that is disliked,[fn] 16 nevertheless it will be the case that[fn] on the day of bestowing his inheritance upon his sons, he will not be allowed to treat as the firstborn son the son of the beloved wife in preference to[fn] the son of the disliked wife, who is the firstborn son. 17 But he shall acknowledge the firstborn son of the disliked wife by giving[fn] him a double portion of all that he has,[fn] for he is the firstfruit of his vigor;[fn] to him is the legal claim of the birthright.[fn]

18 “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son[fn] who does not listen to[fn] the voice of his father and to the voice of his mother, and they discipline him, and he does not obey[fn] them, 19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him, and they shall bring him out to the elders of his city and to the gate of his town,[fn] 20 and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he does not obey us,[fn] and he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of his city shall stone him with stones and let him die; and so you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all of Israel will hear, and they will fear.

22 “And if a man commits a sin punishable by death,[fn] and so he is put to death and you hang him on a tree, 23 his dead body shall not hang on the tree, but certainly you shall bury him on that day, for cursed by God is one that is being hung; so you shall not defile your land[fn] that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance.”

22 “You shall not watch the ox of your neighbor or his sheep or goat straying and ignore them; certainly you shall return them to your neighbor. 2 And if your countryman[fn] is not near you or you do not know who he is,[fn] then you shall bring it to your household,[fn] and it shall be[fn] with you until your countryman seeks after it,[fn] and you shall return it to him. 3 And thus also you shall do regarding[fn] his donkey, and thus you shall do concerning[fn] his garment, and so you shall do with respect to[fn] all of the lost property of your countryman[fn] that is lost from him and you find it; you are not allowed to withhold help.

4 “You shall not see the donkey of your neighbor or his ox fallen on the road and you ignore them; certainly you must help them get up along with him.

5 “The apparel of a man shall not be put on[fn] a woman, and a man shall not wear the clothing of a woman, because everyone who does these things is detestable to Yahweh your God.

6 “If a bird’s nest is found before you[fn] on the road in any tree or on the ground, and there are chicks or eggs, and the mother is lying down on the chicks or the eggs, you shall not take the mother along with the young; 7 you shall certainly let the mother go, but you may take the young for yourselves;[fn] do this so that it may go well[fn] for you and you may live long in the land.[fn]

8 “When you build a new house then[fn] you shall make a parapet wall[fn] for your roof, so that you will not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone should fall from it.[fn]

9 “You shall not sow your vineyard with differing kinds of seed, so that you shall not forfeit the whole harvest,[fn] both the seed that you sowed and the yield of the vineyard.

10 “You shall not plow with an ox and with a donkey yoked together.

11 “You shall not wear woven material made of wool and linen mixed together.

12 “You shall make tassels for yourselves[fn] on the four corners of your clothing with which you cover yourself.

13 “If a man takes a woman and he has sex with her,[fn] but he then dislikes her,[fn] 14 and he accuses her falsely,[fn] and he defames her,[fn] and he says ‘This woman I took and I lay with her and I discovered that she was not a virgin,’[fn] 15 then in defense the father of the young woman shall take, along with her mother, and together they must bring out the evidence of the virginity of the young woman to display it to the elders of the city at the city gate.[fn] 16 And then the father of the young woman shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man as wife, but he now dislikes[fn] her, 17 and now look he has accused her falsely,[fn] saying, “I did not find your daughter a virgin,”[fn] but here is evidence of the virginity of my daughter’; and they shall spread the cloth out before[fn] the elders of the city. 18 Then the elders of that city shall take the man, and they shall discipline him. 19 Then they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, and they shall give them to the father of the young woman, for he defamed an Israelite young woman,[fn] and she shall become his wife;[fn] he will not be allowed to divorce her[fn] all his days.

20 “But if this charge[fn] was true, and the signs of virginity were not found[fn] for the young woman, 21 and then they shall bring out the young woman to the doorway of the house of her father, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones, and she shall die, because she did a disgraceful thing in Israel by playing the harlot[fn] in the house of her father, and so you shall purge the evil from your midst.

22 “If a man is found lying with a married woman,[fn] then they shall both die; both of them,[fn] the man who lay with the woman and the woman also, so you shall purge the evil from Israel.

23 “If it happens that a young woman, a virgin, is engaged to a man, and a man finds her in the town and lies with her, 24 then you shall bring out both of them[fn] to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them with stones so that they shall die, the young woman because she did not cry out in the town, and the man because[fn] he violated his neighbor’s wife; and so you shall purge the evil from your midst.

25 “But if the man finds the young engaged woman in the field and the man overpowers her and he has sex with her,[fn] then the man only[fn] must die who lay[fn] with her. 26 But you shall not do anything[fn] to the young woman, for there is not reckoned against[fn] the young woman a sin deserving death;[fn] it is similar to when[fn] a man rises up against his neighbor and murders him, a fellow human being,[fn] just so is this case,[fn] 27 for he found her in the field, the engaged young woman cried out, but there was no[fn] rescuer to help her.[fn]

28 “If a man finds a young woman, a virgin who is not engaged, and he seizes her and he has sex with her[fn] and they are caught, 29 then the man who lay with her[fn] shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall become his wife[fn] because[fn] he violated her, and he is not allowed to divorce her during his lifetime.[fn] [fn] A man may not take the wife of his father, and so he may not dishonor his father.[fn]

23 “No man with crushed testicles[fn] or whose male organ is cut off[fn] may come into the assembly of Yahweh.

2 An illegitimate child may not come into the assembly of Yahweh; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants[fn] may come into the assembly of Yahweh.

3 An Ammonite or a Moabite may not come into the assembly of Yahweh; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants[fn] may come into the assembly of Yahweh forever,[fn] 4 because[fn] they did not come to meet you with food and with water when you came out of Egypt,[fn] and also because[fn] they[fn] hired Balaam, son of Beor, from Pethor, in Aram Naharaim[fn] to act against you to curse you. 5 But Yahweh your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, and Yahweh your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Yahweh your God loved you. 6 You shall not promote their welfare or their prosperity all your days forever.[fn]

7 “You shall not abhor an Edomite, because he is your brother; you shall not abhor an Egyptian because you were an alien in his land. 8 The children[fn] that are born to them in the third generation may come representing them[fn] in the assembly of Yahweh.

9 “If[fn] you go out to encamp against your enemies, then you shall guard against doing anything evil.

10 “If there is among you a man that is not clean because of a seminal emission during the night,[fn] he shall go outside the camp; he shall not come within the camp. 11 And then[fn] toward the coming[fn] of the evening, he shall bathe with[fn] water, and at the going down[fn] of the sun, he may come to the midst of the camp.

12 “And there shall be for you a designated place outside the camp; and you shall go there to relieve yourself,[fn] 13 and a digging tool[fn] shall be included in addition to your other utensils[fn] for yourself; and then[fn] when you relieve yourself[fn] outside the camp you shall dig with it, and then you shall turn, and you shall cover your excrement. 14 For Yahweh your God is walking about in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to hand your enemies over to you before you,[fn] and so let your camp be holy, so that he shall not see in it anything indecent,[fn] and he shall turn away from going with you.[fn]

15 “And you shall not hand over a slave to his master who has escaped and fled to you from his master. 16 He shall reside with you in your midst in the place that he chooses in one of your towns wherever he pleases;[fn] you shall not oppress him.

17 “No woman of Israel[fn] shall be a temple prostitute, and no man of Israel[fn] shall be a male shrine prostitute. 18 You may not bring the hire[fn] of a prostitute or the earnings of a male prostitute[fn] into the house of Yahweh your God, for any vow offerings, because both[fn] are a detestable thing to Yahweh your God.

19 “You shall not charge your brother interest on money,[fn] interest on[fn] food, or interest on[fn] anything that one could lend[fn] on interest. 20 You may lend on interest to the foreigner, but to your countryman[fn] you may not lend on interest, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all your undertakings[fn] in the land where you are going,[fn] in order to take possession of it.[fn]

21 “When you make a vow[fn] to Yahweh your God, you shall not postpone fulfillment of it,[fn] for certainly Yahweh your God shall require it from you and if postponed you will incur guilt.[fn] 22 And if you refrain from vowing,[fn] you shall not incur guilt.[fn] 23 The utterance of your lips you must perform diligently[fn] just as you have vowed freely to Yahweh your God whatever it was that you promised[fn] with your mouth.

24 “When[fn] you come into the vineyard of your neighbor, then you may eat grapes as you please[fn] and until you are full,[fn] but you shall not put any into your container.

25 “When[fn] you come into the standing grain of your neighbor, then you may pluck ears with your hand, but you may not swing[fn] a sickle among the standing grain of your neighbor.”

24 “When[fn] a man takes a wife and he marries her and then[fn] she does not please him,[fn] because he found something objectionable[fn] and writes her a letter of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her away from his house, 2 and she goes from his house, and she goes out and becomes a wife for another man,[fn] 3 and then the second man dislikes her and he writes her a letter of divorce and places it into her hand and sends her from his house, or if the second man dies who took her to himself[fn] as a wife, 4 her first husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again[fn] to become a wife to him after she has been defiled,[fn] for that is a detestable thing before[fn] Yahweh, and so you shall not mislead into sin the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance.

5 “When[fn] a man takes a new wife he shall not go out with the army, and he shall not be obligated with anything;[fn] he shall be free from obligation, to stay at home[fn] for one year, and he shall bring joy to his wife that he took.

6 “A person[fn] shall not take[fn] a pair of millstones or an upper millstone, for he is taking necessities of life as a pledge.[fn]

7 “If a man is caught[fn] kidnapping somebody from among his countrymen,[fn] the Israelites,[fn] and he treats him as a slave or he sells him, then that kidnapper shall die, and so you shall purge the evil from among you.[fn]

8 Be watchful[fn] with respect to[fn] an outbreak of any infectious skin disease, by being very careful and by acting[fn] according to all that the priests and the Levites have instructed you, just as I have commanded them, so you shall diligently observe.[fn] 9 So remember what Yahweh your God did to Miriam on the journey when you went out from Egypt.[fn]

10 “When you make a loan to your neighbor, a loan of any kind, you shall not go into his house to take his pledge.[fn] 11 You shall wait outside, and the man to whom you are lending, he shall bring the pledge outside to you. 12 And if he is a needy man, you shall not sleep in his pledge.[fn] 13 You shall certainly return the pledge to him as the sun sets,[fn] so that he may sleep in his cloak and may bless you, and it shall be considered righteousness on your behalf[fn] before[fn] Yahweh your God.

14 “You shall not exploit a hired worker, who is needy and poor, from among your fellow men or from among your aliens[fn] who are in your land and in your towns.[fn] 15 On his day you shall give his wage, and the sun shall not go down,[fn] because he is poor and his life depends on it;[fn] do this so that he does not cry out against you to Yahweh, and you incur guilt.[fn]

16 “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, and children shall not be put to death because of their fathers; each one shall be put to death for his own sin. 17 You shall not subvert the rights of an alien or an orphan, and you shall not take as pledge the garment of a widow. 18 And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and that Yahweh your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this commandment.

19 “When[fn] you reap your harvest in your field and you forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not return to get it, for it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat off the fruit of your olive trees you shall not search through the branches afterward, for it[fn] shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.

21 When you harvest grapes, you shall not glean your vineyards again;[fn] it[fn] shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. 22 And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.”

25 “When a legal dispute takes place[fn] between men and they come near to the court, and the judges judge with respect to them, then they shall declare the righteous to be in the right and they shall condemn the wicked, 2 then it will happen if the guilty one deserves beating,[fn] then the judge shall make him lie, and he shall beat him before him,[fn] according to[fn] the prescribed number of lashes proportionate to the offense.[fn] 3 He may beat him with forty lashes, and he shall not do more than these, so that he will not beat more in addition to these many blows,[fn] and your countryman[fn] would be[fn] degraded before your eyes.

4 “You shall not muzzle an ox when he is threshing.[fn]

5 “When brothers dwell together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not become the wife of a man of another family;[fn] her brother-in-law shall have sex with her,[fn] and he shall take her to himself[fn] as a wife, and he shall perform his duty as a brother-in-law with respect to her. 6 And then the firstborn that she bears shall represent his dead brother,[fn] so that his name is not blotted out from Israel. 7 But if the man does not want to take his sister-in-law, then his sister-in-law shall go up to the gate, to the elders, and she shall say, ‘My brother-in-law refused to perpetuate his brother’s name[fn] in Israel, for he is not willing to marry me.’[fn] 8 Then the elders of his town shall summon him and speak to him, and if he persists and says, ‘I do not desire to[fn] marry her’ 9 then his sister-in-law shall go near him before the eyes of the elders, and she shall pull off his sandal from his foot, and she shall spit in his face, and she shall declare[fn] and she shall say, ‘This is how it is done to the man who does not build the house of his brother.’ 10 And his family[fn] shall be called in Israel, ‘The house where the sandal was pulled off.’[fn]

11 “If a man and his brother fight each other and the wife of the one man comes near to rescue her husband from the hand of his attacker and she stretches out her hand and she seizes his genitals, 12 then you shall cut off her hand; your eye shall not take pity.

13 “There shall not be for your use[fn] in your bag two kinds of stone weights, a large one and a small one.[fn] 14 There shall not be in your house for your use[fn] two kinds of measures.[fn] 15 Rather a full and honest weight shall be for your use;[fn] there shall be for you a full and honest measure,[fn] so that your days on the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you may be long. 16 For detestable to[fn] Yahweh your God is everyone who is doing such things,[fn] everyone who is acting[fn] dishonestly.

17 “Remember what Amalek did to you on the journey when[fn] you went out from Egypt, 18 that he met you on the journey and attacked you, all those lagging behind you and when you were weary and worn out, and he did not fear God. 19 And when[fn] Yahweh your God gives rest to you from all your enemies from around about you in the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance to take possession of it, you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens; you shall not forget!”

26 “And then[fn] when you come to the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and you settle in it, 2 then you shall take from the firstfruit of all the fruit of the ground that you harvest from your land that Yahweh your God is giving to you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that Yahweh your God will choose to make his name to dwell there. 3 And you shall go to the priest who is in office in those days, and you shall say, ‘I declare today[fn] to Yahweh your God that I have come into the land that Yahweh swore to our ancestors[fn] to give to us.’ 4 Then the priest takes the basket from your hand and places it before[fn] the altar of Yahweh your God. 5 And you shall declare[fn] and you shall say before[fn] your God, ‘My ancestor[fn] was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt, and there he dwelt as an alien few in number,[fn] and there he became a great nation, mighty and numerous. 6 And the Egyptians treated us badly, and they oppressed us and imposed on us hard labor. 7 And we cried to Yahweh, the God of our ancestors,[fn] and Yahweh heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression. 8 And Yahweh brought us out from Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and with wonders. 9 And he brought us to this place and gave to us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 And now, look, I am bringing[fn] the firstfruit of the fruit of the ground that you gave to me, Yahweh,’ and you shall place it before[fn] Yahweh your God, and you shall bow down before[fn] Yahweh your God. 11 And you shall celebrate with all of the bounty that Yahweh your God gave to you and to your family, you and the Levite and the alien who is in your midst.

12 “When you are finished giving a tithe,[fn] all of the tithe of your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, then you shall give to the Levite, to the alien, to the orphan, and to the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and they may be satisfied. 13 And you shall say before[fn] Yahweh your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion from the[fn] house and, moreover, I have given it to the Levite and to the alien and to the orphan and to the widow according to all your commandment that you commanded me; I have not transgressed any of your commandments, and I have not forgotten any of them. 14 I have not eaten during my time of mourning, and I have not removed anything from it while being unclean, and I have not offered any of it[fn] to someone who has died. I have listened to the voice of Yahweh my God; I have done all that you commanded me to do.

15 Look down from the dwelling place of your holiness, from heaven, and bless your people Israel, and the land that you have given to us, as you swore to our ancestors,[fn] a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 16 “This day Yahweh your God is commanding you to do these rules and regulations, and you must observe them diligently[fn] with all your heart and with all your soul.[fn] 17 Yahweh you have declared today[fn] to be for you as your God, and to go[fn] in his ways and to observe his rules and his commandments and his regulations and to listen to his voice. 18 And Yahweh has declared you today[fn] to be for him as a people, a treasured possession, as he promised[fn] to you, and that you are to observe all his commandments, 19 and that he then will set you[fn] high above all the nations that he has made for his praise and for fame[fn] and for honor and for you to be a holy people[fn] to Yahweh your God, as he promised.”[fn]