OET-RV DEU chapter 17

This is still a very early look into the unfinished text of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check the text in advance before using in public.

2 In any of the towns that your god Yahweh is giving you, if you discover any man or woman who does evil by disobeying the agreement that he’s made with you 3 and worshipped other gods, or the sun, moon, or stars—all of which I’ve prohibited you from doing,[ref] 4 and it it’s reported to you, and you listen and investigate it thoroughly, and it’s true that this detestable thing was done in Yisrael, 5 you must bring that man or woman out to the town gates, and execute them by throwing rocks at them. 6 Note that that person can only be executed if there’s at least two witnesses as evidence—no one can be put to death on the testimony of just one witness.[ref] 7 The witnesses must be the ones to throw the first rocks then all the other people after that, and that’s how you’ll remove evil from your society.[ref]

8 If a case is too difficult for you yourselves to judge (e.g., two parties claiming bloodshed, or lawsuits, or assaults, or other disputes within your towns), you must leave town and go to the place that your god Yahweh is going to choose. 9 You should go to the Levitical priests and to the judge on duty there and they will produce a judgement. 10 Whatever the decision is that’s made at the place Yahweh will choose, that’s the verdict that must be applied to the case—11 accept their judgement and do what they say without making any adjustments to their decision. 12 Anyone who shows contempt for the decision of the judge or the priest who’s standing there serving your god Yahweh, then that person must be executed to remove that evil from Yisrael, 13 then all the people will hear about it and be afraid, and it’ll stamp out such arrogance.

17:14 Expectations for a king

14 When you enter the land that your god Yahweh is about to give you, then occupy and live in it, and you say that you need a king over you like all the surrounding countries have,[ref] 15 you can appoint the king over you that Yahweh chooses. Your king must be an Israeli—never allow a foreigner to become your king. 16 However, he mustn’t acquire a large number of horses for himself, and he should never send people to Egypt to buy horses, because Yahweh has told you all to never go back that way again.[ref] 17 He mustn’t take a lot of wives for himself or else he might stop worshipping Yahweh. Nor should he accumulate too much gold and silver.[ref]

18 Once he’s sitting on his royal throne, he must copy for himself the instructions on the scroll that’s in the custody of the Levitical priests, 19 then he must keep it with him and read some of it every day so that he learns to honour his god Yahweh—being careful to follow all the instructions and regulations written in it 20 so that he won’t think he’s more valued than his fellow citizens, and so that he doesn’t ignore those instructions even slightly. As a result, him and his descendants will rule as kings in Yisrael for many years.

OET-RV DEU Chapter 17