Deuteronomy - Chapter 17

¹ 'To Yahweh your God you must sacrifice nothing from herd or flock that has any blemish or defect whatsoever, for Yahweh your God holds this detestable.

² 'If there is anyone, man or woman, among you in any of the towns given you by Yahweh your God, who does what is wrong in the eyes of Yahweh your God by violating his covenant,

³ who goes and serves other gods and worships them, or the sun or the moon or any of heaven's array -- a thing I have forbidden-

⁴ and this person is denounced to you: if after careful enquiry it is found true and confirmed that this hateful thing has been done in Israel,

⁵ you must take the man or woman guilty of this evil deed outside your city gates, and there you must stone that man or woman to death.

⁶ A death sentence may be passed only on the word of two witnesses or three; and no one must be put to death on the word of one witness alone.

⁷ The witnesses' hands must strike the first blow in putting the condemned to death, the rest of the people following. You must banish this evil from among you.

⁸ 'If a case comes before you which is too difficult for you, a case of murder, conflicting claims, damage to property -- any kind of dispute -- in your towns, you must make your way to the place chosen by Yahweh your God,

⁹ and approach the levitical priests and the judge then in office. They will hold an enquiry and let you know their sentence.

¹⁰ You must abide by the verdict which they give you in this place chosen by Yahweh, and you will take care to carry out all their instructions.

¹¹ You will abide by the decision which they give you and by the sentence which they pronounce, not deviating to right or to left from the verdict which they have given you.

¹² If anyone presumes to disobey either the priest who is there in the service of Yahweh your God, or the judge, that person must die. You must banish this evil from Israel.

¹³ And when the people hear of this they will all be afraid and not act presumptuously any more.

¹⁴ 'If, having reached the country given by Yahweh your God and having taken possession of it and, while living there, you think, "I should like to appoint a king to rule me -- like all the surrounding nations,"

¹⁵ the king whom you appoint to rule you must be chosen by Yahweh your God; the appointment of a king must be made from your own brothers; on no account must you appoint as king some foreigner who is not a brother of yours.

¹⁶ 'He must not, however, acquire more and more horses, or send the people back to Egypt with a view to increasing his cavalry, since Yahweh has told you, "You must never go back that way again."

¹⁷ Nor must he keep on acquiring more and more wives, for that could lead his heart astray. Nor must he acquire vast quantities of silver and gold.

¹⁸ Once seated on his royal throne, and for his own use, he must write a copy of this Law on a scroll, at the dictation of the levitical priests.

¹⁹ It must never leave him, and he must read it every day of his life and learn to fear Yahweh his God by keeping all the words of this Law and observing these rules,

²⁰ so that he will not think himself superior to his brothers, and not deviate from these commandments either to right or to left. So doing, long will he occupy his throne, he and his sons, in Israel.'

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