1  At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.

1  Every seven years thou shalt make a release.

1  “In the seventh year, you shall perform a remission,

2  And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release that which he hath lent unto his neighbour; he shall not exact it of his neighbour and his brother; because YHWH'S release hath been proclaimed.

2  And this is the ordinance of the release: thou shalt remit every private debt which thy neighbour owes thee, and thou shalt not ask payment of it from thy brother; for it has been called a release to the Lord thy God.

2  which shall be celebrated according to this order. Anyone to whom anything is owed, by his friend or neighbor or brother, will not be able to request its return, because it is the year of remission of the Lord.

3  Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it; but whatsoever of thine is with thy brother thy hand shall release.

3  Of a stranger thou shalt ask again whatsoever he has of thine, but to thy brother thou shalt remit his debt to thee.

3  From the sojourner and the new arrival, you may require its return. From your fellow countryman and neighbor, you will not have the power to request its return.

4  Howbeit there shall be no needy among you--for YHWH will surely bless thee in the land which the YHWH thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it--

4  For thus there shall not be a poor person in the midst of thee, for the Lord thy God will surely bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God gives thee by inheritance, that thou shouldest inherit it.

4  And there shall not be anyone indigent or begging among you, so that the Lord your God may bless you in the land which he will deliver to you as a possession.

5  if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of YHWH thy God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day.

5  And if ye shall indeed hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep and do all these commandments, as many as I charge thee this day,

5  But only if you heed the voice of the Lord your God, and keep to all that he has ordered, that which I am entrusting to you this day, will he bless you, just as he has promised.

6  For YHWH thy God will bless thee, as He promised thee; and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee.

6  You shall lend money to many nations, and you yourselves shall borrow in return from no one. You shall rule over very many nations, and no one shall rule over you.

7  If there be among you a needy man, one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates, in thy land which YHWH thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy needy brother;

7  And if there shall be in the midst of thee a poor man of thy brethren in one of thy cities in the land, which the Lord thy God gives thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, neither shalt thou by any means close up thine hand from thy brother who is in want.

7  If one of your brothers, who dwells within the gates of your city, in the land which the Lord your God will give to you, falls into poverty, you shall not harden your heart, nor tighten your hand.

8  but thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth.

8  Instead, you shall open your hand to the poor, and you shall lend to him whatever you perceive him to need.

8  But you shall open your hand wide to him, and shall surely lend him whatsoever he lacks.

9  Beware that there be not a base thought in thy heart, saying: 'The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand'; and thine eye be evil against thy needy brother, and thou give him nought; and he cry unto YHWH against thee, and it be sin in thee.

9  Take heed to thyself that there be not a secret thing in thine heart, an iniquity, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, draws nigh; and thine eye shall be evil to thy brother that is in want, and thou shalt not give to him, and he shall cry against thee to the Lord, and there shall be great sin in thee.

9  Take care, lest perhaps an impious thought might creep within you, and you might say in your heart: ‘The seventh year of remission approaches.’ And so you might turn your eyes away from your poor brother, unwilling to lend to him what he has asked. If so, then he may cry out against you to the Lord, and it will be a sin for you.

10  Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing YHWH thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.

10  Thou shalt surely give to him, and thou shalt lend him as much as he wants, according as he is in need; and thou shalt not grudge in thine heart as thou givest to him, because on this account the Lord thy God will bless thee in all thy works, and in all things on which thou shalt lay thine hand.

10  Instead, you shall give to him. Neither shall you do anything craftily while assisting him in his needs, so that the Lord your God may bless you, at all times and in all things to which you will put your hand.

11  For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying: 'Thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy poor and needy brother, in thy land.'

11  For the poor shall not fail off thy land, therefore I charge thee to do this thing, saying, Thou shalt surely open thine hands to thy poor brother, and to him that is distressed upon thy land.

11  The poor will not be absent from the land of your habitation. For this reason, I instruct you to open your hand to your indigent and poor brother, who lives among you in the land.

12  If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, he shall serve thee six years; and in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.

12  When your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, has been sold to you, and has served you for six years, in the seventh year you shall set him free.

13  And when thou lettest him go free from thee, thou shalt not let him go empty;

13  And when you grant his freedom, you shall by no means permit him to go away empty.

14  thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy winepress; of that wherewith YHWH thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

14  Instead, you shall give to him, for his journey, from your flocks and threshing floor and winepress, with which the Lord your God has blessed you.

14  But you shall set aside and give to him out of your flocks and out of your oxen and out of your threshing floor and out of your wine press; out of everything which the LORD your God gives you, you shall give to him.

15  And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and YHWH thy God redeemed thee; therefore I command thee this thing to-day.

15  Remember that you yourself also served in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God set you free. And therefore, I now command this of you.

15  And you shall remember that you were a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD your God delivered you; therefore I command you this thing today.

16  And it shall be, if he say unto thee: 'I will not go out from thee'; because he loveth thee and thy house, because he fareth well with thee;

16  But if he will say, ‘I am not willing to depart,’ because he loves you and your household, and because he feels that it would be good for him to stay with you,

16  But if he says to you. I will not go away from you, because I love you and your household, and because it is better for me to be with you,

17  then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear and into the door, and he shall be thy bondman for ever. And also unto thy bondwoman thou shalt do likewise.

17  then you shall take an awl and pierce his ear, at the door of your house. And he shall serve you even forever. You shall also act similarly toward your woman servant.

17  Then you must take an awl, and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant for ever. You shall do likewise to your maidservant.

18  It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou lettest him go free from thee; for to the double of the hire of a hireling hath he served thee six years; and YHWH thy God will bless thee in all that thou doest.

18  You should not avert your eyes from them when you set them free, because he has served you for six years, in a manner deserving of the pay of a hired hand. So may the Lord your God bless you in all the works that you do.

19  All the firstling males that are born of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto YHWH thy God; thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thine ox, nor shear the firstling of thy flock.

19  Every first-born that shall be born among thy kine and thy sheep, thou shalt sanctify the males to the Lord thy God; thou shalt not work with thy first-born calf, and thou shalt not shear the first-born of thy sheep.

19  Of the firstborn, those born from your herds and sheep, you shall sanctify to the Lord your God whatever is of the male sex. You shall not put the firstborn of the oxen to work, nor shall you shear the firstborn of the sheep.

20  Thou shalt eat it before YHWH thy God year by year in the place which the YHWH shall choose, thou and thy household.

20  In the sight of the Lord your God, you shall eat these, each year, in the place which the Lord will choose, you and your household.

20  You shall eat a firstling before the LORD your God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, you and your household;

21  And if there be any blemish therein, lameness, or blindness, any ill blemish whatsoever, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto YHWH thy God.

21  But if it has a blemish, or is lame, or is blind, or if it is in any part deformed or debilitated, it shall not be immolated to the Lord your God.

21  And if there is any blemish in it, or it is lame or blind, or have any ill blemish, you shall not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.

22  Thou shalt eat it within thy gates; the unclean and the clean may eat it alike, as the gazelle, and as the hart.

22  Instead, you shall eat it within the gates of your city. The clean as well as the unclean alike shall feed on these, such as the roe deer and the stag.

22  But you shall eat it within your towns; the unclean and the clean shall eat of it alike, as a gazelle, and as the hart.

23  Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it out upon the ground as water.

16:1  Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto YHWH thy God; for in the month of Abib the YHWH thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.

1  “Observe the month of new grain, at the beginning of springtime, so that you may accomplish the Passover to the Lord your God. For in this month, the Lord your God led you away from Egypt in the night.

16:2  And thou shalt sacrifice the passover-offering unto YHWH thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the YHWH shall choose to cause His name to dwell there.

2  And you shall immolate the Passover to the Lord your God, from sheep and from oxen, in the place which the Lord your God will choose, so that his name may dwell there.

2  You shall therefore sacrifice the passover to the LORD, of the flock and the herd, at the place where the LORD your God shall choose to set his name.

16:3  Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for in haste didst thou come forth out of the land of Egypt; that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

3  You shall not eat it with leavened bread. For seven days you shall eat, without leaven, the bread of affliction. For you departed from Egypt in fear. So may you remember the day of your departure from Egypt, throughout all the days of your life.

16:4  And there shall be no leaven seen with thee in all they borders seven days; neither shall any of the flesh, which thou sacrificest the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.

4  Leaven shall not be seen with thee in all thy borders for seven days, and there shall not be left of the flesh which thou shalt sacrifice at even on the first day until the morning.

4  No leaven shall be present in all your confines for seven days. And by morning, there shall not remain any of the flesh which was immolated on the first day in the evening.

16:5  Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover-offering within any of thy gates, which YHWH thy God giveth thee;

5  thou shalt not have power to sacrifice the passover in any of the cities, which the Lord thy God gives thee.

5  You cannot immolate the Passover in any of your cities, which the Lord your God will give to you, that you wish,

16:6  but at the place which YHWH thy God shall choose to cause His name to dwell in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover- offering at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.

6  but only in the place which the Lord your God will choose, so that his name may dwell there. You shall immolate the Passover in the evening, upon the setting of the sun, which is the time when you departed from Egypt.

16:7  And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which YHWH thy God shall choose; and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.

7  And you shall cook and eat it in the place which the Lord your God will choose, and, rising up in the morning, you shall go into your tent.

16:8  Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread; and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to YHWH thy God; thou shalt do no work therein.

8  For six days, you shall eat unleavened bread. And on the seventh day, because it is the assembly of the Lord your God, you shall do no work.

16:9  Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee; from the time the sickle is first put to the standing corn shalt thou begin to number seven weeks.

9  You shall number for yourself seven weeks from that day, the day on which you put the sickle to the grain field.

9  You shall count seven weeks to yourselves; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.

16:10  And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto YHWH thy God after the measure of the freewill-offering of thy hand, which thou shalt give, according as the YHWH thy God blesseth thee.

10  And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, to the Lord your God, with a voluntary oblation from your hand, which you shall offer according to the blessing of the Lord your God.

10  And then you shall keep the feast of weeks to the LORD your God with sufficient of freewill offering of your hand, which you shall set aside as the LORD your God has blessed you;

16:11  And thou shalt rejoice before YHWH thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid- servant, and the Levite that is within they gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are in the midst of thee, in the place which the YHWH thy God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there.

11  And you shall feast in the sight of the Lord your God: you, your son and your daughter, your man servant and your woman servant, and the Levite who is within your gates, and the new arrival as well as the orphan and the widow, who abide with you, in the place which the Lord your God will choose, so that his name may dwell there.

16:12  And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt; and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.

12  And you shall recall that you were a servant in Egypt. And you shall preserve and carry out the things that have been instructed.

16:13  Thou shalt keep the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in from thy threshing-floor and from thy winepress.

13  Likewise, you shall celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days, when you will have gathered your fruits from the orchard and the winepress.

13  You shall observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after you have gathered in from your threshing floor and from your wine press;

16:14  And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.

14  And you shall feast at the time of your festival: you, your son and daughter, your man servant and woman servant, likewise the Levite and the new arrival, the orphan and the widow, who are within your gates.

14  And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter and your manservant and your maidservant and the Levite, the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow who is within your towns.

16:15  Seven days shalt thou keep a feast unto YHWH thy God in the place which the YHWH shall choose; because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the work of thy hands, and thou shalt be altogether joyful.

15  For seven days you shall celebrate feasts to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord will choose. And the Lord your God will bless you in all your crops, and in every work of your hands. And you shall be joyful.

16:16  Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before YHWH thy God in the place which He shall choose; on the feast of unleavened bread, and on the feast of weeks, and on the feast of tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the YHWH empty;

16:17  every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of YHWH thy God which He hath given thee.

17  Each one according to his ability, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he has given thee.

17  But each one shall offer according to what he will have, according to the blessing of the Lord his God, which he will give to him.

16:18  Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which YHWH thy God giveth thee, tribe by tribe; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.

18  You shall appoint judges and magistrates at all your gates, which the Lord your God will give to you, throughout each of your tribes, so that they may judge the people with a just judgment,

16:19  Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a gift; for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

16:20  Justice, justice shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which YHWH thy God giveth thee.

20  You shall justly pursue what is just, so that you may live and possess the land, which the Lord your God will give to you.

20  But you must judge your neighbor righteously, that you may live and go in and inherit the land which the LORD your God gives you.

16:21  Thou shalt not plant thee an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of YHWH thy God, which thou shalt make thee.

21  You shall not plant a sacred grove, nor shall you plant any tree near the altar of the Lord your God;

16:22  Neither shalt thou set thee up a pillar, which YHWH thy God hateth.

22  Thou shalt not set up for thyself a pillar, which the Lord thy God hates.

22  you shall neither make nor set up for yourself a statue. These things the Lord your God hates.”

17:1  Thou shalt not sacrifice unto YHWH thy God an ox, or a sheep, wherein is a blemish, even any evil thing; for that is an abomination unto the YHWH thy God.

1  “You shall not immolate to the Lord your God a sheep or an ox, in which there is a blemish or any defect at all; for this is an abomination to the Lord your God.

17:2  If there be found in the midst of thee, within any of thy gates which YHWH thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that doeth that which is evil in the sight of the YHWH thy God, in transgressing His covenant,

2  And if there should be found in any one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God gives thee, a man or a woman who shall do that which is evil before the Lord thy God, so as to transgress his covenant,

2  When there will have been found among you, within one of your gates which the Lord your God will give to you, a man or a woman who is doing evil in the sight of the Lord your God, and who is transgressing his covenant,

17:3  and hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have commanded not;

3  and they should go and serve other gods, and worship them, the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of heaven, which he commanded thee not to do,

3  so as to go and serve foreign gods and adore them, such as the sun and the moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not instructed,

17:4  and it be told thee, and thou hear it, then shalt thou inquire diligently, and, behold, if it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel;

4  and when this will have been reported to you, and, upon hearing it, if you have inquired diligently and have found it to be true, that the abomination is being done in Israel

4  And it is told you, and you shall hear of it, you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true that such an abomination has been committed in Israel;

17:5  then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, who have done this evil thing, unto thy gates, even the man or the woman; and thou shalt stone them with stones, that they die.

5  you shall lead forward the man or the woman who has perpetrated this most wicked thing to the gates of your city, and they shall be stoned to death.

17:6  At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

6  He shall die on the testimony of two or three witnesses; a man who is put to death shall not be put to death for one witness.

6  By the mouth of two or three witnesses, he who is to be put to death shall perish. Let no one be killed with only one person speaking testimony against him.

17:7  The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.

7  And the hand of the witnesses shall be upon him among the first to put him to death, and the hand of the people at the last; so shalt thou remove the evil one from among yourselves.

7  First, the hands of the witnesses shall be upon him who will be put to death, and lastly, the hands of the remainder of the people shall be sent forth. So may you take away the evil from your midst.

17:8  If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, even matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which YHWH thy God shall choose.

8  And if a matter shall be too hard for thee in judgement, between blood and blood, and between cause and cause, and between stroke and stroke, and between contradiction and contradiction, matters of judgement in your cities;

8  If you have perceived that there is among you a difficult and doubtful matter of judgment, between blood and blood, cause and cause, leprosy and leprosy, and if you will have seen that the words of the judges within your gates vary: rise up and ascend to the place which the Lord your God will choose.

17:9  And thou shall come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days; and thou shalt inquire; and they shall declare unto thee the sentence of judgment.

9  then thou shalt arise and go up to the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, and thou shalt come to the priests the Levites, and to the judge who shall be in those days, and they shall search out the matter and report the judgement to thee.

9  And you shall approach the priests of the Levitical stock, and the judge, who shall be among them at that time, and you shall inquire of them, and they will reveal to you the truth of the judgment.

17:10  And thou shalt do according to the tenor of the sentence, which they shall declare unto thee from that place which YHWH shall choose; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they shall teach thee.

10  And you shall accept whatever they will say, those who preside in the place which the Lord will choose, and whatever they will teach you,

10  And you shall do according to the decision which they of that place shall show you, as the LORD has commanded; and you shall observe to do according to all that they teach you;

17:11  According to the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not turn aside from the sentence which they shall declare unto thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.

11  Thou shalt do according to the law and to the judgement which they shall declare to thee: thou shalt not swerve to the right hand or to the left from any sentence which they shall report to thee.

11  in accord with his law, and you shall follow their sentence. Neither shall you turn aside to the right or to the left.

17:12  And the man that doeth presumptuously, in not hearkening unto the priest that standeth to minister there before YHWH thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die; and thou shalt exterminate the evil from Israel.

12  And the man whosoever shall act in haughtiness, so as not to hearken to the priest who stands to minister in the name of the Lord thy God, or the judge who shall preside in those days, that man shall die, and thou shalt remove the evil one out of Israel.

12  But whoever will be arrogant, unwilling to obey the order of the priest who ministers at that time to the Lord your God, and the decree of the judge, that man shall die. And so shall you take away the evil from Israel.

17:13  And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.

13  And when the people hear about this, they shall be afraid, so that no one, from that time on, will swell with pride.

17:14  When thou art come unto the land which YHWH thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein; and shalt say: 'I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are round about me';

14  When you will have entered into the land which the Lord your God will give to you, and you possess it, and you live in it, and you say, ‘I will appoint a king over me, just as all the surrounding nations have done,’

17:15  thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom YHWH thy God shall choose; one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner over thee, who is not thy brother.

15  you shall appoint him whom the Lord your God will choose from among the number of your brothers. You cannot make a man of another people king, one who is not your brother.

17:16  Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses; forasmuch as YHWH hath said unto you: 'Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.'

16  For he shall not multiply to himself horses, and he shall by no means turn the people back to Egypt, lest he should multiply to himself horses; for the Lord said, Ye shall not any more turn back by that way.

16  And when he will have been appointed king, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor lead the people back into Egypt, having been exalted by the number of his horsemen, especially since the Lord has instructed you never to return along the same way.

17:17  Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away; neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

17  And he shall not multiply to himself wives, lest his heart turn away; and he shall not greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

17  He shall not have many wives, who might allure his mind, and he shall not have immense weights of silver and gold.

17:18  And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites.

18  And when he shall be established in his government, then shall he write for himself this repetition of the law into a book by the hands of the priests the Levites;

18  Then, after he has been seated upon the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself the Deuteronomy of this law in a volume, using a copy from the priests of the Levitical tribe.

17:19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear YHWH his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them;

17:20  that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left; to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.

20  And so may his heart not become exalted with arrogance over his brothers, nor turn aside to the right or to the left, so that he and his sons may reign for a long time over Israel.”

18:1  The priests the Levites, even all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of YHWH made by fire, and His inheritance.

1  “The priests and the Levites, and all who are from the same tribe, shall have no portion or inheritance with the rest of Israel. For they shall eat the sacrifices of the Lord and his oblations.

18:2  And they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; YHWH is their inheritance, as He hath spoken unto them.

2  And they shall receive nothing else from the possession of their brothers. For the Lord himself is their inheritance, just as he said to them.

2  Therefore they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the LORD is their inheritance, as he has said to them.

18:3  And this shall be the priests' due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.

3  And this is the due of the priests in the things coming from the people from those who offer sacrifices, whether it be a calf or a sheep; and thou shalt give the shoulder to the priest, and the cheeks, and the great intestine

3  This shall be the recompense for the priests from the people, and from those who offer victims, whether they will immolate an ox or a sheep. They shall give to the priest the shoulder and the breast,

18:4  The first-fruits of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.

18:5  For YHWH thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the YHWH, him and his sons for ever.

5  because the Lord has chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand before the Lord thy God, to minister and bless in his name, himself and his sons among the children of Israel.

5  For the Lord your God himself has chosen him out of all your tribes, so that he may stand and minister to the name of the Lord, him and his sons, forever.

18:6  And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourneth, and come with all the desire of his soul unto the place which YHWH shall choose;

6  If a Levite departs from one of the cities, throughout all of Israel, in which he lives, and if he wills and desires to go to the place which the Lord will choose,

18:7  then he shall minister in the name of YHWH his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, who stand there before the YHWH.

7  he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as do all his brothers, the Levites, who will be standing at that time in the sight of the Lord.

18:8  They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which is his due according to the fathers' houses.

8  He shall eat an allotted portion, besides the sale of his hereditary property.

8  He shall receive the same portion of food as the rest also receive, besides that which is due to him in his own city, by succession from his fathers.

18:9  When thou art come into the land which YHWH thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

9  When you will have entered into the land which the Lord your God will give to you, be careful that you are not willing to imitate the abominations of those nations.

18:10  There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,

10  There shall not be found in thee one who purges his son or his daughter with fire, one who uses divination, who deals with omens, and augury,

10  Do not let there be found among you one who would purify his son or daughter by leading them through fire, nor one who consults seers, nor one who observes dreams or omens. Do not let there be found among you one who practices the occult,

18:11  or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a familiar spirit, or a necromancer.

11  a sorcerer employing incantation, one who has in him a divining spirit, and observer of signs, questioning the dead.

11  nor one who uses spells, nor one who consults demonic spirits, nor a diviner, nor one who seeks the truth from the dead.

18:12  For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto YHWH; and because of these abominations the YHWH thy God is driving them out from before thee.

12  For the Lord abominates all these things. And, because of these wicked ways, he will destroy them at your arrival.

12  For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD God of you: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

18:13  Thou shalt be whole-hearted with YHWH thy God.

13  You shall be perfect and without blemish with the Lord your God.

18:14  For these nations, that thou art to dispossess, hearken unto soothsayers, and unto diviners; but as for thee, YHWH thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

14  For all these nations whose land thou shalt inherit, they will listen to omens and divinations; but the Lord thy God has not permitted thee so to do.

14  These nations, whose land you shall possess, they listen to soothsayers and diviners. But you have been otherwise instructed by the Lord your God.

18:15  A prophet will YHWH thy God raise up unto thee, from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

15  The Lord thy God shall raise up to thee a prophet of thy brethren, like me; him shall ye hear

15  The Lord your God will raise up for you a PROPHET from your nation and from your brothers, similar to me. You shall listen to him,

18:16  according to all that thou didst desire of YHWH thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying: 'Let me not hear again the voice of the YHWH my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.'

16  according to all things which thou didst desire of the Lord thy God in Choreb in the day of the assembly, saying, We will not again hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and we will not any more see this great fire, and so we shall not die.

16  just as you petitioned of the Lord your God at Horeb, when the assembly was gathered together, and you said: ‘Let me no longer hear the voice of the Lord my God, and let me no longer see this very great fire, lest I die.’

18:17  And YHWH said unto me: 'They have well said that which they have spoken.

17  And the Lord said to me, They have spoken rightly all that they have said to thee.

18:18  I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

18  I will raise up a prophet for them, from the midst of their brothers, similar to you. And I will place my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them all the things that I will instruct him.

18:19  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My name, I will require it of him.

18:20  But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.'

20  But if a prophet, having been corrupted by arrogance, chooses to speak, in my name, things which I did not instruct him to say, or to speak in the name of foreign gods, he shall be put to death.

18:21  And if thou say in thy heart: 'How shall we know the word which YHWH hath not spoken?'

21  But if thou shalt say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?

21  But if, in silent thought, you respond: “How will I be able to recognize a word which the Lord has not spoken?”

18:22  When a prophet speaketh in the name of YHWH, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the YHWH hath not spoken; the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him.

22  Whatsoever words that prophet shall speak in the name of the Lord, and they shall not come true, and not come to pass, this is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; that prophet has spoken wickedly: ye shall not spare him.

22  you shall have this sign. If whatever that prophet predicts in the name of the Lord does not happen, then the Lord has not spoken it. Instead, the prophet has formed it through the swelling of his own mind. And for this reason, you shall not fear him.’ ”

19:1  When YHWH thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land the YHWH thy God giveth thee, and thou dost succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;

1  And when the Lord thy God shall have destroyed the nations, which God gives thee, even the land, and ye shall inherit them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses,

1  “When the Lord your God will have destroyed the nations, whose land he will deliver to you, and when you possess it and live in its cities and buildings,

19:2  thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which YHWH thy GOD giveth thee to possess it.

2  you shall separate for yourselves three cities in the midst of the land, which the Lord will give to you as a possession,

2  You shall set apart for you three cities in the midst of your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.

19:3  Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which YHWH thy God causeth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee thither.

3  paving the road carefully. And you shall divide the entire province of your land equally into three parts, so that he who is forced to flee because of manslaughter may have a place nearby to which he may be able to escape.

19:4  And this is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso killeth his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in time past;

4  And this shall be the ordinance of the manslayer, who shall flee thither, and shall live, whosoever shall have smitten his neighbour ignorantly, whereas he hated him not in times past.

4  This shall be the law of the killer who flees, whose life is to be saved. Whoever strikes down his neighbor unwillingly, and who has been proven to have had no hatred against him yesterday and the day before,

19:5  as when a man goeth into the forest with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of these cities and live;

5  And whosoever shall enter with his neighbour into the thicket, to gather wood, if the hand of him that cuts wood with the axe should be violently shaken, and the axe head falling off from the handle should light on his neighbour, and he should die, he shall flee to one of these cities, and live.

5  such that he had gone with him into the forest simply to cut wood, and in cutting down the tree, the axe slipped from his hand, or the iron slipped from the handle, and it struck his friend and killed him: he shall flee to one of the cities stated above, and he shall live.

19:6  lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally; whereas he was not deserving of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.

6  Otherwise, perhaps the near relative of him whose blood was shed, impelled by his grief, might pursue and apprehend him, unless the way is too long, and he might strike down the life of him who is not guilty unto death, since he had demonstrated that he had no prior hatred against him who was slain.

19:7  Wherefore I command thee, saying: 'Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.'

7  Therefore I charge thee, saying, Thou shalt separate for thy self three cities.

7  For this reason, I instruct you to separate three cities at equal distance from one another.

19:8  And if YHWH thy God enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which He promised to give unto thy fathers--

8  And if the Lord shall enlarge thy borders, as he sware to thy fathers, and the Lord shall give to thee all the land which he said he would give to thy fathers;

8  And when the Lord your God will have enlarged your borders, just as he swore to your fathers, and when he will have given to you all the land that he has promised to them,

19:9  if thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love YHWH thy God, and to walk ever in His ways--then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three;

9  (but this is only so if you will keep his commandments and do the things which I instruct to you this day, so that you love the Lord your God, and walk in his ways at all times) you shall add for yourselves three other cities, and so you shall double the number of the three cities stated above.

9  If you shall keep all these commandments to do them, which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in his ways always; then you shall add three cities more for you besides these three;

19:10  that innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which YHWH thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.

10  So innocent blood shall not be spilt in the land, which the Lord thy God gives thee to inherit, and there shall not be in thee one guilty of blood.

10  So may innocent blood not be shed in the midst of the land which the Lord your God will give you to possess, lest you be guilty of blood.

19:11  But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die; and he flee into one of these cities;

11  But if there should be in thee a man hating his neighbour, and he should lay wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him, that he die, and he should flee to one of these cities,

11  But if anyone, having hatred for his neighbor, will have lain in ambush for his life, and, rising up, will have struck him, and he will have died, and if he will have fled to one of the cities stated above,

19:12  then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

12  the elders of his city shall send, and they shall take him from the place of refuge, and they shall deliver him into the hand of the relative of him whose blood was shed, and he shall die.

19:13  Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

13  You shall not take pity on him, and so shall you take away the blood of the innocent from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

13  Your eyes shall not pity him, but you shall kill him, and thus purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.

19:14  Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that YHWH thy God giveth thee to possess it.

14  You shall not take up or move the landmark of your neighbor, which those before you have placed, in your possession that the Lord your God will give to you, in the land you will receive to possess.

14  You shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set in your inheritance, which you shall inherit in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess.

19:15  One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be establishment

15  One witness shall not stand against another, no matter what the sin or outrage may be. For every word shall stand by the mouth of two or three witnesses.

15  A single witness shall not rise up against a man for any offense, or for any crime, in whatever offense or crime he may commit; on the testimony of two witnesses, or on the testimony of three witnesses, shall a charge be established.

19:16  If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to bear perverted witness against him;

16  And if a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;

19:17  then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before YHWH, before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days.

17  then shall the two men between whom the controversy is, stand before the Lord, and before the priests, and before the judges, who may be in those days.

17  both of those whose case it is shall stand before the Lord in the sight of the priests and the judges who shall be in those days.

19:18  And the judges shall inquire diligently; and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;

18  And the judges shall make diligent inquiry, and, behold, if and unjust witness has borne unjust testimony; and has stood up against his brother;

18  And when, after a very diligent examination, they will have found that the false witness had told a lie against his brother,

19:19  then shall ye do unto him, as he had purposed to do unto his brother; so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.

19:20  And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of thee.

20  Then the others, upon hearing this, will be afraid, and they will by no means dare to do such things.

19:21  And thine eye shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

21  You shall not take pity on him. Instead, you shall require a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.”

20:1  When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them; for YHWH thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

1  “If you go out to battle against your enemies, and you see horsemen and chariots, and that the multitude of your adversary’s army is greater than your own, you shall not fear them. For the Lord your God, who led you away from the land of Egypt, is with you.

20:2  And it shall be, when ye draw nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,

2  Then, as the battle now draws near, the priest shall stand before the front ranks, and he shall speak to the people in this manner

2  And when you come near to the battle, the priest shall approach and speak to the people,

20:3  and shall say unto them: 'Hear, O Israel, ye draw nigh this day unto battle against your enemies; let not your heart faint; fear not, nor be alarmed, neither be ye affrighted at them;

3  Hear, O Israel; ye are going this day to battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint, fear not, neither be confounded, neither turn aside from their face.

3  ‘Listen, O Israel! Today you engage in a battle against your enemies. Do not let your heart be overwhelmed with fear. Do not be apprehensive. Do not yield. You should have no dread of them.

20:4  for YHWH your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.'

4  For the Lord your God is in your midst, and he will contend against your enemies on your behalf, so that he may rescue you from peril.’

20:5  And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying: 'What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.

5  Likewise, the officers shall proclaim, throughout every company, in the hearing of the soldiers: ‘What man is there who has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest perhaps he may die in the battle, and another man may dedicate it.

20:6  And what man is there that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not used the fruit thereof? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use the fruit thereof.

6  What man is there who has planted a vineyard, and has not yet caused it to be common, so that all may eat from it? Let him go, and return to his house, lest perhaps he may die in the battle, and another man may carry out his office.

20:7  And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.'

7  What man is there, who has betrothed a wife, and has not taken her? Let him go, and return to his house, lest perhaps he may die in battle, and another man may take her.’

20:8  And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say: 'What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart melt as his heart.'

8  And the scribes shall speak further to the people, and say, What man is he that fears and is cowardly in his heart? Let him go and return to his house, lest he make the heart of his brother fail, as his own.

8  After these things have been declared, they shall add the remainder, and shall say to the people: ‘What man is there who is overwhelmed by fear and is fainthearted? Let him go, and return to his house, lest he cause the hearts of his brothers to fear, just as he himself has been thoroughly stricken with fear.’

20:9  And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that captains of hosts shall be appointed at the head of the people.

9  And when the officers of the army have become silent, and have completed their speech, each one shall prepare his unit to wage war.

9  And when the scribes have made an end of speaking to the people, the commanders of the army shall stand at the head of the people.

20:10  When thou drawest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.

10  And if thou shalt draw nigh to a city to overcome them by war, then call them out peaceably.

10  When, at any time, you approach a city to fight against it, you shall first offer peace to it.

20:11  And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that are found therein shall become tributary unto thee, and shall serve thee.

11  If then they should answer peaceably to thee, and open to thee, it shall be that all the people found in it shall be tributary and subject to thee.

11  And if the city give you answer of peace, and it open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be servants and tributaries to you, and they shall serve you.

20:12  And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it.

12  But if they are not willing to enter into an agreement, and they begin to act against you in warfare, then you shall besiege it.

12  But if it will not surrender to you, but will make war with you, then you shall besiege it;

20:13  And when YHWH thy God delivereth it into thy hand, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword;

13  until the Lord thy God shall deliver it into thy hands, and thou shalt smite every male of it with the edge of the sword

13  And when the Lord your God will have delivered it into your hands, you shall strike down anyone who is in it, of the male gender, with the edge of the sword,

20:14  but the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take for a prey unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which YHWH thy God hath given thee.

14  except the women and the stuff: and all the cattle, and whatsoever shall be in the city, and all the plunder thou shalt take as spoil for thyself, and shalt eat all the plunder of thine enemies whom the Lord thy God gives thee.

14  but not the women and young children, nor the cattle and the other things that are within the city. And you shall divide all the plunder to the soldiers, and you shall eat the spoils from your enemies, which the Lord your God will give to you.

20:15  Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.

15  Thus shalt thou do to all the cities that are very far off from thee, not being of the cities of these nations which the Lord thy God gives thee to inherit their land.

15  So shall you do to all the cities which are at a great distance from you, those which are not among the cities that you shall receive as a possession.

20:16  Howbeit of the cities of these peoples, that YHWH thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth,

16  Of these ye shall not take any thing alive;

16  But among those cities which shall be given to you, you shall not permit anyone at all to live.

20:17  but thou shalt utterly destroy them: the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; as YHWH thy God hath commanded thee;

17  Instead, you shall put them to death with the edge of the sword, specifically: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite, the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you.

20:18  that they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods, and so ye sin against YHWH your God.

18  Otherwise, they may teach you to do all the abominations which they have committed for their own gods. And then you would sin against the Lord your God.

18  That they may not teach you to do after all their abominations, which they have done in worshipping their gods; so you should sin in the sight of the LORD your God.

20:19  When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, but thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee?

19  When you will have besieged a city for a long time, and you will have encircled it with fortifications, so that you may fight against it, you shall not cut down trees from which one is able to eat, neither shall you cause devastation with axes to the surrounding region. For it is a tree, and not a man. It is not able to increase the number of those who are fighting against you.

20:20  Only the trees of which thou knowest that they are not trees for food, them thou mayest destroy and cut down, that thou mayest build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it fall.

20  But the tree which thou knowest to be not fruit-bearing, this thou shalt destroy and cut down; and thou shalt construct a mound against the city, which makes war against thee, until it be delivered up.