Deuteronomy 17
A King Who Must Write the Law in His Own Hand
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Pure Offerings
17:1Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God a calf or sheep with a defect, anything wrong, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.
Punishment for Idolatry and Legal Testimony
17:2If a man or woman is found among you, in any of your cities the Lord your God is giving you, doing evil before the Lord your God and transgressing His covenant,
17:3going to serve other gods and bow down to them, to the sun, moon, or anything in heaven's array, which He has not commanded,
17:4and it is reported to you, investigate thoroughly. If the matter has truly occurred, and this abomination has occurred in Israel,
17:5bring out that man or woman and stone them, and they shall die.
17:6On two or three witnesses, the person liable to death shall die; no one shall die on one witness.
17:7The witnesses' hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. Remove the evil person from among yourselves.
Legal Cases and the Levitical Judges
17:8If a judicial matter is beyond you, distinguishing blood from blood, judgment from judgment, injury from injury, or dispute from dispute, matters of judgment in your cities, rise and go up to the place the Lord your God will choose for His name to be invoked there.
17:9Go to the Levitical priests and to the judge serving in those days; after investigating, they shall declare the judgment to you.
17:10Act according to the matter they declare to you from the place the Lord your God will choose for His name to be invoked there, and take great care to do everything legislated for you.
17:11Act according to the law and the judgment they tell you. Do not turn right or left from the decision they declare to you.
17:12The person who acts arrogantly by refusing to listen to the priest standing to minister in the name of the Lord your God, or to the judge serving in those days, shall die. Remove the evil person from Israel.
17:13All the people shall hear and fear, and no longer act impiously.
Laws Concerning Israel’s Kings
17:14If you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you as an allotment, inherit it, dwell in it, and say: I will appoint a ruler over me like the other nations around me,
17:15you shall surely appoint over you a ruler whom the Lord your God chooses. Appoint a ruler over you from your brothers; you may not appoint a foreign person over you, because he is not your brother.
17:16For he shall not multiply cavalry for himself or send the people back to Egypt to multiply cavalry for himself. The Lord said: You shall never return by this way again.
17:17He shall not multiply wives for himself, nor shall his heart turn aside; he shall not greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.
17:18When he takes his seat in office, he shall write for himself this second law in a scroll, from the Levitical priests.
17:19It shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, keeping all these commandments and these ordinances and practicing them,
17:20so that his heart is not lifted above his brothers and he does not deviate right or left from the commandments, so that he and his sons may continue long in his rule among the Israelites.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.