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Deuteronomy 16:18-18:13
English Standard Version
Deuteronomy 16:18-18:13
English Standard Version
Justice
18 “You shall appoint (A)judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 (B)You shall not pervert justice. (C)You shall not show partiality, (D)and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Forbidden Forms of Worship
21 “You shall not plant any tree as (E)an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God that you shall make. 22 And you shall not set up a pillar, which the Lord your God hates.
17 (F)“You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.
2 (G)“If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, (H)in transgressing his covenant, 3 and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or (I)the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, (J)which I have forbidden, 4 and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire (K)diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, 5 then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you (L)shall stone that man or woman to death with stones. 6 (M)On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. 7 (N)The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So (O)you shall purge[a] the evil[b] from your midst.
Legal Decisions by Priests and Judges
8 “If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to (P)the place that the Lord your God will choose. 9 (Q)And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and (R)they shall declare to you the decision. 10 Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the Lord will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you. 11 According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left. 12 The man who (S)acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest (T)who stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So (U)you shall purge the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people (V)shall hear and fear and not act presumptuously again.
Laws Concerning Israel's Kings
14 “When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, (W)‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you may indeed set a king over you (X)whom the Lord your God will choose. One (Y)from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 Only he must not acquire many (Z)horses for himself or cause the people (AA)to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, (AB)‘You shall never return that way again.’ 17 And he (AC)shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, (AD)nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.
18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, (AE)he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, (AF)approved by[c] the Levitical priests. 19 And (AG)it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, (AH)that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he (AI)may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, (AJ)so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.
Provision for Priests and Levites
18 “The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, (AK)shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They (AL)shall eat the Lord's food offerings[d] as their[e] inheritance. 2 They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them. 3 And this shall be the priests' due from the people, from those offering a sacrifice, whether an ox or a sheep: (AM)they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach. 4 (AN)The firstfruits of your grain, of your wine and of your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. 5 For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes (AO)to stand and minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for all time.
6 “And if a Levite comes from any of your towns out of all Israel, (AP)where he lives—and he may come when he desires[f]—(AQ)to the place that the Lord will choose, 7 and ministers in the name of the Lord his God, (AR)like all his fellow Levites who stand to minister there before the Lord, 8 then he may have equal (AS)portions to eat, besides what he receives from the sale of his patrimony.[g]
Abominable Practices
9 “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, (AT)you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone (AU)who burns his son or his daughter as an offering,[h] anyone who (AV)practices divination or (AW)tells fortunes or interprets omens, or (AX)a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or (AY)a medium or a necromancer or (AZ)one who inquires of the dead, 12 (BA)for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And (BB)because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God,
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 17:7 Septuagint drive out; also verse 12
- Deuteronomy 17:7 Or evil person; also verse 12
- Deuteronomy 17:18 Hebrew from before
- Deuteronomy 18:1 Or the offerings by fire to the Lord
- Deuteronomy 18:1 Hebrew his
- Deuteronomy 18:6 Or lives—if he comes enthusiastically
- Deuteronomy 18:8 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Deuteronomy 18:10 Hebrew makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire
Deuteronomy 16:18-18:13
New International Version
Deuteronomy 16:18-18:13
New International Version
Judges
18 Appoint judges(A) and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.(B) 19 Do not pervert justice(C) or show partiality.(D) Do not accept a bribe,(E) for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. 20 Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Worshiping Other Gods
21 Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole(F) beside the altar you build to the Lord your God,(G) 22 and do not erect a sacred stone,(H) for these the Lord your God hates.
17 Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect(I) or flaw in it, for that would be detestable(J) to him.(K)
2 If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of his covenant,(L) 3 and contrary to my command(M) has worshiped other gods,(N) bowing down to them or to the sun(O) or the moon or the stars in the sky,(P) 4 and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true(Q) and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,(R) 5 take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death.(S) 6 On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.(T) 7 The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death,(U) and then the hands of all the people.(V) You must purge the evil(W) from among you.
Law Courts
8 If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge(X)—whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults(Y)—take them to the place the Lord your God will choose.(Z) 9 Go to the Levitical(AA) priests and to the judge(AB) who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict.(AC) 10 You must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the Lord will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you to do. 11 Act according to whatever they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left.(AD) 12 Anyone who shows contempt(AE) for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering(AF) there to the Lord your God is to be put to death.(AG) You must purge the evil from Israel.(AH) 13 All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again.(AI)
The King
14 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession(AJ) of it and settled in it,(AK) and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,”(AL) 15 be sure to appoint(AM) over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites.(AN) Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses(AO) for himself(AP) or make the people return to Egypt(AQ) to get more of them,(AR) for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”(AS) 17 He must not take many wives,(AT) or his heart will be led astray.(AU) He must not accumulate(AV) large amounts of silver and gold.(AW)
18 When he takes the throne(AX) of his kingdom, he is to write(AY) for himself on a scroll a copy(AZ) of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life(BA) so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees(BB) 20 and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law(BC) to the right or to the left.(BD) Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.(BE)
Offerings for Priests and Levites
18 The Levitical(BF) priests—indeed, the whole tribe of Levi—are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the food offerings(BG) presented to the Lord, for that is their inheritance.(BH) 2 They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance,(BI) as he promised them.(BJ)
3 This is the share due the priests(BK) from the people who sacrifice a bull(BL) or a sheep: the shoulder, the internal organs and the meat from the head.(BM) 4 You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep,(BN) 5 for the Lord your God has chosen them(BO) and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister(BP) in the Lord’s name always.(BQ)
6 If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the Lord will choose,(BR) 7 he may minister in the name(BS) of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the Lord. 8 He is to share equally in their benefits, even though he has received money from the sale of family possessions.(BT)
Occult Practices
9 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate(BU) the detestable ways(BV) of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire,(BW) who practices divination(BX) or sorcery,(BY) interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,(BZ) 11 or casts spells,(CA) or who is a medium or spiritist(CB) or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.(CC) 13 You must be blameless(CD) before the Lord your God.(CE)
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.