Gifts at Gathering Time

26 “When you go into the land the Lord your God gives you, it will be yours and you will live in it. ² You must take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you gather from the land the Lord your God gives you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to have His name. ³ Go to the religious leader who is working at that time, and say to him, ‘I make known this day to the Lord my God that I have come into the land which the Lord promised to our fathers to give us.’ ⁴ Then the religious leader will take the basket from your hand and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. ⁵ And you will say before the Lord your God, ‘My father was a traveling Aramean. He went to Egypt, few in number, and stayed there. But there he became a nation, great, powerful, and with many people. ⁶ The Egyptians made it hard for us. They brought us much trouble and made us work very hard. ⁷ Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers. The Lord heard our voice and saw our troubles, our work, and how hard our lives were. ⁸ And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and a long arm, causing much fear by doing powerful works. ⁹ He has brought us to this place. He has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁰ Now see, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground that You have given me, O Lord.’ Then you will set it down before the Lord your God, and worship Him. ¹¹ You and the Levite and the stranger who is among you will be full of joy because of all the good the Lord your God has given you and those of your house.

¹² “When you have finished paying all the tenth of the food you received in the third year, the year of giving a tenth, then give it to the Levite, the stranger, the child whose parents have died, and the woman whose husband has died. So they may eat it in your towns and be filled. ¹³ Then say before the Lord your God, ‘I have taken the share for holy use from my house. I have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the child whose parents have died, and the woman whose husband has died. I have done this because of all Your Laws which You have told me to do. I have not sinned or forgotten any of Your Laws. ¹⁴ I have not eaten of it while in sorrow, or taken any of it while I was unclean, or given any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of the Lord my God, and have done all You have told me to do. ¹⁵ Look down from Your holy place in heaven and bring good to Your people Israel. Bring good to the ground You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You promised our fathers.’

The Lord’s Special People

¹⁶ “This day the Lord your God tells you to obey these Laws. Be careful to obey them with all your heart and with all your soul. ¹⁷ Today you have said that the Lord is your God, and that you will walk in His ways, keep all His Laws, and listen to His voice. ¹⁸ And the Lord today has made it known that you are His own people, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His Laws. ¹⁹ He has told you that He will set you high above all the nations He has made. You will be praised, remembered, and honored. You will be a holy nation to the Lord your God, as He has said.”

The Law Written on Stones

27 Then Moses and the leaders of Israel said to the people, “Keep all the Laws which I tell you today. ² On the day you cross the Jordan to the land the Lord your God gives you, set up large stones and cover them with plaster. ³ Write on them all the words of this Law when you cross the river and go into the land the Lord your God gives you. It is a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. ⁴ When you cross the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal and cover them with plaster, as I tell you today. ⁵ Build an altar of stones there to the Lord your God. Do not work on them with an iron tool. ⁶ And build the altar of the Lord your God with stones that are not cut. Then give a burnt gift on it to the Lord your God. ⁷ Give peace gifts and eat there. And be full of joy before the Lord your God. ⁸ Write all the words of this Law on the stones. Make it easy to read.”

What Happens to Those Who Do Not Obey

⁹ Then Moses and the Levite religious leaders said to all Israel, “Be quiet and listen, O Israel! This day you have become the people of the Lord your God. ¹⁰ So obey the Lord your God. Keep all of His Laws which I tell you today.”

¹¹ Moses told the people that same day, ¹² “Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin will stand on Mount Gerizim when you cross the Jordan. They will pray that good will come to the people. ¹³ And Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali will stand on Mount Ebal to tell of the curses. ¹⁴ The Levites will say with a loud voice to all the people of Israel:

¹⁵ ‘Cursed is every man who makes a god or something to look like a god, the work of the hands of the able workman, and sets it up in secret. It is hated by the Lord.’ Then all the people will answer, ‘Let it be so.’

¹⁶ ‘Cursed is the one who puts his father or mother to shame.’ And all the people will say, ‘Let it be so.’

¹⁷ ‘Cursed is the man who moves his neighbor’s land-mark.’ And all the people will say, ‘Let it be so.’

¹⁸ ‘Cursed is the one who leads a blind person on the road the wrong way.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Let it be so.’

¹⁹ ‘Cursed is the one who is not fair to a stranger, a child whose parents have died, and the woman whose husband has died.’ And all the people will say, ‘Let it be so.’

²⁰ ‘Cursed is the man who lies with his father’s wife because he has taken off the clothes of her who belongs to his father.’ And all the people will say, ‘Let it be so.’

²¹ ‘Cursed is the man who lies with any animal.’ And all the people will say, ‘Let it be so.’

²² ‘Cursed is the man who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or mother.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Let it be so.’

²³ ‘Cursed is the man who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people will say, ‘Let it be so.’

²⁴ ‘Cursed is the one who hits his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people will say, ‘Let it be so.’

²⁵ ‘Cursed is the one who receives pay to kill a person who is not guilty.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Let it be so.’

²⁶ ‘Cursed is the one who does not obey the words of this Law.’ And all the people will say, ‘Let it be so.’