| International Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1You are not to sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep that has a defect or any flaw in it, because that is detestable to the LORD your God." | 1“Never sacrifice sick or defective cattle, sheep, or goats to the LORD your God, for he detests such gifts. |
| 2"You may discover that a man or woman living in one of your cities that the LORD your God is about to give you has done evil in the eyes of the LORD your God by transgressing his covenant. | 2“When you begin living in the towns the LORD your God is giving you, a man or woman among you might do evil in the sight of the LORD your God and violate the covenant. |
| 3He may be following and serving other gods by bowing down to them—that is, to the sun, the moon, or to any of the heavenly host (something I did not command). | 3For instance, they might serve other gods or worship the sun, the moon, or any of the stars—the forces of heaven—which I have strictly forbidden. |
| 4When it is reported to you or you hear of it, then investigate it thoroughly. When the truth has been established that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, | 4When you hear about it, investigate the matter thoroughly. If it is true that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, |
| 5summon the man or the woman who did this evil thing to your city gates. Then stone the man or the woman to death. | 5then the man or woman who has committed such an evil act must be taken to the gates of the town and stoned to death. |
| 6Based on the testimony of two or three witnesses, they must surely die. But they are not to die based on the testimony of one person. | 6But never put a person to death on the testimony of only one witness. There must always be two or three witnesses. |
| 7Let the witnesses be the first to begin executing them, then the rest of the people shall follow. By doing this you will purge evil from among you." | 7The witnesses must throw the first stones, and then all the people may join in. In this way, you will purge the evil from among you. |
| 8"If a case is too difficult for you to decide with respect to bloodshed, civil claims, assault and battery, or other matters of dispute within your courts, bring it to the place that the LORD your God will choose. | 8“Suppose a case arises in a local court that is too hard for you to decide—for instance, whether someone is guilty of murder or only of manslaughter, or a difficult lawsuit, or a case involving different kinds of assault. Take such legal cases to the place the LORD your God will choose, |
| 9Present the case to the Levitical priest or the judge at that time. When you have inquired and they have announced the verdict, | 9and present them to the Levitical priests or the judge on duty at that time. They will hear the case and declare the verdict. |
| 10carry out the verdict that was declared to you at the place that the LORD will choose. Carefully observe all of their instructions to you | 10You must carry out the verdict they announce and the sentence they prescribe at the place the LORD chooses. You must do exactly what they say. |
| 11in accordance with what the Law says, and in accordance with the verdict that will be handed to you. You must not deviate from the verdict that they declare to you either to the right or to the left. | 11After they have interpreted the law and declared their verdict, the sentence they impose must be fully executed; do not modify it in any way. |
| 12If a man presumptuously disregards the priest who is serving the LORD your God there or the judge, that person must die so you will purge evil from Israel. | 12Anyone arrogant enough to reject the verdict of the judge or of the priest who represents the LORD your God must die. In this way you will purge the evil from Israel. |
| 13Then all the people who hear will be afraid and will not act presumptuously again." | 13Then everyone else will hear about it and be afraid to act so arrogantly. Guidelines for a King |
| 14"When you have come to the land that the LORD your God is about to give you, and you have taken possession of it, and have settled in it, then you will say, 'I will appoint a king over me like all the nations around me.' | 14“You are about to enter the land the LORD your God is giving you. When you take it over and settle there, you may think, ‘We should select a king to rule over us like the other nations around us.’ |
| 15You will certainly set a king over you, whom the LORD your God will choose from among your relatives, but you must not place a foreign king over you who is not from your relatives. | 15If this happens, be sure to select as king the man the LORD your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner. |
| 16Only he must not amass horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt to obtain more horses. For the LORD said you must never return that way again. | 16“The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the LORD has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’ |
| 17Also, he must not accumulate wives for himself (otherwise, his affection will become diverted), nor accumulate for himself excessive quantities of silver and gold. | 17The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the LORD. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself. |
| 18When he occupies his royal throne, he must make a copy of this Law for himself from a scroll used by the Levitical priests. | 18“When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. |
| 19It is to remain with him the rest of his life so he may learn to fear the LORD his God and observe all the words of this Law and these statutes, in order to fulfill them. | 19He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the LORD his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. |
| 20He is not to exalt himself over his relatives, nor turn aside from the commandment—neither to the right nor to the left—so that he and his sons may reign long in Israel." | 20This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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