| New Living Translation | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1“Never sacrifice sick or defective cattle, sheep, or goats to the LORD your God, for he detests such gifts. | 1"Do not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or sheep with a defect or any serious flaw, for that is detestable to the LORD your God. |
| 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. | 2"If a man or woman among you in one of your towns that the LORD your God will give you is discovered doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and violating his covenant |
| 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. | 3and has gone to serve other gods by bowing in worship to the sun, moon, or all the stars in the sky--which I have forbidden-- |
| 4When you hear about it, investigate the matter thoroughly. If it is true that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, | 4and if you are told or hear about it, then investigate it thoroughly. If the report turns out to be true that this detestable act has been done in Israel, |
| 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. | 5you are to bring out to your city gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing and stone them to death. |
| 6But never put a person to death on the testimony of only one witness. There must always be two or three witnesses. | 6The one condemned to die is to be executed on the testimony of two or three witnesses. No one is to be executed on the testimony of a single witness. |
| 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. | 7The witnesses' hands are to be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from you. |
| 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, | 8"If a case is too difficult for you--concerning bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults--cases disputed at your city gates, then go up to the place the LORD your God chooses. |
| 9and present them to the Levitical priests or the judge on duty at that time. They will hear the case and declare the verdict. | 9You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Ask, and they will give you a verdict in the case. |
| 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. | 10You must abide by the verdict they give you at the place the LORD chooses. Be careful to do exactly as they instruct you. |
| 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. | 11You must abide by the instruction they give you and the verdict they announce to you. Do not turn to the right or the left from the decision they declare to you. |
| 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. | 12The person who acts arrogantly, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there serving the LORD your God or to the judge, must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. |
| 13Then everyone else will hear about it and be afraid to act so arrogantly. Guidelines for a King | 13Then all the people will hear about it, be afraid, and no longer behave arrogantly. |
| 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.’ | 14"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, take possession of it, live in it, and say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations around me,' |
| 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. | 15you are to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. Appoint a king from your brothers. You are not to set a foreigner over you, or one who is not of your people. |
| 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.’ | 16However, he must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire many horses, for the LORD has told you, 'You are never to go back that way again.' |
| 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. | 17He must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won't go astray. He must not acquire very large amounts of silver and gold for himself. |
| 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. | 18When he is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. |
| 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. | 19It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do these statutes. |
| 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. | 20Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his sons will continue reigning many years in Israel. |
| 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. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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