Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9

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)

The Prophet

¹⁴ The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination.^(CF) But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. ¹⁵ The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites.^(CG) You must listen to him. ¹⁶ For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”^(CH)

¹⁷ The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet^(CI) like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words^(CJ) in his mouth.^(CK) He will tell them everything I command him.^{(CL) 19} I myself will call to account^(CM) anyone who does not listen^(CN) to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.^{(CO) 20} But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods,^(CP) is to be put to death.”^(CQ)

²¹ You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” ²² If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true,^(CR) that is a message the Lord has not spoken.^(CS) That prophet has spoken presumptuously,^(CT) so do not be alarmed.

Cities of Refuge^(CU)

19 When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses,^{(CV) 2} then set aside for yourselves three cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. ³ Determine the distances involved and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that a person who kills someone may flee for refuge to one of these cities.

⁴ This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. ⁵ For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. ⁶ Otherwise, the avenger of blood^(CW) might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. ⁷ This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.

⁸ If the Lord your God enlarges your territory,^(CX) as he promised^(CY) on oath to your ancestors, and gives you the whole land he promised them, ⁹ because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the Lord your God and to walk always in obedience to him^(CZ)—then you are to set aside three more cities. ¹⁰ Do this so that innocent blood^(DA) will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.^(DB)

¹¹ But if out of hate someone lies in wait, assaults and kills a neighbor,^(DC) and then flees to one of these cities, ¹² the killer shall be sent for by the town elders, be brought back from the city, and be handed over to the avenger of blood to die. ¹³ Show no pity.^(DD) You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood,^(DE) so that it may go well with you.

¹⁴ Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.^(DF)

Witnesses

¹⁵ One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.^(DG)

¹⁶ If a malicious witness^(DH) takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, ¹⁷ the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges^(DI) who are in office at the time. ¹⁸ The judges must make a thorough investigation,^(DJ) and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, ¹⁹ then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party.^(DK) You must purge the evil from among you. ²⁰ The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid,^(DL) and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. ²¹ Show no pity:^(DM) life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.^(DN)

Going to War

20 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours,^(DO) do not be afraid^(DP) of them,^(DQ) because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with^(DR) you. ² When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. ³ He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted^(DS) or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. ⁴ For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you^(DT) to fight^(DU) for you against your enemies to give you victory.^(DV)”

⁵ The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in^(DW) it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. ⁶ Has anyone planted^(DX) a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it?^(DY) Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. ⁷ Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.^(DZ)” ⁸ Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.”^{(EA) 9} When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.

¹⁰ When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace.^{(EB) 11} If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject^(EC) to forced labor^(ED) and shall work for you. ¹² If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. ¹³ When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.^{(EE) 14} As for the women, the children, the livestock^(EF) and everything else in the city,^(EG) you may take these as plunder^(EH) for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. ¹⁵ This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance^(EI) from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.

¹⁶ However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.^{(EJ) 17} Completely destroy^[a] them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you. ¹⁸ Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods,^(EK) and you will sin^(EL) against the Lord your God.

¹⁹ When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees people, that you should besiege them?^{[b] 20} However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees^(EM) and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.

Atonement for an Unsolved Murder

21 If someone is found slain, lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who the killer was,^{(EN) 2} your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns. ³ Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke^{(EO) 4} and lead it down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer’s neck. ⁵ The Levitical priests shall step forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings^(EP) in the name of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault.^{(EQ) 6} Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands^(ER) over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, ⁷ and they shall declare: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. ⁸ Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent person.” Then the bloodshed will be atoned for,^{(ES) 9} and you will have purged^(ET) from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the Lord.